New Community

[kalligraphy.livejournal.com]

Washington D.C.

There didn't seem to be a Transgendered Community Focused on the Washington D.C. area. With that in mind I have created one. Anyone in the Metro D.C. area or willing to travel to the Metro D.C. area is welcome to join in, post and have fun. The idea is to share resources, news, events, set up meetings, discuss being transgendered/intersexed/gender variant in the Metro D.C. area.

transdc

(no subject)

[annabelle-tea.livejournal.com]

Hello everyone,

I am a 25 year old girl who has been dressing full time now for 2 years. Just recenely began my hormone therapy, and am looking forward to my full transition in the future. Please take a look at my livejournal, come check out my pictures, and perhaps add me as a friend. Always here for the newly started girls, and always willing to give support to any in need.

Kisses,
baby anna

Dorms

[gqalx86.livejournal.com]

I'll be a freshman in college starting this Fall. I realize now that I need to send in my housing forms in the next couple DAYS, because the office has to receive them by June 30th.

I'm guessing I should write some kind of letter to the housing office about being trans, requesting a single room...etc. Has anyone written/sent a letter like this before? If so, does anyone have a sample I can see? Also - does anyone know of any resources I can send along?

I'm worried that any explanation I attempt to give will just further confuse them. I need to figure out the most simple way to explain the situation that will convince them I can't be roomed with a random and unsuspecting girl. I don't know if they have had to deal with anything trans related before. I know that the the college is pretty accepting overall, but housing could be a lot different.

Thanks for any responses.
(sorry for cross-post)

josh

Remember Gwen

[khandro.livejournal.com]

MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release

Contact:
Gwen Smith
gwen@gwensmith.com

Ethan St. Pierre
Transfriendly@aol.com


ARAUJO CASE ENDS IN MISTRIAL
Remembering Our Dead Project Urges Retrial on All Counts

HAYWARD, Calif., June 22, 2004 - Judge Harry Sheppard ruled a mistrial in
the murder case of Gwen Araujo, declaring that the jury is "hopelessly
deadlocked." The Remembering Our Dead project urges the District
Attorney's office to retry this case in the pursuit of justice.

"One may hope that the District Attorney retries this case," said
Remembering Our Dead founder Gwen Smith. "To think that these men could
end up in a plea bargain for a reduced sentence -- or worse yet, released
back into society -- only angers me."

Gwen Araujo was a 17-year-old transgender teenager who was murdered in
Newark, California in October of 2002. Evidence presented during the
trial indicated that she was brutally beaten and strangled over a period
of several hours before her body was driven 150 miles from the scene of
the murder and deposited in a shallow grave.

The jury deliberated over parts of ten days, and had indicated that they
were in trouble once before today. That led to a read-back of several
key sections of testimony as well as a rereading of the instructions
covering murder and manslaughter charges.

It is widely speculated that the issue of "transgender panic" raised by
the defense may have played a pivotal part in this outcome. In this
defense, it is assumed that it would be "reasonable" behavior to murder a
person -- assuming you had been intimate with them -- when you discover
that person is transgendered. This defense is similar to the "gay panic"
defense used in trials such as that of Matthew Sheppard, and it widely
decried by gay and transgender activists as "blaming the victim."

"Would we be seeing this sort of outcome if Gwen Araujo was not
transgendered," Smith said, "or is this another example of transgender
lives being devalued? Is it still 'ok' to murder a transgender person?"

The Remembering Our Dead project

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