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There’s Now A Yelp To Help Trans People Find A Doctor
The trans community lacks health care guidance — so they’re creating their own user-generated resource.
The post There’s Now A Yelp To Help Trans People Find A Doctor appeared first on ThinkProgress.
Alex Zielinski
thinkprogress.org/health/2015/10/26/3715959/trans-health-website/
Lawmakers Slam Social Security's Treatment Of Same-Sex Couples
Thirty-eight U.S. senators and 83 U.S. Representatives on Monday sent a letter to the Social Security Administration grilling the agency over its treatment of married same-sex couples.
The group, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), specifically takes issue with the SSA giving legally married gay and lesbian couples incorrect payouts after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a section of the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013, then fining them.
While the agency worked to update its policies following the court’s decision, the SSA continued to treat people in same-sex marriages as single individuals, resulting in higher benefit payouts. Now, the SSA wants those couples to pay it back.
For some time after the Supreme Court’s Windsor decision, SSA continued to issue benefits to Supplemental Security Income recipients in same-sex marriages as though these individuals were single.
The letter highlights the experiences of Hugh Held and Kelley Richardson-Wright, who are both in same-sex marriages in California. More than a year after the Supreme Court’s decision, they each received letters from the SSA informing them they’d received about $6,200 and $4,100 more, respectively, than they were entitled to, and would have to reimburse the agency for the overpayment. (After Held and Richardson-Wright took the matter to court, the SSA opted to waive their penalty.)
“We are concerned to hear that, for some time after the Supreme Court’s Windsor decision, SSA continued to issue benefits to Supplemental Security Income recipients in same-sex marriages as though these individuals were single, and that for some SSI recipients, SSA is still doing so,” the letter reads.
“SSA should not penalize people who are poor, elderly or disabled because SSA continued issuing benefits to these married individuals as though they were single,” it continues. “According to SSA’s statute and regulations, SSA shall avoid penalizing an individual for overpayment if the individual is without fault and if recovery of the overpayment would be against equity and good conscience.”
The letter asks the SSA to provide a count of how many individuals in same-sex marriages it has charged with overpayment, and what the agency has done to update its own systems “so that SSA can correctly take marital status into account and administer benefits fairly to all individuals.”
Also on HuffPost:
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HRC, National Democratic Institute Launch Partnership to Foster Political Inclusion of LGBT People
Together, we will seek to help LGBT people grow their organizations, advocate for their rights, change hearts and minds, and inspire social change that acknowledges the equal dignity and rights of LGBT people around the world.
HRC.org
Daniel Tosh Has Done The Unthinkable — Showered With Carrot Top
Daniel Tosh rolls around on a sofa looking pretty dressed only in a sexy negligee and slinks about in nothing but a revealing wet T-shirt, but that’s hardly the most surprising element in his parody video for “Good For You” ft. A$AP Rocky by Selena Gomez. The Comedy Central personality, who is forever pushing the queer envelope with his series Tosh.0, takes a shower with entertainer comic red-headed person Carrot Top.
Watch the two have at it below.
Jeremy Kinser
South Park Wants Your Gay Fan Art, Now
South Park is looking for some gay fan art for this week’s episode and you have about 8 hours to get some into the show if you want a chance to be included.
Specifically, they’re looking for slash/yaoi art (focused on romantic or sexual relationship) of Craig and Tweek (shown above).
Write the producers: “So for any of you who are into this, submit by this Monday (October 26) at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and tune in Wednesday night to see if your art made it into the show. We will try to use as much as we can!”
More info on how to submit here.
The post South Park Wants Your Gay Fan Art, Now appeared first on Towleroad.
Andy Towle
Third-Gender Passports May Be the Future of Trans Travel
The arrival of a transgender activist from Nepal in Taiwan last Saturday for the 2015 International Lesbian and Gay Association’s Asia conference may seem unremarkable. But it was in fact quite special: The activist, Bhumika Shrestha, is the first Nepali citizen to travel abroad carrying a passport marked O for “other” instead of M for “male” or F for “female.”
This is a groundbreaking and long-overdue achievement for global travel because it demonstrates that self-identification can and should be the sole factor in obtaining gendered documents.
Nepal’s legal recognition of a third category began with a 2007 Supreme Court case in which the judge ordered the government to create a legal category for people who identify as neither male nor female. Crucially, the judgment dictated that the ability to get documents bearing a third gender should be based on “self-feeling.” That is to say: no tests, expert opinions, or other potentially humiliating adjudication should play a role in the process.
But that concept had at the time only recently been enshrined in the Yogyakarta Principles, the first international guidelines on sexual orientation, gender identity, and human rights standards. And carrying out the court decision proved knottier than the court’s declaration.
Following the court’s judgment, LGBTI rights activists in Nepal advocated with bureaucrats to include the third gender on everything from voter rolls to citizenship papers. In 2011, Nepal included a third gender in its census. But when I went with Shrestha that year to the District Administration Office in Kathmandu, the capital, to change her legally recognized gender on various documents, she got a real run-around. First she was told that she needed to change her citizenship certificate. The DAO bureaucrats sent her from office to office and handed her case off dismissively — ultimately telling her she needed more paperwork indicating various approvals.
“This is the 13th time I’ve been here, and the officials’ excuse for not changing my papers is different every time,” she told me as we exited to muddy monsoon streets. Shrestha was assigned male identity at birth and raised as a son by her parents. When she was a teenager, she began to develop her identity differently and soon came to understand herself as female. Her parents accepted her identity, and she still lives at home with them. But the government, despite the court’s ruling, needed more convincing. Like transgender people around the world who seek legal recognition of who they are, she braved dozens of humiliating and degrading inquisitions — government officials asked her questions about her genitalia and her sex life.
Only this year, after sustained pressure from LGBTI rights activists, was Shrestha able to finally obtain her third-gender citizenship certificate and begin changing other documents.
Shrestha’s push for third-gender documents, alongside other Nepali activists, is not the only way forward. Some transgender people prefer to be identified as male or female, not a third category. But for global travel, the concept of self-identification is too rarely implemented. There is already some precedent for reflecting gender identity on travel documents even if it falls outside a male-female binary. International travel document guidelines set out by the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization, which sets regulations on global air travel, already specify that passports can be issued bearing M for male, F for female, or X for indeterminate gender. Australia, New Zealand, and Malta all allow for X passports in some cases. As one U.N. expert noted in 2009, “measures that involve increased travel document security, such as stricter procedures for issuing, changing and verifying identity documents, risk unduly penalizing transgender persons whose personal appearance and data are subject to change.”
But in addition to the dignity such a shift affords people who want third-gender passports, this autumn’s successful issuance of Shrestha’s passport and her Taiwanese visa shreds one common argument against issuing passports in three genders: that foreign governments will not acknowledge them, imperiling those who possess them. There is no Taiwanese consulate in Nepal, so Shrestha had to travel to India to apply for her visa. This means she left Nepal, entered India, and successfully obtained a Taiwan visa all bearing her legal gender marker, O. Hong Kong also issued her a transit visa for the trip.
That the budding politician is attending a major Asian LGBT rights conference is significant. The region’s governments have a long way to go on legal gender recognition. But there are glints of progress that should be held up as examples, and Shrestha’s long-overdue achievement should stand as an illustration of how dignity can be achieved and progress made simply by following basic human rights standards and international guidelines.
KYLE KNIGHT is a researcher in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch.
Kyle Knight
www.advocate.com/commentary/2015/10/26/third-gender-passports-may-be-future-trans-travel
Why I Believe In Monogamy — a Response to Barrett Pall
I decided to log into YouTube one night and browse the videos in my subscriptions folder. This has become a regular occurrence for me. I would even go so far as to say that YouTube has taken up the majority of the time I used to spend watching television. It’s a platform I respect and appreciate. With so many unique voices around the world, sites like YouTube allow us to connect with those voices and inspires us to use our own voice to express our views.
That’s exactly what I felt the need to do after watching Barrett Pall’s recent video on monogamy. In the clip, he asks lots of questions, rather than take a firm stance on the issue. He makes sure to let the viewers know that he doesn’t intend to pass judgement either way. As a result, he reveals that he’s not even sure himself whether or not he believes in monogamy. He’s still young, so he’s got plenty of time to figure it out.
I, on the other hand, stand firmly in place as a monogamous person. I do believe in monogamy and I don’t need to ask myself any questions to be sure. It’s a no-brainer for me. One of the points Pall makes is how social media influences our take on monogamy. Since we’re constantly fed images and videos of people we’re attracted to on social media, Pall says, it makes it harder for us to commit to one person. I feel this is a pretty weak argument. No matter how committed you are to your significant other, you will always feel attraction to others. We can’t help our feelings. We can, however, control whether or not we act on those feelings.
Just because we’re sexually attracted to someone, it doesn’t mean we want to have sex with them. Being attracted to someone and wanting to engage in sexual contact with that person are two different things. I wouldn’t mind if I was in a relationship with someone who followed a bunch of male models on Instagram or reblogged racy images on Tumblr. I would, however, have a big problem with them having sex with someone other than myself.
I am very protective of my body and health. If my partner is having sex with other people, it would put us at greater risk of catching STDs. But more importantly, it would cause a painful jealousy to rise within me. First of all, there’s the obvious fear of losing that person. Your partner may say it’s just sex and you’re the one they come home to. But it doesn’t mean they won’t fall for that person and leave you out in the dust. As I said, we can’t control our feelings.
Second of all, it would show itself to be the ultimate sign of disrespect. I value sex. It’s very special and important to me. I can’t possibly view sex as something nonchalant. It’s not possible. So, if my partner had sex with someone else, it would show that he doesn’t value sex. If he did, he wouldn’t be giving it away to others so easily. I would’ve been lied to. If you’re in a relationship with me, everything is communicated. Nothing is off-limits. So, we would’ve agreed to be monogamous if we got that far in the relationship.
Communication is so important. I hold no judgement towards anybody. Whatever relationship structure works for you is fine. As long as everything is clearly communicated and nobody is getting hurt, I see no problem with it. Just make sure not to agree to be monogamous if you feel otherwise. Even if you’re not sure what you want, you must communicate that to your partner. No relationship can work if it’s based on lies and deception.
Another point Pall makes in his video is that you won’t always see eye-to-eye with someone. That may be true, but I feel you should always see eye-to-eye when it comes to sex. That’s a very vulnerable and intimate part of yourself that you’re sharing with someone. He also mentions the increasing divorce rates and how cheating is contributing to failing marriages. He seems to suggest that others should be more open to the possibility of a different relationship structure.
I disagree. I think the problem is that there wasn’t clear communication. One partner agreed to be in a relationship they knew wasn’t right for them. As a result, they ended up hurting the other person. When it comes to sex, we shouldn’t have to do things we’re not comfortable with. I’m not trying to put words in Pall’s mouth. I don’t think that’s what he was suggesting. However, some of us are monogamous and some of us aren’t. If we expressed ourselves clearly, we would find people we’re compatible with. We would find the right relationship structure for us, rather than trying to conform in order to please our partner.
At the end of the day, we need to be our true selves in an unapologetic way. We can’t give into a fear of rejection by pretending to be someone we’re not. A relationship like that wouldn’t be worth it. It’s always worth the risk of rejection. Then we can weed out the ones who aren’t right for us and eventually find the right person. It’s not a question of whether or not you believe in monogamy. It’s a question of whether or not you’re being honest about who you are. That’s the first step towards a happy and healthy relationship.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: October 26, 2015
View today’s top headlines courtesy of HRC’s A.M. Equality Tip Sheet.
HRC.org
www.hrc.org/blog/entry/am-equality-tip-sheet-october-26-2015?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
Man Writes Touching Apology Letter To Gay Couple He Taunted 20 Years Ago
It’s never too late to tell someone you’re sorry.
A man in Nebraska just published an apology to a young gay couple he taunted in public more than 20 years ago. The anonymous letter was posted on Craigslist in Omaha.
“Dear young gay couple in 1993,” it begins. “You were sitting together on the curb near the entrance of Worlds of Fun. I was walking in with my church youth group. I was 17 and bigoted, taught that you were wrong and sinful.”
“I looked over to see you together, relaxed and confident, and I said out loud, ‘Ewww gross.’”
Related: Gay Man Shuts Down Younger Sister’s Homophobic Bully With One Fantastic Facebook Post
“As we walked away I felt a prick of shame,” the man confesses. “Outwardly I had acted as if it was you who should be ashamed, but for over 20 years it has been me who carries this shame. I’m writing this today to apologize for my behavior.”
The man goes on to say he is “so sorry” for ruining their special moment together and for treating them as second class citizens.
“I want you to know that shortly after this youth group trip I entered college and my whole world changed,” he writes. “My learned bias and my belief in homosexuality as a sin was flipped upside down as I was exposed to new people and new ideas. I have walked away from the religion that taught me to hate.”
“Wherever you are,” he concludes, “I hope you’re each still sitting close with a loved one and living a wonderful life.”
Related: Ex-Bully Comes Out As Gay, Apologizes For Homophobic Torment
h/t: LGBTQNation
Graham Gremore
Ellen Tells Oprah: I Never Thought I Was Going To Come Out – VIDEO
In a clip from Oprah’s Master Class, Ellen DeGeneres opens up about her struggle to come out back in the 90s.
Ellen reveals that coming out was never something she thought she’d be able to do:
“I didn’t think I was going to come out. Period. And I didn’t think I’d be coming out on a show, ever.”
Yet come out she did. Ellen famously came out on her sitcom Ellen in 1997. Her decision to come out was motivated by a realization she had after taking a look at her subconscious thoughts. Ellen says,
“What came out of listening to what I had been saying to myself is, ‘Would I still be famous? Would they still love me if they knew I was gay?’ And my fear was, ‘No, they wouldn’t.’ And then it made me feel ashamed that I was hiding something…and I just didn’t want to pretend to be somebody else anymore so that people would like me.”
Watch below:
The post Ellen Tells Oprah: I Never Thought I Was Going To Come Out – VIDEO appeared first on Towleroad.
Sean Mandell
Ellen Tells Oprah: I Never Thought I Was Going To Come Out – VIDEO
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