In the News (with pictures & videos)

[Betty]

Often called the “highest elected office holder“ in Hawaii who happens to be openly transgender, Kim Coco Iwamoto is a commissioner on the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission. “For me it’s about resilience and having a strong core of self-esteem, which I was very fortunate to have the support and love my parents, my family,” she has said.

[Betty]

Anna Grodzka was elected in 2011 as a member of the Palikot’s Movement party in Poland, making her the world’s only openly transgender MP and the second ever in history. “The real issue is a lot more complicated,” she has said of her country’s stance on LGBT rights, “And Polish people are a lot more divided on the issue.”

[Betty]

Shabnam Mausi is the first openly transgender person in India to be elected to public office, serving as part of the Madhya Pradesh State Legislative Assembly from 1998 to 2003. A film about her life was released in 2005.

[Betty]

Stu Rasmussen became the United States’ first openly transgender mayor after being elected in Silverton, Oregon, in 2008.

“I just happen to be transgendered [sic] - something I didn’t even know the word for until I discovered it on the Internet,” Rasmussen notes. “I’ve been a crossdresser or transvestite my whole life, only ‘coming out’ recently and thereby discovering that life goes on very nicely.”

In 2013, a musical about Rasmussen’s life debuted in Seattle, Washington.

[Betty]

In 2001, Camille Cabral was elected to the council of the 17th arrondissement of Paris by the French Green Party. The dermatologist made history as the first openly transgender woman in France to be elected into office and bravely defended the rights of sex workers. She served until 2008.

[Betty]

Nikki Sinclaire became the United Kingdom’s first openly transgender parliamentarian in 2013 when she came out in her autobiography. In the book, Sinclaire revealed she underwent gender confirmation surgery in 1995.

Sinclaire served from 2009 to 2014, when she was not re-elected.

[Betty]

In 2014, Luisa Revilla Urcia became the first openly transgender person to be elected to public office in Peru when she won a seat on a local council in La Esperanza in the province of Trujillo.

“I am going to promote equality and I will say no to discrimination,” she told The Washington Blade. “We want everyone to have equal access, to succeed and to achieve their goals. When there is no discrimination, there is pacification. Infrastructure and modernity is important, but promoting values and showing concern for the people matters even more.”

[Betty]

In 2014 Michelle SuĂĄrez became the first openly transgender official elected to the Uruguayan legislature, as well as the first openly trans person elected to a national assembly in the Americas.

[Betty]

The U.S. Navy will require all of its sailors to undergo transgender education training by next summer in response to a recent policy change that will allow transgender people to serve in the military.

The training will begin Nov. 1 and is intended to educate all sailors about the new policy as well as emphasize ”expectations of personal behavior” in response to the policy change.

The Navy plans to dispatch “mobile training teams” to senior leaders to conduct face-to-face meetings on how to appropriately handle the policy change. In addition, a “commander’s tool kit” will be distributed to Naval leaders that will further guide all personnel through the education process, Naval Personnel Command spokeswoman Lt. Jessica Anderson told Military.com.

However, the content of the education sessions has not yet been made public.

“Service members are expected to maintain standards of conduct and treat each other with dignity and respect,” Anderson said. “Training for sailors will be conducted by command triads via mobile training teams or DVD with a facilitation guide if the unit is in a remote area and unable to receive face-to-face training. There will also be webinars for [commanding officers] to ask questions prior to delivering training to their commands.”

All Naval personnel are required to undergo the training by July 1, 2017, which coincides with the day the Navy plans to begin accepting transgender recruits.

The Navy also plans to create procedures on how to handle sailors who want to undergo gender changes, Military.com reports. In addition, a policy already exists that requires all transgender members to use bathrooms that correspond with their “preferred” genders.

The military reversed its policy in June that had barred transgender people serving in the armed forces.

“This is the right thing to do for our people and for the force,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said at the time. “We can’t allow barriers unrelated to a person’s qualifications prevent us from recruiting and retaining those who can best accomplish the mission.”

[Betty]

Philippines' first transgender lawmaker wins a standing ovation pushing for equality

The country’s first transgender lawmaker brought the House to a standing ovation on Tuesday, after she delivered an impassioned address urging fellow lawmakers to pass a dormant anti-discrimination bill.

Geraldine Roman of Bataan province spoke at the Philippines House of Representatives in Quezon City. In her speech, she asked for equal treatment for the LGBTQ community in gaining access to basic services and employment, and to put a stop to the harassment many members face at the workplace and school.

The bill prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity has been refiled repeatedly in Congress, but has remained in limbo for 17 years, according to Rappler.

The Philippines does not have laws criminalising homosexuality, but there are no laws protecting the community in the majority Roman Catholic nation.

Roman said during her speech: “My dear brother and sisters in the LGBT community, I want you to know that I am but one voice among many in this august chamber that says it is time: It is the time to pass the Anti-Discrimination Bill on the Basis of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. And the time is now!”

The bill asks those found guilty to face a six-year jail term and fines of up to PHP 500,000 (US$10,450).

Roman recounted how her father, the late former Bataan congressman Antonino Roman, fully accepted her as transgender, despite being the stereotypical “macho politician”.

She said it was his dream for her to take the House podium to champion the rights of her community.

"Daddy, you and I need not beg my colleagues for respect. I am glad and proud that the members of the 17th Congress have not only welcomed me with open arms. They have dealt with me as a full-fledged colleague, as an equal.” Roman said, close to tears.

She noted that there have been 164 cases of hate crimes against members of the LGBTQ community since 1995 in the Philippines.

“Hopefully as you have fully accepted me, you would also accept equality among all Filipinos, LGBTQ or not,” she said.