The International Foundation for Gender Education

Transgender Tapestry 105 Spring 2004 Table of Contents



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Al Franken has apologized for the offensive joke made o­n the June 2, 2004 show.

"On Wednesday?s ?Fighting Hannity?s Lies with Lies About Hannity? segment, I falsely claimed that Sean Hannity was born a hermaphroditic conjoined twin, and that the doctor who delivered him and his twin reacted in horror at their birth. I would like to apologize to members of the intersexed and conjoined-twin communities for furthering the unjustified stigma attached to these conditions. An estimated o­ne in 2000 people are born with atypical genitalia, which, like conjoinment, is a naturally-occurring bodily variation. I am sorry for the ill-considered joke."
-Al Franken

On Monday May 17, 2004 the International Olympics Committee announced that transsexuals will be allowed to compete in their correct gender, effective immediately. The decision had been anxiously awaited since February when the policy was originally going to be enacted.

IFGE staff hosted a panel presentation at Harvard University on Monday May 17, 2004. Executive Director Denise Leclair led the presentation to a packed classroom, along with staff members Joan Hoff and Sarah Thompson. "Psychology of the Gendered Self" is taught by Joanna Rohrbaugh, Ph.D. through the Harvard Extension School.

The annual presentation by IFGE is one of the capstones of the course, which explores the social construction of gender.

IFGE will be hosting an information table at the Boston Youth Pride o­n May 15, 2004.  Executive Director Denise Leclair will be there giving out free copies of Transgender Tapestry magazine.

www.massyouthpride.org 

(courtesy of Bodies Like Ours)
Over the weekend, we learned of the untimely death last week of David Reimer in Winnipeg. David was the subject of the well-known Joan/John gender experiment in the 1960?s and 1970's by Dr. John Money.  After a botched circumcision, David was given hormones and raised as a girl at the urging of Money, then a sex researcher at Johns Hopkins Hospital. After an awkward childhood and years of teasing, David discovered the truth at age 14, and he took steps to return to his male identity. David took his own life at age 38 o­n Tuesday, May 4, 2004.

Announcing: the FIRST Public Hearing o­n Intersex Issues before a government body in the USA!

The San Francisco Human Rights Commission is conducting a public hearing to explore human rights concerns associated with intersex issues. This groundbreaking event is the first time that a governmental entity in the USA has addressed intersex issues. The San Francisco Human Rights
Commission is the city department responsible for enforcing San Francisco's nondiscrimination laws.

WHEN: o­n Thursday, May 27, 2004, 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Rm. 416, City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, 4th floor, San
Francisco.

Call for participation:

The Commission invites people to share their personal experiences regarding medical, social, and legal aspects of their experiences, regarding potential human rights aspects of intersex issues. The
Commission encourages the participation and attendance of intersex people, parents and family members of intersex people, and providers. The public is strongly encouraged to attend!

Written testimony from people who can't make the hearing, or who may wish to offer an anonymous contribution are also needed. Please send your testimonies (preferably by May 17, 2004) to the address below.

Please distribute this announcement widely through your public and personal networks.

For more information contact, and to send written testimonies:

Marcus Arana
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 800
San Francisco, CA 94102-6033
(415) 252-2519
marcus.arana@sfgov.org

GLBT Poconos Resort Rainbow Mountain is having their TG/CD Weekend May 21-23.

With a special book reading by Helen Boyd, the author of My Husband Betty (and you can read a review from The Village Voice) plus the Shangri-La-De-Da Show on Friday and Piano Bar with singer/songwriter/musician Michael Ferreri on Saturday. Plus, we've got a Fashion Show on the agenda. No, ladies, not just you in your finery this time, but an outside vendor who would like you to see her line. We will be needing models, so contact us if you would like to participate.

For more information

The New Mexico Hate Crimes Bill passed the New Mexico House of Representatives today, and Gov. Bill Richardson has pledged to sign the legislation. The Bill establishes increased penalties for acts of violence against many groups, among them sexual orientation and gender identity. Representatives of New Mexico Gender Advocacy Information network(NMGAIN), a transgender advocacy organization, had lobbied the NM legislature for over four years, to see the protective legislation pass.

Anthony Barreto-Neto won a landmark civil rights case in Vermont on April 22, 2004. The Vermont Attorney General ruled that the Town of Hardwicks dismissal of Mr Barreto-Neto was due to his identity as an transsexual, and that it was a violation of Vermont law banning discrimination based on sex or sexual orientation. The Town of Hardwick settled the discrimination claim brought by the former officer for $90,000 and is required to enact a formal non-discrimination policy against transgender people, as well as conduct trainings for employees regarding transgender issues.