From Equality NC:

Equality NC Foundation invites members of the transgender community and allies for a summit on policy issues affecting transgender and gender non-conforming North Carolinians. We will convene on November 16th, from 10:00am until 2:00pm at Duke University.

We’ll be joined by Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality in our roundtable discussion. We will also present initial results of our statewide survey of the transgender and gender non-conforming community. Most importantly, we want you to be a part of the discussion about how we can work together to make North Carolina a better place for transgender-identified and gender non-conforming individuals.

You must register in advance, as we will be providing boxed lunches for participants.

You can register for the summit at http://eqfed.org/equalitync/events/transsummit/details.tcl

If you identify as transgender or gender non-conforming and live in North Carolina, you can complete the North Carolina Survey on the Policy Needs of Transgender-Identified Individuals at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=_2faIjkJI399pSWfLSAe6ZGQ_3d_3d

It’s been ten years since Matthew Shepard was brutally attacked for being gay, and still our federal law fails to protect against hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Last year both houses of Congress passed a hate crimes bill known as the Matthew Shepard Act, but the law never made it to President Bush’s desk because of his veto threat.

I hope you’ll join me in sending a message to John McCain and Barack Obama: we can’t wait any longer for federal hate crimes legislation to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans.

The Social Justice Film Series Presents… Transgeneration
Special Guest Speaker Sylvia Guerrero
Sunday, October 12, 2008 – 6p
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Lumina Theater
Free

The crime against Brandon Teena occurred on December 30, 1993, in rural Nebraska against Brandon Teena, 21, Lisa Lambert, 24, and Philip Devine, 22. They were having a quiet night and went to sleep at Lisa’s home, but unfortunately, a few hours later, they were brutally murdered by two intruders kicking through the front door, and executed with gun fire and stabbed, left in a pool of their own blood. Lisa was also a mother of a young child, Tanner, who was left wailing in his crib, as the killers left.

(still credit: WMC-TV)

An incident in Memphis, TN on February 12, 2008, involving a police officer beating a trans-woman was recently brought to my attention.

Joshua Klipp got on my radar by complete accident. I found Josh via MySpace, and his looks caught my eye that I had to give it a listen. Josh is a trans singer and he has made musical history on his self released EP Patience in 2006 by singing in both his pre- and post-transition voices on the R&B track “Little Girl.” Josh has been catching plenty of eyes and ears by being featured on the Tara Banks Show and The L Word and there’s no stopping Josh now. Josh is originally from the Midwest and currently lives in California where he works with opely gay producer, Kristopher Cloud.

Producer Tom Murray produced this very comprehensive and complex portrait of the lives of approximately 15 women who transitioned at various points in their life from men to women. Each woman was different: different backgrounds, different perspectives, different ways of handling their transition into their own personal acceptance and happiness. Bambi Weavil takes a look at this eye-opening documentary.