TODAY! Trans Day of Remebrance; FRIDAY! Trans Day of Action

Trans Day of Remembrance

Today is the annual Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR), observed each year on November 20 to honor the memories of those we have lost to violence and oppression. DC’s TDOR service is tonight at 6:00p.m. at the Metropolitan Community Church, located at 474 Ridge Street NW (Metro: Mt. Vernon Square). Doors open at 5:30.

DC Mayor Vince Gray and other city officials, along with members of local victims’ families, will be in attendance. There will be a special recognition of the advocates behind the Deoni Jones Birth Certificate Amendment Act. For more information, contact Earline Budd at 202.388.8251.

RSVP for TDOR on Facebook.

Trans Day of Action

Casa Ruby is hosting this year’s Trans Day of Action (TDOA) is this Friday from 6:00-9:00p.m., at Next Step Public Charter School, located at 3047 15th Street NW (Metro: Columbia Heights).

The event features a community conversation on trans unemployment and homelessness, and the launch of Casa Ruby’s new “Work It” employment program. There will also be a special showcase of the new documentary TRANS. For more information, contact Ruby Corado at corado (at) casaruby.org.

RSVP for TDOA on Facebook.

We hope to see you at both events! 

 

Action Alert: Support Trans Health and Services in DC’s Budget

Our friends Andy Bowen and Nico Quintana with the DC Trans Economic Justice Campaign are asking for your support advancing two key DC budget proposals that will benefit trans people.

DC Council Members are voting on the annual Budget Request Act on Wednesday, May 22. There are two items in the budget that need your support TODAY to help fight for trans justice.   

DC’s Health Care Exchange 

Tell your council member to support the DC Health Care Exchange funding in the Budget Request Act.  Why- the DC Health Exchange has trans inclusive care language in it. Powerful forces have gathered to defeat DC’s health care exchange. If those folks are successful, we’ll lose local control over our health exchange, which means we could lose our battle to make sure Health Exchange-provided plans do not have trans exclusions. 

One City Fund

Tell your council member to support the proposed One City Fund. Why?  The fund will provide grant opportunities for direct service and anti-poverty organizations, some of which have trans clients.  The fund would start with an initial $15 million.

Today! Call or email Council members and say: “I am a DC resident, and I want you to continue funding the DC Health Care Exchange and the One City Fund in the Budget Request Act as is. Local control over the Health Care Exchange is vital to making sure the Exchange meets community needs, such as those of the transgender community, who need to ensure that the Exchange plans do not exclude transgender people from treatment. The One City Fund will support and expand vital services for transgender DC residents. Thank you for your time.”

DC Council members’ contact info:

The Honorable Phil Mendelson, pmendelson@dccouncil.us  (202) 724-8032
The Honorable David Catania, dcatania@dccouncil.us (202) 724-7772
The Honorable Vincent Orange, vorange@dccouncil.us (202) 724-8174
The Honorable David Grosso, dgrosso@dccouncil.us (202) 724-8105
The Honorable Anita Bonds, abonds@dccouncil.us (202) 724-8064
The Honorable Jim Graham, jgraham@dccouncil.us (202) 724-8181
The Honorable Jack Evans, jevans@dccouncil.us  (202) 724-8058
The Honorable Mary Cheh, mcheh@dccouncil.us (202) 724-8062
The Honorable Muriel Bowser, mbowser@dccouncil.us (202) 724-8052
The Honorable Kenyan McDuffie, kmcduffie@dccouncil.us (202) 724-8028
The Honorable Tommy Wells, twells@dccouncil.us (202) 724-8072
The Honorable Yvette Alexander, yalexander@dccouncil.us  (202) 724-8068
The Honorable Marion Barry, mbarry@dccouncil.us  (202) 724-8045

DC Trans Groups Victorious In Shelter Struggle

Lakiesha Washington poses with the judge’s order that the John L Young shelter be open to transgender women.

Shelter that discriminated against transgender woman agrees to stop discriminating, train its staff on trans sensitivity, and make its facilities safer for trans people

A DC transgender resident named Lakiesha Washington, Transgender Health Empowerment (a drop-in center for LGBT people), and DC Trans Coalition have won a major victory for transgender homeless people.

As the Washington Blade reported earlier this week, Lakiesha Washington sued New Hope Ministries–operator of the John L Young Women’s Shelter–for discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression. On April 3, 2013, Washington attempted to get a bed in the John L Young Shelter, and was turned away, being told (as is noted in Ms. Washington’s complaint), “We don’t do transgenders here. You have to leave.”

Washington, and the lawyer representing her–DC Trans Coalition member Jeffrey Light–negotiated with New Hope Ministries through this last week that New Hope would agree to a Temporary Restraining Order allowing Washington (and all transgender women) into the shelter. Furthermore, New Hope Ministries has arranged to give its staff transgender sensitivity training (as put on by Transgender Health Empowerment’s Earline Budd, and the Mayor’s Office of GLBT Affairs), and improve the privacy of its bathroom and shower facilities so that no one will be outed on the basis of their genitalia.

DC Trans Coalition member Andy Bowen, who filed an Office of Human Rights complaint about John L Young in February 2013, will withdraw her complaint, which had just entered the mediation and investigation stage.

“This is a great day for all transgender people,” said Washington. “Nobody should have to face discrimination and humiliation, and thanks to this case, homeless transgender people will be now be safer.”

“DC has great nondiscrimination laws, but good laws do not equal adequate enforcement,” said Bowen. “This case showed the need for more vigilant enforcement, and if DC Trans Coalition has anything to do with it, enforcement’s gonna happen.”

For more information, contact Andy Bowen at andymbowen [at] gmail [dot] com.

John L Young TRO Signed

Don’t let the DC government roll back housing protections for trans people!!

The D.C. Office of Human Rights has proposed rules that would allow discrimination in housing on the basis of sex if there is a business necessity for doing so.  The proposed rules would make it harder for people who don’t look or act like the stereotype associated with their sex to be housed in homeless shelters, universities, nursing homes, and other places.

The DC Trans Coalition is circulating a petition (see below) to tell the Office of Human Rights that there is no need for businesses to discriminate on the basis of sex. At the least, OHR should clarify the rule to specify that individuals have access to housing based on their gender identity within sex-segregated facilities, in accordance with the DC Human Rights Act.

From DC to Detroit, Queer and Trans Activists Making the Connection to Social Justice

Thanks to everyone who helped make the film screening, Trans Pride, the youth cookout and all the other summer events such a success so far! We hope the rest of the summer is just as productive. DCTC has a lot of exciting campaigns, events and projects in the works, so stayed tuned.

We know a lot of our friends and supporters are just getting back from the 2nd annual US Social Forum in Detroit, where over 15,000 community organizers gathered to discuss strategy and vision for building a strong social justice movement. DCTC was an anchor organization for the Greater DC People’s Assembly, one of over 50 such assemblies from across the country that brought our local priorities to the national forum. The DC People’s Assembly resolution was one of the few to mention “that transphobia and homophobia divide our communities, cause widespread suffering and intersect with other systems of oppression to fuel vast social and economic inequalities throughout the world” and to explicitly include the needs of trans communities.  We hope you’ll read the full resolution.

Also, check out the Queer and Trans Peoples’ Resolution for the Safe Self- Determination of Our People, assembled by the Queer and Trans Peoples’ Movement Assembly at the US  Social Forum. As detailed in a new report from Queers for Economic Justice (“A Fabulous Attitude: Low Income LGBTGNC People Surviving & Thriving on Love, Knowledge & Shelter”), issues like poverty, homelessness and immigration all impact trans and LGBQ people. It’s very exciting to hear back from our friends in Detroit that more and more queer and trans activists are beginning to prioritize issues of social and racial justice!

Back in DC, on Friday July 9th at St. Stephens Church (1525 Newton St NW) from 7-9pm, the DC Childcare Collective is hosting a discussion called “A Better DC is Possible!” The panel will discuss ways to bring people together to create a more just DC and will feature representatives from organizations like Empower DC and the Latino Economic Development Corporation. (Childcare provided; Refreshments to follow; $10 donation requested, no one turned away due to lack of funds). DCTC was originally scheduled to appear at this event but has had to cancel. We still encourage all of our friends to come out, support these other awesome groups and keep including trans communities in these crucial discussions!