This is a day where we remember those who gave their lives so we could be free.  To enjoy our freedoms as we know them.  Please take a minute and remember them.  Also remember that many TLGB have given up their lives.

Next week we start our celebration of Pride month.  A time to be proud of who we are.  It has been forty years since the transgender community rose up and rioted against the police at the Stonewall bar in New York city.

This Tuesday there will be a rally in regards to prop 8 from California.  It will be either a victory rally or one showing our support for the TLGB community if they lose there appeal in the Supreme Court ruling.  The rally will take place at 7:00 pm on the capital lawn in Lansing.  I hope many of you can attend.

This past week there was an article about the praents of an 8 year old girl in Omaha that is allowing their daughter to transition.  She was attending a cathlic school but in the fall she would not be able to return to that school, but rather she will be attending a publis school as the young girl she longs to be.  The parents are to be commented for thier courage of letting their child be truly who she is.

In France this week being transgender will no longer be classified as a mental illness.  A small victory for the people of France.  One day it will be the same in this country.  Hopefully sooner than later.

I’ll post next week.  In the mean time have a good one.

On April 16th I attended the Michigan Policy Summit.  The summit was a forum for progessive ideas.  What surprised me was the fact that there were quite a few TLGB organizations that had tables there and it was exciting.I also met and talked with Rep. Conyers and I discussed with him about Enda.I mentioned to him that the right when they argue will be using the bathroom issue and how trans people will infinge on the rights of women and children.  He then shoulld push back hard during the debate about it is not about bathroom issues or the right to privacy.  That there has not been incident in states that where we had protections that any women or children were not harrassed.  He would like me to email talking point to him which I intend to do later this week.

After I left I then chaperoned the Affirmations Youth Prom.  It had as it’s theme Las Vegas.  It was a fun event and everyone had a great time.  I also like to say that the young transwomen there were absolutely beautiful.  It make my heart sing that many youth are coming out at an earlier age.  That feel are begginning to feel safe.

This past week the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE) came out with a policy statment to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to eliminate some cataorgories.  Below is the statement.  Ihope the APA would take heed and do the right right by changing there policy

Resolution

Whereas people are naturally endowed with a wide diversity of gender
expression, identities, and sexual orientations;

Whereas, the distress felt by gender non-conforming people is
fundamentally due to social prejudice and heterosexism, and is not a
characteristic of their identities;

Whereas diagnosis of psychological disorders has been used as a form
of social control;

Whereas, the inclusion of normal variations of behavior as diagnostic
criteria has been widely used to justify discrimination against gender
non-conforming people by individuals, governments, and corporations;
and has resulted in material harm to people;

Whereas, the principle responsibility of medicine is to “Do No Harm;”

Therefore, be it resolved that we find the American Psychiatric
Association to have a responsibility to ameliorate this harm, and
hereby call for the following remedies:

(1) We hereby call on the Board of Trustees of the American
Psychiatric Association to issue a declaration stating that: Gender
variance, and gender non-conforming behavior do not constitute a
psychological disorder;

(2) We hereby call on the American Psychiatric Association to remove
the diagnosis of so- called “Transvestic Fetishism,” which explicitly
pathologizes gender non-conforming behavior, from their Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual;

(3) We hereby call for the reform of any diagnosis that can be made
solely based on gender non-conforming behavior, specifically including
“Gender Identity Disorder in Children.”

Resolved this day May 15, 2009 by the Board of Directors of
The International Foundation for Gender Education

(c) 2008 by
the International Foundation for Gender Education.
PO Box 540229
Waltham MA 02454
Tel: (781) 899-2212

http://www.ifge. org/Article386. phtml

Shalom till next week.

As the Executive Director of Transgender Detroit I will be posting a weekly blog about the transgender community.  It maybe short or it maybe long.
Today is the first of the weekly blogs.  I know many of you may not agree with me but that is ok.  I want you all to feel free to comment on this blog and also to learn what is going on in the Detroit area.

 A week ago the U.S. House of Representitves passed the Mathew Shepard Hate Crimes bill. This is just one step wo help our community.

Last month in Colorado a man convicted of 1st degree murder with hate crimes enhancement for the murder of an 18 year old transwomen.  This conviction sends a message to the rest of the country that we are human just like any other person.  Now we must insure that the Senate passes this same bill.  We need to fight, we need to call our Senators and let them now your feelings on this very important legislation.

In the next 4-6 weeks the ENDA bill will be introduced in the senate.  there are many ways to help pass this bill.  Contact your senators, write editorials to your local papers and most of all educate people about our community.  If you want to learn more about enda go to www.unitedenda.org

On June 7th there will be motorcity pride in Ferndale.  I urge everyone to come out have a fun day.  There will thousands of TLGB and allies there.  It is a great way to meet new people and network.It is alo a way to learn about many TLGB organizations and TLGB friendly groups.

Shalom till next week.