Quickies: IDAHOT, Same-Sex Marriage in 1971, Consent as Tea

• President Obama’s Statement on IDAHOT – Yesterday was the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. President Obama issued a statement containing the following: “We take this opportunity to reaffirm that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are human rights, to celebrate the dignity of every person, and to underscore that all people deserve to live free from fear, violence, and discrimination, regardless of who they are or whom they love.” You can read the full statement at WhiteHouse.gov.
• “Meet the Women Fighting Transphobia Across the Americas” – The Advocate recognized IDAHOT by profiling seven prominent trans activists working in the USA and South and Central America.
• “Even a Stuffed Bear Gets More Respect than Trans People” – MacFarlane continues to dehumanize trans people for laughs in his latest movie, Ted 2.
• Turkish MP Race Includes Transgender Candidate – Deva Özenen is the MP candidate for the recently founded progressive nationalist party Anadolu. If she wins, she’ll be Turkey’s first transgender MP, but she faces an uphill battle, including a lot of open transphobia
• UK Law Allows Spousal Veto Over Transitioning – “The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 introduced a new concept to English law… whereby one person can veto another person’s rights. The 2013 Act brought in the Spousal Veto, a hateful piece of legislation that prevents a trans person who is in an existing marriage or civil partnership from being able to receive legal recognition of their gender without the express written consent of their spouse.”
• “Mx.” Added to Oxford Dictionary – The gender neutral honorific “Mx.” has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) as an alternative to Mr. or Ms. Mx, pronounced “mix” or “mux,” is already used by some government and bank forms in the U.K.
• Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Marries Same-Sex Partner – This is especially notable since Luxembourg legalized same sex marriage only last year, and the population is overwhelmingly Catholic.
• “France’s largest Protestant denomination votes to bless same-sex marriages” – “The largest Protestant Christian denomination in France has approved church blessings for same-sex couples when they marry just two years to the month after France legalized same-sex marriage.”
• “The Same-Sex Couple Who Got a Marriage License in 1971” – “With some sleight of hand involving a legal change to a gender-neutral name, they obtained a marriage license in another county, and in 1971, in white bell-bottom pantsuits and macramé headbands, they exchanged vows before a Methodist pastor and a dozen guests in a friend’s apartment. Their three-tiered wedding cake was topped by two plastic grooms, which a friend supplied by splitting two bride-and-groom figurines.”
• HPV Vaccine, Cohabiting LBG Seniors, and Reproductive Services for Trans Folk – The Huffington Post’s weekly LGBT health and wellness roundup talks about why everyone should get the HPV vaccine, how living together helps LGB seniors, the struggle to get reproductive services for transgender people covered by health insurance, and more.
• “‘Girl Sex 101’ Aims To Change The Face Of Queer Sex Education (NSFW)” – It’s no secret that sex education in the Western world is less than adequate — and formalized sex education for queer people is virtually nonexistent. Girl Sex 101 seeks to change this reality by combining fiction, comics and sex education as a resource for queer people — with a focus on queer women — in a way that no other sex education tool has ever done before.”
• Nevada Passes Anti-Bullying Legislation – The new law includes protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and it strengthens reporting requirements and creates a website and hotline for reporting complaints.
• New Tool Lists Popular Names by Birth Year – The Social Security Administration now lets you search both by year and by name to find the popularity of first names in the United States. This is especially useful for trans people who wish to chose a new name that was popular the year they were born.
• “Understand Consent With the Help of Stick Figures and a Cup of Tea” – “By replacing sex with a cup of tea, this crudely-drawn short offers a very clear picture of what ‘saying yes’ looks like.”

Featured image via Blue Seat Studios