I still rise, I will not apologize for anything!
Good Queer
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Bigenderedism
The term bigenderism is making room for people who do not fit into the binary boxes of female and male. People who are bigendered are not seeking surgery or transitioning into male or female gender. For the last year or so, Genderqueer is/was a term to describe bigendered people. The only problem with genderqueer is that he does not create understanding to most people. Yes, genderqueer is loudly saying that their gender is more visible than gays and lesbians who visually look heterosexuals.
Crows
I say I imagine we're sitting on a porch of a log cabin in the the mountains. Alexander says, I imagine, we're right here, right now, crack houses and drug dealers and all.The guy next door is dividing his sacks of pop cans and beer bottles to cash in for a dime bag. Another neighbor walks to and fro daily, asking Alexander if he' cold. He says he's from Alaska. That's what I used to say to people too, when I was outside in the wind, but in my case it was true. But now, the cigarette habit has slowed my blood and I am always in cold.
I feel like a stuffed doll, like a scarecrow dressed in Alexander's wool coats. I think if lower my face, his hat covering my eyes, I would cease to be animate. I would truly be a scarecrow to ward off the ones Alexander fears: the shiny blue feathers of death sitting atop the power line. If I raise my head to look in one beady crow's eye they would swoop down down to take his soul away. For they only fear the imitation of life. He knows without having heard Transylvanian mythology that crows are speakers with the dead and he fears they to have the ability to bring the grey rain and the wind.
The balcony where he spends his days in books cannot protect him from their elemental force, the wall isn't high enough. I try to conjure the memories of beaches, of watching his best friend get high.
I am trying to give him something good.
I am try passing even the memory of sunburned skin, for he wills it more than the darkness. But the past is lost to him in a void of swirling confusion of dates of dates and times.
It is the melancholy of love separated but not lost that plagues him.
Though I try, I am no shaman. My visions are not truth, but I tell him I can see the future. He does not believe description of the spring in his heart, it's warmth thawing, the ice scraped across his knotted brow will smooth. I say almost all that I feel, and he lifts his head to listen, but his expression is distant. When I am finally silent he laughs, "You little tramp," and puts his face back into his book.
About the writer, Carissa Anne Christensen: she writes about the human experience of life and helping others become free.
Black Commentator
The Pimping of Black America: Why Much of the Corporate Media Supports Barack Obama - Keeping It Real
Cover Story: Why I Got Angry After New Hampshire- The White Curtain and the Possibility of Hope - The African World By Bill Fletcher, Jr., BC Executive Editor
I have not been an Obama supporter. On the issues, I have felt that Kucinich and Edwards are clearer and more on point. They have been talking about some real changes in domestic and foreign policy, and I applaud that. I have been disappointed that they have not grasped race far more than they have, but they tend to lean in the right direction.
But that is not why I am writing this piece.
I got angry after the New Hampshire primary. Going into the primary, Senator Obama had a 13-point lead over Senator Clinton. Senator Clinton had virtually issued her concession speech. Yet, Senator Clinton came out on top.
There have been a number of reasons offered by pundits as to what happened:
Some have suggested that Senator Clinton became more humane through the misting of her eyes during a candid moment (captured on camera).
*
Some have suggested that the perception of Senator Clinton being "attacked" by both former Senator Edwards and Senator Obama led to a sympathy factor.
*
Others have suggested that Senator Obama became cocky and stopped reaching out for support.
*
Still others believe that the "white curtain" (a term used by writer Bob Wing) came into play and that white voters said one thing to the pollsters and did another thing behind the curtain.
I do not think there was any one factor, although I am inclined to believe that the "white curtain" was far more in play than the media let on. And this failure on the part of the established media to give more credence to the "white curtain," or what in other circles is called the “Bradley Factor” (after the reversal in fortune by former LA Mayor Tom Bradley, who lost the election for California governor in the 1980s after all of the polls indicated that he was a shoe-in) has my back up.
In a Washington Post column from January 11th, African American commentator Eugene Robinson suggested that what often happens when Black candidates run is not so much that whites change their minds, but that the numbers of white undecided voters enter into the picture and they cast their ballots for the white candidate. I have great respect for Robinson, however, this seems like a distinction without a difference. It begs the question of what inspires these white undecided voters to turn out in high numbers to vote AGAINST a Black candidate. In that sense, it may be that we have to look at this question of the "white curtain"’ a bit differently, i.e., that it may not be so much a matter of white voters indicating - to pollsters - that they will support a Black candidate and then voting otherwise, but rather that large numbers of white voters use the category of "undecided" in order to shield their true preference.
The second source of my anger has to do with the Clintons, and I use the plural here. If another Black person calls former President Bill Clinton the alleged “first Black President,” I think I will personally take their head off, followed by their arms and legs. Rather than treating Senator Obama’s candidacy as a serious one with which they have significant differences (which they actually do not), there has been the use, by the Clintons, of codes as a way of attacking Obama’s character. The emphasis on “experience” is one such code. The denigration of the idea of “hope” is another code. Instead of forcing Senator Obama to clarify his positions on the issues, which is in fact his key weakness, the Clintons have engaged in attacks on the candidate as a person, something of which Senator Obama is undeserving.
Former President, Bill Clinton, was unsettled by the way some of his recent comments were interpreted as suggesting that he believed Senator Obama’s candidacy to be a fantasy. Instead, Bill Clinton was, in my opinion, quite correctly - but for the wrong reason - suggesting that the media is turning the Obama candidacy into a fantasy. Yet what is important here has been the reaction within Black America. Bill Clinton’s remarks were HEARD as part of a character assassination against Senator Obama. African Americans, for a host of reasons, have been and continue to be slow to warm to the Obama campaign, but when Obama is personally attacked, the Clintons can be guaranteed they will encounter genuine anger that they may not be able to overcome.
Ok, now I am a bit calmer. But here is my other point: Senator Obama is going to need a strategic "rethink." The Obama campaign has gone a long way on motivation and good feeling, but with little content. Obama has fostered the illusion that we can all join together and that he will oversee the construction of an historically unprecedented united front of Democrats, Republicans and Independents to bring us into a new age. He has studiously avoided any tough issues, yet is prepared to make reckless foreign policy suggestions, e.g., unilateral US military action against Al Qaeda bases in Pakistan and the need to take action against Iran (without defining why Iran is an alleged problem). Contrary to his competitor in the change category, former Senator Edwards, he has largely shied away - until quite recently - from discussing the fact that the US is polarizing along wealth and income lines, as well as the fact that labor unions are key to economic justice.
The Obama Campaign may have believed that they could use “hope” and “bi-partisanship” as their tickets to the White House, but that route seems to be fraught with problems. The New Hampshire loss makes it imperative that the Obama campaign redefines itself as it approaches Super Tuesday. As both Clinton and Edwards press him, the former on his character, the latter on his views, Obama will be compelled to define himself as an independent political figure with a clearer vision as to what sort of country, indeed world, he wishes to construct. If he does not, he will be condemned to be viewed as a motivational speaker rather than a champion of a new path.
Having walked the fence for so long, I am not sure that Senator Obama is prepared to be the practitioner of a new political direction. There is an important place for both hope and fine language, but if the vote is in his favor, the question will be: what happens after Inauguration, Senator?
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is Executive Editor of The Black Commentator. He is also a Senior Scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies and the immediate past president of TransAfrica Forum. Click here to contact Mr. Fletcher.
Malcom X was always revolving!
Malcom X realized that being a Good N. was hurting the black movement and it was time that African Americans took their rightful place guaranteed in the US Constitution. He created a mind paradigm shift of white and black peoples thinking about the expectations of how black people "fit into" Americas culture. He visited Africa and told Americans of the progress of Africans compared to the progress of black Americans. He taught blacks to defend themselves and to bare arms to protect themselves and their families. He used the expression called,"any means necessary" which scared whites who did not want to relinquish white privilege.
Malcom X was criticised by his own community for not having a peaceful message like Martin Luther King(MLK). MLK would not have been effective without Malcolm X's messages of self defense. Whites were given a choice, the Civil Rights movement was going to turn into a racial war or submit to the Civil Rights movement. Yes, many white people did support the Civil Rights movement but blacks Civil Rights movement was not a popularity vote which required federal protective legislation. The federal legislation was backed up by he National Guard in the south who were forced to submit to the end of segregation. If civil rights were a popularity vote, the South would still have Jim Crow.
For those who do not know Jim Crow, they were laws that segregated blacks from whites in education, public facilities, buses, employment, etc. It was also was illegal for blacks to marry whites. Many free-thinkers will acknowledge that Oregon's' Measure 36 is an example of Jim Crow because it segregates marriage between nonheterosexuals and heterosexuals.
NAGQ does not know if Malcom X was for equal rights for queer people. What NAGQ does know is that Malcom X was always transforming himself in his politics and faith. His mind was not fixed and he allowed himself to grow and learn new ideas. He did not get a chance to fight for queers but NAGQ believes that one could substitute his reference to Afro Americans to Queer people today. What he is saying, is the message that the Queer community needs to change their strategy in achieving Gay Civil Rights because the strategy is obviously not working. The road of Gay Leaders needs to change and NAGQ would suggest targeting heterosexist rather than homophobic behavior which would cause institutional changes versus reacting to gay people.
Thank you Malcom X. I wish I could have met you. I honor you!
I will not apologize for anything!
Not a Good Queer
Sho running for Mayor
By Sho Dozono,
Why I'm running to be Portland's mayor
Wednesday's Oregonian, January 09, 2008
It matters that we have a dialogue about the future of the city.
It matters that education is the cornerstone of our community.
It matters that our economy is healthy and competitive in the global marketplace.
It matters that minority voices be heard and be counted.
It matters what kind of race I run -- win or lose.
My race to be mayor of Portland will be about investing in our educational systems. While K-12 is vital to the well-being of our community, so is pre-kindergarten, higher education and lifelong learning. Healthy schools are key to retaining and attracting families to put down roots and become part of the fabric of our thriving city.
My race will be about the health of our economy. Well-paying jobs allow us to keep our lifestyle satisfying. But more than that, our businesses must be competitive in the fast-moving global economy. We need to be reaching outside of our comfort zone by seeking new markets, building long-lasting relationships that will ensure new jobs in the future. We need bold leadership that can steer us to new opportunities.
My race will be about inclusiveness. We should all matter, but to be counted we must take part in the discussion about the future. We need to take action to achieve our goals. And everyone in our community should take responsibility to make us better by voting. Because if you don't vote, you cannot matter. In a democracy, it's at the ballot box that your voice is finally heard.
My race will be about being free from special interests and political influence. It will be financed through the Portland law that allows any citizen who qualifies to run for citywide office with public funds. This system will allow me to run without obligation to anyone but the citizens who are financing my race. I will run as the people's candidate in the truest sense.
My race will be about the value of public service as well as the need for good government. What we need now in City Hall is a good dose of accountability as to how our tax dollars are spent with the right priorities for investing in our future. We need leadership that can be held responsible to do the right thing for the right reason -- leadership that has been tested and tempered with real-life experiences.
My race will be about the future of this city -- not just about the next four years. It is about the future of our children and grandchildren, about the vision for a city that has not yet realized its full potential. Portland can become one of the best cities in the world if we all work together.
It all matters, and that's why I will run for the honor of serving as the next mayor of Portland.
Sho Dozono is owner of Azumano Travel.
Just because Not a good queer is gay, does not mean that I had to vote for Sam Adams. Sam Adams is an excellent city councilman but I like former teachers who are in politics because they have first hand experience about students!
I still rise, I do not apologize for anything!
NOGQ
Reverend Gene Robinson is a great leader
Blessing given by the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire, at the end of services at All Saints Church Pasadena on Sunday, July 15, 2007.
The Reverend Gene Robinson is Not a Good Queer because he took his square in life, fought his opponents, and did not apologize for being nonheterosexual. He is also advocating for justice, anger, and for individuals to reach for the impossible.
I do not apologize for anything!
Not a Good Queer
Coming out of Heterosexism
Published in the Iowa State daily: June 17, 2007
All gays have coming out stories. They frequently say that they came out of the closet. I came out of a social construction that stated the only "normal" sexuality and the only "normal" gender is male or female. Therefore, I did not come out of the closet, I came out of heterosexism.
Their are those who will deny heterosexism does not exist, but they cannot deny the coming out stores of gay, lesbians, trans, bigendered, etc..
I will not apologize for anything!
NAGQ
Bernie Giusto: Resign
As we sit in our comfortable homes in Portland, Oregon. Citizens who are awaiting trial are being tortured by the Mult. County jail. In one of the psych units in the jail: provides no mattress, no bed, no clothes, no pillow, no blanket. Just a smock to wear. Hey, Ted Wheeler, Mult. County commissioner, what are you going to do?
Life in the Hole
No fancy colognes or sportswear
Just a gay pink t-shirt to wear
A white jump sailing
You can work for a dollar a day
Or dream your life away
For the crime of being different
Please pass the paxil with my daily ration of Salami
The guards wear green like rangers at Yellow Stone National park
where they beat you and greet you with the same innocent smile.
Life in the Hole
No fancy colognes or sportswear
Just a gay pink t-shirt to wear
A white jump sailing
You can work for a dollar a day
Or dream your life away
For the crime of being different
Please pass the paxil with my daily ration of Salami
The guards wear green like rangers at Yellow Stone National park
where they beat you and greet you with the same innocent smile.
Copyright December 2006 Not a Good Queer
(Of course inmates in the hole cannot work, but this line is for the other inmates that I met in the hole working for a couple of stamps).
NAGQ, Not a Good Queer, cut my wrists after 10 days of hazing and a sexual assault by guards. I was then put in this psych unit within the jail with no bed, mattress,blanket, pillow. I told them that inmates who are people could die of hypothermia versus suicide. Their were staff who helped me and recognized their hazing. Thank you nurse Francine for helping me get my dog back and thank you medical Lonnie Harner for saving my life. NAGQ went on a four day hunger strike in this unit, but Lonnie Harner told me to eat and that he would put me into another unit so I would not have to go back to the hole.
County Chairman Ted Wheeler and "Bernie" the man currently responsible for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Departments policies, do you condone torture?
Not a Good Queer, NAGQ, was put in a psych unit with no clothes, no pillow, no blanket, no mattress, and kept in a cell for 192 hours straight without being let out at all. I was fed imitation sandwich meat, an orange, a drink, three times a day. I was finally given my heart medication and anti-depressant after 10 days of being jailed. The guards were too busy watching football on television than to supervise me in eating a hot meal with a plastic fork. I did request a shower after three days of my menstrual cycle. This request was denied by the staff Sargent. The guards would not give me pads so I kicked out the door a dirty rag. Guardsmen Hammond called me a pig when Nurse Practitioner(NP) Lonnie Harner, came to my cell after four days, and laid out a plan to get me off of suicide watch and to go into another psych unit in the hole.. I went to another psych unit, and after I complained about the need of another blanket, I was put back into my original hole by Guardsmen Bloodsue. He told me in front of Nurse Francine that my dog, Rowdy, was dead. I did not respond to his "intentional abuse" until a group of visitors came to visit my hole in which I told them, "do not be fooled, these people are animals". I lossed a level for this behavior because one has to have good behavior to be fed.
Of course this move, kept me on level 4 after being in locked down for three weeks, I was Not a Good Queer. Eventually, I was brought back to the Pscyh Unit after NP Lonnie Harner kept advocating for me. My lawyer did not take collect calls, and even though he told me to stay in my apartment and negociated 15,000 to move without waving my right to sue for discrimination, he was nowhere to be found to defend me over my risk of staying in a hostile environment.
The article below describes the Portland Police who profiled me and now I am advocating for all prisoners of Multnomah County to have a bed to sleep on, no matter what unit.....
NAGQ was falsely arrested on November 12Th. After spending 10 days in the hole and being terrorized by deputies in jail, NAGQ cut his/her writs to get away form the heckling. The day before Thanksgiving NAGQ, wrote three grievances and gave them to deputies. One of the grievances were that only religious material could be read by prisoners on level five. I asked for nonreligious materials or religious materials that were queer friendly. That day, I was not fed nor given my fifteen minute walk. Other jail inmates heckled homophobia to me all day long but the guards said that I could not get my walk because I was fighting with other inmates about my sexuality. I then heckled Guardsmen Maxwell for not feeding me. He said, "that he was going to get his Tasser gun and Tasser me". NAGQ responded, "that he was fat all his life and the kids in the school yard must have really picked on him for him, which is why is was so mean".
He came back with a Staff Sargent. The Sargent came into my cell and he cited to me that I said fuck you to Guardsmen Maxwell which is why I was not going to be fed. Guardsmen Maxwell was outside my open cell door with a Tasser beam on me, pointing it into my cell. I asked why the Tasser was on and the Sargent told me that he was a small guy and he needed protection from me. I laughed at that excuse and felt the Tasser was just part of ongoing harassment. The Sargent left which left Maxwell alone with me to do whatever he wanted. Maxwell used the intercom in my cell and cited homophobic remarks and called me a "scanky hoe". I did not buzz him back, he just kept talking on the intercom. I told the cell mate next to me about what he was doing. He told me not to be a snitch and things would get better. Maxwell left the bright lights on in my cell all night. I knew that I had to get out of this hell because I could not call my lawyer and I was being refused to my daily 15 minutes of collect calls for help. I bite off my shampoo bottle and started to cut my wrists North to South. I knew if one was serious about suicide that this was the right way to leave behind this oppression. I needed out of the unit and I took a chance that my life would not end. I cut from 10pm until 9am. It already had been 48 hours of not being let out of my cell. The next morning was Thanksgiving and guardsmen Simpson let "Lefty" out first for his walk even though Lefty had been abusing me. I asked Lefty to call my family and demand that they make a 50,000 dollar bail to get me out of this hell. Lefty told me that my family said that I was guilty and that I had to do my time. That my dog was dead. This was all a lie, but I could not get to the phone and call myself.
I screamed out with horror and tried to finish the job on my wrists. The plastic was not sharp so I had to dig it in deep to get blood. I had written a note to nurse Francine about being suicidal, but this was two days ago. I cut deeper and deeper until blood came out of my wrists.
I paged medical but no answer. The guards figured out what I was doing and guardsmen Simpson, who I respect, pleaded for me to stop. I could have cut further and forced them to come and my cell to get me out. Instead I listened to Simpson, turned around in the cell and put my cut hands through the gate to be handcuffed. Four male guards escorted me out of the unit, three of them were present during my initial intake. The guards names were HASE, Simpson and the biggest abuser named Jameson. The female guard who showed up was Tracy Owens who was going to do my strip search. I pleaded to Simpson that I filed a complaint with Sargent Gates on my second day in jail against Gaurdswomen Owens who grabbed my breast and lifted me upon on a table via using my cuffed hands behind my back to lift me. I begged like a pig for them to stop. I yelled that they cut my wrists and a nurse came out for inspection. Then they threw me into a cell with my collarbone hitting the concrete first then the rest of my body. I flinched when Owens grabbed my breast so I guess this justified their behavior. They said I kicked during the search but they took off my shoes and I did not touch anyone.
I told Simpson, that he could find another female in the building to do the strip search. He ignored me, after being threatened again with another Tasser beam, I bent over to the guard who lied and put me in the hole.
The nurses asked me what was the first thing I was going to do out of jail, I told them that I was going to sue them. Thanks for the good time. I am coming for you. Thanks to nurse Francine, I have my dog back!
I Still Rise. By Dr. Maya Angelou
Project Love
Yes, we are males and females , anatomically speaking.
I have a theory that we are all here to integrate both
masculine and feminine energies while we are here on
earth. We are learning ourselves , creating
and nurturing as well as accepting, , practicing and mastering
ourselves.
-- Jonathan
Too Stern of Virtue
Words of 17th century Moilere
Come let’s forget the follies of our times
And pardon mankind of its petty crimes
Let’s have an end of ratings and railings
And show some lienancy to human failings
This world requires a pliant rectitude
Too stern a virtue makes one stiff and rude
Good sense views all extremes and destinations
And bids us to be noble in moderation
The rigid virtues of the ancient days
Are not for us, they jar
With our ways
And ask of us too lofty a perfection
Wise men accept their times without objections
And there is no greater folly, if you ask me,
Then try to change society.
Like you, I see each day a hundred and one unhandsome deeds
That might be better done
I take men as they are,
Or let them be,
And teach my soul to bear
Their fraility:
But still, for all the
Faults that meet my view
I’m never known to storm and rave like you.
इ still rise, I will not apologize for anything!
Not a Good Queer NAGQ
Run Cody Run
His name is Cody and he is only 15 years old. He is sitting in a chair in the front of my class. He is also always busy randomly moving around or admiring his new sneaks. It is hard to get his attention without a treat or a prize for "good" behavior. My class always had a prize at the end which made class fun. He is a bright student and a really good athlete. He is adored by his peers and stands out with his charming personality. I remember him as a fast runner who loved to play football.
He came to my house and asked me to help him out. I was no longer a teacher at that school, I knew that they broke fundamental educational rules.
He got kicked out of school for throwing dirt
at another student. They gave a behavior plan
that stated that Cody must keep his hands to himself
at all times.
So, a month later, he threw dirt. They kicked him out of school.
This was his ending, to the many attempts of those teachers who simply hated him,
for being loved by his peers and not kissing up to the mean teachers
Hands to himself was not a "measurable goal" that Cody could reach
a demand without a teach
Your out, "overactive boy"
Even though he was legally labeled special ed
The school made sure the parents signed off
their legal rights so
no laws could protect him and his disability did not fit
their purposes of cruelty and judgement
Compassion: Not for the kids
Staff comes first
this philosophy must be reversed
A poor principal
who did not have an educational credit in her hat
Made decisions on kids lives
that were seen as expendable
He came to me crying that he lost his eighth grade
graduation. I said, no worry, no fuss, I get you back to school
in a rush.
Their was only a month of school left and the clock was ticking for him to may it back
I called everyone like a fool
They told me to call this and that number
The goose chase of all goose chases
They could not get involved even though it
A private school funded by
I advocated and called the state and every agency.
I told Cody to go back to his school before he went to
A week had passed and I had not heard any news of my phone calls
I was in despair
I knew Cody was living with another kid at school
His father was in a mental hospital
His mother was not in the picture
I new his life was hell and his education was all
that he got
Another week passed
And I heard a knock on my door
It was Cody saying thanks for getting me back in school
They had to take me back because I had paperwork that
could be attacked
He graduated from Middle School where Special Ed kids
Get weeded out before they reach high school
Two years later I heard that the boy that could run like the wind was shot in the back. His friends say that he does not run very much anymore. I want to tell him that this is not your first experience with a shot in your back. Keep fighting for your life Cody, Run Cody Run, run for your life. You can do it Cody, Run.
I still rise, I will not apologize for anything!
Lisa/Lee Iacuzzi
Not a Good Queer
MA @ PSU
Trans people and the Laws
written by: religioustolerance.org
Written by Religous Intolerance
Discrimination Against Transgendered People In America
"Reprinted with Permission from ICTLEP, the International Conference on Transgender Law and Employment Policy, PO Drawer 1010, Cooperstown, NY 13326, 607-547-4118, e-mail at ictlephdq@aol.com, America On Line Keyword ICTLEP, web page www.abmall.com/ictlep". "Index" of transgender legal articles from five years of annual conferences available on AOL keyword and web page.
What does 'Transgendered' Mean?
A 'transgendered' person is someone whose gender identity or expression differs from conventional expectations of masculinity or femininity. For most people, there is no conflict or incongruity between their physical sex and their internal psychological identification as male or female. For transgendered people, however, their gender identity is in conflict with their physical sex, and thus their gender expression or physical characteristics may differ from their sex as assigned at birth. Although transgendered people have been part of every culture and society in recorded human history, they have only recently been the focus of medical science. There is a broad consensus among medical researchers that transgenderism is rooted in complex biological factors that are fixed at birth. This research confirms what transgendered people know and experience on a much more personal basis: being transgendered is not a choice nor a "lifestyle," but a difficult, uninvited challenge.
Who are Transgendered People?
Transgendered persons include pre-operative and post-operative transsexuals, transgenderists (persons living full-time in a gender other than their birth sex with no desire to pursue surgery); transvestites (preferred term: crossdressers, those whose gender expression occasionally differs from their birth sex); "mannish" or "passing" women, whose gender expression is masculine and who are often assumed to be lesbians, although this is not necessarily the case; "feminine" men who are often assumed to be homosexual, although they are just as often heterosexual; and intersexed persons, whose sex was arbitrarily assigned after birth and who often manifest physical characteristics, expression or identity that differs from the sex assigned without their consent.
Are Transgendered People Gay?
Most people do not understand that gender identity and sexual orientation are two different aspects of human sexuality. Gender identity involves a person's internal sense of being male or female, whereas sexual orientation involves those to whom one is attracted. Transgendered people have the same range of sexual orientations as non-transgendered people: most are heterosexual, and a smaller percentage are homosexual or bisexual. Despite this reality, transgendered people are almost universally perceived to be homosexual simply because of their appearance, which is often that of a masculine woman or a feminine man. Because this perception is so pervasive, transgendered persons are particularly subject to targeting by people who are obsessed with gay and lesbian stereotypes, and often cannot escape such targeting by adopting a "straight" appearance.
How are Transgendered People Discriminated Against?
------------National Journal of Sexual Orientation Law, Vol. 3, Issue 1 ------------ ---------------------------------END PAGE 1---------------------------------------
Denial of an opportunity to make a living is the single most damaging and pervasive form of discrimination against transgendered people. Even more systematically than lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people, transgendered people are routinely targeted for work place discrimination and almost universally unprotected under existing laws. There are few transgendered people who not have experienced loss of employment, denial of employment, or underemployment solely because of their transgendered status. For transsexual people in particular, initiating the process of gender transition frequently means permanent loss of a profession or career. In addition to the impact on individual transgendered people and their families, this discrimination has a tremendous social and financial cost. Because so many transgendered people are excluded from employment, transgendered people are disproportionately driven into poverty and/or unwanted dependence on public assistance. Transgendered people also confront many related forms of
discrimination, including denial of basic civil rights and protections in housing, public accommodations, and health care. Transgendered people are also frequent targets of hate crimes: verbal threats, hate mail, harassing telephone calls, and acts of physical and sexual violence committed by the same persons who target lesbian, gay, and bisexual people.
I still rise, I will not apologize for anything!
Not a Good Queer NAGQ
Is Heterosexism the same as Racism?
According to Wilchins (2004), who writes about rethinking race: race may be whatever the dominant culture says it needs to be (p. 112). Basically, race is a social construction that is manipulated at different times in history and is politically controlled by the dominant population. There were countless legislative polices discriminating against African Americans that mirror nonheterosexual legislation. The history of African American discrimination in the institution of marriage and military service is comparable to nonheterosexuals today. There were many bans on African Americans marrying white people and a long history of segregation in the military. Examples of heterosexism, or racist, behavior include an attempt to change the Constitution of the
Not a Good Queer NAGQ
Heterosexism has to End
One in 2,000 births are intersexed and are seen as a social crisis in the medical world. Most intersexed people are queer. Get your hands off of the children who have to get surgery all their lives because they were surgically "fixed" to fit into the box of heterosexism. Keep your hands to yourself!
I still rise, I will not apologize for anything!
Not a Good Queer NAGQ
Wilkiepedia definition of Queer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
QUEER: The word queer has traditionally meant "strange" or "unusual," but its use in reference to LGBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, etc.) communities as well as those perceived to be members of those communities has replaced the traditional definition and application. Its usage is considered controversial and underwent substantial changes over the course of the 20th Century with some LGBT re-claiming the term as a means of self-empowerment. The term is still considered by some to be offensive and derisive, and by others as a re-appropriated term used to describe a sexual orientation and/or gender identity or gender expression that does not conform to heteronormative society.I still rise, I will not apologize for anything!
Not a Good Queer NAGQ
Racism and Heterosexism
Heterosexism versus Homophobia?The United States Federal and State legislation attempts to change the Constitution represent more than the history of discrimination and oppression of gays in America. The legislative changes represent "racism" against a group of people who are nonheterosexual. Yes, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, transgendered, intersexed, and questioning people are in fact simply nonheterosexuals.
According to Stonewall, a nonprofit advocating for equality for nonheterosexuals states, "the term heterosexism was first used in the late 1960s to highlight the parallels between prejudice against lesbians, gay men and bisexuals, and other forms of prejudice — against women (sexism), people of different ethnic origin (racism), and against Jewish people (anti-Semitism)." The term heterosexism is taught in Women and Queer studies departments in most Universities but has not been used by the media to explain the social condition of nonheterosexuals today.
Dr. Gregory Herek, author of "Beyond Homophobia: Thinking About Sexual Prejudice and Stigma in the Twenty-First Century," an internationally recognized expert on sexual prejudice, describes heterosexism as such: it denies, denigrates, and stigmatizes any nonheterosexual behavior. He compares heterosexism to institutional racism and sexism, and states that it operates through a dual process of invisibility and attack. "Homosexuality usually remains culturally invisible; when people who engage in homosexual behavior or who are identified as homosexual become visible, they are subject to attack by society."
Heterosexism is a very difficult concept to understand because one's sexual orientation is not considered a race. According to Riki Wilchins, author of "Queer Theory, Gender Theory," race may be whatever the dominant culture says it needs to be. She describes race as a social construction that is manipulated at different times in history and is politically controlled by the dominant population.
There were countless legislative polices discriminating against African-Americans that mirror nonheterosexual legislation. The history of African-American discrimination in the institution of marriage and military service is comparable to nonheterosexuals today. There were many bans on African Americans marrying white people and a long history of segregation in the military.
According to Dr. Herek, examples of heterosexism, or racist, behavior include an attempt to change the Constitution of the United States to ban same sex marriage, and the military's "do not ask, do not tell" policy. Clearly these actions communicate the practice that nonheterosexuals are not equal due to their sexuality, not the color of the skin. There are those who will argue that nonheterosexuality is a "choice" or a sickness, therefore they cannot be considered a class of people who need legal protections. Also, many African-Americans and their leaders are angered when Gay Civil Rights leaders compare the movements. Many other minority groups who benefited from the African-American movement, never received outrage when their causes were compared. The anger and the discriminatory policies are a reflection of the dismantling of separation of church and state, which is the very foundation of the United States government.
Progressive media labels same-sex marriage opponents as homophobic. They are only half-correct. Homophobia describes one's personal anxiety or fear of nonheterosexuals. Years of society's complicity to homophobia and the conservative right's movement has led to broad societal legislation against nonheterosexuals. Therefore the term "heterosexism" more accurately explains societal legislation policies and provides an understanding when Gay Civil Rights leaders claim anti-gay legislation is discriminatory.
Martin Luther King said, "the most racist day in America was high noon on Sunday," simply because the Christian Right and others gather in church and preach racist rhetoric against the minority.
Lee Iacuzzi
"Not a Good Queer"
Portland
Lisaiacuzzi_at_yahoo.com
©2006I still rise, I will not apologize for anything!
Not a Good Queer NAGQ
Police are Racist ?
The police are a reflection of society. Not all the police are racist but their are racist police like their are racist people in our overall society.
Josh is Good Queer, strange and unusual, because he is suppose to be a good retard, and be nice LA police with his humor. NAGQ loves Josh and wants him to keep going and make more and more videos!
NAGQ
I still rise, I will not apologize for anything!
Not a Good Queer NAGQ
When You Hate Your Life
Whenever you can’t stand yourself, you can always walk outside. Parks are one of those places in the city of Portland where people can gather. The tennis players, kick ball players, frisbee throwers, dogs that roam, and the people who live in the park. I am alone among the many that have companionship. Now lonely feelings are diminished with the abundance of humans. You’re in shock about the condition of your life. You’re a mess, your can’t be in your house and you hate yourself. The one group of players that will give you their last smoke will be the people who live at the park. One of the coolest parks in the city of Portland, is called Colonel Summers where there is a huge parcel of land sitting between two busy streets. The park is quiet and the trees and grass provide comfort.The crew of homeless people has names and a code of ethic they live by. The code of ethic is to stand by each other and tell each other that they are loved. I know what your saying, your saying, are you kidding me ! Yes, their is a smell of alcohol in the air is dissipated by the overwhelming smell of lavender.. The guys spend their mornings hustling up money for beers and cigarettes. Once they have this accomplished this difficult tasks, they hanging out and share their goods. They have to keep constantly moving so they go to bed quite early because they expect to get rousted at daylight. Most people do not realize that it is an endurance test of fitness. This crew is in better shape than most people who drive.
I wondered how the poor were treated in the depression, where they rousted? Of course, the crew has respect by the police who know what the crews habits.. The police can give them ticket after ticket and yet the police keep telling them to go somewhere, but there is no place to go. Everything has been privatized and voted on into city ordinances where you can’t camp or sit in one place very long.
I am outside running away from my horrible life which I cannot stand anymore. My life is like the movie Groundhog Day where I do the same day over and over until the main character realizes that his day is not going to change until he realizes that the only way out of his dilemma is to change himself.
I took a civil rights walk that has slammed into my face. My intelligence and legal mind has helped me file a discrimination charge against a nonprofit that is funded by the city. The repercussions have been high and I am not able to handle the oppression. I can’t breathe, eat, concentrate, or even put an email together.
I walk outside and see the crew. They say, your alright, you’re a good person, we have all shit in our pants. They make me laugh; I can breathe in their space of nonjudgmental and the simplicity of their lives. They can be content with a pack of cigs and a bottle of beer. How simple. It is easy to be with them. The main captain of the crew is Patrick who feels like he needs to take care of me. The whole crew appears accepting with only one question by a tribe member asking me whether I was a boy or a girl. The crew has lavish pot roast dinners and stories of people who once had very “normal” lives with professional careers. The thing that they have in common is a story of a women who hurt them so intensely, that changed their view on how they wanted to fit in society.
Colonel Summers crew has a dog. His name is trapper and his name does not accurately explain his demeanor. He is free and does what ever he wants. He does not trap anything and it would be terrible to ever see him in a cage. He enjoys his lifestyle. He mingles with the whole crew and has a special relationship with them all.
The crew likes to go the cemetery called the Lone Fir when they can sit for awhile and let the dog run freely. He recently found a red stuffed teddy bear at the graveyard. He grabbed it in his mouth and galloped with joy along the cemetery head stones. Whoever gave this gift to this particular head stone never imagined trapper having it in his mouth. He was so joyful and he made the entire crew laugh. The hope is that the owner found joy in it with the spirit of the gift now shared on many graves through trappers paws.
Patrick decides what he is going to do the next day and where the new rest should be with the crew and when he will go back into society. He appears tired with the lifestyle but acknowledges that he likes his beer and his freedom. He just wants to exist freely and helps others along his way to their respectful place in life. Patrick hangs out with all others, he does not judge any homeless person and allows new comers in the group with respect.
Our society could create a space outdoors, where people could go and sleep without paying a price. No sleeping outdoors event hough this was seen as normal behavior during Americans journey to the west. Now, everyone one must pay a price to sleep, no free sleeping in "rental" democracy.
Their were once people who lived rent free. Those people who were once freely roamed and shared their possessions were called Indians. Indians. These people often roamed and slept freely under the stars without being rousted. They are gone and confined to designated land and have lost much of their identity but left footprints of freedom.
There is no better place in the world to sleep than to sleep in a open sky. I am out here under the sky with God and the crew.
I still rise, I will not apologize for anything!
Lisa/Lee Iacuzzi
Not a Good Queer
Portland State University: Companion Animals
PSU would not let my dog in the computer room so I could fininsh typing off my masters paper. I let my dog off his leash to move around. Warning: Do not bring your dog on PSU campus if you are an activist. Being an alumni at Portland State University(PSU) has very few benefits once somebody graduates. I can't even walk on campus without security guards harassing me about my companion animal. PSU has a disabilities department in which I went to PSU's disability office with my legal paperwork citing my companion animal. Yet, every time, I am on campus, I kicked out of some building and threatened to be arrested for having my legal companion. PSU stance is that they only acknowledge Federal standards and ignore state laws regarding companion animals. All one has to do is bring their legal dog on campus with a video camera and then go down to the court house. Please understand, PSU, is a very military state operation that sees dogs as a terrorist threat. Hopefully, your filming will not result in being physically assaulted by campus police while filming their behavior.
I still rise, I will not apologize for anything!
Not a Good Queer NAGQ
Hate Crime death of a child
Written by: Kelli Busey
Austin, Texas - (February 21, 2008) – On February 12, 2008, 15-year
old Lawrence "Larry" King was shot and killed by a fellow classmate
in Oxnard, California. Friends have reported that Larry had been
bullied and harassed by classmates, including the fellow student
charged with his murder. Larry was perceived to be gay and gender
non-conforming, and his murder is being prosecuted as a hate crime.
Also last week, 10-year old Cameron McWilliams took his own life in
his South Yorkshire home after telling his mother he wanted to be a
girl.
Out Youth, Equality Texas Foundation, and numerous community partners
invite the public to a vigil in memory of Larry, Cameron, and others
on Saturday, February 23rd, at 6:00 p.m. at Out Youth, located at 909
East 49 ½ Street in Austin. During the vigil, community partners
will be advocating for LGBTQ youth, safe schools, and suicide
prevention.
"The tragic loss of these young people reminds us of the task before
us. As a community and as a society, we need to make it just as safe
for LGBTQ youth as for everyone else. Out Youth and our community
partners will not rest in the fight against bullying, violence, and
suicide," said Matt Smith, Executive Director of Out Youth.
"Bullying and harassment are pervasive problems in our schools," said
Paul Scott, Executive Director of Equality Texas
Foundation. "However, there are proactive measures that schools can
implement to successfully address bullying and harassment. These
include: (i) adoption of comprehensive anti-bullying policies that
enumerate categories such as race, gender, ethnicity, religion,
sexual orientation and gender identity/expression ; (ii) providing
staff training to enable school staff to identify and address
bullying in a timely manner; (iii) supporting student efforts to
address bullying on campus, including gay-straight alliances; and
(iv) instituting age-appropriate curricula to help students
understand and respect difference within the school community and
society," Scott said.
Suspended Cop picks on kids
Not a Good Queer loves this kid. This kid is not a good queer by standing up to the police officer by simply calling him a dude. This kid respects his teachers who do not headlocke him in public or comment about his father. Officer Riveria is not a dude, a dude, is a cool person. Officer Riveria is a suspended asshole!
I still rise, I will not apologize for anything!
Not a Good Queer NAGQ
Margaret Cho depolarizes the Christain Right
NAGQ's hero is Margret Cho who states, "that she is going to get shot by the Christian Right". She also states, "that Satanists even think Christians are cruel".
I will not apologize for anything!
NAGQ
29 Days in Jail: Good Cop and Bad Cop
Portland Police's "Good" and "Bad" CopThe problem is, it only takes one bad cop to put you in jail. This photo was taken when tenant in room 207, Laura Fornillee called the police about and attempted assault of a women named Terry Elaine Sharpe, Glenda Meyers, and Theresa. Of course, the Rose tenants also called the police which is why things became so wrong so fast. Terry Sharpe and others were never charged on that September day. It is no secret that Glenda Jean Meyers convicted drug dealer who was able to sob on the shoulder of the "bad" cop above. He helped her with information about me so she could obtain a stalking order on me in which NAGQ lived only two feet from her door.
Was Glenda's Friend!
NAGQ was very helpful to this women neighbor for months by taking care of her when she was sick and when she hurt her back. Also NAGQ listened to her whole life story including the impending death of her sister who had cancer. NAGQ lived peacefully with this women until she became the new drug dealer in the building. The old drug dealer named Kim Swegeringer,retired from the position, was in the hospital so Glenda took over her new job responsibilities which included taking Oregon food cards and turning them into cash for residents to buy drugs. Their is about twenty-people involved in this fraud of food stamps who gave thier name to me when they wrote a 8 page document full of false documentation to the police, Portland's Housing authority, Reach CDC, and child protective services. Not to mention a website dedicated to hate of NAGQ which is filled with homophobia.
So the bad cop made sure he arrested me eventhough NAGQ was able to get a contact order on Glenda Meyers. How the judge provided this contact order in the first place is another story and an example of misuse of the legal system that is suppose to protect people which was used to harass NAGQ. Glenda called the police for violating the contact order at least 8 times which included passing me in the building while NAGQ was eating spaghetti. To say it was abusive would be an understatement. The good cop above was smart enough to know that even the lynch mob of a twenty was as he would say, "the majority is not always right". He understood what was happening but this message did not get to the whole department. NAGQ gave the southeast precinct a copy of a BOLI complaint that included a statement from the state of Oregon that NAGQ was living in a "hostile environment". NAGQ also provided two letters from other tenants citing a homophobic gang like of behavior of tenats that included them making up false incidents. NAGQ also called Community Policing around 12 times but still could not get any help even though I was able to speak to officer Picket and had spoken to officer Fulitano.
On Friday November 9at approximately at 9am, NAGQ called the police for Glenda Meyers bumping and telling me to fuck off. Dispatch said that it could not come out to help due to two residents having a stalking order in the same building was not enforceable. I called the police again about tenant Bren Athens attempted assault. The bad cop came out and even though he was showed a video of my attack, he still did not press charges. On his way out of the building, I did see him talk to Glenda Meyers where he told her to call him personally to arrest NAGQ of violation of stalking order. I video taped him that has the date and the time on the camera, I knew that he, the bad cop, was after me and it was only a matter of time when this was going to happen.
After Glenda made over eight phone calls to the police and dealing with the police at least five times trying to arrest me over a one month period of time, I showed officer Lowry my camera which showed the harassment of Glenda. This still did not help. I carried the camera to protect me from false accusations and video taped lots of harassment in which officer Lowry and his partner, the bad cop, would not charge any resident with harassment including the day of my arrest.
On November 12th at approximately 9am, Glenda Meyers called the police again when I told her to walk in the opposite direction when she approached me. When the police came,I told Lowry, please arrest me, I am tired of this whole thing, please..... I tried to give my camera which had my evidence to another tenant. He would not allow this is when he threw my face against the wall and handcuffed. As he was handcuffing, another officer walked from behind and pulled my finger back as he was pressing my knuckle. I screamed that he was hurting me but he kept on squeezing. I screamed about my dog being locked in my room to a Reach employee who witnessed the whole police attack on the front steps at the Rose.
When I was brought downtown after a hellish car ride where Lowry and the bad cop ensighted degrading marks in the car ride. The boys said that I was just after money and that I made them sick because this was all about money. No sorry. I Lisa/Lee Iacuzzi have proven through the law of Oregon that bigendered and transgendered people are allowed in male and female "only places.
I was brought into checking. It is here where officer Tracey Owens grabbed my breast during the not so routine body search. I flinched and they lifted my body up on a table using my handcuffs behind my back. Then another guard pulled my wrists and fingers until I squelled like a pig, "please stop, I will be good". Then the lifted my body and put me in a cell with my entire weight on my collar bone and crossing my legs in midair. Then officer Jameson, who was written about in a recent tribune article, refused my phone call for 6 hours.
Of course my bruising earned me time in hole which could hide my facial and hand bruising from Police officer Lowry and collar bone injury from Deputy Tracy Owens. I was let out of my cell 15 minutes per day with no window.
Guess, what, I am out. The guards asked me what I was going to do when I got out? I told them that I am going to sue the Sheriff, Police, and Reach CDC!
Please keep laughing, I am enjoying being the underdog!
The state of Oregon with the Beaure of Labor, has found in favor of Lisa/Lee Iacuzzi, Not a good queer, that gender discrimination occurred and is still occurring at Reach CDC and that it is a hostile environment. I plan on filing a retaliation claim against Reach CDC, who provided false evidence for Glenda Meyers "stalking order" which resulted in 29 days in jail.
I am angry and I will hold all those accountable for my abuse which includes my companion dog being in a locked room for 24 hours without food or water.
I do not apologize for anything!
Lisa/Lee Iacuzzi
MA @ PSU
Not a Good Queer
Your So Hated on You Tube
This women lives on the third floor at the Rose but she states that she owns the second florr hall way. This is a bully Women Beating up a Man or just a bigendered human who carries a camera around for protections due to a gang of women making false accusations! Does this women named Bren Athens look drug affected to you?
I will not apologize for anything!
Good Queer
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