Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR)

Hartford Transgender Day of Remembrance
Parish House, Church of the Good Shepherd (3rd floor ballroom)
7:00pm Wednesday November 20, 2013  at the Metropolitan Community Church of Hartford, 155 Wyllys Street, Hartford CT
Guest speakers include Senator Beth Bye; Linda Estabrook, Executive Director of the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective; Josh Pawelek, Parish Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Society: East; Ace Ricker, Student and President of the Unity Club at Housatonic Community College; and Tony Ferraiolo, Youth Advocate and Co-founder of the Jim Collins Foundation with a special guest
https://www.facebook.com/events/410263982435111/

Westport Transgender Day of Remembrance
November 20, At 7:00PM
Unitarian Church in Westport
10 Lyons plains Road
Westport Ct, 06880

New Haven Transgender Day of Remembrance
Nov. 20. Rally - 4PM, march - 4:45
Amistad Memorial -- Church St. between Elm & Chapel -- New Haven, CT
Contact: ct@defendwomensrights.org / 203.787.8232
https://www.facebook.com/events/224744304353535/

Hampshire County
Transgender Day of Remembrance to honor and grieve the loss of transgender victims of violence
Tuesday, November 19th, 2013
5:30PM Vigil, First Churches, 129 Main St, Northampton, MA
6:00PM Program and Music, Unitarian Society, 220 Main St. Northampton
7:00PM Social with refreshments, potluck item welcome
This event is free, and childcare will be provided during the program
Sponsored by Amherst College Queer Resource Center, First Churches of Northampton, Pioneer Valley Progressive Muslims, UMASS Stonewall Center, Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence, Unitarian Society Web Weavers....many thanks to all!

If anyone knows of other TDORs in the state please let us know and we will post them.

ENDA To Be Voted On In The Senate On monday

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said today that the Senate will vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) on Monday.

Senate Will Vote on ENDA Monday
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed for cloture on Thursday, meaning the Senate will vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act on Monday.
Advocate
By Sunnivie Brydum
October 31 2013

With a low-key procedural move, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ended a week of speculation about when the U.S. Senate will vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
[...]
Reid filed for cloture on the legislation Thursday evening, a procedural move that  requires 60 votes and essentially overcomes any effort at a filibuster. Once the cloture vote is taken — and if it achieves the 60-vote threshold — the chamber will debate the bill, then eventually make a final vote on it. 

You can read the whole story here.

The last time ENDA came up for a vote was in the House in 2007, the original gender identity was included but at the last minute it was pulled from the bill. The non-inclusive ENDA bill passed the House but died in the Senate. The current bill originated in the Senate and it  includes gender identity but its passage in the Republican controlled House is doubtful.

Namoli Brennet In Concert!

Note: CTAC is not sponsor of this event, we are only helping to spread the word about her concert.

Namoli Brennet: In the Flesh

Saturday, October 19, 7 pm

United Church of Christ in Cornwall, Congregational

Singer-songwriter Namoli Brennet performs intimate folk concert at
Congregational Church in Cornwall, CT

Cornwall, CT (September 2013)—Dubbed “among the best folk-rock artists in the
country," by the Tucson Weekly, singer-songwriter and Connecticut native Namoli
Brennet is known for the honesty and intensity of her live shows, as well as her quirky
and comedic performance patter. A trans woman who was named one of the inaugural
Trans 100 on the first ever list highlighting accomplished members of the transgender
community across the United States, Brennet will perform a live concert of her soulful,
witty songs on Saturday, October 19, 2013, at 7 pm at the United Church of Christ in
Cornwall, Connecticut.

Described by The Rainbow Times as “a deft acoustic player” with “smoky vocals,”
Brennet has been touring and performing since 2002 when she hit the road with her first
CD. Now, 1000-plus shows and 200,000 miles later, her gritty, honest folk has attracted
a large and extremely loyal fan base. Her performance at United Church of Christ will
include a reception with wine and bites after the concert, during which CDs and artwork
by the artist will be for sale. The concert is free with a suggested donation of $10.
Brennet has self-released 10 CDs, including her latest, "Live," which was recorded over
the course of 6 months and 14,000 miles. Her poignant, introspective, and sometimes
hard-hitting music has won praise and accolades from critics and fans alike, and was
described as "gorgeous and introspective" by Zocalo magazine. She has been
nominated for numerous OUTmusic awards, and her music is featured in the Emmy
Award nominated film "Out In The Silence," which details the struggle of a gay teen
growing up in rural Pennsylvania. Brennet spends eight to nine months a year touring
and performing.

Namoli Brennet: In the Flesh is hosted by The Rainbow Times CT and United Church of
Christ in Cornwall Congregational on Saturday, October 19, 2013 at 7:00 pm, with a $10
suggested donation at the door. United Church of Christ is located at 8 Bolton Hill Road
in Cornwall, CT 06753; 860.672.6840 and www.uccincornwall.org. For event details, call
860-364-0525. For more information about Namoli Brennet, including discography and
tour dates, visit www.namolibrennet.com.

A Night Out At The Moives

There is a great fundraiser coming up for the Jim Collins Foundation...

TransPACT
(Parents of CT Transyouth)
is proud to present…
A special movie event
to benefit
The Jim Collins Foundation

TRANS

One night only!
Thursday, October 17, 7:30 p.m.
Starplex Cinemas, Berlin, CT
Tickets go on sale today.
Space is limited!
For tickets and details on the event, go to:
http://www.tugg.com/events/5442

TransPACT, a local support group for parents of transgender kids, is proud to bring TRANS to Connecticut for this special, one-night-only event! Whether you are well-versed in transgender issues, or a newbie to this topic, the film TRANS, which features personal stories of transgender people across the country, will inform, touch, and inspire you. Our special guest, Mark Schoen, is the producer of TRANS and will be on hand to answer your questions on the making of this landmark production.

This event is also a fundraiser for the Jim Collins Foundation, which raises money to fund gender-confirming surgeries for those who need surgery to live a healthy life, but have no ability to pay for it themselves. Co-founder of the JCF, Tony Ferraiolo, will also be at the screening to answer any questions about this worthy cause, or about the support groups for transgender youth that he runs here in Connecticut. When you purchase your ticket, you will be given a option to donate to the Jim Collins Foundation. Please consider giving to this life-affirming organization. More information can be found at: www.jimcollinsfoundation.org/about-us/

U.S. Department of Justice Discrimination Agreement

The U.S. Department of Justice reached a landmark agreement this week about discrimination against transgender students. We here at CTAC receive a number of complaints against schools in Connecticut that refuse to allow transgender students to use the bathroom of their gender identity and require them to use a staff bathroom or a gender neutral bathroom. The CT law is vague about sex-segregated facilities, the CHRO takes the position that ex-segregated facilities are covered under the law but some school districts point out that there has never been any court ruling to back-up their opinion.

Now the U.S. Department of Justice has reached an agreement with a California school systems.

Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
United States Reaches Agreement with Arcadia, California, School District to Resolve Sex Discrimination Allegations

The United States entered into a settlement agreement with the Arcadia Unified School District in Arcadia, Calif., to resolve an investigation into allegations of discrimination against a transgender student based on the student’s sex.  Under the agreement, approved by the district’s school board unanimously last night, the school district will take a number of steps to ensure that the student, whose gender identity is male and who has consistently and uniformly presented as a boy at school and in all other aspects of his life for several years, will be treated like other male students while attending school in the district.

The agreement, joined by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which participated in the investigation, resolves a complaint filed in October 2011.  The complaint alleged that the district had prohibited the student from accessing facilities consistent with his male gender identity, including restrooms and locker rooms at school, as well as sex-specific overnight accommodations at a school-sponsored trip, because he is transgender.  The United States investigated this complaint under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  Both Title IX and Title IV prohibit discrimination against students based on sex.

Under the settlement agreement, the district will:

•           work with a consultant to support and assist the district in creating a safe, nondiscriminatory learning environment for students who are transgender or do not conform to gender stereotypes;
•           amend its policies and procedures to reflect that gender-based discrimination, including discrimination based on a student’s gender identity, transgender status, and nonconformity with gender stereotypes, is a form of discrimination based on sex; and
•           train administrators and faculty on preventing gender-based discrimination and creating a nondiscriminatory school environment for transgender students.

Additionally, the district will take a number of steps to treat the student like all other male students in the education programs and activities offered by the district.  The district-wide provisions of the agreement will be in place until the end of the 2015-2016 school year.  The student-specific provisions of the agreement will be in place as long as the student is enrolled in the district.

“All students, including transgender students, have the right to attend school free from discrimination based on their sex,” said Jocelyn Samuels, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.  “We commend the district for taking affirmative steps to ensure that this student and his peers can continue to learn and thrive in a safe and nondiscriminatory environment.”

“Our commitment to civil rights enforcement runs deep and nowhere is that commitment more meaningful than in our schools,” said André Birotte, Jr., United States Attorney for the Central District of California. “This agreement helps ensure continued advancement towards equal rights under the law for all students.”

In recent years, the Justice Department and the Department of Education resolved a number of cases involving gender-based harassment in public schools.  In 2012, the departments entered into a consent decree addressing harassment against students who do not conform to gender stereotypes in the Anoka-Hennepin School District, Minn.  In 2011, the departments entered into an agreement with the Tehachapi Unified School District, Calif., to resolve a similar complaint of harassment against a gay student who did not conform to gender stereotypes.

 Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 each prohibit harassment based on sex.  The enforcement of Title IV and Title IX are top priorities of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt .

Politico had this to say about why the agreement is so unique,

The Education and Justice departments have forced districts to change policies and practices to better protect students who are transgender, including in Minnesota and elsewhere in California. But those protections, primarily intended to prevent bullying and harassment, have been part of agreements to protect all students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
[...]
While the agreement is only between the district and federal agencies, it sets a precedent, said Asaf Orr, a staff attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which filed the complaint on behalf of the Arcadia student.

“This sends a clear message to school districts around the country saying ‘This is what the federal government is going to be expecting of you,’” Orr [Staff attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights] said.

 

Imperial Sovereign Court of CT Fundraiser For CTAC July 27

Saturday July 27th - White Party.  Dowager Emperor Nick and Dowager Empress Electra along with the Entire Imperial Sovereign Court of ALL CT invite you all to the WHITE PARTY, $10.00 cover at the door, $1.00 Jello Shots, Show Times 11PM and 12 Midnight.  All proceeds to Benefit Aids Project New Haven, Connecticut Health Initiative, Connecticut Transadvocacy, and St. Philips House.  Facebook event page (https://www.facebook.com/events/503736099699745/)

Eighth Annual Trans Health & Law Conference

Save the date for our Eighth Annual Transgender Lives: The Intersection of Health and Law Conference that will be held on April 26, 2014 at the UConn Health Center in Farmington, Ct.

Our conference is about relationships - relationships with ourselves and relationships with those who interact with us. It is about re-defining these relationship through knowledge and understanding and by helping to erase those misconceptions that have disempowered so many for so long. Our conference is also about community - and not just trans and gender non-conforming people but also our allies who support us, the professionals who work with us, our families who care for us, and most-especially you.

Our primary theme “Intersection of Health and Law” seeks to raise awareness of the interconnectivity and interdependence of two critical areas to the lives of the trans and gender non-conforming individual.

Each year the attendance and outreach for this conference has grown substantially, now making it the major Transgender Health and Law Conference in the Northeast. Our success is a directly attributed to attendees finding the conference to be informative, relevant, and positive. One of our goals for this conference is that you find your experience to be informative and positive. We hope to provide new information to you and to provide old information in a new way that provides you with new or renewed perspective. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts and suggestions for future conferences.