Please Donate To Nikki Araguz's Emergency Fund.

PLEASE DONATE TO Nikki Araguz's Fund!

Info:


http://www.tgctr.org/2010/07/22/nikki/

Trans Activist 'Sky' Exposes Autumn Sandeen's "LGB Appropriation" of Transsexual & Intersex Issues such as the Nikki Araguz Story in Texas

Noted trans activist, 'Sky', calls out Autumn Sandeen (transgender blogger employed by Gay Inc.) to stop appropriating trans issues to support the gay and lesbian establishment who are employing her to do so.

Today Sandeen wrote a blog entry on Pams House Blend concerning Nikki Araguz, the widow of a recently fallen firefighter in Texas. Nikki's in-laws are trying to steal her benefits, claiming Nikki was "born a man". Sandeen goes on a rant yet again that inaccuratly paints an intersex and transsexual issue in a way that makes it about "gay issues", just like when she used the word "homosexuality" in the title of a blog entry she did about trans women Tiwonge and her lover Steven.

Sky publicly exposes Sandeen's misreporting of transsexual and intersex issues as:

"Appropriation. There are a lot of GLB trans folk for whom same-sex marriage is an important issue, but I get a irritated when transgender issues get appropriated in order to support same-sex marriage. Nikki is a woman and should not have to enter a same-sex marriage as a man in order for her marriage to be recognized. Nikki should be fully recognized as a woman, and her marriage should be recognized as a valid opposite sex marriage. Period." - Sky wrote to Pam's House Blend's Autumn Sandeen

Thank you Sky! It has become common for many transsexual advocates, allies and writers to protest Sandeen's misrepresention (many of whom Sandeen banned from commenting on the Pam's House Blend site for thier truth telling) of many trans issues in a way that caters to Gay Inc, yet pigeonholes transsexual and intersex people who do not subscribe to Sandeen's and Gay Inc's transgender/3rd gender/crossdresser political strong arming of the medical condition transsexualism.

There is a difference,(equal, but different), between a woman with both intersex and transsexual birth challenges, and this social political term "transgender" that all of a sudden encompasses gender queer identified individuals, gay and lesbian gender non-conforming people, cross dressers, drag queens, etc. One noted transgender blogger employed by Gay Inc. was uncomfortble with the discussion of diversity in the transsexual, transgender umbrella and intersex communities, for reasons she knows. The high majority of intersex people are not even remotely transgender (intersex people are of a biological condition, not an "identity or expression"), and neither do a lot of transsexual people (many them with an intersex condition).

Apparently the marriages of transsexual, transgender & intersex (TTI) people aren’t a priority for the gay & lesbian organizations. The media continues to misreport the facts pertaining to Nikki Araguz's case. The TTI communities supported the gay and lesbian community’s fight for marriage rights. It’s a disappointing slap in the face tp see all the gay groups being silent about this potentially historical case in Texas. Don't heterosexual intersex and transsexual people also deserve advocacy from the LGBT leadership?

At least Sandeen was honest enough to write "alleged transgender" in the title of her propaganda filled blog entry about Nikki Araguz. That is more then most gay and lesbian media outlets have done, who sometimes co-opt the medical condition transsexualism either out of ignorance, or because it uplifts gay people over transsexual people.

The reason we feel compelled to discuss the often silenced topic of diversity in the sex and/or gender diverse communities is because the epidemic of women and men being denied their medical rights to treat their intersex and transsexual birth challenge is a crime. These attacks on their human rights could be remedied more so if the media would not aide in the miseducation that continues to marginalize many transsexual, transgender and intersex people.

MAGNET's Media Advisory:

MAGNET asks all media outlets, especially our own LGBT media outlets, to stop misgendering and declassifying Nikki Araguz's birth challenge status, and ask the gay and lesbian organizations to help the intersex, transsexual and transgender communities defend themselves from these media assaults.

Nikki Araguz was born with a variation of female and male biology. She was not born a "man", yet is being falsely reported so by numerous media outlets (even some LGB"T" ones). This inaccurate reporting causes fear and miseducation about intersex and transsexual human beings, which unethically and irresponsibly sways the future jury from seeing things clearly because of this sensational false media. This hype could cause propaganda which could strip Nikki of her constitutional rights and security. This woman deserves the right to grieve for her brave and loving companion who she has lost, without this humilating and public assault on her right to privacy. -----------------------------

This is a tragic love story made even more tragic by ignorance, hate and greed. It's shameful that the mother of the fallen firefighter would choose her desire for money over her respect for her son’s memory, and the love of his life, his wife, Nikki Araguz

My reviews of some of the hottest LGBT films making the film festival circuits on SheWired.com

Read my film reviews of some of the hottest new LGBT films making the festival circuit on SheWired.com

I am happy to be a new contributor for the LGBT women's website "SheWired" (.com). Here's the first paragraph of my first article for them, check out the rest of it on SheWired.com.

As Los Angeles is gearing up for its film festival extravaganza Outfest, new SheWired contributor Ashley Love reflects on the amazing LGBT Film Festival Frameline that ended last week in San Francisco.

The funnest time to be in San Francisco is the second part of June! Not only is June national LGBT pride month, but The San Francisco LGBT Film Festival Frameline also happens from June 17^th to 26^th. Frameline has been helping transsexual, transgender, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and intersex people and their allies tell LGBT stories since 1977. From the legendary Castro theatre, to San Fran being the capital of documentary filmmakers, to many LGBT artists, activists and storytellers residing here, San Francisco has been an influential breeding ground for LGBT people to showcase their cinematic visions to the world. Frameline has pioneered high amounts of trans inclusion in programming and development of trans artists, and even throws trans-specific events, parties and panels. - Ashley Love

To read my film reviews from Frameline, and finish reading about my San Fran trip, please click on the link below:

http://www.shewired.com/Article.cfm?ArticlePage=2&ID=25289

Sylvia Rivera’s Words Exposing Gay Inc’s Oppression of Trans People Still Ring True Today. Happy Birthday Sylvia!

Sylvia Rivera’s Words Exposing Gay Inc’s Oppression of Trans People Still Ring True Today

Today, July 2nd, is LGBT pioneer Sylvia Rivera’s birthday. Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual & Transgender People (MAGNET) and many LGBT people honor this heroic transgender woman, who is credited by historians as being the person who “threw the first heel” in the Stonewall Inn that fateful night in 1969, when the LGBT community decided to fight back against police brutality. Rivera and many other transgender and gender non-conforming people of color at the inn that night were “guilty” of having “gender inappropriate” clothing, which is the excuse the police used to exercise their prejudice with violence. The police were surprised when the guests at the bar decided to fight back! This riot catapulted the modern LGBT movement, and Rivera and other trans people were responsible for kicking things off.

Rivera continued to advocate for LGBT equality, particularly those disenfranchised and homeless. Sadly, after the gay establishment was done using her to get publicity to raise money, she was abandoned by the gay community, and actually died impoverished. They expressed that “transgender issues are too extreme”. The lesbian separatist “radical feminist” community would exclude her from women’s conferences, and she was even one time escorted out of a queer women’s conference by transphobic lesbians. She was banned from the New York Gay Center for publicly, and aggressively, asking them to take better care of homeless queer youth. When Rivera used her voice to call out the oppression of trans, poor and/or people of color from Gay Inc, she was blacklisted from many organizations, media outlets and social circles. Though the Gay Male Media Mafia tried to silence her truth telling, shortly before she died she foretold the future saying, “One of our main goals now is to destroy the Human Rights Campaign because I'm tired of sitting on the back of the bumper. It's not even the back of the bus anymore — it's the back of the bumper. The bitch on wheels is back.”

Today, a new documentary is making the festival circuit called “Stonewall Uprising”. Shockingly, but not surprisingly, the white gay and lesbian people primarily responsible for making the film totally “white washed” what really happened, by mainly interviewing white subjects, to having only white men on the promo poster. And it gets even more inaccurate and appalling- the films totally belittles the involvement not only LGBT people of color had in initiating our movement, but it downplays the significant role trans people had in igniting the flame that Stonewall accomplished. Sorry Gay Inc, no matter how hard you try, your desperate attempt to rewrite history, therefore oppressing trans folk and people of color, will not work. There’s a new Stonewall happening, and this “oppress our own pattern” is getting harder to maintain as the people continue to speak out.

Before there was Harvey Milk, there was Sylvia Rivera. Yet the gate keepers of LGB“T” media all too often marginalize her influential place in history.

If Sylvia Rivera were alive today, how would she feel about the current status of transsexual, transgender and intersex people in the LGBTQ community? How would she feel about the cries of LGBT people of color who are protesting that their voices and needs are not being appreciated or included by the gay hierarchy?

On this special day honoring Sylvia Rivera’s birthday, we are calling on all gay and lesbian people to remember who started Stonewall, and to try to be more understanding, compassionate and inclusive of your trans brothers and sisters. We call on Gay Inc to remember that it was not the privileged assimilationists who first stormed the gates making it possible for this 40 year campaign for equality. In reality, it was lower income people of color who bravely defied transphobic and homophobic violence with such a resistance that the whole world knew the LGBT community had had enough, resulting in irreversible revolution.

Happy Birthday Sylvia Rivera, and thank you for taking a stand!
Sincerely, Ashley Love- organizer of MAGNET.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Rivera

CNN's "Gary & Tony Have A Baby" Premieres tonight!

Talking to Gary & Tony and their adorable baby Nicholas

Tonight @ 8pm CNN's continues thier "In America" series with "Gary & Tony Have A Baby". Last week I went to GLAAD and CNN's screening of the documentary, and got to meet the happy and loving family. It was a very touching and well done piece. I would rather have two loving, attentitive gay parents, then two unhappy, workaholic "straight" parents on their 3rd divorce each, just sayin'.

CNN's Solidad O'Brian (no, we're not sisters, but I wish we were!)
w/ my friends Cindi Creager (GLAAD) and her wife Rainie Cole

All the panelists after the screening

Gary, Tony, their baby Nicholas, and GLAAD'S ED Jarrett Barrios

"Trans Party"! All trans musician concert and party hosted by Frameline!

Last night Frameline hosted one of the funnest trans music parties ever called "Trans Party" at the chic hot spot "Supperclub". The party was immediately following the festival's screening of "Riot Acts: Flaunting Gender Variance in Music Performance", called a "transfabulous rocku-mentary", and featured many popular trans performers including Katastophe, Joshua Klipp, Lipstick Conspiracy, Shawna Virago who all performed on stage at "Trans Party".

Hanging out with the all trans girl rock band Lipstick Conspiracy. They opened up the lineup, and were on fire!

With my friend, music artist and dancer Joshua Klipp (middle)

Singer Joshua Klipp ended the concert, and of course all the girls rushed him after his set! Klipp is a favorite of MTV's Logo, and is a regular on Logo's "New, Now, Next" music show, and even hosts the show from time to time. Check him out: http://www.myspace.com/cutelittlewhiteguy.
The all trans girl rock band "Lipstick Conspiracy" opened up the concert for a whole hour. Listen to their music: http://www.myspace.com/lipstickconspiracy

With activist Allison D. Laureano and musician Imogen Binnie

I saw my friend Imogen Binnie, a punk rock musician and trans advocate. She was one of my first friends I met the first time I came to San Fran. I came to SF a few years ago for the Transgender Leadership Summit, and she was sitting next to me in a workshop, and we both had similar ideas and clicked. I kid with her and call her "the trans Chloe Sevigny", which she totally looks like! Last year Imogen performed a song at the Trans March that protested the anti-trans slur "tra**y", and I was happy she understood the stigma and dehumanization that the pejorative inspires.

Trans musician pioneer Shawna Virago rocks the house at the "Trans Party"

Frameline SF LGBT Film Festival Opening Night!

I'm so happy to be in California for a 10 week get away from the craziness and concrete jungle of New York City. First I am in San Fran for 3 weeks to go to Frameline Film Festival, and go to Pride. I'm making my first film! I have 3 LGBT characters in my screenplay, and wanted to be around other LGBT filmmakers. This is my 3rd time attending Frameline, and Opening Night is always so fun!
"> The Opening Night film was "The Secret Diary of Ann Lister", the true story of a lesbian woman in the early 1800's who defied society and did not conceal her sexuality at a time when most lesbian women married men as a means of surival. It was such a well done film, and I really felt the pain and challenges that the multiple women characters went through to be, or viel, who they were in a judgemental and superficial society.