Quickies: Always, Every Week, Even When Under a DDoS Attack
By - Leelah Alcorn’s Tumbler Suicide Note Removed – By now most of you will have heard of the suicide of the 17-year-old transgender girl who was isolated by her parents and forced into conversion “therapy.” The world learned of Leelah after her Tumblr suicide note went viral. Now, at the request of her parents, who continue to deny the gender of their dead child, Leelah’s Tumblr has been taken down. The Daily Mail has a full rundown of the story, including the text of her note, at the link. Sign the White House petition to ban LGBT conversion therapy.
- “Not One More” – “Homes that deny transgender identities result in a suicide-attempt rate that’s 14 times higher than in homes where such identities are accepted. If you belong to a religion that denies transgender identities and put money in the collection plate or pay your 10-percent tithe, you are bankrolling the slaughter of innocents.”
- Chinese Sexuality and LGBT Expert Li Yinhe Speaks About Being Partnered to a Trans Man – “Her public revelation of their simple, sweet love story is a nearly unheard-of occurrence in a country where LGBT people — and especially the ‘T’ — are still socially marginalized.”
- Marriage Equality Coming to Florida – Parts of it, anyway. Same-sex marriage will be legal in all of Florida starting January 6, but clerks in five counties have decided to stop issuing marriage licences in order to avoid having to perform same-sex marriages. More on the convoluted path of marriage equality in FL here.
- “9 Stunning Photos of ‘Butches’ That Shatter Society’s Stereotypes About Masculinity” – “What does your masculinity look like? Vancouver-based photographer and self-proclaimed ‘gender terrorist’ S.D. Holman gives us an answer with BUTCH: Not like the other girls, a photography project that delves into female masculinity and demonstrates that the “butch” identity is very much alive and well in 2014.”
Featured Image via S.D. Holman
Jac,
Its not much, but here’s a bit of good news that came out of the Leelah Alcorn tragedy. I meant to send this to you guys via an email, but I forgot.
#RealLiveTransAdult emerges on Twitter following transgender teen’s death
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/reallivetransadult-emerges-twitter-following-transgender-teens-death/
I hope the media attention around Leelah’s death will spur a change in how general society understands what it means to be transgender, and what the standard of care is for trans teens. (I.E. hormone blockers and gender identity therapy are just as necessary for a trans teen as insulin is for diabetics.)
Meanwhile, same sex marriage came to FL a day early: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article5439081.html
Jac, I believe that those 5 counties have simply stopped holding courthouse weddings so that the clerks wouldn’t have to perform marriages for same-sex couples, because otherwise they would’ve had to under equal protection, but they have not stopped issuing certificates.
On the other hand, I think some clerks are planning on denying same-sex couples certificates until forced to by courts, though the federal judge in the case warned last week that doing so would render them probably liable for those couples’ legal fees if they sue.
Also, signed and confirmed. Leelah’s story combined with Louis’ Internet Meme Demolition Derby really speaks to me about the need to have a discussion about what the word “love” means, because a lot of people use it to mean things which seem very opposite what I mean when I say it.