Empire State Pride Agenda To Close Despite GENDA Bill Not Being Passed To Protect Trans* New Yorkers

 

BREAKING: wtf? (Though not surprised). LGB New Yorkers get gay marriage perks and now they want to close down ESPA? What about GENDA, the bill to give trans* New Yorkers anti-discrimination rights - it has yet to be passed. Yes, I was there when the Governor said a few words about trans* rights, but he never actually said 'GENDA'. Sigh. And people wonder why non-token trans toms have little to no faith in white Gay, Inc. "handling" our affairs. It's time we as trans* New Yorkers take a stand for ourselves and stop letting LGB Non-Profit Inc manhandle and misrepresent our movement

ESPA's Press Release:

http://prideagenda.org/news/2015-12-12-empire-state-pride-agenda-announces-plans-conclude-major-operations-2016

LAPD’s Public Relations Dept. Seeks to Unethically Co-opt Trans Day of Remembrance

Nov. 20th is the annual Trans Day of Remembrance where we honor the lives of transsexual and transgender women and men who lost their lives due to male violence, transphobic bigotry, state violence/police brutality and/or domestic violence, most of whom are trans women of color.

In a flagrant disregard for this sacred memorial, the LAPD has announced a distasteful public relations campaign where they plan to dishonorably co-opt our community’s annual ritual into the corrupt law enforcement establishment by unbelievably manufacturing a “LAPD Hosts the Transgender Walk of Remembrance” stunt to be carried out on November 19th.

 Needless to say the majority of L.A. trans leaders, anti-police brutality activists and social justice advocates are rightfully appalled. More importantly, people who have had trans family members and close friends tragically murdered are deeply offended or even traumatized that for what is in essence a ‘funeral’ is being inappropriately used as a PR gimmick by the marketing department of the LAPD – especially when the male brutality and state violence many police officers in L.A. are guilty of is equal to the male brutality and state violence which has cost countless Black and Latina transsexual or transgender women their lives.

The way the LAPD seeks to use our dead as an opportunity to clean up their public image is not only unethical – it is an act of violence due to the pain it’s inflicting on so many who have lost loved ones due to both police brutality or transphobic hate crimes.

Being an "ally" does not mean distastefully hijacking a funeral of which you're not invited - it means asking the community what THEY want and need and act accordingly

What actually would make sense would be if the LAPD did a march to honor all the unarmed women and men killed by law enforcement, not only would this be a way to show the residents of Los Angeles their compassion for the loss of human life at the hands of police officers – it wouldn’t be infringing on an already established ritual of mourning without the stakeholder’s (the local trans community and the families of deceased trans women) consent.
  
Is it too much to ask that the LAPD not use the loved ones we have as props in some disingenuous political campaign?

#NotYourProp

 

July 20th: Today Marks Eight Years Since 23-Year Old Latina Trans Woman Victoria Arellano Was Killed While In an Immigration Detention Facility in California

Today, July 20^th, is the 8 year anniversary of the needless death of a 23 year old Latina woman of transsexual history named Victoria Arellano that occurred in 2007 at an immigration detention facility in San Pedro, California following weeks of sadistic neglect, transphobic male violence and torture.

First, although she was obviously a woman, the bigoted ICE officers inappropriately detained her in a male facility, even while knowing the inevitable danger this misplacement would subject Victoria (or any trans* woman) to - such as verbal abuse, trauma caused by misgendering, physical harassment and/or sexual assault. It became terrifyingly transparent that ICE employees felt above honoring human rights protections for inmates, and targeting Victoria or any trans* woman with trans-misogynistic violence was just business as usual.

Shortly after arriving she had disclosed to the center of her HIV health status and informed them of her specific prescription medicine (of which her life span was critically dependent on).

ICE officers responded to Victoria’s request for medicine by denying her access (even after learning it was lifesaving treatment) and confined her to a cold cell: …alone, scared about her now unsupported health condition, experiencing both physical and emotional agony, stripped (yet permanently innate) of her womanhood and humanity by the violent state that had undemocratically staged a trial, verdict and execution by two immigration  her, and fears of never seeing her family and loved ones...  

For two whole months there were numerous opportunities for the immigration [concentration] camp to behave with human decency, but instead chose to enforce an informal ‘death sentence’ on an innocent young woman. It didn’t matter when Victoria cried out in excruciating pain, or after she visually shrunk in weight and energy, or even if she humbly knelt on the concrete to pleadingly implore her captors towards compassion – absolutely nothing would inspire those soulless henchmen to allow Victoria her cure, therefore forcibly placing her life at the mercy of the state – which in essence then sanctioned her unwarranted death, dare one say murder?