trans women
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The 9th Black Trans Woman Has Been Killed This Year
On Wednesday, the body of Chanel Scurlock—a transgender black woman—was discovered in a field in Lumberton, N.C. shortly after midnight. She was 23. The Advocate reports that the victim was identified by friends and activists after suffering an unspecified number of fatal gunshot wounds. Scurlock lived 20 miles away in neighboring Lumber Bridge and became…
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Trump Administration Wants Homeless Shelters to Deny Transgender People
Trump’s invalid administration is considering a rule change that would allow discrimination against homeless transgender people seeking shelter. Ben Carson, the world’s most hated Oreo lover, and secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is proposing changes to the 2012 Equal Access Rule, HuffPost reports. The original rule was meant to “to…
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‘There Is No Ban’: After Facing Backlash for a ‘Diversity Statement’ That Excluded Trans Women, Zeta Phi Beta Makes a New Pledge
Zeta Phi Beta wants to make it clear that all women are welcome in its sisterhood. As reported by Essence magazine, the historically black sorority had earned the ire of many after an article by the Washington Blade made public a “diversity statement” purportedly adopted by the sorority’s International Executive Board on Jan. 12, which…
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Police and Media Royally Botch Response to First Recorded Murder of Trans Woman in 2019
We’ve started 2019 by continuing to fail black trans women. On Sunday night, 31-year-old Dana Martin was found left for dead with a gunshot wound “in a car that had crashed in a ditch” in Montgomery, Ala., according to AL.com. Police think the shooting happened near the vehicle, and no arrests have been made. Despite…
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Post-Trump, Miss Universe Welcomed Its 1st Openly Transgender Contestant in 2018
She didn’t take home the crown, but Spain’s Angela Ponce made history this year as the first openly transgender woman to compete in the Miss Universe pageant on Dec. 16 in Bangkok, Thailand. It was a relatively quiet, but strikingly progressive inclusion in an industry long lambasted for its regressive politics and representations—and even more…
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On #TransDayofRemembrance (and Every Day), We Implore You to Respect and Protect Trans Lives
By all outward appearances, 2018 was a year of incredible progress for trans people. Of the triumphs: Christine Hallquist became the first trans person to be nominated for governor (of Vermont); at least one internationally-recognized company opted to recognize their trans employees by covering corrective surgeries in their health plans; more openly trans models made…
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The Voices Missing From #MeToo: Experiencing Sexual Assault as Butch
He was my dude, my nigga, my friend. The details of that night are mine to keep, a privacy I allow myself, even as I often openly share my childhood sexual trauma. This particular violation—rape—came at a crossroads in my life. I was figuring out two things: blackness and butchness, and trying hard to do…
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Yet Another Black Transgender Woman Killed; Friends Up in Arms Because She Was Misgendered
Another transgender woman was killed this month, this time in Jacksonville, Fla., making it the second trans killing within a week. According to The Advocate, on Feb. 4, 36-year-old Celine Walker was found shot to death in an Extended Stay America hotel at about 8 p.m. and pronounced dead at the scene. The Advocate reports…
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Finally, a Seat at the Table: Jay-Z’s ‘Family Feud’ Makes a Major Statement About Who Belongs in the Family
Because of Jay-Z, this New Year’s Eve, I found myself thinking about families and feuding. When he released 4:44 in June 2017, the reception was mixed, not because the music wasn’t good or poignant—no one who understands hip-hop can deny Jay’s lyricism or his ability to catch our attention with interesting melodies. But men and…