The transgender community and the police


ASK LAMBDA LEGAL Special to the online edition of Windy City Times

by Dru Levasseur

Q: I’m a transgender woman and sometimes when I’m out with friends. A police officer stops to harass me on the sidewalk, assuming I’m a prostitute. What should I do?

A: Your first step should be to get as much information as possible about the officer involved: badge number, precinct number, name, description, time of day and location. Police are required to provide their badge number and names—although make sure that you are not putting yourself in danger by collecting the information. If you are questioned by the police, ask if you are free to go. If they say you are, calmly walk away.

If you are harassed by police, it’s a good idea to contact a community-based organization that works on issues of police and institutional violence such as the New York City-based Anti-Violence Project (AVP) (avp.org or 212-714-1141) or another group under the umbrella of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Projects (NCAVP) (ncavp.orgor 212-714-1184 or info@ncavp.org). These groups can advise you on where to turn not just for legal advice but for support of other kinds.

Also contact your local police department’s Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) or Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB). Reporting the incident is very important for building an accurate measure of the problem overall.

Police harassment and outright brutality against transgender people are very common: Twenty-two percent of 6,450 transgender and gender-nonconforming respondents in the 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS) who had interacted with police reported being harassed by them. (The rate was much higher for transgender people of color.) And almost one out of two respondents said they were uncomfortable about seeking help from police.

There is litigation pending in response to incidents in several cities of police strip-searching, groping, conducting false arrests and chaining transgender people on handrails in “fish tank” fashion rather than placing them in cells. Meanwhile, advocates have been working with police to implement guidelines requiring respectful treatment of transgender people on patrol and in custody. The results have been significant policy improvements in San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C.

In April 2012, the Los Angeles Police Department issued a new policy on treatment of transgender prisoners intended to “prevent discrimination and conflict.”

Among the guidelines is this instruction: “Treat transgender persons in a manner that reveals respect for the individual’s gender identity and gender expression, which includes addressing them by their preferred name and using gender pronouns appropriate to the individual’s gender self-identity and expression.”

For more information download our tool kit, “Fighting Anti-trans Violence” at: www.lambdalegal.org/publications/trt_transgender_violence.

For information on Lambda Legal’s work with transgender rights, see: www.lambdalegal.org/issues/transgender-rights.

If you feel you have been discriminated against based on your sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV status please contact our Legal Help Desk at: www.lambdalegal.org/help.

To the anon sending me personal information about TruScum:

riley-ferretboy-konor:

I have added the blogs that you listed to my truscum list; however, I do not feel comfortable posting a particular person’s name and place of work since they are stealth. I agree that their words are terrible, but I do not wish to put them in potential danger - physical or otherwise.

Still, I will save this information and keep a look out on these blogs. If they take their actions further, I will determine what to do from there. For folks who wish to avoid truscum blogs, I recommend checking out the list linked above and blocking them.

Thank you for submitting.

UPDATE: To the folks commenting on this, I never asked for this information - nor do I plan on using it. It was sent TO me. I received it, read it, and replied to the person without mentioning anyone in particular.

I do not want to out anyone. I am saving the message as a reference (which is what I do with most anonymous messages I receive that I do not want to post). I am doing so with this particular message, because it contains a list of TruScum blogs and what they have done to harass and potentially harm others. I never even specified what person(s) are involved. That is why I did not post the original message that I received - to protect those involved…. all of which I already stated above, so I am not sure how some of you came to the conclusions that you did. If the folks involved were to continue to harass and bully folks, I was going to call them out on it by listing THEIR PUBLIC BLOG - not out them, not post personal information. Please stop jumping to conclusions, folks.

Please stop making this message out to be something it is not. For those accusing me of making threats, outing people, committing blackmail, or intimidating folks - that is absurd.

Oi. The really funny thing about this whole situation is THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MENTIONED IN THE MESSAGE AS TRUSCUM DO EXACTLY THOSE THINGS TO MEMBERS OF THE QUEER AND TRANSGENDER COMMUNITIES DAILY. And what’s more? They are proud of it. And, as it were, a lot of the folks who are slamming me for this message ARE SELF-DESCRIBED TRUSCUM.

Lesbian Couple Fights Back Against Attacker

(TRIGGER WARNING: ableist language, hate crime)

By Michelle Garcia

BELLINGHAM WASHINGTON POLICE X390 (FAIR) | ADVOCATE.COM

When 22-year-old William Adam Lane saw a lesbian couple embracing early Sunday morning outside of a bar in Bellingham, Wash., the only reaction he could muster was to yell homophobic slurs at them. When they wouldn’t react to his taunts, he smashed the back window of the Toyota the couple arrived in, causing $600 in damage. But the women didn’t let him get away.

Instead, one of the women tackled Lane and pinned him to the ground while waiting for help from a bouncer at another nearby bar, according to the The Bellingham Herald. Neither of the women were hurt, but Lane was arrested on a charge of malicious harassment, which is a hate crime, and he could also be charged with assault because of his threatening actions.

ACTION ALERT!! Sign this petition and spread the word.

Sophie Herold has repeated the same baseless rhetoric to myself and others long enough, folks. It’s time to put an end to it.

The petition states:

We the undersigned, agree that Sophie Herold should be held legally responsible for her actions. This individual is harassing, stalking, bullying, and spreading hate speech over the Internet to LGBTQ youth. Enough is enough.

Sophie Herold needs to be held legally responsible for the hate crimes she’s committed.

Check out the petition here and sign: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/sophie-herold-needs-to-be-held-legally-responsible-for.html

Thank you for sharing this petition with me, anonymous.

Let’s spread the word, folks.

Sincerely,

Riley (PQ creator/editor)

Demand an Investigation of LGBTQ Student's Harassment by School Principal in TN

gayinnj:

Why This is Important?

This is a joint petition by the Tennessee Equality Project and Gay-Straight Alliance Network’s Make It Better Project.

When several students at Sequoyah High School in Madisonville, Tennessee tried to start a Gay-Straight Alliance club after years of bullying, their principal said no. When the students circulated a petition and gathered 150 student signatures supporting the club, the principal banned petitions. When this brought local media scrutiny and the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the administration blocked the club based on its failure to secure an advisor. Although the students found teachers who seemed supportive and willing to serve as advisers, all eventually withdrew without explanation.

Now, according to the ACLU, Principal Moser has allegedly assaulted one student, Chris Sigler, for wearing a handmade shirt that read “GSA: We’ve got your back” – grabbing his arm and chest-bumping him while asking “Who’s the big man now?”

Despite the complaint filed by Chris and his mother, the Sheriff’s Department has failed to interview his sister, who witnessed the alleged assault, or his mother, who witnessed additional behavior from the principal…

Under the Federal Equal Access Act, students have the right to form a Gay-Straight Alliance club in public schools that allow other extra-curricular clubs. GSA clubs can be a lifeline for students dealing with bullying and harassment. The tragic deaths of many young people by suicide in the past year have illustrated the importance of safe spaces, resources, and anti-bullying campaigns for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. It is unconscionable for the district to erect barriers between its students and a safe learning environment, but Sequoyah’s refusal to allow a GSA – and the administration’s harassment of supportive students and teachers – amounts to just that.

SIGN THE PETITION (via) Change.org

(via westbendgsa)

Source: gayinnj

lgbtadvocate: tranquality: [photo: close up photo of an individual holding a small, mostly yellow, circular sticker to the viewer/camera. there is text on the sticker that reads, “I deserve a safe space to learn,” followed by “You Can Help!” The space between the ‘r’ and ‘v’ is taken over by an upside down triangle with the colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple; a yellow star is present in the red stripe. The sticker is created by and the message is supported by GLSEN, whose logo is present above the first sentence. The logo is grey, with the ‘e’ being emphasized by a lighter shade. there is a link: http://www.safespacekit.com] I just received these awesome stickers in the mail, along with other resources like ThinkB4USpeak posters, an info flyer for GLSEN’s newest project: Changing the Game, The GLSEN Sports Project, the 2009 National School Climate Survey - Executive Summary (the full one can be accessed here), and a whole lotta more inspiration for the upcoming school year to be one of my most productive years as I work with other students, teachers, and faculty to promote an actively safe and opportunistic school year for (actual or perceived) LGBTQ students and their allies. You may have seen the Safe Space Kit campaign talked about by Chely Wright, or featured on the GLSEN website, or the subject for which GLSEN won a $250,000 prize from the Pepsi Refresh Project, or from me rambling about it from time to time. Though the campaign is no longer in the spotlight or GLSEN’s main news, the chance is still there to sponsor a kit to your school, your kid’s school, someone you care about’s school, or any random school in the country. The Safe Space Kit provides resources for educators and allies to action against school bullying and harassing and towards a positive learning environment for all students. Supportive staff, inclusive curriculum, comprehensive anti-bullying policies, and student clubs such as gay-straight alliances/queer-straight alliances/GLOBAL are all a part of the solution for creating a better climate for students. The 42 page guide section of the Safe Space Kit provides concrete strategies for supporting students and educating about anti-LGBTQ bias. I can honestly say that if this were around, or even simpler: just having ‘safe space’ stickers, I think my earlier years of high school would’ve been much, much, much better. If I were to have had some teacher (or even my bus driver!) who was willing to step up, and step in, I would’ve been more prone to reporting my experiences with bullying and wouldn’t have been so fearful that no one would listen or worse: do nothing. This kit is much less about ‘saving lives’ than it is about preventing the endangerment of queer and trans* youth and students in the first place. If you’re tired of not hearing about students being bullied until after they’ve completed suicide, or until after their bullies have gotten on national news: you can take action now by promoting this kit. Shoot, you can even download a PDF copy here (and then convince your school, club, or teacher to purchase one because they have awesome stickers and posters ;)). And I hope that’s something you can get with. I have had the privilege of working with GLSEN to promote this and many other campaigns this summer. It is so worthwhile to know that we are helping students to stay safe and to feel comfortable and accepted in their schools. 
Pop-upView Separately

lgbtadvocate:

tranquality:

[photo: close up photo of an individual holding a small, mostly yellow, circular sticker to the viewer/camera. there is text on the sticker that reads, “I deserve a safe space to learn,” followed by “You Can Help!” The space between the ‘r’ and ‘v’ is taken over by an upside down triangle with the colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple; a yellow star is present in the red stripe. The sticker is created by and the message is supported by GLSEN, whose logo is present above the first sentence. The logo is grey, with the ‘e’ being emphasized by a lighter shade. there is a link: http://www.safespacekit.com]

I just received these awesome stickers in the mail, along with other resources like ThinkB4USpeak posters, an info flyer for GLSEN’s newest project: Changing the Game, The GLSEN Sports Project, the 2009 National School Climate Survey - Executive Summary (the full one can be accessed here), and a whole lotta more inspiration for the upcoming school year to be one of my most productive years as I work with other students, teachers, and faculty to promote an actively safe and opportunistic school year for (actual or perceived) LGBTQ students and their allies.

You may have seen the Safe Space Kit campaign talked about by Chely Wright, or featured on the GLSEN website, or the subject for which GLSEN won a $250,000 prize from the Pepsi Refresh Project, or from me rambling about it from time to time. Though the campaign is no longer in the spotlight or GLSEN’s main news, the chance is still there to sponsor a kit to your school, your kid’s school, someone you care about’s school, or any random school in the country. The Safe Space Kit provides resources for educators and allies to action against school bullying and harassing and towards a positive learning environment for all students. Supportive staff, inclusive curriculum, comprehensive anti-bullying policies, and student clubs such as gay-straight alliances/queer-straight alliances/GLOBAL are all a part of the solution for creating a better climate for students. The 42 page guide section of the Safe Space Kit provides concrete strategies for supporting students and educating about anti-LGBTQ bias.

I can honestly say that if this were around, or even simpler: just having ‘safe space’ stickers, I think my earlier years of high school would’ve been much, much, much better. If I were to have had some teacher (or even my bus driver!) who was willing to step up, and step in, I would’ve been more prone to reporting my experiences with bullying and wouldn’t have been so fearful that no one would listen or worse: do nothing. This kit is much less about ‘saving lives’ than it is about preventing the endangerment of queer and trans* youth and students in the first place. If you’re tired of not hearing about students being bullied until after they’ve completed suicide, or until after their bullies have gotten on national news: you can take action now by promoting this kit. Shoot, you can even download a PDF copy here (and then convince your school, club, or teacher to purchase one because they have awesome stickers and posters ;)).

And I hope that’s something you can get with.

I have had the privilege of working with GLSEN to promote this and many other campaigns this summer. It is so worthwhile to know that we are helping students to stay safe and to feel comfortable and accepted in their schools. 

(via lgbtqyouthspace)

Source: tranqualizer

Anti-gay Mich. Asst. AG Could Lose License

Andrew Shirvell CHRIS ARMSTRONG X390 (WXYZ.COM/ABC 7) | ADVOCATE.COM

Michigan assistant attorney general Andrew Shirvell might lose his license for his antigay rants against the University of Michigan’s student leader.

An attorney for U of M student Chris Armstrong said Friday she filed a complaint with the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission on behalf of her client.

The complaint alleges Shirvell harassed Armstrong during what attorney Deborah Gordon describes as a six-month campaign “of lies, dishonesty, heckling, hate speech and even job interference.” The commission could potentially disbar Shirvell, depending on the outcome of the investigation.

In April, using the moniker “Concerned Michigan Alumnus,” Shirvell started the blog Chris Armstrong Watch, describing Armstrong as a “Nazi-like” recruiter for “the cult that is homosexuality.”

Last month Shirvell told Anderson Cooper it’s “nothing personal.”

Shirvell is currently on voluntary leave from his position.