Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
A group of LGBT labor activists is launching a nationwide campaign to push unions to bargain for transgender health benefits for their members.
Pride At Work, in collaboration with the Transgender Law Center, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and the SEIU Lavender Caucus, plans to ask labor groups, including local labor councils and state labor federations, to pledge to include trans benefits in future contract negotiations
this is so badass
zmiy:
Alexander Durov, also known by Sokolov and Alexandrov, born Nadezhda Durova,was born in Kiev in their father’s army camp in 1783. Their mother, disappointed that she hadn’t given birth to a son or at least an ‘attractive’ daughter, was abusive, and so to protect Durov their father, an army major, had them raised with him and his soldiers. Caring little for the traditional role of women, in 1807 Durov joined a Polish regiment as a man under the name Alexander Sokolov. They went on to be a celebrated officer, one of the best, fighting successfully in many battles of the War of 1812, among others. During the Battle of Borodino, one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the Napoleonic Wars, Durov was wounded by a cannonball, but continued serving for several days until they were ordered to stop and rest. Among other honours Durov was granted the Cross of Saint George, a Russian decoration for exceptional bravery and distinction in combat.
Out of the few people during their military career who knew that Durov had been born female was their father, with whom they kept in contact, and Alexander I, Emperor of Russia, who not only allowed Durov to continue serving but also honoured them with the new psydonym of Alexandrov, after his own name.
The Emperor was moved. He raised me to my feet and asked in an altered voice, “What is it you want then?”
“To be a warrior! To wear a uniform and bear arms! That is the only reward you can give me, sire! For me there is no other. I was born in an army amp. The sound pf trumpets was my lullaby…”
—From chapter three of “The Cavalry Maiden”Durov loved the freedom of army life and was incredibly patriotic. They were also a talented writer, keeping a detailed journal of their experiences in the army and encouraged by Aleksandr Pushkin to publish it. In 1836 their memoirs, The Cavalry Maiden, were published. It’s a very interesting read, covering Durov’s childhood, interactions with family, and of course, life in the army, and is an important piece of Russian literature dealing with the War of 1812, as well as one of the first and only biographies of an army officer born female. Durov continued with writing, publishing novels and stories, dealing with themes of gender roles in society and women’s emancipation. Upon their death in 1866, Durov was buried with full military honours.
After retiring from the military Durov still lived much of their life as a man, wearing traditionally male clothing and using male pronouns. In the early 1800s Durov had married and given birth to a son, who many years later is said to have referred to them as “parent” when asking permission to be married. So while it is likely that Durov was a trans man, it is also possible that they identified as female and just adapted male societal roles, or were somewhere in between, and so in respect I use the singular “they” pronoun when referring to them.
Sources / additional information: Wikipedia on Durova • Wikipedia on the Battle of Borodino • The Cross of St. George • Russiapedia on Durova • Cavalry Maiden (in Russian; Chrome translates it to English fairly well though)
Vice President Joe Biden spoke with a woman at a campaign event Tuesday in Sarasota, Fla., telling her that discrimination against transgender people is the “civil rights issue of our time.”
The woman, Linda Carragher Bourne, said something inaudible to the Vice President, to which Biden responded with the words, “civil rights issue of our time,” according to a pool report. Bourne later told reports that her daughter was Miss Trans New England and she had asked if the Vice President would help.
“A lot of my friends are being killed, and they don’t have the civil rights yet. These guys are gonna make it happen,” Bourne told the pool about the Democratic ticket.
Vice President Biden has shown a track record of speaking his mind on LGBT issues. He said he was “absolutely comfortable” with marriage equality in May, three days before President Barack Obama announced his personal support. The Vice President’s statement is widely acknowledged to have moved up the President’s timeline.
Last August, Vice President Biden met with a group of LGBT advocates in Provincetown, Mass. and said they were “freeing the souls of the American people,” while he credited them with advancing the “civil rights of every straight American.”
Biden is a pretty quality guy, gosh.
Did you know he’s one of the youngest people to become a senator?? They actually adjusted the election law because he ran when he wasn’t old enough but would be old enough when elected and he still got elected!!
also according to my dad he’s one of the funnest senators
trlr:
Oh cool I’m a fraudster in Oklahoma. “Citing the Bible, Judge Bill Graves says transgender men and women are changing their names for ‘fraudulent purposes’”
This only has 6 notes because… Why? This is important people.
has informed me that she lives in Hartford, CT.
If there is anyone in the area who would be willing to help, please contact me and I will get you in touch with her.
I’m not exactly sure about the legal specifics of hosting a minor in CT. Please check that out if you wish to help.
She does not feel safe and obviously has nowhere else to go.
Friends, please boost this so as many eyes as possible see it.
please signal boost this.
Signal boost this everywhere. She needs a safe place to live.
- It’s not “cisgendered” or “transgendered”. It’s cisgender and transgender.
- Cis and trans are fine to shorten.
- Do not refer to someone as transgender or transsexual without prior identification and/or permission.
- Do not use “transgender” or “transsexual” or “genderqueer” or “nonbinary” as nouns without permission.
- Do not EVER use the word tr***y. (This also goes for non-DMAB trans women.)
- It’s not “transpeople” “transwomen” or “trans-women”. It’s “trans women” and “trans people”.
- It is not okay to ask about our genitals, our dysphoria or dissonance, how we “pass”, or the most personal specifics of our gender identities.
- It’s okay to ask pronouns, but check beforehand if this is online.
- Please volunteer YOUR pronouns first if you want the people in the room to be comfortable with volunteering theirs.
- Don’t use any umbrella terms without permission or prior identification.
- Do not EVER out any of us, ever, for ANY reason.
- If we say “x language disincludes us”, take us seriously.
- Stop Invisible T Syndrome: if you include “T” in an acronym, it must be about T things and not anything else.
- If we mock your use of an acronym, it’s for a reason.
- If you need to refer to people with [$foo] chromosomes or organs, use “people with [$foo]”.
- Do not refer to us as female or male without prior identification or permission.
- I don’t care how “complicated” our names, pronouns, gender identities, etc are. Get them right.
- Our names, pronouns, and gender identities might change. Ask us sometimes to make sure.
- Do not always assume we our gender/s are static or expressed the same.
- It is not okay to fetishize us or dismiss us out your dating/sex pool out of hand.
Trans people, if you have more, please add!
