February 28, 2013
South Panola waives dress code for transgendered student

Small Victories…

February 28, 2013
Transgender Triplet Banned From Her First-Grade Restroom

February 26, 2013
Community at odds over transgender transition at high school

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Community at odds over transgender transition at high school
By Michael Clark

Controversy is brewing in North Mississippi over a student’s decision to come out as a transgender.

“It was a big topic in the classrooms, everywhere, everyone has their own opinion,” South Panola High student, Jabrea Joiner said.

Monday, South Panola High School students were buzzing about a transgender classmate who began what the ACLU called a ‘transition’.

“The first step in that is really to start dressing according to your gender and today was about going to school and being able to be the person that she is,” Mississippi ACLU Legal Director, Bear Atwood said.

Because the student is a minor, we’ve agreed to only identify her as Leah. On the first day of the transition, some classmates still referred to Leah as ‘HE.’

“He’s like any other student at South Panola, he minds his business, he’s not hurting anyone, he’s only wanting to be himself,” Joiner said.

Some parents had more concerns than the students.

“You a man you supposed to stay a man, you a woman, you supposed to stay a woman, and that’s my opinion that’s it,” Batesville resident Kenneth Smith said.

“It causes attention to yourself so you’ve got a bunch of students who have never been around this,” Batesville resident Alishia Smith added.

The ACLU is working with Leah’s family and the school district to ensure she has a safe and inclusive environment at school.

Monday, many of the students showed their support by wearing green and pink, a request Leah made on Facebook to friends.

“I know there was a lot going on, people had a lot to say in the classroom, but I just feel like it’s not my position to judge anyone,” Joiner said.

The interim superintendent was unavailable Monday, but it is district policy not to comment about specific students.

Action News 5 has been told that some parents plan to voice concerns at the next school board meeting in March.

Copyright 2013 WMC-TV. All rights reserved.

February 25, 2013
From CNN: Transgender job seekers face uphill battle

gaywrites:

This week, CNN Money published an impressive series of profiles of transgender people struggling to find work in America. Some are unemployed, others homeless or in debt. 

In the opening article, Blake Ellis writes:

It’s hard to pin down a precise jobless rate since there’s so little transgender-specific data available. The most recent comprehensive study of more than 6,000 transgender individuals wasreleased in 2011 by the National Center for Transgender Equality. This report found the transgender jobless rate to be 14% — double the national rate  and as high as 28% for black respondents. And a recent online Prudential survey of 49 transgender individuals had similar findings.

The six profiles that follow are written as first-person narratives, with each person telling their own version of a universally heartbreaking, fundamentally unfair story. Writes Keisha Allen, a trans woman from Chicago:

I’ve interviewed for over 100 jobs — entry-level jobs like a server, cook, dishwasher, cashier — no jobs that require a school background. I’m lucky to get to the interview, and once I get to the interview and my name doesn’t match my ID and my body doesn’t match what it says on my ID, I never hear back. And I believe it’s because I’m a woman of color and a transgender woman of color.

Read through the series. The stories are compelling, and it’s kind of a big deal that CNN took the initiative to cover this issue. 

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