Transgender / Transsexual

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Meet the gamer who raised $400K for transgender rights in Texas

Rue Dickey, who lives in Corvallis, Oregon, said that as a transgender person, they felt helpless watching Texas officials begin to investigate parents of trans children.

Dickey, who uses “they” and “he” pronouns, said they were “having a bit of a crisis” at their day job in marketing when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state child protective services agency to pursue child abuse investigations into the parents of transgender children who are suspected of receiving gender-affirming medical care. (Those investigations have since been blocked by a judge.) 

Dickey, 25, wanted to do something to help trans youth and their families in the state.

Image: Rue Dickey
Rue Dickey.Ashley Brianna

“The lack of things that I can do as a single person was super overwhelming,” they said. That’s when Dickey, who also designs tabletop role-playing games, remembered that Itch.io, a website that sells independent games, held fundraisers for racial justice, Palestinian relief and, more recently, people in Ukraine. 

Tabletop role-playing games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, a popular game released in the 1970s, are interactive; players sit around a table and describe their characters’ actions, which affect the rest of the game. One player, usually designated the game master, describes the setting of the game and uses a set of rules to give players some structure and guidance. 

Dickey, who has been playing the games for about 10 years and writing them since 2019, decided to gather other game designers and create a bundle of games to sell on Itch.io to benefit two small groups in Texas that support trans people, the Transgender Education Network of Texas and the Organización Latina de Trans en Texas. 

The bundle they created includes 493 games from 300 designers, and it’s on sale until April 3. It’s valued at more than $2,700 but is available through the fundraiser for $5. 

The bundle went live March 2, and Dickey said they initially set the fundraising goal at $1,000. 

Just 45 minutes later, the fund met that goal. So they increased the goal to $5,000, and it was quickly surpassed again.

They went to bed, and the next morning the fund hit $11,000. Since then, they have increased the goal seven more times to $420,000. As of Friday evening, that had raised nearly $394,000.

“I’ve cried probably a dozen times at this point,” Dickey said. They said representatives from both of the organizations have been “super excited” about it. 

“When I first reached out to them, I was like, ‘Hey, we’re hoping to give you at least like $5K each,’ and now every time I email them, I’m like, ‘Hey, just an update, you’re getting $170,000 each now,’” they said, laughing. 

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Dickey said both groups have been talking about what they’ll do with the funds, and they have been especially happy to hear what a difference it will make for Organización Latina de Trans en Texas. The trans immigrant-led group runs shelters in cities across Texas and also provides legal support for name changes and navigating the immigration process. 

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A representative for the organization told Dickey that the donation will be one of the largest that it has ever received, they said. “It’s going to be enough money for them to do a lot of renovations and revamps to the shelters and things like that, which I’m super excited about.”

Tabletop role-playing games have become increasingly popular among the queer community as the games have become more inclusive. Dickey said that they have two answers for why role-playing games are so popular among trans people in particular.

“My joking answer is that almost all tabletop games have werewolves, vampires, changelings or magic users, and I’ve never met a trans person who doesn’t identify with one of those,” they said. 

On a more serious note, they said that “tabletop role-playing games, at their heart, are about storytelling.” Often, trans people’s stories are told by cisgender people, who identify with their assigned sexes at birth, and are “portrayed by cis actors who don’t understand us and don’t know what we live,” Dickey said. 

Tabletop role-playing games give trans people “the ability to be at our own table and centering ourselves in our stories and getting to play trans characters who the whole through line of their character isn’t that they’re trans, it’s just a part of who they are, and they still have dreams and goals and ambitions, and they’re a part of an adventuring party, they make a difference in the world,” they said. 

“How empowering it is to tell your own story and be a part of a narrative that centers you and your experiences, I think is a lot of what draws at least me and a lot of other trans folks that I know to tabletop games,” they said.

Rue Dickey

There are a few games in the bundle that Dickey recommends, including their own — “not to toot my own horn,” they joked — called “I Want Your Bite.” The game is based off “The Bachelor,” the dating TV show, “but instead of the bachelor just being a normal person, the bachelor is a vampire,” Dickey said. “So you’re not only competing for their hand, you’re also competing for immortal love.”

They said one of the “big ticket items” in the bundle is a game called “Thirsty Sword Lesbians,” which they described as a “rivals-to-lovers,” high-drama game. They also recommend “Wanderhome,” a fantasy game in which the characters are small animals who defend their home from various threats. 

Dickey said creating the bundle, and now selling 40,000 of them, has brought them a lot of joy amid what’s happening in Texas and the dozens of other states that are considering bills targeting transgender people. 

They hope that trans youth in Texas know that they’re not alone. 

“It’s super important to know that there will always be somewhere that you belong and that the world is duller without you in it,” they said to trans youth. “So don’t let them try to put out the light that is so important that you bring to all the spaces that you’re in.”

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What medical treatments do transgender youth get?

Transgender medical treatment for children and teens is increasingly under attack in many states, labeled child abuse and subject to criminalizing bans. But it has been available in the United States for more than a decade and is endorsed by major medical associations.

Many clinics use treatment plans pioneered in Amsterdam 30 years ago, according to a recent review in the British Psych Bulletin. Since 2005, the number of youth referred to gender clinics has increased as much as tenfold in the U.S., U.K, Canada and Finland, the review said.

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health, a professional and educational organization, and the Endocrine Society, which represents specialists who treat hormone conditions, both have guidelines for such treatment. Here’s a look at what’s typically involved.

Puberty Blockers

Children who persistently question the sex they were designated at birth are often referred to specialty clinics providing gender-confirming care. Such care typically begins with a psychological evaluation to determine whether the children have “gender dysphoria,″ or distress caused when gender identity doesn’t match a person’s assigned sex.

Children who meet clinical guidelines are first offered medication that temporarily blocks puberty. This treatment is designed for youngsters diagnosed with gender dysphoria who have been counseled with their families and are mature enough to understand what the regimen entails.

The medication isn’t started until youngsters show early signs of puberty — enlargement of breasts or testicles. This typically occurs around age 8 to 13 for girls and a year or two later for boys.

The drugs, known as GnRH agonists, block the brain from releasing key hormones involved in sexual maturation. They have been used for decades to treat precocious puberty, an uncommon medical condition that causes puberty to begin abnormally early.

The drugs can be given as injections every few months or as arm implants lasting up to year or two. Their effects are reversible — puberty and sexual development resume as soon as the drugs are stopped.

Some kids stay on them for several years. One possible side effect: They may cause a decrease in bone density that reverses when the drugs are stopped.

Hormones 

After puberty blockers, kids can either go through puberty while still identifying as the opposite sex or begin treatment to make their bodies more closely match their gender identity.

For those choosing the second option, guidelines say the next step is taking manufactured versions of estrogen or testosterone — hormones that prompt sexual development in puberty. Estrogen comes in skin patches and pills. Testosterone treatment usually involves weekly injections.

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Guidelines recommend starting these when kids are mature enough to make informed medical decisions. That is typically around age 16, and parents’ consent is typically required, said Dr. Gina Sequiera, co-director of Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Gender Clinic.

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Many transgender patients take the hormones for life, though some changes persist if medication is stopped.

In girls transitioning to boys, testosterone generally leads to permanent voice-lowering, facial hair and protrusion of the Adam’s apple, said Dr. Stephanie Roberts, a specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Gender Management Service. For boys transitioning to girls, estrogen-induced breast development is typically permanent, Roberts said.

Research on long-term hormone use in transgender adults has found potential health risks including blood clots and cholesterol changes.

Surgery 

Gender-altering surgery in teens is less common than hormone treatment, but many centers hesitate to give exact numbers.

Guidelines say such surgery generally should be reserved for those aged 18 and older. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health says breast removal surgery is OK for those under 18 who have been on testosterone for at least a year. The Endocrine Society says there isn’t enough evidence to recommend a specific age limit for that operation.

Outcomes 

Studies have found some children and teens resort to self-mutilation to try to change their anatomy. And research has shown that transgender youth and adults are prone to stress, depression and suicidal behavior when forced to live as the sex they were assigned at birth.

Opponents of youth transgender medical treatment say there’s no solid proof of purported benefits and cite widely discredited research claiming that most untreated kids outgrow their transgender identities by their teen years or later. One study often mentioned by opponents included many kids who were mistakenly identified as having gender dysphoria and lacked outcome data for many others.

Doctors say accurately diagnosed kids whose transgender identity persists into puberty typically don’t outgrow it. And guidelines say treatment shouldn’t start before puberty begins.

Many studies show the treatment can improve kids’ well-being, including reducing depression and suicidal behavior. The most robust kind of study — a trial in which some distressed kids would be given treatment and others not — cannot be done ethically. Longer term studies on treatment outcomes are underway.

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NGO partners with South Africa government to issue ID documents to trans people

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A Johannesburg-based non-profit on Thursday partnered with South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs to issue identity documents for transgender people.

The partnership with Iranti was done in commemoration of the Transgender Day of Visibility, which saw several trans people getting their IDs.

Trans and gender-diverse people with identity documents which do not reflect their gender identity and gender expression currently face challenges in their daily lives such as access to healthcare, travel, job opportunities and voting.

“(The Transgender Day of Visibility) is a day dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of transgender and gender diverse persons, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society,” said Iranti Communications and Media Manager Nolwazi Tusini in a statement. “The day is also focused on raising awareness of the work that still needs to be done to end the discrimination and exclusion faced by transgender persons worldwide and ensure the protection of their human rights.”

“Iranti welcomes the Cabinet’s approval of the Identity Management Policy which seeks to ensure the protection of the rights of transgender, intersex and non-binary persons,” added Tusini. “South Africa’s Constitution defines equality as the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and liberties.”

Tusini in their statement said Iranti is “pleased that the Department of Home Affairs is proposing a progressive policy that will ensure that South African IDs are inclusive of trans, intersex and non-binary persons, as a step towards ensuring equality for all.”

“Iranti agrees with sentiments expressed by the Department of Home Affairs Chief Information Officer Sihle Mthiyane that the current South African ID numbers are cisgender binary in nature and assume that all South Africans are either cisgender male or cisgender female. Which is unfair, exclusionary and unconstitutional,” said Tusini. “In addition, Iranti supports the department’s proposal for the introduction of a random unique ID number that is not linked to or founded on a person’s sex. Potential harms towards intersex, trans and non-binary persons such as harassment, discrimination, economic exclusion and violence will be avoided as a result, as the current systems harms intersex born children.”

Tusini said Iranti opposes the proposed introduction of a gender-neutral ID number “because we believe it will lead to the othering of intersex, trans and gender diverse persons and further expose them to violence and discrimination.”

“What we need is the complete removal of sex and gender markers from identification documents, not the introduction of a gender-neutral ID number,” said Tusini. “We call on the South African government to follow the lead of other countries such as the Netherlands and Malta and discontinue the registration of a person’s sex in identity documents, as sex markers are unnecessary and add no additional clarity to who the person is.”

“Let us ensure the protection and promotion of gender minority rights by eliminating policies that segregate people based on binaries of sex or gender,” added Tusini. “The existing laws facilitate the barriers that trans and gender diverse people face in obtaining IDs, therefore, Iranti calls on the Department of Home Affairs to remove gender markers from identity documents, repeal the Alteration of Sex Descriptors and Sex Status Act which is Act 49 of 2003 and replace it with depathologized legislation, that grants trans and gender-diverse people the right to self-determination.”

There is no law in South Africa that allows trans and gender non-conforming people to amend their gender markers except for Act 49. 

The law allows trans, intersex and gender non-conforming people who have begun their medical transition to change the gender marker in their identity documents to reflect their gender identity. Trans and intersex people who have sought amendments with the Department of Home Affairs have challenged the law.

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Federal court orders first gender-affirming surgery for a trans prisoner

In a first, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has been ordered to secure gender-affirming surgery for a transgender prisoner.

A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois ordered the bureau on Monday to undergo a nationwide search for a qualified surgeon to perform the surgery for the inmate, Cristina Nichole Iglesias. 

The directive will bring Iglesias — who has been imprisoned since 1994 for threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction — a step closer to receiving the procedure, which she has been fighting to get for six years, the last three in the courts. 

“I am hopeful that I will finally get the care I need to live my life fully as the woman I am,” Iglesias said in a statement provided to NBC News by her legal representative, the American Civil Liberties Union. “BOP has denied me gender-affirming surgery for years — and keeps raising new excuses and putting new obstacles in my way. I am grateful that the court recognized the urgency of my case and ordered BOP to act.”

Monday’s court order could pave the way for other transgender prisoners to receive gender-affirming surgeries as well. LGBTQ advocates have called these procedures “life-saving,” and Monday’s decision could bolster the Biden administration’s goal of improving the lives of incarcerated transgender people. 

A 2015 report by the Justice Department estimated that 35 percent of trans prisoners surveyed had reported being sexually assaulted behind bars within the last year. Under the Trump administration, the Bureau of Prisons was required to “use biological sex as the initial determination” for housing trans prisoners. 

A 2020 NBC News investigation that tracked 45 states and Washington, D.C., found that out of 4,890 transgender inmates in state prisons, only 15 were confirmed to being housed according to their lived gender. 

In January, the Biden administration restored Obama-era guidelines for federal prisons to house transgender inmates by their gender identity “when appropriate.” The guidelines also require prison staff to refer to trans inmates by their lived name and pronouns. 

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The ACLU estimates that the Federal Bureau of Prisons has more than 1,200 transgender people currently in its custody. 

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Iglesias has been in federal prison for roughly 28 years and currently lives in a bureau-run residential re-entry center in Florida, according to the ACLU.

Although she identified herself as a woman upon her incarceration, she has been housed in men’s facilities for over two decades, and during that time has experienced physical and sexual violence, the ACLU said. In May, her lawsuit to seek gender-affirming surgery resulted in her being one of the few transgender federal prisoners moved to a facility that corresponds with her gender identity. 

Iglesias then became the first transgender prisoner to be evaluated for gender-affirming surgery, which the Bureau of Prisons recommended in January. However, the ACLU said in a statement that the bureau had “sought to postpone any referral to a surgeon for months.” 

In Monday’s ruling, Judge Nancy Rosenstengel slammed the prison bureau’s handling of Iglesias’ case and compared its “tactics” to a game of “whack-a-mole.” Rosenstengel also ordered the bureau to provide the court with weekly updates and a detailed plan to ensure that Iglesias gets the surgery before her release in December. 

The Bureau of Prisons told NBC News in a statement that it does not comment on “pending litigation or matters subject to legal proceedings,” nor on “the conditions of confinement for any individual or group of inmates.”

“For years, Cristina has fought to receive the health care the Constitution requires,” Joshua Blecher-Cohen, an ACLU of Illinois staff attorney who represents Ms. Iglesias, said in a statement.

“The court’s order makes clear that she needs gender-affirming surgery now and that BOP cannot justify its failure to provide this medically necessary care,” he said. “We hope this landmark decision will help secure long-overdue health care for Cristina — and for the many other transgender people in federal custody who have been denied gender-affirming care.”

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Florida’s health department moves to block social transition; healthcare for trans kids

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Florida’s health department has issued chilling guidance to block medical care and even social transition for trans kids in the state.

The guidance, issued by Florida’s department of health on Wednesday (20 April), contradicts federal guidance and guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and states that “anyone under 18 should not be prescribed puberty blockers or hormone therapy”.

It also appears to promote conversion therapy, stating that trans “children and adolescents should… seek counselling from a licensed provider”.

The guidance has echoes of a directive released by Texas governor Greg Abbott in March, which urges Texans to report families providing their trans kids with gender-affirming medical care, framing it as “child abuse”.

However the Florida guidance, signed by governor Ron DeSantis and state surgeon general Joseph Ladapo, takes the attack on trans kids a step further, declaring that even social transition, for example a change in name, pronouns or dress, “should not be a treatment option for children or adolescents”.h

It is currently unclear what the real-life impact will be on trans kids in Florida, but considering DeSantis’ record on legislating against the existence of LGBT+ people, the guidance has activists and the wider trans community deeply concerned.

Equality Florida described the guidance as “non-binding”, but said in a statement: “Once again, Ron DeSantis seeks to replace science and the safety of young people with political propaganda… The guidance demonizes life-saving, medically-necessary care, and asserts that the government, not parents, knows best when it comes to health care for our kids.

“DeSantis wants government to intrude into doctors’ offices to pander to extremists in service to his ambitions.”

The attack on the rights of the parents of trans children is ironic, considering that DeSantis recently signed into law the “Parental Rights in Education” bill, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

DeSantis has claimed that the bill gives parents greater control over what their children are taught in school, but it bans the discussion of LGBT+ topics in classrooms, regardless of parents’ wishes.

Equality Florida continued: “Parents should be deciding, in partnership with their child’s doctor, based on science, not politics, what is best for their children.

“DeSantis’ runaway agenda of banning books, muzzling teachers, censoring history, and pushing government control is putting a handful of extremists in charge of every aspect of the lives of Floridians and is making the state less safe for LGBTQ families, especially trans kids.”

The ACLU added: “This is a desperate effort to sow lies and fear about transgender youth, their parents, and their health care.

“Trans youth know who they are. We’re ready to do everything in our power to defend the fundamental rights of trans youth and their families.”

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Trans woman strapped to chair and electrocuted in ‘barbaric’ attempt to make her cis

A trans woman has opened up about her horrific experiences of conversion therapy in wake of the UK government’s reviled U-turn that will see LGB conversion therapy banned but trans conversion therapy remain legal.

Carolyn Mercer, 74, spoke to the Metro.co.uk about her experience of being strapped to a chair and given electric shocks to “cure her” at 17 years old.

“I went to an NHS hospital, I was taken into a dark room and strapped to a wooden chair. Electrodes were soaked in saltwater and stuck to my arm”, Mercer, from Lancashire, explained.

“Pictures of women were shone on the wall in front of me. Then randomly, they threw the switch.

“The pain shot through my body, my arm shot up in the air. This was repeated. They tried to make me associate pain with who I saw myself as being, who I wanted to be.”

Speaking about the government’s decision to scrap a ban on trans conversion therapy, Mercer told the news site that there will be “blood” on Boris Johnson’s hands.

The retired headteacher said: “For Johnson to say it’s utterly abhorrent for gay people, then why is it acceptable for trans people? It’s barbaric. Perhaps they want to go through it themselves and see what it’s like.

“As well as being barbaric, conversion practice is responsible for people losing their lives… If this isn’t banned, there is blood on people’s hands – particularly the prime minister’s, and he needs to realise that.

“If there was a will, the Conservative government could work the complexities out easily. They don’t want to do it.”

After six hour-long conversion therapy sessions, and years of struggling with depression, the teacher opened up to her family and began taking hormones in the early 1990s.

Despite now living her authentic life, Mercer told Metro that she never started to “like myself more” due to undergoing the conversion practice.

“I don’t physically shake anymore when I think about the treatment, that went on for 40 years, but I’m still struggling,” she said.

The majority of Conservative Party voters have backed a ban on trans conversion therapy, despite Johnson’s exclusion of the community from forthcoming legislation, a YouGov poll has found.

Polling conducted by YouGov on behalf of The Times found that 58 per cent of Tory voters back banning so-called conversion therapy that “seeks to change someone’s gender identity”, compared to only 19 per cent of Tory voters who don’t.The Times claimed that Tory voters found little difference between a ban on trans conversion therapy and a ban on LGB (lesbian, gay and bisexual) conversion therapy, with 63 per cent of Tory voters agreeing that therapy “seeking to change someone’s sexual orientation” should be stopped.This polling follows a petition which gained over 100,000 signaturesbacking a ban on conversion therapy after changes to the proposed legislation were made.“It’s shameful that the UK intends to deliberately exclude trans people from a ban in contrast to the approach taken by many countries, despite trans people being at a greater risk of experiencing the harmful and degrading practices,” the petition states.

“The government’s own figures show that trans people are nearly twice as likely to be at risk of experiencing the harmful & degrading practices of conversion therapy.

“A ban needs to ensure all forms of conversion therapy are banned.”

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Brutal attack left trans man with broken ribs just one week after coming out

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A trans man feels too scared to leave his home after four of his ribs were broken in an attack that still haunts him a year on.

Callum Kenney, a 22-year-old Dublin City University graduate, told PinkNews a thug brutally set upon him in 2021, only a week after he came out, leaving him unable to wear a binder and with costly surgery as his only option.

It was an attack that captures so many of the struggles LGBT+ people face in Ireland, from a police force seemingly uninterested in their plight to a threadbare trans healthcare service.

While walking through an alleyway in his hometown of Dundalk in County Louth last March, Kenney heard someone hurl slurs and his deadname at him right before he was struck.

“I don’t even remember it being painful being hit. I didn’t even register that I was hit. I struggled to get away and ran,” he said. “There was a lot of pain and I was crying.”

The incident took place just a week after Kenney published an article about how the COVID pandemic, which all but froze life in Ireland for months, gave him a chance to “come to terms” with his gender identity.

“I’m still proud of it to this day, even though I do think it, in part, led to the attack,” Kenney said.

Kenney was hesitant to report the incident to the An Garda Síochána, Ireland‘s national police force. To Kenney, the Gardaí are apathetic to anti-LGBT+ violence.

“I had friends that have been attacked like me and they tried to report it to the Gardaí only for their reports to go missing or be turned away with a laugh,” he said.

“I just felt like: ‘What’s the point?’ I didn’t want to go through that to get nothing.

“We’re all being told to trust the people that are supposed to protect us, but they’re not doing that at all. They don’t seem to care,” Kenney added.

For nearly a week, Ireland has been grieving. Aidan Moffitt, a 41-year-old local auctioneer, and Michael Snee, a 58-year-old retired healthcare worker,were both found dead earlier this month in Sligo.

Aidan Moffitt (L) and Michael Snee (R)
Aidan Moffitt (L) and Michael Snee (R). (Facebook)

The killings of two gay men have appalled politicians and shuddered fear throughout the LGBT+ community, Kenney included, who recalled an unsettling familiarity when reading about their deaths.

“I sat down and sobbed. I didn’t know these people, but there is a sense of community,” he said, “we’ve all experienced very similar things. I was upset to learn that what happened to me can happen again and it’s continuing to happen.”

Kenney said it feels as if Ireland’s LGBT+ community are almost “terrified to exist” as a harrowing realisation dawned on him: “They’re far from the last.”

“I went out for a walk last night but I came back after five minutes,” Kenney explained, “because I no longer feel safe leaving the house.

“If someone walks behind me in a particular way, I jump and have to wait for them to walk past me.”

A twin stream of sorrow and rage has poured through Dublin as well this month as a spree of anti-LGBT+ hate crimes has taken place.

According to the Gardaí, at least 85 hate crimes have taken place in the first two months of 2022. No records exist for such crimes motivated by hatred for a person’s sexuality or gender identity, however.

“These devastating crimes bring to the fore the need for comprehensive hate crime legislation,” Paula Fagan, CEO of LGBT Ireland, told PinkNews.

“These crimes are on the extreme end of a spectrum of violence experienced by the LGBTI+ community,” she said, adding that many victims do not report hate crimes to the Gardaí as “homophobia and transphobia remain normalised”.

Trans man brutally beaten left with no other choice but to raise money for surgery

Two months and a move to the capital later, Kenney reckoned with the aftermath of his attack – four of his ribs had shattered, leaving him with a bruise that crawled across his torso.

Yet it also meant he could not wear his binder, which can help reduce the appearance of a person’s chest. For some trans people, wearing one can greatly reduce their sense of gender dysphoria as well as anxiety and depression, researchers found.

“Even a year on, I’m going to a physio to relieve the pain but I still can’t wear a binder, which is why getting top surgery is really important sooner rather than later,” he said.

There was no other option than to go private, Kenney explained, given that seeking subsidised trans healthcare through the Health Service Executive is a tall order.

Leo Varadkar speaks at a panel at the Berlin congress
Leo Varadkar called Ireland a ‘beacon’ for LGBT+ in Ireland. But some see otherwise. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

One major roadblock set by the Irish National Gender Service is that a patients’ guardians must be present during a consultation, even when the patient is an adult. This policy, Kenney said, comes on top of the five-year-long wait for appointments.

Those struggling with this “waiting game” sometimes seek healthcare in Britain instead, which isn’t exactly any better, Kenney said.

To afford going private, Kenney has worked two jobs for months – in a café in the daytime and moonlighting as a cleaner. He had to quit both because of his failing health and now works in an office.

Kenney’s friend, Tadgh Jenkins, launched a GoFundMe earlier this month to help cover the medical costs. It has so far raised €4,200.

“Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said Ireland is a ‘beacon of liberty in Europe‘, which is hilarious because we are one of the worst countries for trans healthcare,” Kenney said.

“It’s all empty words, they’re often not backed up by action – we are being left to die. It’s almost as if they’re putting every barrier possible to stop us from getting the healthcare we need.”

“By the time I get contacted,” he added, “I’ll turn around and say: ‘You’re a bit late.’”

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Montana state court blocks anti-Trans birth certificate law

A state district court granted a preliminary injunction in Marquez v. State of Montana Thursday, holding that a law passed by the 2021 Montana Legislature likely violates the constitutional rights of transgender Montanans.

The ACLU of Montana, the ACLU’s national office, and Nixon Peabody, LLP challenged Senate bill SB 280 on behalf of two transgender plaintiffs who seek to change the gender marker on their birth certificates.

“Today is a huge win for all Montanans as we strive towards a more equal community,” said Amelia Marquez. “Our constitution provides the means to protect the most vulnerable Montanans, and I am thankful for those who continue to advocate for gender diverse Montanans and our rights.”  

“We are thrilled that the Court recognized the substantial and unnecessary burdens this law places upon transgender individuals in violation of their constitutional rights,” said Akilah Lane, staff attorney at the ACLU of Montana. “The Court’s injunction affirms the basis of our case: that SB 280 intentionally targets transgender people for unequal treatment because, as Judge Moses wrote, ‘only transgender individuals are subjected to these procedures and burdens in order to have a birth certificate that accurately reflects their gender.’” 

“This ruling is an important step forward for our clients and for others affected by the unconstitutional law,” said Seth A. Horvath, a partner with Nixon Peabody’s Complex Disputes practice. “There are limits on legislative authority, and today the court prudently enforced those limits.” 

“The needless barrier to accurate documentation for transgender people enacted by the Montana legislature is unconstitutional,” said Jon Davidson, senior staff attorney at the ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project. “It was rightfully enjoined today.  This law serves no valid purpose other than to hurt transgender people like our clients Amelia Marquez and John Doe.  We’ll continue to fight this unconstitutional effort to harm transgender Montanans.” 

In this case, the ACLU of Montana, the ACLU, and Nixon Peabody are representing Amelia Marquez, a transgender woman, and John Doe, a transgender man, in their lawsuit challenging a law that makes it virtually impossible to correct the sex designation on their birth certificates. Marquez and Doe’s case asserts that Senate Bill 280 (passed by the 2021 Montana Legislature) violates their constitutional rights to privacy, equal protection of the law, and due process. 

SB 280 requires a transgender person to obtain a certified copy of an order from a court indicating that the sex of the person has been changed by “surgical procedure.” The court order must then be provided to the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS). For many transgender Montanans, surgical procedures are either unwanted, medically contra-indicated, or cost-prohibitive.  

In granting a preliminary injunction, the court found that, “Plaintiffs provided unrebutted evidence describing that neither gender-affirming surgery nor any other medical treatment that a transgender person undergoes changes that person’s sex. Instead, gender-affirming surgery aligns a person’s body and lived in experience with the person’s gender identity, which already exists.” 

Before the passage of SB 280, transgender Montanans needed only to provide an affidavit to DPHHS to change the gender marker on a birth certificate. This process was efficient and easy and was administered without problem for years until the legislature decided to act.    

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Trans woman who brought ‘joy and happiness to everybody’ found murdered

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A Vermont community is “heartbroken” over the loss of a trans woman who was “always in bloom” and brought “joy and happiness to everybody”.

Fern Feather, 29, was found dead alongside a road in Morristown, Vermont, on Tuesday (12 April) morning, VTDigger reported. Autopsy results showed that Feather died of a stab wound to the chest and their death is being ruled a homicide, NBC5 reported. 

Authorities have arrested Seth Brunell, 43, in connection to Feather’s murder. Police told WCAX that the two met several days ago, and officers said that they were seen together on Tuesday sometime after 10am on Duhamel Road near the intersection of Cadys Falls Road.

According to court documents, Brunell has claimed that Feather made a sexual advance on him before attacking him, and he stabbed her in self-defence. However, police have said there was no evidence of such an attack. 

Brunell appeared in court on Wednesday (13 April) where he was charged with second-degree murder. He did not offer a plea.

The local community has expressed its deep grief and outrage at Fern Feather’s murder 

Her friends said Feather recently came out as a trans woman and told NBC 5 that she had used ‘she/her’ pronouns and sometimes ‘they/them’ pronouns. Feather said on Facebook in March that it was “time to tell the world I’m a Hot Trans Woman in a currently male Hot Body Suit”.

Brittany Tetlow told NBC 5 that Feather was a kind, free spirit who loved animals – especially birds – and would help anyone who needed it.

“Every time I saw Fern, they had a wildflower in their hair,” Tetlow said. “But they didn’t need the accessory, they were a wildflower themself. Always in full bloom. Bringing joy and happiness to everybody around them.”

Aeryn Reynolds, who was previously a roommate with Feather, couldn’t think of a “single bad thing to say about Fern” and “couldn’t sleep” after learning the “heart-wrenching” news of Feather’s death. 

“When we’d go out to anywhere if anyone was silently suffering, Fern would go over to them and make them feel important and make them feel valued,” Reynolds added. 

People’s Pride Burlington described Feather as a person who was “universally adored by everyone who knew her” and was tragically “taken from us” by a “transphobic man who had recently wormed his way into her life and gained her trust”. 

The organisation that Brunll was attempting to exploit an “age-old transmisogynistic spectre of sexual aggressiveness to wriggle out of taking responsibility for his brutal actions”. 

“The evidence does not support his claims, but it doesn’t have to: His claims fit the narrative creeping across our state, our nation, and our world, and as such will be a suitable excuse in the eyes of many,” People’s Pride Burlington wrote.

“In a local and national political climate characterised by the sexual demonisation of the LGBT+ population, and especially of the transgender population, this justification will become increasingly common.”

Last year, Vermont passed legislation prohibiting the use of a victim’s gender identity or sexual orientation as a justification for the criminal actions of a defendant in court – commonly known as the LGBT+ ‘panic defence’. 

People’s Pride Burlington also called out several local news outlets for “predictably deadnaming and misgendering her, as well as universally avoiding the phrase ‘Hate Crime’” in relation to her murder. 

Vermont House speaker representative Jill Krowinski said in a statement to VTDigger that Feather was “tragically taken from this world too soon, like so many other transgender people who are targeted in bias driven attacks.”

“We absolutely need to continue to take steps to make Vermont a more equitable place and be clear that hate has no place in our state,” Krowinski said.

Governor Phil Scott recently issued a statement condemning the “disturbing hostility towards the transgender community” across the US. He did not name Feather directly in his comments. 

“Unfortunately, recent events show we are not immune to this in Vermont, and we must commit to continuing our work to make Vermont a more inclusive and welcoming place,” Scott said. “Exploiting fear and targeting divisive rhetoric at people who are just trying to be who they are is hateful and can lead to violence.”

The Republican governor asked Vermonters to “do their part” to ensure that “everyone feels safe in our state”. 

“To Vermonters in the LGBTQA+ community, I want you to know we stand with you and support you but know we have more work to do,” Scott added. 

Pride Center of Vermont said it was also “heartbroken by the loss” of Feather, saying they “brought such joy to so many who were honoured to know them”. 

The LGBT+ organisation planned to host a space for the community to mourn Feather in due time. 

In the meantime, Pride Center of Vermont said anyone needing support can reach SafeSpace advocates on (802) 863-0003 or via the anonymous chatline https://www.pridecentervt.org/safespace/.

Fern Feather is at least the 11th trans, non-binary or gender non-conforming person violently killed this year. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has been tracking these killings since 2013 and has confirmed at least 10 people within the trans community have been killed this year. 

Tragically, these deaths often go underreported or misreported so the true toll of the “epidemic of violence” against the trans community in the US could be higher. 

The community has mourned across 2022: Amariey Lej, Duval Princess, Cypress Ramos, Naomie Skinner, Matthew Angelo Spampinato, Paloma Vazquez, Tatiana Labelle, Kathryn ‘Katie’ Newhouse, Kenyatta ‘Kesha’ Webster and Miia Love Parker.

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PA trans woman shot dead in parked car. She was just 25

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Police have launched a “manhunt” after a Black trans woman was shot dead in a car as an “epidemic of violence” tightens its hold on the US.

Miia Love Parker, a model described as a “brilliant light” who loved puppies and Pose, was found shot in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester, Pennslyvania on 1 April.

Friends rushed her to a nearby hospital where she passed away from her injuries, according to CBS Philadelphia.

The City of Chester Police Department said that at around 3:30am, Parker was shot in a vehicle parked on the 1900 block of Chestnut Street in Delaware County.

Officers identified 38-year-old Saad Najeed Dwight as a suspect. He is considered armed and dangerous by the authorities.

While his motivation for the killing remains unknown at the time of writing, he faces a lengthy rap sheet with charges including criminal homicide, third-degree murder, and possession of a firearm not to be carried without a license.

Parker’s funeral was held 8 April to celebrate her life.

Miia Love Parker’s ‘light was extinguished far too soon’, says activist

To those who knew her, Miaa Love Parker was someone who enjoyed her days studying at Temple University and leafing through the glossy pages of fashion magazines.

But now, Parker has become a daunting reminder of the year-on-year surge in transphobic violence in the US.

Parker is “at least” the 10th trans, non-binary or gender non-conforming person violently killed this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT+ rights group that has tracked the spate of killings since 2013.

The true death toll can be difficult to grasp, the HRC warn, given that so many victims of transphobic violence are misgendered and deadnamed in local news and police reports – Parker was among them.

Even as trans Americans have grasped some political victories under the Biden administration, from the first openly trans, Senate-confirmed federal official to national protections, violence against the community has continued to soar.

Trans women, particularly Black women, face disproportionate rates of violence. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Last year’s total reached a grisly, record-breaking tally of 57 – a number that, even in the months since the year came to an end, has continued to rise as more cases are uncovered.

There are many reasons why trans people face such elevated risks in their lives. In Pennsylvania, for example, trans residents have little state protection when it comes to being discriminated against in employment, housing, education and public spaces.

The problems, however, do not end there. Trans people face higher levels of homelessness, poverty and violence – three-fourths of trans homicides have involved a gun, according to the 2017-2019 Transgender Homicide Tracker.

The annual murder rate for Americans aged between 15 and 34 is one in 12,000, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

For Black trans women in the exact same age group, the rate rockets to one in 2,600, an investigation by Mic found.

If in 2015 all Americans had the same risk of murder as Black trans women, there would have been 120,087 killed instead of 15,696.

“Friends remember Miia Love Parker as a brilliant light that brought joy into every room she entered,” Tori Cooper, the HRC’s director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, told PinkNews.

“That light was extinguished far too soon. Her death is the second known in the state of Pennsylvania just this year and one of too many that have happened around the country.

“We must honour her light by continuing the fight for justice and protection of our community.”

The community has mourned across 2022: Amariey Lej, Duval Princess, Cypress Ramos, Naomie Skinner, Matthew Angelo Spampinato, Paloma Vazquez, Tatiana Labelle and Kathryn ‘Katie’ Newhouse and Kenyatta Webster.

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