Happy new year! It's hard to believe that 2011 is already well under way. I hope the following sampling of our 2010 successes inspires hope in how much we can accomplish. Knowing how powerful we are as a community, I am extremely excited to work with you throughout the coming year to achieve still more victories!
First, please mark your calendars for Transgender Advocacy Day in Sacramento! Participants will be trained in advocacy and messaging on Sunday, May 1st, and will visit legislative offices on Monday, May 2nd. This year, the Transgender Law Center will sponsor two bills designed to reduce discrimination against transgender Californians. We hope to have an impressive turnout at the Capitol to advocate for the transgender community and would love to have you join us. We are also excited to announce that we will be having the 6th Annual Transgender Leadership Summit in Los Angeles in July 2011.
We will need YOUR help to make both the Advocacy Day and Leadership Summit a success. Be on the lookout for more information soon, and contact Maceo Persson at 415-865-0176 to volunteer for either or both events.
In solidarity, Masen Davis Executive Director |
Celebrating 2010's Successes
Two of our most exciting and innovative successes in 2010 were the opening of a Goodwill store in San Francisco that provides job training and experience to transgender people and the kick off of a transgender health clinic in rural Humboldt County.
Learn more about the historic collaboration between Goodwill and the Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative:
Humboldt County's Transgender Health Clinic also received media attention: To receive healthcare at the Transgender Health Clinic, please call 707-826-8610 to make an appointment. The clinic is open the first Tuesday of every month, 1:30pm-4:30pm, and is located in Arcata, CA.
We are also excited to celebrate three important policy victories: - In January 2010, the Los Angeles Human Relations Commission released "Recommended Policies and Standards for the Los Angeles Police Department's Interactions with Transgender Individuals," which will help to increase the LAPD's responsiveness to the safety needs of the Los Angeles transgender community and help the LAPD to comply with existing non-discrimination statutes.
- In December 2010, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the addition of "gender identity and gender expression" to the county's Equal Employment Opportunity regulations for county workers and residents.
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Simple change, big difference
As of January 1, 2011, out-of-state residents may directly petition a California Superior Court for a Change of Gender and Issuance of New Birth certificate by checking a box on a Judicial Council Form. Previously, an out-of-state resident would have to use a form designed for in-state residents, which caused confusion and may have resulted in some qualified out-of state-petitioners being denied the ability to file for a gender change.
This welcome change to the Judicial Council Form NC-300series resulted from the landmark decision, Somers v. Superior Court (2009) 172 Cal. App. 4th 1407. The Transgender Law Center represented Ms. Somers in her action and in April 2009, the First District of the California Court of Appeal held that there is no compelling state interest in treating a California-born transgender individual who resides out of state differently from an individual who resides in California, as well as no rational basis for any disparate treatment.
Despite this positive ruling, it remained difficult for many non-resident transgender individuals to petition a California court. To assist with implementation, the Transgender Law Center developed a brief explaining the Somers decision for use by non-residents submitting gender change petitions to the Court, and advocated with the Judicial Council to include a box on the Gender Change Petition indicating that a person was a non-resident. |
Settlement Reached in San Francisco Employment Discrimination Case!
The Transgender Law center is pleased to announce that it recently settled an employment discrimination claim by a transgender man against a San Francisco restaurant. Nic Weinstein, a server at the restaurant Weird Fish, was a stellar employee who had worked at the quirky Mission District seafood restaurant for more than two years. In the summer of 2009, after informing the owner/managers of his gender transition and his desire to be referred to by male pronouns, Weinstein was fired. When he asked for a basis for his termination, he was told that he was only being laid off. A week later at a meeting with the manager, Weinstein was told that he was indeed being fired. Weinstein contacted the Transgender Law Center for assistance. Legal Director Kristina Wertz, working closely with attorney Lisa Charbonneau of the civil rights litigation firm Minami Tamaki, contacted the restaurant's owners and informed them of Weinstein's discrimination claim and of violations of state law mandating meal and rest period breaks. In September 2010, Weird Fish agreed to pay Weinstein $10,500 to settle his claims. |
Profile of a Community Leader & Donor: Dana Runge
Dana Runge first connected with the Transgender Law Center when helping to advocate for the Insurance Non-Discrimination Act (which went into effect in 2006). Since then she has attended numerous Transgender Leadership Summits. Dana says that "lobbying for legislation is a very empowering experience."
She first connected with her local Democratic Club, the Cañada Crescenta Democratic Club, in 2008, working on President Obama's campaign and the campaign to defeat Proposition 8. On January 8th, 2011, Dana was elected as one of twelve delegates from the 44th Assembly District to the California Democratic Party's State Central Committee.
The delegates help set the policy platforms for the California Democratic Party, serving a two-year term and participating in the 2011 and 2012 State Democratic Convention. Remarkably, she said she wasn't sure if it was the first time that a transgender person has been elected to this position (though it is likely the case at least in her district), because it was a "non-issue" in the campaign.
In Dana's words: We have a lot to contribute, and we can help make the world a more just place. There are lots of opportunities to be involved in the public realm. And regardless of your party affiliation, there are always local campaign headquarters during federal elections that need volunteers, which is a great way to get your foot in the door and to meet people. We have to collaborate with other people who share our interests, and are always going to be stronger together.
Dana is also a long-time monthly donor to the Transgender Law Center.
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Lyon-Martin Update
As you may have heard, Lyon-Martin Health Services of San Francisco is currently in a funding crisis and may be closing. We have deep respect for the staff of Lyon-Martin, who are caring, competent providers with an excellent vision for transgender health.
The Transgender Law Center's clients desperately need community clinics with knowledge of transgender individuals' health needs. Lyon-Martin has been our go-to referral for people in the Bay Area. The Transgender Law Center is committed to ensuring that transgender people in the Bay Area continue to have a place to go for health care. We will work with the Department of Public Health to make sure they understand the need for providers who are well educated on transgender health.
Project HEALTH, our joint program with Lyon-Martin, has been wildly successful in increasing access to health care for transgender people. We will do everything we can to continue Project HEALTH.
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Are you going to be
at Creating Change? If so, come say hi!
We'll be helping to facilitate: - Stronger Together: A Trans Strategy/Skills Sharing Institute
- Designing a Survey and Using Data to Secure Protections for LGBT People
- Advocating for Better Health Care Access for Transgender Individuals
- Caucus for State/Local Transgender Advocacy
- Trailblazing for Transgender Health
- Creating Our Destinies: Strategies for Employment in Trans Communities
- Going for the Gold: Transphobia, Racism, and Why the Oppression Olympics are a Losing Game
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Reception for Bay Area Lawyers to Support Transgender Rights
Thursday, February 24 5:30pm-7:30pm
All supportive attorneys and other legal professionals are invited to learn more about opportunities to support the Transgender Law Center's ground-breaking policy advocacy and vital legal services at this reception.
Space and refreshments generously donated by
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Thank you to our
2010 volunteers!
To all the volunteers who make our work possible this year: thank you! From stuffing envelopes to staffing the margarita booth at Pride to serving on our event host committee, you were an invaluable resource and we could not have done it without you. We deeply appreciate all of your contributions.
Below are a few words from our law clerks--law students who spent 2-4 months working with us full-time on a volunteer basis. If you are interested in becoming a law clerk, please contact our Staff Attorney, Matt Wood, at matt@transgenderlawcenter.org.
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Zoe Genzler Thomas M. Cooley Law School What made my internship at the Transgender Law Center truly enjoyable was the friendly and incredibly hardworking staff of this wonderful organization. Everyone was so supportive and I had the best legal team to help me learn the ropes.
I was trusted to meet with clients and so was directly able to help people with issues with which they had been struggling.
After years spent studying in my law school's library I found it inspirational to be able to put my knowledge and skills to good use and improve the lives of those in the transgender community. |
Vikram Swaruup
UC Berkeley,
Boalt Hall School of Law Our Summer 2010 clerkship was generously supported by
While at the Transgender Law Center, I was able to answer legal questions, refer people to the resources they needed, and assist people in navigating legal and administrative systems to ensure that the state recognized their experiences. In addition, I was able to work on major priorities, such as increasing accessibility to transition-related health care for low-income transgender individuals and combating pervasive employment discrimination against California's transgender communities.
On a personal level, spending ten weeks at the Transgender Law Center was inspiring.
I left every day amazed by my co-workers' patience in dealing with frustrating and difficult legal issues, and our clients' strength in the face of incredible adversity and pervasive discrimination.
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Ashley Pellouchoud Golden Gate University
School of Law I feel honored to have clerked for the Transgender Law Center--the experience was challenging, inspiring, and enlightening.
I gained expertise in my writing, legal identity documentation, and also the inner-workings of an impact litigation firm in an innovative field of the law. I am thankful most to the legal team, but the experience was deeper than just legal work. Working with lawyers who partner with health and policy advocates was educational in and of itself.
I would recommend this clerkship to anyone with a passion for justice who appreciates a challenge. |
Make a Difference, Volunteer! We especially need volunteers who can volunteer for a few hours on a weekly basis for more than 4 weeks.
Bay Area volunteers can help with a variety of critically needed administrative, research, and fundraising tasks. Volunteering in our San Francisco office offers the best opportunity to work closely with Transgender Law Center staff and to assist with some programmatic work.
Volunteers who are based outside of the Bay Area can help with Advocacy Day, Summit, and other event logistics.
If you are interested in volunteering, please send your name, contact information, volunteering interests, and general availability to |
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Transgender folks are fortunate to have such wonderful organizations protecting the rights we have and fighting for the rights we yet to have!
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