MTPC Press Conference & Community Action Day

MTPC Press Conference & Community Action Day

Orly Jacobovits, Senior Organizer & Community Educator, Keshet; Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge and Mycroft Masada Holmes, Co-Chairs, ICTE; Joanna Ware, Community Organizer& Jewish Organizing Initiative Fellow, Keshet; Avi Schechter, Intern, Keshet; Aliza Krevolin.

The rest of the ICTE & Keshet group -- including Idit Klein, Executive Director of Keshet -- needed to leave before this was taken. Photo by M. Barusch.

The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) held a Press Conference & Community Action Day today at the Massachusetts Statehouse, calling for action towards the passage of An Act Relative To Gender Based Discrimination & Hate Crimes (House Bill 1728 / Senate Bill 1687) before the end of the legislative session on July 31st.

A standing room only crowd of 100 supporters attended, plus supportive legislators (State Representative Carl Sciortino, State Representative Byron Rushing, State Representative Denise Provost, and several aides from several other State Representatives' and Senators' offices) and press.

The speakers were Gunner Scott, Executive Director of MTPC; Christina Knowles, State Director and Lobbyist, Massachusetts Chapter of the National Organization for Women (Mass. NOW), Jennifer Springer, Vice President, MA chapter of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (MA AFL-CIO); Rebekah Gewirtz, National Association of Social Workers, MA Chapter; DeeDee Edmondson, Political Director, MassEquality.

I was very proud to stand behind the speakers with Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge and Idit Klein; we represented ICTE (as Co-Chairs) and she Keshet (as Executive Director).

After the press conference, the community, led by Gunner and his staff, took action by visiting the offices of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House. We delivered constituents' letters urging action on the bill. Click here to read my letter.

Click here for MTPC's article about the Day -- including video! Which Cameron, Idit and I are in.

Thanks to everyone who attended and supported. If you haven't yet taken supportive action -- primarily writing a letter -- please do so as soon as you can! Click here for help.

: - ) Mycroft

*******

Mycroft Masada Holmes

Co-Chair, Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality

Member, Steering Committee, Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition

Emeritus Founding Chair, Transgender Working Group (TWiG), Keshet

MTPC Press Conference & Community Action Day -- THIS Wednesday

MTPC is having a Press Conference & Community Action Day THIS Wednesday -- July 14th, 2010. Here is the message we sent to our Facebook Group today:

Dear ICTE Supporters –

Good afternoon!

MTPC is having a Press Conference & Community Action Day THIS Wednesday, July 14th at 11:00 a.m. at the Massachusetts State House, Room A2.

You should have received a Facebook invite:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=135922613096027&ref=ts

Please attend, invite others, and otherwise publicize; and please write and gather letters. We particularly encourage clergy and lay leaders to attend, and to do so vested.

MTPC's announcement and press release are below our signatures.

Thank you for partnering with us to show how much people of faith support transgender equality!

Best wishes,

Mycroft Masada Holmes

Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge

Co-Chairs, Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE)

http://www.InterfaithCoalition.org/

http://www.interfaithcoalition.blogspot.com/

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MTPC Press Conference & Community Action Day

THIS Wednesday, July 14th, 2010 at 11:00 a.m.

Massachusetts State House -- Room A2

THE TIME IS NOW TO ACT FOR TRANSGENDER CIVIL RIGHTS

MTPC and the Transgender Civil Rights Coalition will be holding a press conference and Community Action Day at the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday, July 14th, 2010 at 11 am in Room A2. All transgender people and our allies are encouraged to attend.

MTPC and members of the Transgender Civil Rights Coalition will be urging legislators to pass House Bill 1728 / Senate Bill 1687 “An Act Relative to Gender Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes” before the clock runs out on formal session which ends at midnight on July 31st.

We urge you to attend the conference and join us in our mission to secure civil rights for all of Massachusetts’ citizens. Stand in solidarity with those who are continuously harmed by the legislature’s resistance to grant all its citizens legal protections necessary to ending discrimination and violence. This is the opportunity to show your support!

How to Act!

Tell the leadership about your dissatisfaction with the lack of movement on this bill.

The leadership must hear from you, it has been one year since the hearing before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. We need you to write a letter to the Senate President and Speaker of the House, insisting that they move forward on voting on this bill. Sample letters are provided. We will be hand delivering these letters to House Speaker DeLeo and Senate President Murray after the press conference. Please email us or mail us your letter as soon as possible so we can print them out. Lets flood their offices with letters calling on them to pass this bill.

Use a template letter: http://www.masstpc.org/legislation/actionday.shtml

Send your letter to info@masstpc.org

Visit http://www.masstpc.org for more info

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PRESS RELEASE

LGBT and Women's Advocates Call for Passage Transgender Civil Rights Bill this Session

The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) and partners of the Transgender Civil Rights Coalition will be holding a press conference at the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday, July 14th, 2010 at 11 am in Room A2.

MTPC and members of the Transgender Civil Rights Coalition will be urging legislators to pass H 1728/S 1687 “An Act Relative to Gender Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes,” before the end of formal session, which ends at midnight on July 31st. This press conference also marks the one-year anniversary since over 65 transgender adults, youth, families, allies, women’s groups, civil rights advocates, and LGBT advocates testified before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary

and over 100 pieces of written testimony were presented to the committee, in support of the bill.

H 1728/S 1687 will add Massachusetts to 13 other states, Washington D.C., and 125 counties and cities, including Boston, Cambridge, Northampton, and Amherst, that protect on the basis of gender identity and expression. This bill will make the protection of transgender people explicit, uniform, and visible to the general public. It will include gender identity and expression in the state’s non-discrimination statute and will amend existing hate crime laws to explicitly protect people targeted for violence and harassment.

“Transgender people continue to experience overwhelming amounts of harassment and discrimination, particularly in the workplace” said Gunner Scott, Executive Director of MTPC “In fact the 2009 National Transgender Discrimination Survey conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian task Force found that 97% of transgender people surveyed had experienced some form of harassment or mistreatment on the job due to their gender identity or expression. This is why we must pass this bill now. Not tomorrow or next session. Transgender people just can’t wait any longer for fairness in the workplace”.

In the same survey, 47% experienced an adverse job outcome, such as being fired, not hired, or denied a promotion. Additionally, transgender people experience double the rate of unemployment regardless of the economic climate, double the rate of poverty, with 15% of transgender people living on $10,000 or less a year. Transgender people face discrimination in housing situations as well. Of those surveyed, 19% were either currently homeless or had been in the past, 11% faced eviction, and 26% were forced to seek an alternative temporary space.

Polling shows that the voting constituents of Massachusetts support this bill. In statewide polling conducted by Lake Research Partners, more than four in ten voters have a very positive reaction (44% very, 76% positive overall) to legal protections in employment, housing, or other public accommodations for individuals who are transgender, with 73% wanting their legislators to vote in favor of the law. This bill garners support across the board, with 81% of women polled supporting the bill, 70% of men, 90% of Democrats, 74% of Independents, and 53% of Republicans. Another survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, showed that seven out of ten (71%) heterosexual adults agree that how an employee performs at their job should be the standard for judging an employee, not whether or not they are transgender.

“This is not a partisan issue, nor a political issue, but a basic human rights issue. Fear and hate have no place in determining public policy. Passing this bill is a chance for legislators to take a stand against discrimination. It is time for Massachusetts to join the growing number of places that protect the basic civil rights we all deserve,” said Gunner Scott. Other cities and counties, such as Missoula City, Montana, have recently passed similar legislation.

Some of the speakers at the July 14th press conference will include: Gunner Scott, Executive Director of MTPC, Christina Knowles of Mass. NOW, Rebekah Gewirtz of the National Association of Social Workers Massachusetts, and Arline Isaacson of the Massachusetts Gay and

Lesbian Political Caucus.

###

About The Transgender Civil Coalition: The coalition is made of over 80 LGBT, civil rights, women’s groups, labor unions, faith, and student groups partnered with MTPC including Mass Lesbian and Gay Bar Association, Massachusetts Chapter of National Organization for Women,

Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, Massachusetts Chapter National Association of Social Workers, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), MassEquality, and the Massachusetts Chapter of the ACLU.

About MTPC: The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) is dedicated to ending discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression. MTPC works for a world where persons of all genders are treated with respect and fully participate in all areas of

society, free from fear of prohibition, harassment or violence based on their gender identity and/or expression. Its members educate the public, advocate with state, local, and federal government, engage in political activism, and encourage empowerment of community members

through collective action.

Hope for Trans Folk from Harvey Milk

I've just returned from a rally for transgender equality in front of the Massachusetts State House organized by Join the Impact Massachusetts. Today's event was part of a week-long celebration of the legacy of Harvey Milk, who would have turned eighty years old today, had he lived.

I was one of several people who spoke on a range of topics related to pending trans legislation, from an overview of the national and state movement for trans equality, to how we are all impacted by the gender binary, trans or not. After the speeches, we marched down from the State House, to Government Center, to Downtown Crossing and then back up the State House, providing Saturday shoppers with an unexpected interlude.

I pray and, in the tradition of Harvey, hope that our legislators will hear us and finally get ENDA and the Massachusetts Trans Civil Rights Bill out of committee and passed.

CP

JTIMA Harvey Milk Day Rally for Transgender Equality
State House Steps, Boston, MA
Saturday, May 22, 2010

Hope from Harvey Milk

In his book The Mayor of Castro Street: the Life and Times of Harvey Milk, openly gay journalist Randy Shilts (may he rest in peace) described a San Francisco Sunday morning scene in 1978 when, with Harvey Milk sitting in the back pew, the Reverend William Barcus, priest of St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church, got up and denounced Proposition 6. This “Briggs Initiative” called for the removal of gay and lesbian people and possibly even their supporters from working in the California public schools. In an unusual move for a priest in that context, Barcus not only spoke of the God who stands with the marginalized, not only berated the fear-mongering, dehumanizing rhetoric of the Initiative and its backers, but he also witnessed to these truths with his own life, coming out as a gay man. He challenged people to, as he put it, “morally put yourself on the line, not after the fact, not after November 7th, but now” (pp. 241-242; for more on Rev. Barcus's sermon, see this LGBT chronology for the Episcopal Diocese of California by Rev. Kathleen McAdams).

On that morning I was across the Bay in Berkeley where I grew up, possibly in Sunday school, possibly sleeping in. I had no idea of the import of what was going on across the Bay and around my state. I was a shy new kindergartener, a little girl growing up to be a transman, a spouse, a dad, an academic and an Episcopal priest. What Harvey Milk inspired in William Barcus and countless others, I too came to appreciate as one who also knows something of what it feels like to be dehumanized.

What Harvey Milk goaded us into remembering with relentless wit and grit is the crucial importance of hope. Hope. “You gotta give ‘em hope,” he said again and again. He wasn’t the biggest fan of organized religion so-called, but by God he knew how to preach. Hope, he knew, is as essential to human life as the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink. Without hope we shrink into ourselves, our capacities squandered, our stature cut short. Our ability to hope, as human beings, is intimately tied to our dignity.

When others deny transgender people our dignity, they attack the heart of our humanity. This happens as much in quiet, behind the scenes ways as in the bold, openly violent ways we mark every year at Trans Day of Remembrance. I am thinking of the violence of intentionally identifying us with wrong names and pronouns; the violence of quietly tossing our resumes in the proverbial circular file; of falsely telling us the apartment is already rented; of telling us we must wait our turn to ensure being treated with dignity and respect; and particularly in this climate, of shamelessly labeling legislation that would safeguard our basic civil rights a “bathroom bill.”

I’m honestly not sure how much transgender people were on Harvey’s radar in the late seventies, but I have no doubt that our struggle today would inspire and galvanize him. He would tell us that no matter what indignities we have suffered, no matter who might have rejected us, we do not have the option of giving up hope. In his Hope Speech, he said, “if there is a message I have to give… it's the fact that if a gay person can be elected, it's a green light. And you and you and you, you have to give people hope.” Harvey knew his election was a foot in the door for all who are marginalized. But he also knew that the hope he inspired was not automatic. It was something he called on each person in his audience to give. And I would submit, Harvey’s legacy renders that hope as something we must also claim.

The program for his memorial service at the San Francisco Opera House contained a line from Victor Hugo that he had recently hand-copied and posted on the wall of his office: “All the forces in the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come” (Shilts, 286). Trans people of Massachusetts, from around the nation and indeed the world, partners, allies, families and friends, lawmakers, people of all faiths: the time for full equality for transgender people has indeed come. The time is now for all of us — and particularly, I would say, for religious leaders of all traditions— to “morally put ourselves on the line,” as Reverend Barcus put it, for the dignity that is our birthright. The time is now for our legislators beneath this gleaming dome to finally take up the Massachusetts Transgender Civil Rights Bill, and for our legislators in Washington to take up ENDA, and pass them. Thank you.

CP

Bishops' Letter Contributes Momentum on Trans Civil Rights in MA

As the Massachusetts Judiciary Committee pushed back its deadline for reporting on the Transgender Civil Rights Bill to early June, Boston-based LGBT paper Bay Windows has reported on two new voices of support, Boston City Council and the letter sent last week by Bishops M. Thomas Shaw and Roy "Bud" Cederholm (Bishop Gayle Harris did not sign because she had not yet returned from a leave of absence). Read the whole article here. Excerpts are reposted below.

I would like to add that the article cites Virtue Online as the place from which it got the text of the letter. Virtue Online reprinted without acknowledgment my exact post (which I posted with permission from the Communications Office of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts to three blogs: TransEpiscopal, Walking with Integrity, and the Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality). This made it look as if Virtue Online actually had permission to post the letter, which it did not.

CP

Transgender Rights Bill receives more support, extended deadline
by Hannah Clay Wareham
Associate Editor
Tuesday May 11, 2010

Amid resolutions and commendations, hopes are high for bill to pass.

Support for "An Act Relative to Gender-based Discrimination and Hate Crimes" (S. 1687/H. 1728), known as the Transgender Civil Rights Bill, is growing in Boston. The City Council last week passed a unanimous resolution backing the bill and joined the Episcopal Diocese of Masscahusetts in publicly voicing their support. The Transgender Rights Bill will remain under consideration by the Judiciary Committee for at least another month.

Gunner Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), said that the organization "is grateful for the continued support of the Boston City Council and hopes that our state leaders will follow this wise example and extend civil rights to our state’s transgender citizens."

The Transgender Civil Rights Bill offers crucial employment protections for transgender people and outlaw anti-transgender workplace discrimination. If the bill is passed, the category of "gender identity and expression" will be added to the Massachusetts hate crime, employment, housing, credit, public accommodations, and public education non-discrimination laws.

The legislature’s Joint Committee on the Judiciary on May 6 extended the bill’s deadline, giving it at least another month to remain under consideration. The original deadline required that the bill be reported out of committee by May 7.

"As they say on ’Monty Python,’ we’re not dead yet," DeeDee Edmondson, political director of MassEquality, said. "The Judiciary Committee and our coalition [of organizations working together to pass the bill] now can get down to the business of producing a piece of legislation that can put transgender people back to work and bring stability and dignity to families throughout the Commonwealth."

snip

On April 30, Episcopal Bishops M. Thomas Shaw and Roy "Bud" Cederholm of the Diocese of Massachusetts sent letters to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo urging the lawmakers to pass the Transgender Rights Bill. Attached were resolutions stating the full support of both the Episcopal Diocese of Masschusetts and the General Convention of the Episcopal Church.

"As bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, our eyes are open to the realities of transgender people and their families," Shaw and Cederholm wrote in the letter, which was subsequently printed by VirtueOnline.org. "Many of them serve faithfully in the congregations and ministries of our diocese, as lay people, as deacons, and as priests. They are dedicated and loving parents, children, siblings, friends, and community leaders."

The letter encouraged lawmakers to act quickly in passing the bill. "Adding gender identity and expression to the state’s nondiscrimination and hate crimes laws is no isolated concern of a special interest group," the letter read. "The disproportionate suffering of transgender people should grieve the hearts of all who love justice and liberty."

The Transgender Rights Bill received an intensified focus from a wide variety of mainstream media outlets after Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker pledged on Saturday, April 17, that he would veto the bill if elected.

MA Bishops Send Letter to Legislators in Support of Transgender Nondiscrimination Bill

Bishops M. Thomas Shaw and Roy ("Bud") Cederholm of the Diocese of Massachusetts this week sent letters to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Robert DeLeo pressing them to pass the state's Transgender Civil Rights bill. "An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes" (House Bill #1728 and Senate Bill #1687) is slated to either make it out of the Judiciary Committee or die there for a third straight year this Friday, May 7th.


The bishops' letter follows unprecedented coverage of the bill by Boston area newspapers (including a supportive op ed by the Globe), after Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker announced that he would veto the legislation if it crossed his desk. His team handed out fliers referring to the legislation as "the bathroom bill," taking up the rhetoric of the virulently anti-LGBT group Mass Resistance (and groups battling similar legislation in other states) which tries to stoke fears that such legislation will make women and children vulnerable in bathrooms and locker rooms.

The bishops' letter (posted with permission) follows:

April 30, 2010


The Hon. Deval L. Patrick
Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
State House, Room 360
Boston, MA 02108

Dear Governor Patrick,

We write to express our strong support for an act to add gender expression and identity to our Commonwealth’s antidiscrimination and hate crimes laws, and to ask you to work to ensure its passage.

As bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, our eyes are open to the realities of transgender people and their families. Many of them serve faithfully in the congregations and ministries of our diocese, as lay people, as deacons and as priests. They are dedicated and loving parents, children, siblings, friends and community leaders. Again and again, we hear how they have struggled against incredible odds and pressures to be true to their identity as beloved children of God, made in the image of God.

It pains us that even as transgender people claim their identities and step into newness of life, they face discrimination and violence that undermines their human dignity. A November 2009 survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force found that 97 percent of respondents had been harassed or mistreated on the job, and 26 percent had been fired for being transgender. You will recall that in November 1998, an Allston transgender woman, Rita Hester, was murdered and her killer never found. This local tragedy led to an annual Nov. 20 international Transgender Day of Remembrance, for transgender people who have died, especially those who have been killed or taken their own lives. It is fitting that our state should model amendment of life and hope for a future that is better than this sad past.

Adding gender identity and expression to the state’s nondiscrimination and hate crimes laws is no isolated concern of a special interest group. The disproportionate suffering of transgender people should grieve the hearts of all who love justice and liberty. Both the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and the General Convention of the Episcopal Church are on record in support of full equality for transgender people (resolutions attached).

So many of the arguments against the full inclusion of transgender people in our society are driven by unfounded fear. Transgender people are simply seeking the removal of barriers that prevent them from flourishing as full members of and contributors to society. One need not fully comprehend what it is like to walk in their shoes to provide them with the protections every citizen—every person—is due. Please act to ensure their rights.

Faithfully,



The Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE
Bishop

The Rt. Rev. Bud Cederholm
Bishop Suffragan

Enc.

Resolution D012: Support of Transgender Civil Rights

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 76th General Convention of The Episcopal Church supports the enactment of laws at the local, state and federal level that a) prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or the expression of one's gender identity, and b) treat physical violence inflicted on the basis of a victim's gender identity or expression as a hate crime; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of Convention convey this resolution to appropriate congressional leadership to the Chair of the National Governors Association, the President of the National Conference of State Legislatures, and to the President of the U. S. Conference of Mayors.


Voted by the 223rd Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, Nov. 7-8, 2008, Hyannis:
Resolution in support of transgender civil rights and inclusion in the ministries of all the baptized

Resolved, that the 223rd Convention of the Diocese of Massachusetts supports the enactment of laws at the local, state and federal level that a) prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or the expression of one’s gender identity, and b) treat physical violence inflicted on the basis of a victim’s gender identity or expression as a hate crime; and be it further

Resolved, that the Secretary of Convention convey this resolution to the Massachusetts State Legislature, and the Massachusetts representatives in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives; and be it further

Resolved, that this Convention submit to the General Convention the following resolution: Resolved that the words “gender identity and expression” be inserted into Title III, Canon 1, Sec. 2 directly following the words “sexual orientation” and before the words “disabilities or age.”

UPDATED action alert re: Mass. transgender civil rights bill!

We sent this message to our Facebook Group today:

(Want to join ICTE's Facebook Group? Want to invite others to join? Click here!!)

Dear ICTE Supporters –

Good morning!

We have an updated action alert from MassEquality (http://www.massequality.org/) about the Massachusetts transgender civil rights bill.

Also, yesterday’s (Sunday) Boston Globe had an article about the bill:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/04/25/backers_rally_around_transgender_bill/?page=1

Please take direct action, and share both of these texts, TODAY!

“The Time to Act is Now - This is About Equal Rights for Transgender People

Last week the Transgender Rights Bill was refiled as Budget Amendment #764, as such it would go to the legislature for a yes or no vote. Until now it has been stuck in the Judiciary Committee. In the past couple of days opponents and especially the Massachusetts Family Institute have been inundating representatives in virulent opposition to the bill. We need to directly and overwhelmingly show our support for this critical anti-discrimination legislation NOW.

There are two things to be done TODAY to help get the Transgender Rights Bill passed before the legislative session ends.

1) Phone Banking (calling constituents to ask them to contact their representatives) –

• You can make arrangements to make important calls from your home by contacting Ryan Brown at MassEquality 617. 878.2309.

• You can phone bank at MassEquality’s office (snacks and drinks will be provided).

MassEquality

262 Washington St, 7th Floor

Boston, MA 02108

Phone: (617) 878-2300

2) Make Calls to Your Representative (for the 1st time or yet again) --

Call your Representative and ask for their support for Budget Amendment #764 - the passage of the transgender civil rights bill. Your representative needs to hear from you, your family, and your friends. The Trans Bill has been attached to the House Budget.

To find your Representative go to http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php. If you know who your Rep is, go to http://www.mass.gov/legis/memmenuh to get his or her phone number.

Calling script:

“My name is _____ and I am a proud resident of (your town/city) and I am calling to ask Representative_____ to support Budget Amendment # 764 -- Transgender Rights. Will the Representative support this Budget Amendment for Transgender Rights?

I can be reached at ____ (give your phone number) for a call back on this important amendment.”

Please report the outcome of these calls to MTPC, either via our web form http://www.masstpc.org/legislation/visitreport.shtml or by emailing info@masstpc.org.

Help us stand up against the fear-based tactics used in the last week. Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker made his position clear this past Saturday about how he would respond if HB1728/S1687, An Act Relative to Gender Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes, landed on his desk (if he was elected). On a flyer distributed by his campaign were the words: “ Charlie Baker Opposes the ‘Bathroom Bill’ And If It Came to His Desk, He Would Veto It. Paid For By the Baker Committee.”

Mr. Baker’s open hostility to the protection of transgender residents’ civil, economic, and social rights in Massachusetts demonstrates the immediate need for HB1728/S1687 to be passed by the end of this session of the legislature.

Tuesday, the Boston Globe threw its support to HB1728/S1687, calling upon legislators to “pass a sensible bill that would protect transgender men and women from discrimination.” The Globe recognized that this is neither a partisan issue nor an issue about public safety in the restrooms, but rather a civil and human rights matter for a marginalized group of residents in the State. The time to act is now.

HB1728/S1687 has 104 legislative co-sponsors and the endorsement of many public officials including the Governor, Attorney General, and numerous mayors and selectmen.

It is critical that we act collectively as a community now, because our opponents are organizing and hounding Beacon Hill to “kill the bill.” We cannot afford to remain silent. We urge everyone who is passionate about protecting transgender people in the Commonwealth to call your legislators today and ask them to support Budget Amendment # 764.”

Thank you for working with us to show how much people of faith support transgender equality!

Best wishes,

Mycroft Masada Holmes

Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge

Co-Chairs, Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE)

http://www.InterfaithCoalition.org

http://www.interfaithcoalition.blogspot.com

Action alert re: Massachusetts' transgender civil rights bill!

We sent this message to our Facebook Group today (Want to join ICTE's Facebook Group? Want to invite others to join? Click here!!):

Dear ICTE Supporters –

Happy Earth Day!

We want to make sure you see – and share -- yesterday’s action alert from MassEquality (http://www.massequality.org/) about the Massachusetts transgender civil rights bill:

“From: Dee Dee Edmondson, MassEquality Political Director

Date: Wed, Apr 21, 2010 at 2:21 PM

Subject: We Have The Momentum To Achieve Full Equality Now!

We Have The Momentum To Achieve Full Equality Now!

Yesterday the Boston Globe issued a strong call to the Legislature to pass the Transgender Civil Rights Bill, adding incredible momentum to our efforts to ensure full equality for all LGBT people in Massachusetts.

Here’s a sample of what the Globe said about the bill:

"To help [transgender people] obtain jobs and homes, and to protect them from violence, the legislation would add "gender identity" to race, religion, sexual orientation, and other categories covered by Massachusetts anti-discrimination and hate-crime laws. It’s that simple."

Read the full Globe Editorial:

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2010/04/20/no_its_not_a_bathroom_bill/

Governor Patrick also vowed to sign the bill when it comes to his desk:

"I feel very strongly that discrimination should not appear in our Constitution or in our laws," Patrick said, "so I look forward to the bill passing and getting to my desk just as soon as possible."

See our Political Director Dee Dee Edmondson and Governor Patrick discussing the issue on NECN:

http://www.necn.com/04/20/10/Charlie-Baker-says-he-is-not-waffling-on/landing_politics.html?blockID=219859&feedID=4212

It is that simple.

But we need you to add your voice to the debate and continue the momentum to pass this bill. We have a very small window of opportunity right now. Please contact your legislators today.

(http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php) Ask them to pass H. 1728/ S. 1687, An Act Relative to Gender Identity and Expression before the end of this legislative session.

Your voice matters. It’s that simple.

Please contact your legislators today. Then forward this to all of your friends and family and ask them to do the same.

Sincerely,

DeeDee Edmondson

Political Director

©2009 MassEquality.org | 262 Washington St., 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02108”

Thank you for partnering with us to show how much people of faith support transgender equality!

Best wishes,

Mycroft Masada Holmes

Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge

Co-Chairs, Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE)

http://www.InterfaithCoalition.org

http://www.interfaithcoalition.blogspot.com

Transgender Equality Lobby Day - THIS THURSDAY!!

The email we sent today:

Dear Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE) Supporters,

We hope this finds you well as you begin 2010. Please remember to vote today, and to encourage others to do so. We are currently drafting ICTE’s next e-newsletter.

Today, we are writing to update you on the status of the Massachusetts transgender civil rights bill, and to let you know that we need your help to pass it!

An Act Relative To Gender-Based Discrimination & Hate Crimes’ (House Bill 1728 / Senate Bill 1687) is having a Transgender Equality Lobby Day THIS THURSDAY, JANUARY 21st!

Transgender Equality Lobby Day

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

2:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Nurses Hall

Massachusetts State House

Beacon St. - Boston

(MBTA - Park St. / Downtown Crossing)

That’s the day after tomorrow, and everyone's help is needed. Here are three ways you can take action:

1) ATTEND – We need as many visible supporters as possible present for Lobby Day.

We had 300 supporters at the Transgender Equality Lobby Day last April – let’s double that number! Please RSVP to the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC): http://www.masstpc.org/legislation/lobby-form.shtml. They are organizing the Day, and providing volunteers, lobbying packets, and other materials – including cookies.

If you are a clergyperson or other faith leader who can come vested, or a layperson who can wear symbols of your faith, please do so. We will provide ICTE stickers and our member Keshet (http://keshetonline.org/) will provide Jewish ones.

2) INVITE OTHERS – Use the event’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=202912131913&ref=ts

You can also forward and edit this message, within Facebook or outside through email.

3) MEET WITH YOUR LEGISLATOR -- Call now and make an appointment to meet with your State Represenative and Senator on Lobby Day. All the necessary materials and lobbying training will be provided at the Statehouse.

__ Calling Script __:

Receptionist: Hello, (name of committee OR name of Senator’s office).

You: Hello, can I please speak to Representative/Senator X’s scheduler please?

Receptionist: One moment please. (They will transfer your call to a legislative aide.)

Legislative aide: Hello, Representative/Senator X’s office.

You: Hello, my name is (your name) and I am a constituent of Representative/Senator X.

I am calling because I will be in Boston on January 21st, attending the Transgender Equality Lobby Day between 2:00 pm and 5:00 p.m., and I would like to schedule an appointment with Representative/Senator X -- to discuss their support of “An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes.” (Also known as HB 1728 / SB 1687 or the Transgender Equality Bill.)

The Legislative aide will tell you if your Representative/Senator will be available to meet, or they may offer you to speak with one of his/her staffers.

Legislative aide: Yes, Representative/Senator X and/or legislative staffer Y would be available to meet with you at (time).

You: That’s great! I really appreciate Representative/Senator X taking time out of his/her busy schedule to meet with me.

-------

Please contact the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) at info@masstpc.org or 617.778.0519 for more information or assistance, or if you have any trouble scheduling a meeting with your legislators or their staff. You can also visit their Lobby Day page:

http://www.masstpc.org/legislation/lobbyday10.shtml

We need to pass this vital legislation as soon as possible – and to do that, we need everyone to take action to make Lobby Day successful.

Thank you for helping us show how much people of faith support transgender equality!

Sincerely,

Mycroft Masada Holmes

Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge

Co-Chairs, Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE)

http://www.InterfaithCoalition.org

http://www.interfaithcoalition.blogspot.com

Transgender Equality Lobby Day is next Thursday, January 21st!

Dear Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE) Supporters,

We hope this finds you well as you begin 2010.

We are writing to update you on the status of the Massachusetts transgender civil rights bill, and to let you know that we need your help to pass it!

An Act Relative To Gender-Based Discrimination & Hate Crimes’ (House Bill 1728 / Senate Bill 1687) is having a Transgender Equality Lobby Day NEXT THURSDAY, JANUARY 21st!

Transgender Equality Lobby Day

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

2:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Nurses Hall

Massachusetts State House

Beacon St. - Boston

(MBTA - Park St. / Downtown Crossing)

That’s a week from this Thursday, and everyone's help is needed. Here are three ways you can take action:

1) ATTEND – We need as many visible supporters as possible present for Lobby Day.

We had 300 supporters at the Transgender Equality Lobby Day last April – let’s double that number! Please RSVP to the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC): http://www.masstpc.org/legislation/lobby-form.shtml. They are organizing the Day, and providing volunteers, lobbying packets, and other materials – including cookies.

If you are a clergyperson or other faith leader who can come vested, or a layperson who can wear symbols of your faith, please do so. We will provide ICTE stickers and our member Keshet (http://keshetonline.org/) will provide Jewish ones.

2) INVITE OTHERS – Use the event’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=202912131913&ref=ts

You can also forward and edit this message, within Facebook or outside through email.

3) MEET WITH YOUR LEGISLATOR -- Call now and make an appointment to meet with your State Represenative and Senator on Lobby Day. All the necessary materials and lobbying training will be provided at the Statehouse.

__ Calling Script __:

Receptionist: Hello, (name of committee OR name of Senator’s office).

You: Hello, can I please speak to Representative/Senator X’s scheduler please?

Receptionist: One moment please. (They will transfer your call to a legislative aide.)

Legislative aide: Hello, Representative/Senator X’s office.

You: Hello, my name is (your name) and I am a constituent of Representative/Senator X.

I am calling because I will be in Boston on January 21st, attending the Transgender Equality Lobby Day between 2:00 pm and 5:00 p.m., and I would like to schedule an appointment with Representative/Senator X -- to discuss their support of “An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes.” (Also known as HB 1728 / SB 1687 or the Transgender Equality Bill.)

The Legislative aide will tell you if your Representative/Senator will be available to meet, or they may offer you to speak with one of his/her staffers.

Legislative aide: Yes, Representative/Senator X and/or legislative staffer Y would be available to meet with you at (time).

You: That’s great! I really appreciate Representative/Senator X taking time out of his/her busy schedule to meet with me.

-------

Please contact the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) at info@masstpc.org or 617.778.0519 for more information or assistance, or if you have any trouble scheduling a meeting with your legislators or their staff. You can also visit their Lobby Day page:

http://www.masstpc.org/legislation/lobbyday10.shtml

We need to pass this vital legislation as soon as possible – and to do that, we need everyone to take action to make Lobby Day successful.

Thank you for helping us show how much people of faith support transgender equality!

Sincerely,

Mycroft Masada Holmes

Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge

Co-Chairs, Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE)

http://www.InterfaithCoalition.org

http://www.interfaithcoalition.blogspot.com

Article re: Rev. Sean Parker Dennison -- transgender UU minister

Thank you to David Levy, the Keshet leader who Twittered this.

"Diversity is an article of faith for Utah gay-friendly church"
South Valley » Transgender minister leads flock of LGBT and straight congregants.

By Rosemary Winters
rwinters@sltrib.com

The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 06/19/2009 10:38:14 PM MDT

http://www.sltrib.com/features/ci_12611602

Cottonwood Heights » The Rev. Sean Parker Dennison knows how it feels to struggle to fit, to blend, to belong.

Now, Dennison greets a variety of people -- young and old, gay and straight, Anglo and non-Anglo -- to Sunday services at the South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society, a religious community that bills itself as "intentionally diverse."

On the chapel's exterior hangs a giant rainbow flag with the label "hate-free zone," a welcome mat for at least one sometimes-marginalized community that has found refuge at the church: lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

Dennison himself is transgender. As a young woman in Iowa, he "tried on every single
Rev. Sean Parker Dennison, minister of the South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society, has led the congregation for seven years. (Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake Tribune)
feminine identity" he could find, from "fundamentalist Christian" high-school girl to "butch dyke," before realizing his true self is a man, not a woman.

Dennison, 43, had his epiphany when he began attending a Berkeley, Calif., seminary to be a Unitarian Universalist minister. He came out a year later in 1997.

"I went to the president of the seminary, scared to death, thinking she might kick me out," he recalls. "When I'm scared, I tend to overcompensate. I marched into her office and said, 'You and the school are going to have the privilege of watching me transition from female to male.' "

The president told him, "How wonderful. Tell me about it."

Dennison says he then "burst into tears because she believed me. I didn't even believe me."

In 2002, he found his first "settled" ministry at the South Valley church in Cottonwood Heights. As a transgender minister, even in the liberal Unitarian Universalist religion, it took a little longer for him to find a long-term post.

"Who would've thought it would be in Salt Lake City?" he says. "They were just ready here. And I think there is something to them feeling like outsiders in the culture of Salt Lake City that made them have a different way of looking at me being different than the normal minister."

Dennison's congregation has embraced the push for civil rights for LGBT people in Utah. Members of the church hoisted a giant rainbow flag in Salt Lake City's pride parade earlier this month. South Valley signed onto Equality Utah's Common Ground Initiative -- a legislative campaign crafted around LDS Church statements about certain rights for same-sex couples, short of marriage, that the Mormon leadership does not oppose. The LDS Church has not endorsed the push, which fizzled in the 2009 Legislature but will return in 2010. Dennison testified on behalf of one of the bills at a House committee hearing, quoting the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

Still, members of South Valley congregation -- 150 adults and 60 children -- are quick to point out theirs is not a "gay church." About 10 percent to 15 percent of attendees are LGBT, estimates Dennison.

Unitarian Universalists -- UUs, as they like to call themselves -- welcome everyone.

That was an important factor for Darin Adams when he adopted the faith in Connecticut a few years ago. A former Mormon who left his church and his wife of eight years after coming out as gay, Adams felt a "void." He missed having a community where he could talk about spiritual things.

He typed "gay-friendly church" -- intentionally avoiding "gay church" -- into Google. He found the Unitarian Universalist church in Westport, Conn. He began attending the Cottonwood Heights chapel last year after moving to Pleasant Grove.

"Everyone's welcoming. Everyone is loved and valued," says Adams, 36. "That's a powerful thing and something that didn't exist in my previous church."

South Valley also has provided support to Robyn Taylor-Granda and her husband, Eddie Granda, as they've worked to adopt five Ecuadorean orphans, who also are Eddie's half-siblings. The kids, ages 11 to 18, arrived in Cottonwood Heights in March. Church members have donated cash, clothing and gift cards to help the couple -- both of whom recently lost their jobs -- provide for the kids.

"Everyone's been really involved," says Taylor-Granda, who also has an 8-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son. "It's a congregation of people who want to be useful and want to give something back."

The kids enjoy coming to church even though they don't speak English, Taylor-Granda says. They like the social aspect of the meetings, which often are followed by pancake breakfasts or other gatherings.

The kids, she says, ask her, "Do you guys have parties every Sunday?"

There aren't parties every week. But South Valley does celebrate diversity -- every day.

An Act of Faith: Western Massachusetts Communities of Faith Speak Out for Transgender Rights

Last evening, about a hundred people gathered at the Edwards Church in Northampton, MA for "An Act of Faith: Western Massachusetts Communities of Faith Speak Out for Transgender Rights." After the first Act of Faith in Newton, MA this past January, several leaders of faith in Western Massachusetts organized an event to bring together communities of faith there in support of trans civil rights. I was honored to be asked to speak at the event, along with Mycroft Masada Holmes, with whom I am a co-chair of the Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE). The evening featured speakers (sixteen in all) from a wide range of faith traditions-- Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Unitarian, Buddhist. The event was punctuated with exhortations, stories, song, prayers, and blessings. Below is an excerpt from my remarks:

This past November, my congregation, St. Luke's and St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Allston/Brighton, MA, was honored to host Boston’s annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. We had been asked to do so because the murder of Rita Hester in 1998, which sparked this now international movement of remembrance, took place mere blocks from the church. I have always found it both moving and sobering to come together with the trans community every year on November 20th, but this time the experience was for me, as a transgender priest serving in that context, truly profound.

But the story I want to tell you tonight took place three years earlier, at a different juncture in my life.

When my partner and I decided to get married in 2005, we had already been together for twelve years. We had each come out in the lesbian community of our women’s college, and had come to the Boston area in 1995 for graduate school. Over the years, we went through a number of changes, not the least of which was my coming out as trans between the late ‘90s and the early years of this decade. Throughout this time, our community of faith-- Christ Episcopal Church in Somerville, MA-- was a tremendous source of support. And so when we decided to get married a few years after my transition from female to male, doing so at our church felt completely fitting. We wanted to get married in a context that recognized and celebrated our journey as much as our arrival at that particular point in time, even as we looked forward to journeys yet to come. Massachusetts’s then recent attainment of equal marriage—indeed, the first such legalization in the U.S.—created a yet more fitting context for acknowledging and celebrating our history, even though we would not be married as members of the same sex. With the day of the wedding nearing, the service and reception planned, the invitations long out, we went to the city hall of our town to apply for a marriage license.

In the time-honored tradition of people about to be married, we were nervous about any number of things that could go wrong, little or big. My slightly less generalized anxiety circled around the procurement of our marriage license: my secret fear was that the clerk at city hall might find some reason not to recognize me as legally male. And while I knew that if that happened, here alone in the U.S. (at that time) we could still have been legally married, the event would not have reflected the journey we had taken.

So there we stood at the clerk’s office counter, each of us in turn filling out the two required sheets of paper. Amid the various questions they might ask, I was concerned about one type of question, more common than one might think, that can come up and cause trans people difficulty in all sorts of contexts: "have you ever had another name, and if so what was it?" If a person has a former legal name that is unambiguously gendered, revealing that name can instantly expose your trans history -- perhaps even an aspect of your medical history -- in contexts where you have very little, if any, control over its reception and dissemination. As is so often the case, documents or decisions with huge impacts on the lives of trans people can be decided on the whim of someone behind a desk. If s/he is having a bad day, so might you, and then some.

After I finished filling out my half of the first form, I looked over my partner’s shoulder. With horror, I noted that she had written out my former first name. After she finished filling out her side of the sheet and we switched, I looked more closely at the form. But it asked “what are your parents names?” and what I had seen was her mom’s first name, which is the same as my old name. Sigh of relief.

So we finished filling out the forms and slid them across the counter to the clerk. She went down the list making sure we'd answered everything... and then, pointing to the “profession” line on my side of the form, she asked, "what does that say?" She had pinpointed the word next to “graduate student”, which I then read aloud: “priest.” "Then you can't get married," she responded. After a shocked pause, I explained that I am an Episcopal priest, not Roman Catholic, and that we can in fact get married. With evident annoyance, she took our paperwork to finish her part. The moment had felt teachable enough as it was, so I kept my thoughts to myself. But I will now report that at the very least, the following sequence flew through my head. Thought #1: you can't make this stuff up. Second thought: what was a city employee thinking telling me what my religion would or would not allow me to do? Third thought: being a married priest hadn't previously struck me as a particularly challenging concept-- at least, not in the context of my life. But hey, you never know.

The end of the story is that the license was issued and we went on to have a fantastic wedding. Our church community warmly and enthusiastically welcomed our friends and family from around the country. The service was beautiful. And although it was late October, with balmy seventy-degree weather the days before and, on the day itself, it snowed, just enough to dust the ground and wow our West Coast guests. As we gazed out the picture windows of our reception hall, beautiful fat snowflakes fluttered to the ground. Fittingly, it was a day out of time — a sacred, holy day.

This evening, too, is a holy one: a night in which we have come together to lift up a people who have traveled far and seen much, and who wish to be recognized as the people we are, the people we have been, and the people we are called to become. We come together to celebrate our humanity, both common and distinctive, blessed by unique opportunities but also regularly thwarted by challenges we should not have to face. We gather to galvanize one another and all those who care about peace and justice to do more to make the world a truly welcoming place for all of us. We must pass transgender civil rights legislation right here and right now. We should not have to worry about whether our identities or histories might prompt someone to deny us opportunities of livelihood-- whether in housing, credit, the workplace, schools, a hospital or a doctor’s office-- or even, as our litany of tragedy continued this week in Memphis-- of life itself. May we leave this gathering more committed than ever to doing our part, to supporting one another particularly in our faith communities, to make our world a place where all can be truly free to become the people we are called to become. Thank you.

Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge
Vicar, St. Luke's and St. Margaret's Episcopal Church
Co-Chair, Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality

AN ACT OF FAITH: Western Massachusetts Communities of Faith Speak Out for Transgender Rights

(Crossposted to my blog, MasadArts.)

In January, the bill “An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes” was re-filed in the Massachusetts House and Senate. It would finally add “gender identity or expression” to the state’s discrimination and hate crimes laws and give transgender and gender non-conforming people basic civil rights.

On January 21^st, the Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE) and Keshet held the event “AN ACT OF FAITH: Massachusetts Communities of Faith Speak Out for Transgender Equality” – officially beginning the faith-based campaign in support of the bill.

Tonight, Beit Ahavah (The Reform Synagogue of Greater Northampton), The Edwards Church (United Church of Christ), ICTE, Keshet and many co-sponsors held the event “AN ACT OF FAITH: Western Massachusetts Communities of Faith Speak Out for Transgender Rights” at The Edwards Church in Northampton.

Ten congregations, eleven organizations, fourteen speakers (half of them transgender) and a full house of attendees came together for an incredible service to celebrate transgender people and commit to working for transgender rights.

These are the first and second interfaith transgender events in Massachusetts history! I wish I could tell you everything that they mean to me as a transgender person and leader of faith. What they mean to everyone who attended and everyone else who was part of them. They are miraculous, powerful, wonderful, beautiful beyond description. They are truly transformative.

With their program, each attendee was given the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition’s (MTPC) information about the bill and how to support it, ICTE’s signed Declaration of Religious & Faith-Based Support for the bill, information about the Transgender Emergency Fund, a green commitment card with several actions for the bill and transgender social justice, and wildflower seeds.

The first part of the service was a Welcome. Rev. Dr. Peter Kakos (Pastor, Edwards Church) gave an Invocation, and Rabbi Riqi Kosovske (Rabbi of Beit Ahavah) a Welcome. Gunner Scott (Director, Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition) spoke about Testimony. Rev. Dr. Andrea Ayvazian (Pastor, Haydenville Congregational Church) sang Libby Roderick’s “How Could Anyone Ever Tell You”.

The second part was Tilling The Soil. I preached about the meaning of Transfaith -- to read my sermon (Google Document), click this sentence. Rabbi David Dunn Bauer (Rabbi of the Jewish Community of Amherst) spoke On Chaos And Order and co-led Holly Near’s song “We Are A Gentle Angry People”. My fellow ICTE Co-Chair, Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge (Priest, St. Luke’s & St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church; Founding Member, TransEpiscopal) spoke about Giving Voice To Remembrance – for his blog entry, including his speech, click here. Tynan Power (Regional Coordinator, Al-Fatiha), read from the Qur’an -- Surah al-Inshirah (The Expansion).

The third part was Planting Seeds. Minister Louis Mitchell (Deacon, South Congregational Church; Minister, Recovering The Promise Ministries) gave words and an original prayer. Jan Alicia Netter (President, Unitarian Society of Northampton & Florence) spoke about the Circle Of Caring and read Rev. Richard Gilbert’s poem. Rabbi Kosovske (Beit Ahavah) spoke of the Seeds Of Tradition.

The fourth part was Watering. Yohah Ralph, MDiv (Community Minister; Graduate, Episcopal Divinity School; In Care in the United Church of Christ; Member, First Churches Northampton) gave a Reflection On Faith. Arinna Weisman (Founding Teacher, Insight Mediation Center of Pioneer Valley) spoke and led us in Meditation & Movement.

The fifth and last part was a Closing. Rabbi Justin David (Rabbi of Congregation B’nai Israel) gave a Call To Action. Jennifer Levi (Director, GLAD Transgender Rights Project) spoke of our Next Steps. Rev. Kakos and Rabbi Kosovske gathered all the speakers to give the Benediction.

We speakers processed down the aisle and formed a receiving line behind the pews for the attendees. During that time and the reception that followed, I met many of my fellow speakers for the first time, and was gifted with several people’s responses to my sermon and the rest of the service. How much more so with personal stories about their lives from each of the transpeople, loved ones and other allies I spoke with.

A transman about to come out and begin his transition, who shares my fascination with mixed gender identity and expression. A transman who was partly sustained in high school by looking at my photograph in The Shared Heart (a book, exhibit and curriculum of GLBT youth portraits and essays – I’m the only transperson) every day. A transwoman who came out when she was eight, and went to a GLBT high school. A transwoman who shares my love of creating and wearing jewelry – and possible need for Jewelry Anonymous! A transwoman whose circus work taught her how to unite groups of people through the spirituality of their bodies and the rest of the natural world. A transwoman who like me comes from an interfaith family and has felt unwelcome, but sees and hopes for change. A transman who shares my interest in how faiths can learn from each other’s greatest teachers, including Jesus.

I am so blessed, grateful and proud to be part of tonight’s service, and the work which led to and will follow from it! Massachusetts has always been my beloved home (I was born and have always lived here). I’ve always felt closer to the Western part of the state than most greater Bostonians, yet I haven’t had nearly enough interaction with that community. This evening and its process was a rare and precious window and door into the amazing transgender and allied community of Western Massachusetts. What a privilege to witness such a thing, never mind be so welcomed and included! Hinei ma tov, how good it is to see the parts of my state uniting for transgender social justice and becoming more (of a) whole in the process.

Transpeople and our loved ones have been and are hurt, in faith communities and the rest of the world. We and our allies have much work and a long journey ahead of us, towards our inclusion in communities of faith and social justice. Tonight’s service acknowledged all of that, and yet was also so healing and hopeful. Tonight is part of a movement that will transform this state and country and beyond.

For the flyer (PDF), click here.

For the program (PDF), click here for the outside and here for the inside.

For the Facebook page, click here.

For my photos (Picasa Web album), click here.

The event was also photographed and filmed.

For the Edge Boston article, "Bay State religious groups back transgender rights bill" (by Joe Siegel, New England Editor), click here. For more press coverage, you’ll soon be able to click here.

Thank you to the event committee – Rev. Andrea Ayvazian, Rev. Eric Fistler (Minister of Christian Education, Edwards Church), Orly Jacobovits (Senior Organizer & Community Educator, Keshet), Rabbi Riqi Kosovske, Jennifer Levi, Jan Alicia Nettler, Tynan Power, Gunner Scott, Marcus Simon (Office Manager, Beit Ahavah), Marsha & Bill Zimmer (latter is President of Beit Ahavah).

I must especially kvell (be proud) about Marcus because he’s also a “TWiG”, a member of Keshet’s Transgender Working Group. And I must especially thank Tynan because he coordinated press coverage, and his family photographed, filmed, and co-led a song. Also, special thanks to Cameron for schlepping Orly and I from and to Boston.

Thank you to our cosponsors, speakers, volunteers, attendees and everyone else who was part of this event!

Mycroft Masada Holmes

Co-Chair, Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE)

Chair, Keshet Transgender Working Group (TWiG)

Cambridge Welcoming Ministries -- Reconciling Saint Sunday

ICTE Supporters and other readers, I want to let you know about a wonderful faith event that will take place this Sunday, April 19^th, at 5:00 p.m. Cambridge Welcoming Ministries will be celebrating their annual Reconciling Saint Sunday, at College Avenue United Methodist Church (in Somerville, just outside of Davis Square).

I’ll be attending with a friend and am so looking forward to it!

Every year, CWM hosts a celebration of Reconciling Saints in honor of those who advocate for full inclusion of all God’s beloved children. This year, they honor the life and ministry of Bishop Melvin G. Talbert. Bishop Talbert has been a tireless advocate for the civil rights of all people over the course of his ministry. The service will also include special guests.

A Reconciling Saint embodies the qualities of a faithful believer who is passionate, courageous, caring, audacious, and dedicated to the vision of a fully inclusive church in which one day lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons will be welcomed and loved as equal believers in the Church of Jesus Christ. A Reconciling Saint has, through their leadership, witness and action, diligently advocated and struggled for such a vision in the United Methodist Church.

Cambridge Welcoming Ministries is the spiritual home of my fellow ICTE members Sean Delmore and Marla Marcum. Sean co-chaired ICTE’s An Act Of Faith event with me, and CWM’s pastor Reverend Tiffany Steinwert was one of the AAOF speakers.

I celebrated Easter this past Sunday at CWM’s Worship Service and Fellowship Dinner. I had the most wonderful time. It was the perfect way to return to celebrating the holiday and Holy Week.

I’ll be posting an entry about that experience soon. In the meantime, I will tell you this. I’ve been very fortunate in my experience as a transgender person and leader of faith. But I have never felt so welcomed and included by a faith community as I did on Sunday night.

Even though it was my first visit to the congregation, I found that CWM truly embodied the words and phrase “welcoming” and “ministry”. (Though I shouldn’t be surprised after my experiences with Sean, Marla and their colleagues!)

One of the most meaningful things about the evening was the way transgender people and issues were raised up during the service. How much more so because this wasn’t done by the transpeople present but by the allies. It is more important than ever to empower transpeople to speak for themselves. It is also wonderful to be entering a time when we transpeople don’t always have to be the ones to raise trans issues; a time when even when we’re not at the table, we can know that someone there is raising them. It was so powerful to witness these acts of alliance, including the congregation and pastor’s positive response. Especially as last week was Transgender Equality Lobby Day here in Massachusetts and beyond.

I invite you to learn more, attend this Sunday, and invite others. All are welcome! Indeed, Reconciling Saint Sunday is an important step forward in the movement towards “all means all”.

Cambridge Welcoming Ministries has a website and a blog, and can be reached at info@cambridgewelcomingministries.org and 617.776.4172. CWM is also on Facebook, MySpace and elsewhere.

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Mycroft Masada Holmes

Chair, Keshet Transgender Working Group (TWiG)

Co-Chair, Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE)

http://MasadArts.blogspot.com/