Denies All Responsibility [for] Transgender

The Hampton Roads area of Virginia has a rapid transit system called Hampton Roads Transit (doh!)- HRT. I have to laugh when I see this. Are the busses and trains on Hormone Replacement Therapy? If so, I don't know what type of hormones but the buses are never on time and function on a very sporadic basis. Inquiring minds would like to know. After having read the following article, it appears Dallas Area Rapid Transit - DART is throwing this particular Transgender employee under the bus. Does DART really stand for "Denies All Responsibility [for] Transgender?" DART asked to add protections for transgender people by John Wright of Dallas Voice LGBT leaders this week called upon Dallas Area Rapid Transit to add transgender protections to its nondiscrimination policy, adopt domestic partner benefits, implement diversity training and conduct an investigation into its involvement in a family court case last year. Representatives from the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance, Stonewall Democrats of Dallas and Resource Center Dallas addressed DART’s board of directors during its regular meeting Tuesday, Feb. 23, in response to an article in the Feb. 19 issue of Dallas Voice about the agency’s decision in February 2009 to challenge a longtime employee’s gender-marker change. DART’s objections reportedly prompted state district Judge Lynn Cherry to overturn an order granting the gender-marker change, leading to allegations of transphobia and bigotry against the taxpayer-funded regional mass transit provider. “This is a highly publicized event and article in our community,” DGLA President Patti Fink told the DART board. “This is a really great opportunity for the DART board to step up in a leadership role and come into the 21st century.” According to DART spokesman Morgan Lyons, the agency’s nondiscrimination policy includes sexual orientation but not gender identity/expression. DART also doesn’t offer benefits to the domestic partners of employees, Lyons has said. Following Tuesday’s meeting, DART president and executive director Gary Thomas indicated that he hadn’t had a chance to look into the situation involving the transgender employee, who’s name is being withheld to protect her anonymity. “I’m certainly not in a position right now to say we’re going to do anything differently,” Thomas told Dallas Voice. “I need to review the circumstances and understand better what happened.” Longtime local transgender activist Pamela Curry, a friend of the DART employees who attended Tuesday’s meeting, said afterward she believes the board will “do the right thing.” “They might drag their feet, but I don’t think they’re going to react badly,” Curry said. “I’m optimistic that we are heading toward a good resolution.” Curry, who brought the case to Dallas Voice’s attention two weeks ago, said she spoke to the employee by phone after Tuesday’s meeting. The employee was “thrilled” to learn about the support she’s receiving from the community, Curry said. “I honestly don’t think [she] has anything more to worry about at this point,” Curry said. “I doubt seriously they’re going to retaliate against her. It would be pretty stupid of them to retaliate now.” Earlier, Curry told the DART board that the agency’s decision to intervene in the gender-marker case was “the culmination of six years of discrimination and bigotry and harassment and fostering a hostile work environment.” Curry alleges that since the longtime employee began to transition from male to female in 2003, DART supervisors have told her she couldn’t have long hair, couldn’t wear skirts to work and couldn’t use women’s restrooms on the job. Lyons, the DART spokesman, has declined to comment on those allegations. After undergoing gender reassignment surgery in 2006, the employee obtained a court order last year directing state agencies to correct their records by changing her gender-marker from male to female. When the employee presented the court order to DART’s human resources department, the agency’s attorneys drafted a motion seeking a rehearing in the case. In their motion, DART attorneys argued that judges don’t have the authority to change gender markers, and that birth certificates can be amended only if they were inaccurate at the time they were issued. As is common with gender marker changes, the case file is sealed, but Dallas Voice obtained copies of some of the court documents from Curry. Contacted this week, Judge Cherry said she hadn’t read the Voice’s Feb. 19 article about the case and wasn’t immediately familiar with it because she presides over thousands of cases each year. Cherry, a Democrat who’s considered an LGBT ally, received Stonewall Democrats’ Pink Pump Award last year for her support of the group. After being provided with the case number, Cherry looked it up and said that for unknown reasons it’s still pending. Therefore, Cherry said she couldn’t comment. In a letter to DART board member Angel Reyes prior to Tuesday’s meeting, the Resource Center’s Rafael McDonnell suggested that DART attorneys and Cherry may have committed ethical violations by engaging in ex parte communications about the case. In response to phone and e-mail messages, Reyes declined to comment on the letter. Lyons, the DART spokesman, has said that Cherry reversed the order granting the gender-marker change before the agency filed its motion for a rehearing. But Curry alleges that the attorneys spoke privately with Cherry and pressured her into reversing the order. According to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct and the State Bar of Texas, judges and attorneys are generally prohibited from discussing pending cases unless all parties are notified and/or present. In his letter to Reyes, McDonnell went on to say that some of DART’s peer agencies, including BART in San Francisco and MBTA in Boston, have added gender identity/expression to their nondiscrimination policies. The cities of Dallas and Fort Worth have also adopted ordinances prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity. “Without a doubt, you have gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender customers among the 220,000 riders on DART each weekday,” McDonnell told the board. “Resource Center Dallas is calling for an immediate and thorough investigation into this incident, and a renewed commitment to diversity through expanding the agency’s nondiscrimination policies, implementing diversity training and adopting domestic partner benefits. “This agency’s actions — or the lack of action — are being watched by the GLBT community, and sends a signal to them on how DART values them as customers and employees,” McDonnell said. Others from the LGBT community who attended Tuesday’s meeting but didn’t speak were Latisha McDaniel of Equality March Texas, and Blake Wilkinson and Corbin Bates of Queer LiberAction. ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Organizations And Businesses Need To Get Savvy Now On Transgender Issues

Sensitivity training on Transgender issues is critical for police departments, criminal justice systems, health care providers, school systems, businesses and social service agencies. The Colorado Police Department is setting a national benchmark for all the above. Although there have been many agencies given Transgender sensitivity training, there are many more to go. If current legislation like ENDA and SNDA are enacted, many of these agencies will have to play catch up ball at their own expense or risk major litigation as is seen in New York City today. Police to get savvy on transgender issues, policies CARLYN RAY MITCHELL THE GAZETTE Last week, Colorado Springs police joined a small number of departments in the nation in educating officers about the transgender community, a surprising move in a conservative city home to religious groups that have fiercely opposed transgender-inclusive legislation. All Colorado Springs police officers are undergoing training on how the department expects them to behave when questioning, searching or detaining transgender individuals. That is, with the same respect offered everyone else. “This is actually historic. This hasn’t happened in many cities,” said Nancy-Jo Morris, a transgender activist who helped shape the training program. Colorado Springs developed much of its training program, though it based a portion of it on Chicago’s program. Morris estimated that only a handful of other U.S. cities, including Lakewood, have trained peace officers on transgender-specific issues. “Transgender” is an umbrella term that includes transsexuals, people who have started or completed the transition from one sex to the other, and cross-dressers. It is estimated that one in 10,000 males and one in 30,000 females in the United States identify as transgender. The transgender community in Colorado Springs is estimated at 75-100 people. Last year, Morris and other members of the transgender community asked the police department what policies were in place in relation to Senate Bill 200, a controversial piece of legislation passed in 2008 that brought transgender individuals into recognition under Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Laws. The law makes it legal for members of the transgender community to use the gender-specific public bathroom of their choice, a provision that earned it the nickname the “Bathroom Bill,” by conservative groups such as Focus on the Family that tried to convince Gov. Bill Ritter to not sign it. “We didn’t have any kind of specific guidance in respect to Senate Bill 200 and the transgender commuity. This presented a unique opportunity to go further than (the law),” said Sgt. Steve Noblitt. “We want to equip officers with the right terminology so they know where they need to go and where they don’t need to go.” Over the next month or two, Springs police are required to view and be tested on a 30-minute DVD produced by the training academy. The training instructs officers that transgender identification is up to the individual. Officers are required to ask individuals if they identify as transgender if their IDs do not match their gender presentations and to use pronouns based on a transgender person’s chosen identity. Searches are to be conducted by officers with genders matching the transgender person’s preference. Transgender individuals are to be placed in holding cells with the gender they identify with, or, if their safety is at risk, alone. “It is one thing to have a law on the books. It is another to have it walking the streets,” Morris said. “The police force is working very hard to break down walls.” Once all officers are trained, the department will put an official transgender policy on the books. That may include a “split search” policy, requiring a female officer to search female parts and a male officer to search male parts on a transgender person if requested. Anticipating that news of the pending policy shift supported by Chief Richard Myers could upset the conservative community outraged by Senate Bill 200, Noblitt emphasized that the department will pursue criminals who attempt to take advantage of the law to prey on children or the opposite sex. “CSPD is going to concentrate on criminal behavior. It doesn’t matter what the gender,” Noblitt said. ORIGINAL ARTICLE

From Steven to Susan: Upcoming CNN Transgender Documentary

Release Date: 2/26/2010 From Steven to Susan – CNN Documents an Extraordinary Journey of Gender Reassignment and Self-Discovery for Public Official Her Name Was Steven premieres March 13 & March 14 at 8pm and 11pm ET and PT Steven Stanton, former Largo, FL, city manager, appeared to have the perfect life: a loving wife and son, an influential job. Stanton described it as “paradise.” That dream world – “Steven’s World” - all changed when Stanton’s plans to become a woman were revealed. Stanton tells a dramatic story of public and private struggle during this transition. Interviews with Stanton’s wife, teen-age son and co-workers, along with childhood diaries, personal journals, and family films, take viewers into the world of Steven as he transitions to Susan. CNN Presents: Her Name Was Steven is a compelling two-hour documentary premiering Saturday, March 13 and Sunday, March 14 at 8pm, 11pm, and 2am Eastern. When local reporter Lorri Helfand, following a tip about Stanton’s cross dressing and explorations of gender reassignment, called Stanton to confirm her story, the city manager’s world came crashing down. Stanton, now facing a public professional and personal outing, was thrust abruptly into a media firestorm. A press conference and explosive community hearing ensued, ending Stanton’s Largo city manager career, fundamentally altering his family forever, and forcing Stanton to make decisions about how he would live the rest of his life. “For me…I just knew that what was inside, this presence…this feeling of being somebody other than what I was on the outside, was real and it’s been something I’ve struggled with for many years of my life,” says Stanton in the documentary. CNN followed Stanton’s life for more than two years. The resulting portrait is sensitively told in Stanton’s own voice, with arresting candidness and honesty, and produced using natural sound. Stanton also recorded video diaries throughout the transition. The film was screened at seven major American film festivals to appreciative audiences. March 13 will be the film’s television premiere. Bud Bultman is the executive producer for Her Name was Steven. Rose Arce is the senior producer. Scott Matthews is director of programming for CNN Productions which includes the award-winning documentary series CNN Presents and the ground-breaking CNN Special Investigations Unit. CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively-syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media. -30-

Transgender 101: Education Is Important

As noted in the past, educating the general public on Transgender issues is the key to Transgender equality. The unknown terrifies people. Educating people about Transgender people and our issues takes this fear away. Faces are put on Transgender people. The demons of fear and ignorance are dismissed. The following article is nothing more than Transgender 101 and yet such tutorials are dearly needed. This is a very special hat tip to the writer and publisher for recognizing the value of such a well written and researched article and then publishing it. Transitions: Transgender people can struggle to find their identities By DIANA FISHLOCK, The Patriot-News February 28, 2010, 12:00AM From the time he could crawl, Jack Bowser was totally into being a boy. “I always wanted the boys’ toys, was always outside doing sports or outside with my dad. I always wanted to wear the boys’ clothes, suits, everything,” said the 45-year-old Ephrata man. Bowser was all boy, except for the fact that he was born a girl. In the last few years, Bowser has taken hormones and had surgeries to become a man, so his body matches the way he felt inside. He says he’s happier than he ever was as a woman. But he has no relationship with his parents. When he last spoke to his mother 3½ years ago, he realized she would never accept him. Transgender people like Bowser feel they were born in the wrong bodies. They’ve always felt they should wear different clothes, have different names and be more comfortable in their own skin. Transgender is an umbrella term, including everyone from cross-dressers and female impersonators to transsexuals who change their sex from male to female, or female to male, according to the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition. While gay men and women have gained much broader acceptance in the past 20 years, transgender identity still seems foreign to many Americans. Transgender people face rejection from their families, their churches and society, which can all be uncomfortable with the idea that someone would want to change their bodies or even their clothes to look like the opposite sex. “Anything that deviates from a social norm creates a kind of dissonance within observers,” said Warren Throckmorton, associate professor of psychology at Grove City College. Observers aren’t sure how to act or what to say or what it means for them, he said. “It brings up questions for social behavior that are not frequently confronted.” Moms and dads have known the child intimately from day one and naturally react to what they see: a little boy or a little girl, Throckmorton said. That starts long before the child can speak up to disagree. If a son decides to become a woman, the parents have to mourn the loss of the son they thought they had, he said. “You lose your son, and it doesn’t seem to help that you’re gaining a daughter. There doesn’t seem to be a happy side to it for many parents, for most parents.” Some families get stuck in that mourning, that saying goodbye to the child they thought they had, Throckmorton said. They might feel resentful and embarrassed, and not want to speak to this person who now wants to be called a different name and look so altered, he said. No reliable statistics No one knows exactly how many transgender people there are in the United States, according to Justin Tanis with the National Center for Transgender Equality. “Transgender people clearly exist in our society, but we don’t even have reliable statistics,” said Tanis, who is a transgender man. As many as 2 to 3 percent of biological males engage in cross-dressing, at least occasionally, according to the American Psychological Association. It estimates 1 in 10,000 biological men are transsexuals and 1 in 30,000 biological females. About 40 people a month usually attend TransCentral PA, a Harrisburg transgender education and support group, and 300 are expected for the group’s annual conference next week at the Harrisburg-Hershey Sheraton. Transgender people struggle to be understood even among gays and lesbians. “There’s such a binary mentality. Man. Woman. Most of the trans community are somewhere in between,” said Jeanine, the president of TransCentral PA, who does not want her last name to be used for fear her spouse would be fired. “You have to make an effort to fit in. I’m not a man and I’m not a woman. I’m both.” Struggling with gender As a boy living in rural northern Pennsylvania, Suzane Oliva would sneak out of the house once everyone was sleeping and walk two miles to church alone in the dark. “I’d pray at the railing that God would change me into a woman. Nothing changed; that was the real distressing thing,” said Oliva. A member of TransCentral PA, Suzane Oliva is what she calls herself at the meetings, but like many people in this story, Oliva did not give her full legal name for fear of losing her job. Now, at age 54, she can sometimes dress as a woman, but only at night and only away from the eyes of family and coworkers. Among transgender people, “I think most of us have the same story,” said Jeanine. Some, like Oliva, live with a foot in each world, dressing like men at work, then socializing in the clothes and appearance that feel much more natural to them. Others take hormones to raise their voices and develop breasts. For some, the road leads to surgery, so their bodies permanently match the way they feel inside. Transgender people aren’t perverts, said Jeanine, they’re people struggling with their gender identity. But some view it differently. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, used by mental health professionals to diagnose patients, labels transgenderism as a psychological disorder. And Diane Gramley believes people who are confused about their gender need help. Gramley is president of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania, a organization promoting conservative Christian values. The AFA opposes what it describes as the homosexual lifestyle, and rejects the idea of transgender identity. “To embrace or to affirm that lifestyle or their confusion does not help them. The only compassionate thing would be to provide counseling for them,” she said. “Counsel this individual that you were born a female or a male, and this is what you were intended to be. To change that, you’re not going to be able to live the life you were meant to live, and it’s going to impact everyone, especially the children.” The American Psychological Association takes a more flexible position: “A psychological condition is considered a mental disorder only if it causes distress or disability. Many transgender people do not experience their transgender feelings and traits to be distressing or disabling, which implies that being transgender does not constitute a mental disorder per se.” More acceptance “As diverse as we are as Americans, our culture is still pretty uncomfortable with anything that hints of sexuality,” said Amy Keisling, a Susquehanna Twp. therapist who has treated 15 to 20 transgender people. “We glorify it in popular media and in celebrity, but freak out when a woman publicly breast feeds her child, for example.” Ignorance and lack of understanding breed fear and discrimination, she said. “We’re always aware of ourselves as a male or a female,” said Throckmorton. “When the expected is deviated from, it causes a person to examine their feelings about something they have taken for granted.” Gender and sex are also important issues in religion, he said. “It can feel to an evangelical religious person like the human is taking what God has done into his own hands and altering something that was set, like the person is going against what God has done, violating his creation,” Throckmorton said. But Amy Keisling said being transgender is not something someone would choose of their own will. “One of the biggest risks that transgender people face is rejection from others; family can be the most devastating,” she said. Her experience isn’t merely professional. Her sister-in-law, Mara Keisling, is the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality and a transgender woman. “I think having Mara in the family gave me more of an awareness,” she said. Mara Keisling, a former Harrisburg resident, said she is seeing more acceptance. When she lived here, she’d hear transgender people say, “We’re just ordinary people like everybody else,” Mara Keisling said. “The way they mean that is true: We have jobs, families, kids. So we’re ordinary in that sense. But somebody who has really looked at who they are and who they need to be and goes about affecting that, knowing that it could cost them their job, their family, that’s not an ordinary person. That’s an extraordinary person. “People are starting to understand that and it’s really heartening.” Beyond appearances A Carlisle-area nurse practitioner who treats transgender people thinks their situation is just part of nature. “Why is it so hard to believe the genetic component of someone could be confused? Why is that so hard to accept?” asked Lorraine Bock of Bock Family Healthcare. Transgender people, caught between male and female, can face unique medical problems. Males who are transitioning to female and take estrogen face an increased risk of cardiovascular problems, Bock said. Estrogen also can increase the risks of certain cancers. In addition, some transgender patients ignore mammograms, pap smears and tests for testicular and prostate cancer because those tests involve body parts they’d rather forget existed. Some can’t even find a doctor willing to treat them, Amy Keisling said. And too many buy their hormones on the Internet, Bock said. “It’s so dangerous because they don’t understand the consequences or the dosing.” For those who transition into the opposite sex, there can also be a mourning for the lost years in the old identity. “But there’s also an incredible, positive enthusiasm for what can be, the idea that everything can be new,” said Amy Keisling. Even those who’ve successfully transitioned sometimes live a stealth lifestyle, Jeanine said. Oliva said she felt like no one was like her until she discovered TransCentral PA. She wore a dress, long wig and makeup to a recent meeting. “I’m more comfortable this way than any other way,” Oliva said. At work she wears pantyhose and women’s underwear under her male clothes. Still, those who identify themselves as transgender live with very real fear. Staci Hack, a TransCentral PA member from Baltimore, said she likes the group because “there’s safety in numbers. It’s a safe place.” And dating poses its own challenges for some. “I’m at a crossroads,” said Gretchen, 51, a TransCentral PA member. “Is it really worth it, the social alienation I feel? I don’t think I’m being naive when I say the majority of straight women don’t want to be involved with a transgender male.” Gretchen is debating whether to repress the need to look female in favor of dating. “Having someone in my life may be more important than being exactly who I am. It makes me hate the world sometimes when you think of it in those terms,” said Gretchen, in a burgundy dress with matching fingernails. Others have find their soul mates. Bowser is engaged to Alyssa Kreider, 37, a transgender woman, and they plan to marry next fall. The two met at church midway through their transitions and have helped each other through surgeries, hormone therapy and adjusting to using new gestures and ways of approaching the world. “We’re just meant to be together,” Kreider said. ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Homeless Youth Pride Walk 2009: Operation Shine America

Homeless Youth Pride Walk 2009: Operation Shine America THE LOVE INSIDE From: operationshine | September 06, 2009 | 476 views This video is dedicated to all of the amazing activists Jill and I have met on our walk across America, to the homeless youth who live a pure creed of being true to oneself at all cost, and to the LGBTQ people who are soon to experience liberation worldwide. Peace and Justice to all of us. In May 2009, Jill Hardman and Chloe Noble began walking across America to raise awareness of the LGBTQ homeless youth epidemic in the United States. Their walk is called HOMELESS YOUTH PRIDE WALK 2009 AND OPERATION SHINE. Operation Shine are the collective media events happening in some cities that they walk through.  WEBSITE: www.pridewalk2009.org EMAIL: noble.echo@gmail.com

Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliff Supports The Trevor Project And Transgender Youth

Transgender youth have one of the highest suicide rates of any group of people. Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian youth are somewhat less inclined toward suicide but not by much. Queer youth are bullied and harassed by their peers, teachers and family. They lose hope and have no place to turn. The Trevor Project offers a lifeline to Queer youth by giving them hope and coping skills against transphobia and homophobia. Daniel Radcliffe backs suicide helpline Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has filmed a public service announcement to help prevent suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. Radcliffe made the film for The Trevor Project, a non-profit US organisation that runs a 24-hour helpline. The 20-year-old actor said he knew many gay men when he was growing up. "Then I went to school and (for) the first time I came across homophobia," he said. "I had never encountered it before. It shocked me." He added: "I have always hated anybody who is not tolerant of gay men or lesbians or bisexuals. Now I am in the very fortunate position where I can actually help or do something about it." The public service film was shot at the Trevor Project's offices on Wall Street, New York, and will be aired this spring. Last year, the organisation revealed that Radcliffe had given them a "major donation". Original Article

ACLU Online: Issues and Take Action

Congress Reauthorizes Overbroad Patriot Act Provisions with No Privacy or Civil Liberties Safeguards New National Security Distraction: Arabic Language Students ACLU's Adam Wolf Named California Attorney of the Year We Agree with Ashcroft Tell Google: No Deal with the NSA The Justification of Bush Torture Program? New Report Reveals the Details  Momentum Building to Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Florida Judge to School Officials: Stop Promoting Religious Beliefs in Schools  Momentum Building to Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Efforts to finally repeal the discriminatory and ineffective "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy are gathering momentum by the day. Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, has endorsed the process that was outlined in the recent congressional testimony of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael Mullen. Gen. Petraeus has also been vocal about his own service alongside gay and lesbian service members and the non-issue that someone's sexual orientation really is to members of the armed forces. A recent study by the Palm Center looked at foreign militaries that now allow openly gay and lesbian service members. It found that in foreign militaries, openly gay and lesbian service members did not undermine morale, nor did they cause large resignations or mass "comings out." The study concludes that, in countries where a quick transition has been implemented, there have been no disruptions. However, some figures at the Pentagon have expressed concern about moving too swiftly in repealing DADT. In an appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, said: "I do have serious concerns about the impact of repeal of the law on a force that's fully engaged in two wars and has been at war for eight-and-a-half years." In an appearance before the House Armed Services Committee, Gen. Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff, added: "This is not the time to perturb the force that is, at the moment, stretched by demands in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere without careful deliberation." The timely repeal of this discriminatory policy is critical to our national security. In the last five years, the military has discharged almost 800 mission-critical troops and at least 59 Arabic and nine Farsi linguists under DADT. Doesn't firing 800 mission-critical troops diminish our military readiness when we are "fully engaged in two wars?" And does it not "perturb" our forces to eliminate the invaluable language skills of 59 Arabic and nine Farsi linguists? >> Take action: Tell Congress to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." back to top Leave a Legacy: Judi Komaki  By planning a bequest to the ACLU, member Judi Komaki found the perfect way to express her deeply held values and help preserve our freedoms for future generations. >> Learn more about Judi’s story. Florida Judge to School Officials: Stop Promoting Religious Beliefs in Schools An ACLU victory for religious freedom stands. Last Friday, U.S. District Court Judge M. Casey Rodgers blocked the Christian Educators Association from trying to overturn a consent decree requiring public school officials in Santa Rosa, Florida to stop promoting their personal religious beliefs in the public schools. Judge Rodgers reaffirmed that school district officials have a constitutional responsibility to ensure that teachers and other staff do not inculcate public school students with religion and that Christian Educators Association International was not properly situated to challenge the consent decree. The consent decree was the result of a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Florida in 2008 on behalf of two Pace High School students who alleged that school officials were regularly promoting religion at school events. The consent decree prohibits school officials from proselytizing, promoting or endorsing prayers during school functions and organizing school-sponsored religious services. The ACLU is the biggest protector of religious freedom in the country, defending the rights of individuals to practice their own religion — or no religion at all — without government interference. The consent decree and Judge Rodgers' opinion ensure religious liberty in Santa Rosa County public schools, allowing students to attend school events without the threat of religious indoctrination by school officials. >> Find out more information on the consent decree. back to top Do you know somebody who would be interested in getting news about the ACLU and what we're doing to protect civil liberties? Help us spread the word about ACLU Online —forward this newsletter to a friend. February 26, 2010 Congress Reauthorizes Overbroad Patriot Act Provisions with No Privacy or Civil Liberties Safeguards Yesterday, the House passed a one-year extension of three expiring Patriot Act provisions without making much-needed changes to the overly broad surveillance bill. With this extension, Congress failed to address proper privacy safeguards in the Patriot Act, including: Amending the national security letter (NSL) statute to ensure that the government obtains financial, communication and credit records only of people believed to be terrorists or spies; Requiring the government to convince a court that a national security gag order is necessary; Terminating the "lone wolf" authority that permits the government to spy on people who are not part of a terrorist organization; and Ensuring that the so-called "library records provision" does not authorize collection of library and bookstore records if they contain information on a patron unless he is a terrorist or spy. Since the Patriot Act's passage in 2001, there have been several consecutive reports — including one released in January — from the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General that have outlined widespread and blatant abuse of the statute. FBI agents routinely claimed false terrorism emergencies to use "exigent letters," or emergency letters, in order to gain private records for investigations when no emergency existed. The FBI also regularly issued NSLs after the fact in an attempt to legitimize the use of exigent letters. "Though the debate over reauthorizing the Patriot Act may be over this year, Congress still has the power to narrow the use of NSL powers and help avoid such abuses in the future," said Michelle Richardson, ACLU Legislative Counsel. "It's time to rein in the overbroad power of the NSL and bring the statute back in line with the Constitution." Although the outcome is not what we had hoped, we made progress. In the House, 97 representatives, 10 of which were Republicans, voted against extending the Patriot Act. Some members of Congress justified this extension by promising that the next year would provide time for real reform. You can bet we're going to hold them to their promise. And we'll be turning to you to help keep the pressure on. >> Learn more about the Patriot Act and the ACLU's work to reform it. back to top New National Security Distraction: Arabic Language Students Flying with a Foreign Language College student Nick George was handcuffed, interrogated and jailed for hours at the airport when he tried to bring English-Arabic flash cards on the plane to study on his flight back to school. Now, he is an ACLU plaintiff. Watch a short video to learn more about his case. Recently, the ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of Nick George, a Pomona College student who was detained and aggressively interrogated by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) authorities, by the FBI and by Pennsylvania police when he tried to board a plane carrying Arabic language flash cards. George, a physics major who's studying Arabic, was pulled aside for secondary screening at the Philadelphia International Airport as he tried to go through security. When he emptied his pockets, the inspector saw his flash cards — which had words such as "to smile" and "funny" on them. He was then arrested, handcuffed, locked in a cell for hours and aggressively questioned. During George's ordeal, no fewer than seven law enforcement officers took part in detaining and questioning him. The unnecessary arrest, detention and questioning of someone who poses no threat to flight safety makes everyone less safe by diverting resources away from real threats. "Nick George was handcuffed, locked in a cell for hours and questioned about 9/11 simply because he has chosen to study Arabic, a language that is spoken by hundreds of millions of people around the world," said Ben Wizner, staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. "This sort of harassment of innocent travelers is a waste of time and a violation of the Constitution." The lawsuit charges that the TSA officials, the Philadelphia police and the FBI violated George's Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable seizure and his First Amendment right to free speech. >> Learn more about Nick George's case. back to top ACLU's Adam Wolf Named California Attorney of the Year ACLU attorney Adam Wolf with client, Savana Redding. We are thrilled that California Lawyer magazine named ACLU attorney Adam Wolf Attorney of the Year! Wolf is being recognized for his historic work representing ACLU client Savana Redding, who at age 13 was strip-searched by school authorities looking for ibuprofen. Adam's win before the US Supreme Court set new limits on school searches and is the biggest victory for students' rights in 40 years. Congratulations, Adam! back to top We Agree with Ashcroft We can now count former Attorney General John Ashcroft, one of the ACLU's frequent adversaries, among our allies on the issue of using our regular civilian courts to handle terrorism prosecutions. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., Ashcroft was asked about trying terrorism cases in civilian courts, and responded that such a venue "has use and utility." President Obama declared that he intended to try suspected terrorists in the American criminal court system - a system that has successfully prosecuted over 300 terrorism-related cases, unlike the flawed military tribunals that have only convicted three. But some members of Congress, the media and local politicians are putting pressure on the Obama administration to try suspected terrorists in the discredited military commissions system in Guantánamo. We were pleased when Attorney General Eric Holder announced in November that the trials of the accused 9/11 planners would be held in a federal court. But the pressure to reverse that decision is enormous. That's why freedom-loving people must raise their voices right now. >> Take action: Tell President Obama that you support federal court trials for the accused 9/11 planners. back to top Tell Google: No Deal with the NSA Google and the NSA. It is hard to imagine a more potent—or frightening—combination when it comes to the collection and safety of Americans' private information. Such an alliance is underway, however. As reported by the Washington Post, Google — the world's largest search engine company with access to intimate details of our lives — is negotiating an information security agreement with the National Security Agency (NSA) — the world's largest spying network. The implications of this deal are very troubling. The NSA — a component of the Department of Defense — is an intelligence collection agency with few effective checks against abuse and no public oversight of its activities. In the last decade, the NSA's vast dragnet of suspicionless surveillance has targeted everyday Americans, in violation of the law and the Constitution. The deal would reportedly allow the NSA to assist Google in securing its data from attack after some its accounts, including those of human rights activists, were accessed by hackers. Google has an obligation to protect its subscribers' personal accounts, but it can — and must — do this without turning to a military surveillance agency for help. Google needs to know that you do not want this deal to go through. Send a message to CEO Eric Schmidt that Google shouldn't be exposing its security vulnerabilities to a military spy organization like the NSA. >> Take action: Tell Google CEO Eric Schmidt that you don't want the NSA anywhere close to your personal information. back to top

The Justification of Bush Torture Program? New Report Reveals the Details

A report released last week by the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) reveals new details about the development of the Bush administration's torture program.

The report considers the work of three DOJ attorneys — Steven Bradbury, John Yoo and Jay Bybee — who authorized the torture and abusive interrogation of detainees in U.S. custody through legal memoranda the three authored while at DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) during the Bush administration.

It concludes that John Yoo and Jay Bybee exercised "poor judgement" when they wrote the legal authorizations for the use of abusive interrogation techniques on detainees in U.S. custody overseas.

As you may recall, Yoo and Bybee are now well-known for their role in enabling the atrocities that went on in black sites and at Guantánamo, including waterboarding, extreme sleep deprivation, stress positions and in some cases, death — acts that violated domestic and international law, alienated America's allies and yielded information that was both unreliable and unusable in court.

The OLC is tasked with providing the executive branch legal advice and gave senior Bush administration officials the false legal framework to knowingly authorize torture.

The ACLU is calling on the Justice Department to expand its criminal investigation of the torture program.

>> Take action: Tell the Attorney General to expand the criminal investigation.

>> Learn more about the Bush administration's torture program.

back to top

Join us on...

Prodigal Sons Opens in New York City; GLAAD Q&A with Director Kimberly Reed, Wednesday, March 3

Please Support GLAAD

February 26, 2010 by Jonathan Rosales, GLAAD's Entertainment Media Manager 

Prodigal Sons, the bold new autobiographical documentary from filmmaker Kimberly Reed, opens at the Cinema Village in New York City Friday, February 26. In the film, Reed documents her trip to the small Montana town where she grew up as Paul McKerrow, the star high school quarterback.

Reed, who recently appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and was profiled in Details magazine, offers an unflinching look into her life as a transgender lesbian traveling home for her 20th high school reunion and hoping for reconciliation with her troubled adopted brother. Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival, Best Documentary Jury Prize at NewFest, and Special Jury Prizes for Fearless Filmmaking at the Florida Film Festival and Bravery in Storytelling at the Nashville Film Festival, Prodigal Sons is a raw and provocative examination of one family’s struggle to come to terms with its past and present.

Cindi Creager, GLAAD’s Director of National News, will lead a Q&A with Kimberly Reed onWednesday, March 3 at the 7:20 PM screening of Prodigal Sons at the Cinema Village.

For additional information on showtimes, and for information on when Prodigal Sons will be coming to a theater near you, please visit: http://www.prodigalsonsfilm.com/

View the trailer:

A Balance Between Transgender Activism And Jesus

There is so much ranting going on between religious extremists and Transgender, Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay activists. We tend forget there is a whole world of balanced, sane people who are trying to do the right thing. The following article is an excellent example of how the teachings of Jesus and human equality are synonymous. As the saying goes, "Would Jesus Discriminate?" Civil unions support has basis in Gospels By Dawn Morais Webster POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Feb 26, 2010 I am Catholic, heterosexual and in a traditional loving marriage. I believe that one of the central messages of the Gospels is its inclusiveness and its constant reminder that God is to be found in all of humanity. I believe the strong, unmistakable call to social justice in the Gospel stories should move Catholics in Hawaii, as a matter of conscience, to support House Bill 444. The Incarnation — the mystery of the Word made Flesh — is not exclusive to heterosexuals any more than redemption is a pass reserved for the Good Catholics Club. We diminish the Divine when we invoke God to deny others what simple justice should compel us to provide. Let's be clear: HB 444 would grant legal recognition to civil unions between same-sex couples. It is not marriage. It should not threaten the matrimony as a sacrament any more than civil rights for African-Americans and women threatened the rights of white males. It is an act of social justice long overdue in the land of aloha. To assert that "civil unions" is "simply a euphemism for same-sex marriage," as Bishop Larry Silva does, and then attack it because it does not fit the traditional view of marriage, is to confuse the issue. It leads Catholics to a choice that even the most traditional of them do not have to make. Bishop Silva's letter to Catholics in Honolulu acknowledges that "every person, no matter his or her sexual orientation, is worthy of dignity and respect and has certain inalienable rights given by the Creator." He goes on, however, to argue that "there is no right for people of the same sex to call their unions marriage." Gays, lesbians, transgender and bisexual couples are not calling their unions "marriage." They are, however, among us, they are not going to disappear anytime soon, they are citizens of the United States and they are entitled to the same legal protections as other citizens. It is wrong to invoke religion to deny some groups the rights that the secular laws of the land should provide to all. Bishop Silva cautions that we "should not make decisions now that ignore our social environment." Our "social environment" manifestly includes gays, lesbians, transgender and bisexual couples. Bishop Silva is right. We should not ignore them or ask them to live any longer without the protections the rest of us enjoy. I am proud to call myself Catholic and to have access to a Catholic intellectual and religious tradition that helps us to grow into a fuller humanity. Passing HB 444 would attest to that tradition, a tradition that teaches us to love God by loving our neighbor. It would be consistent with the example Christ left us in the Gospels of welcoming even those looked at with disfavor by the religious establishment. The only issue Catholics should be concerned about relative to HB 444 is the issue of justice. People who are not heterosexuals are asking to be treated equally under the law. Both Christianity and the rights of citizenship make this something everyone should support. That lawmakers in the House failed to do so even after the bill passed out of the Senate with a strong majority is something that can yet be corrected, if they can summon the courage, in the words of the Gospel, to "be not afraid." ——— Dawn Morais Webster is president and chief executive of Loomis-ISC, a marketing firm in Honolulu. ORIGINAL ARTICLE