Last night in Allston, nearly 200 people walked once again the path taken by the candlelight vigil for Rita Hester ten years ago. It was my honor to have led that first vigil for Rita, and to speak to our assembled circle last night prior to our reading of the names of this year's victims (and all those from MA). For what it's worth, my words:

Ten years ago, our sister Rita Hester was brutally murdered because she happened to be transgender. We gathered here with her family, and marched in solemn vigil for Rita.

We came from diverse identities and communities, united by our outrage at the horror perpetrated against a friend, a fellow community member, a human being treated inhumanely.

On that cold November night 10 years ago, a new community was born. A community of transgender people, friends, family and allies freshly connected with all of humanity in a growing bond of mutual respect.

For this, we owe Rita a great debt.

For her sacrifice was not chosen, but rendered upon her.
And we benefit from her horror, and the suffering of others, like Matthew Sheppard, James Byrd, and countless others, now including Duanna Johnson, whose suffering helps us move the most cynical of heart to say, finally, enough.
Enough violence.
Enough denigration.
Enough disrespect.

We stand here tonight in solemn vigil, not as people prefixed with any kind of descriptor or pronoun, but as human beings brought together by our abhorrence of senseless violence and the oppression of yet another class of people.

Thank you, Rita, and your family, for the friendships you made, and for your great loss, which has become our rallying cry.
And thank you, everyone out here on this very cold night, and those preparing hot drinks for us back in the church.

Thank you for caring.

From simply rude to dangerously racist, Florida Atlantic University Professor Jane Caputi's collection of bumper stickers, posters, t-shirts, buttons, hats and other paraphernalia from the current Presidential campaign, illuminated by her brilliant insights, are as shocking as they are disturbing. Evidencing a deep disquiet within the American soul, these images serve as testimony to work yet to be done in the business of healing divisions across lines of gender, race, and generation. Join hosts Gordene O. MacKenzie, PhD, and Nancy Nangeroni in "Gender, Race, and 2008 Presidential Politics" as they interview Dr. Caputi and view samples of her collection, probing for meaning in the disturbing imagery.

Received via email, a most worthy effort:

Hello, my friends:

As all of you know, there has been much controversy and discussion regarding the Gender Identity Disorder diagnoses in the DSM, but there has been little organization from professionals about how we can best influence this process. A group of Professionals Concerned with Gender Diagnoses in the DSM have organized to develop a response to the American Psychiatric Association and the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group regarding the need for GID reform.

Please go to: http://professionals.gidreform.org/index.html and take a few minutes to write a letter in support of a more inclusive GID Work Group. Griping about these issues on blogs and listserves may be a stress-reliever, but it doesn’t really allow your voice to be heard by those who are empowered to make decisions that will impact all of us and our gender-variant clients and their families, personally and professionally, for the next few decades.

The blatant ridicule of a transgender woman by Fox News host Greg Jarrett and guest Ian Drew is not excused by the host's inadequate apology.

This fifth GenderVision program, titled "Transgender-Friendly Public Policy", presents Gunner Scott, co-founder and director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), talking about changes to public policy that are needed in order to create a truly transgender-inclusive society. Scott has earned widespread respect with his leadership in the Massachusetts-area transgender community, helping to create some of the most comprehensive resources available to transgender persons anywhere, including a free legal clinic and much more. MTPC is currently the lead sponsor of a legislative initiative to provide protections for all people against discrimination in employment, education, credit and accommodations based on gender identity or expression. This GenderVision program is available for viewing at www.GenderVision.org.

Now available on DVD is GenderVision's third program, "Trans Partners: Gender & Relationship". This DVD includes an extended, in-depth interview with well-known transgender advocates Helen Boyd and Betty Crow that spans two full-length GenderVision programs. It also includes over 30 minutes of additional content, as Helen & Betty talk about how they met, and share anecdotes with Nancy. It can be purchased at GenderVision.org; all proceeds support the continued production of GenderVision.

Now available: another installment of the exciting new video program, "GenderVision."
In this fourth program, titled simply "Pride", join Gordene and Nancy for an insider's view as they march and speak with participants in Boston's 2008 Pride parade. Meet members of the new GLBT Senior Coalition, and hear from transgender and youth participants about what makes Pride so special to them. A variety of spectators contribute their perspectives, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino delivers a sincere statement of support, and Raving Raven adds some
finishing reflections on what Pride means to "The Bird with the Word". Watch "Pride" at GenderVision.org.

Also newly released on DVD is GenderVision's second program, "Being Transgender… Myths & Youth Issues". The DVD includes, as a bonus feature, an exclusive interview with Grace Sterling Stowell about what it was like for her to grow up transgender. It can be purchased at GenderVision.org.

Viewers are encouraged to request that their cable access channel show the program in their area. For more information, please visit GenderVision.org: Cablecast.

When a crime is being committed, if we have knowledge of that crime and do nothing, we are complicit.

When our president explicitly approves prisoner abuse that, according to the Red Cross, "constituted war crimes", then if we do nothing, we, as citizens of this country, are complicit.

Will we be the populace that did nothing while our government committed the very kinds of abuses that democracy was created to prevent, or will we assert our democratic power and bring to justice those who are guilty?

We have the power.

The only question is, will we use that power, or instead fall back upon reasonable-sounding explanations for failing to stand up against this abuse of power, insult to decency, and trampling of our rule of law?

July 11, 2008 – The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) are encouraging people to contact the Boston Herald and ask editors to apologize for the paper's offensive slurs and sensationalistic coverage of transgender people.

On July 7, the paper posted an article online about a police operation headlined "Undercover 'john' takes on trannies, pimps" and focused on a Boston-area detective who goes undercover to arrest sex workers. The article repeatedly referred to transgender women as "trannies" and opened the story by describing how the detective has been "trapped inside houses of ill repute by giant naked trannies." The article was also published in the July 8 print edition.

Read the article here: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1105340

This article repeatedly uses anti-transgender slurs and fails to treat its subjects with basic human decency. These sorts of slurs should be unacceptable in any credible news outlet to publish as quoted matter, much less in a staff writer's article.