WATCH: Florida School in Antigay Bullying Investigation
Zephyrhills High School in Florida, which saw a student try to take his own life because of antigay bullying a year ago, is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education.
The department’s Office of Civil Rights is investigating based on a complaint by the mother of Zachery Gray that he and other students “have been subjected to harassment based on gender stereotypes,” Tampa Bay–area TV station
Transgender Student Sues University of Arkansas
By all accounts, Jennifer Braly is a good student. The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith psychology major carries a 3.58 GPA, according to the Arkansas Times, and has been a popular guest lecturer in psychology and sociology classes. Braly, 36-years-old and transgender, has given about 20 faculty-sanctioned lectures on gender dysphoria, and at least one professor has written her a letter of recommendation saying Braly’s talks “open the doors to a greater understanding and appreciation of this too often misunderstood disorder.”
But, according to both the Times and the student newspaper, the Lion’s Chronicle, Braly was recently forbidden by school administrators from giving any more guest lectures, even when the professor’s have requested her to do so. Several professors supported Braly, one even cancelling her class instead of hosting it without the student lecturer. Braly, who sued the university earlier this year for discrimination in both restroom and housing policies, thinks the ban on her speaking to classes may be a way for the university to silence criticism of their transgender policies.
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Source: queeryouthspace
Your Stories: Pratima from The Berkshire School talks about the conflicting values that she finds in her family as it relates to religion and kindness.
Source: everyoneisgay
President Wants A National Safe Schools Act
by Neal Broverman
Don't Say Gay bill passes in committee
The infamous Don’t Say Gay bill in Tennessee, once nearly long gone, is gaining momentum once again.
The bill made it out of a committee yesterday and now heads to the House for a full vote, though Republican governor Bill Haslam says he doesn’t believe it should be a priority at the moment. More from The Advocate:
He also seemed unhappy to have what was called “the monkey bill” land in his lap last month. Instead of signing the law, which extends legal protections to teachers who want to discuss the possibility that creationism is real or that global warming isn’t, Haslam waited and waited and eventually let the law go into effect without his signature.
Last time around, the House ran out of time to vote on the “don’t say gay” law while the Senate actually passed it. It would bar teachers and administrators from any talk of homosexuality before high school and violators would face fines and jail time. Backers of the bill don’t appear to be backing down.I will be so furious if this goes through. I’m shocked that Tennessee has nothing better to do than impose these harsh judgements and homophobic rules on students.
(via fuckyeahsexeducation)
Source: gaywrites
![tal9000:
[Image: Text on a sky-blue background:
ALMA scholarship
Two $1000 scholarships!
You may be eligible if you are:
A male who identifies as gay, bisexual, queer, and/or transgender
Latino/Hispanic in origin or heritage
Illinois Resident
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For more info visit www.almachicago.org
A logo at the bottom reads “ALMA” “The Association of Latino Men for Action”]
sqs-tec:
Spread the word about ALMA’s (Association of Latino Men for Action) annual scholarship!
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[Image: Text on a sky-blue background:
ALMA scholarship
Two $1000 scholarships!
You may be eligible if you are:
- A male who identifies as gay, bisexual, queer, and/or transgender
- Latino/Hispanic in origin or heritage
- Illinois Resident
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, May 14, 2012For more info visit www.almachicago.orgA logo at the bottom reads “ALMA” “The Association of Latino Men for Action”]
Spread the word about ALMA’s (Association of Latino Men for Action) annual scholarship!
This is OPEN to individuals who identify as queer/trans*/gender non-conforming. Signal boost for free money for school!
(via loversintransition)
Source: sqs-tec
Trans woman to sue Christian rehab center in Hong Kong
A … transgender [woman] in Hong Kong is going to sue a Christian narcotics school for contributing to the delay of her gender reassignment operation by a decade.
The 24-year-old who identified herself only as ‘C’ was forced by her parents in 2002 to enter Christian Zheng Sheng College, according to local tabloid Apple Daily.
Zheng Sheng, meaning ‘repent to live’ in Chinese, refuted C, saying she should not have enrolled if she regarded herself as a female since the school was not equipped to help her.
The private school targeting deviant adolescents also stressed it does not force anyone to be heterosexual, but simply help students to tell the rights and wrongs.
C, who started her delayed medical evaluation last year, questions the statements.
After befriending a group of trangenders in the street at age 15, C said, ‘I have had a strong desire to change my gender and strived to save up as much money as possible for my gender reassignment operation.’
Her relationship with her parents worsened even as she resorted to drugs. Before she entered Zheng Sheng, C said she had already arranged for a psychiatric appointment.
‘The school kept saying how their tutors were psychologists and stopped me from going and shut me up.’
C also accuses Zheng Sheng for forcing her to live, bath and swim with other boys, rallying other students to force her to be a man, inviting preachers to ‘cure’ her of her sexual deviance and banning her from falling in love.
She tried to commit suicide twice before her mother brought her out two years later. C became even more addicted to drugs and engaged in some criminal activities.
The doctor in charge criticized how she had been forced to delay an evaluation by two years of her prime time and regarded the gender role C was fitted in as tormenting, C said.
Gay Star News has contacted Zheng Sheng for comments.
Praised by some for guiding teenagers back to the right path, Zheng Sheng has also been caught in a few controversies. In 2009, it was reported to have applied for social assistance from the government for around 120 students, but invested part of it in real estate projects in mainland China.
Source: transfeminism
Ohio College Students Rally Against Hate Crimes
Students rallied Thursday night at two Ohio universities to protest a recent attack on two gay men and promote greater acceptance of LGBT people.
The rallies, at the University of Cincinnati and Miami University in Oxford, were in response to an attack that occurred early in the morning of March 24. Miami student Michael Bustin and UC student Adam Voegele were holding hands as they walked home from an event on the Miami campus when they were attacked and beaten by four men who yelled antigay slurs. No arrests have been made.
“Every student should feel safe to walk through campus and our local communities without fear of brutal violence,” Blake Jelley, president of the UC Alliance, said at the rally on his campus, according to Cincinnati TV station WXIX. “We urge students and staff at Miami and UC to take a stronger stance against antigay attacks and urge administration to take more proactive measures to ensure that our university communities are safe for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.”
“Kids shouldn’t have to fear expressing their feelings, no matter if it’s gay, straight, anything,” Voegele told WXIX. “And people should just love each other for who they are.”
WXIX reported that the rallies drew 300 attendees combined, but the Associated Press put the number at about half that. Read more here.
Catholic School Cancels Victoria Kennedy Speech Over Pro-Gay Stances
Vicki Kennedy and late husband, Ted Kennedy
A Massachusetts Catholic college has scrapped plans to have Victoria Kennedy, Ted Kennedy’s widow, deliver its commencement address, citing her support for marriage equality and abortion rights.
Robert J. McManus, the bishop of Worcester, Mass., pressured Anna Maria College in Paxton to cancel Kennedy’s speaking engagement and an honorary degree the college was to give her, Religion News Service reports. A spokesman for McManus said the bishop believes Catholic schools “should be honoring Catholics for their consistent public positions with the church, not for contrary positions with the church, especially on core issues such as the right to life and the sanctity of marriage.”
Actually, Victoria Kennedy has not been particularly outspoken on these matters, but her late husband was a strong advocate for LGBT rights and women’s reproductive freedom during his long tenure in the U.S. Senate. She issued a statement saying she was “disheartened” by the cancellation but understood the college’s position. Anna Maria College officials said they regretted withdrawing the invitation to Kennedy but had to take the action to maintain good relations with the local Catholic hierarchy. Read more here.
Trans* at School: Middle School and High School Edition
A lot of people have been asking us questions lately about coming out in middle school or high school, generally in the public school system. This can be really tricky due to bullying and difficulty with the teachers and administration, but there are some ways to make it a…
Source: artoftransliness
Transgender Teacher Forced to Quit Job in New Mexico
A transgender music teacher in an elementary school in Santa Fe, New Mexico, says she was forced from her job after parents complained that she was a drag show performer.
Late last year, Cristina Cracraft’s drag performances posted on YouTube became known and a group of…
Source: care2.com
School District Told to Replace Web Filter Blocking Pro-Gay Sites
By MICHAEL WINERIP
Students using the computers at Camdenton High School here in central Missouri have been able to access the Web sites for Exodus International, as well as People Can Change, antigay organizations that counsel men and women on how to become heterosexual.
