transgender

Chrissy Lee Polis Attacker Sentenced to Five Years

September 16, 2011

A Baltimore City Circuit Court judge issued Teonna Monae Brown a sentence of 10 years in prison with five years suspended for the brutal beating of Chrissy Lee Polis, a 22-year old transgender woman.

The assault took place earlier this year at a Baltimore McDonald's in view of patrons and employees, many of whom encouraged the attacker. One employee captured the event on video, later posting it online where it gained international exposure.

Despite the victim's written plea to Baltimore County Circuit Judge John Grason Turnbull that she continues to suffer physical and emotional anguish from the attack, the judge called the prosecutor's recommendation of a five year sentence, "more than reasonable." Ms. Brown was charged with a hate crime and pleaded guilty.

"This horrible crime shows that there is still much work to be done to protect the rights of transgender citizens in Maryland," said Equality Maryland Foundation Board President Patrick Wojahn. "While it's clear that an attack like this is a violation of the law, it is the extreme end of a spectrum that begins with the discrimination that transgender people experience when trying to obtain housing or a job, or to simply be present in public spaces. In order for attitudes to change, the law in Maryland needs to changed - anti-discrimination laws must be amended to protect gender identity and gender expression."

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Pride: Where is the T in LGBT?

June 30, 2011

Pride is that special time of year when we march down main street wearing rainbows and glitter. We celebrate by singing and dancing, and for those who are single, searching for that special someone. But for the transgender/Gender non-conforming/transsexual communities (hereafter collectively referred to as the Trans* communities), there continues to be a feeling of marginalization. There continues to be a lack of activities at Pride welcoming to Trans* people; even the slogans on merchandise have no relevance to the Trans* communities.

Let’s not forget that during the Stonewall riots the entire LGBT community worked together to achieve freedom from their oppressors. This included Trans* men and butch lesbians fed up with being arrested and violated for not wearing correct gender apparel. There were gay men and Trans* women who were angry at being beaten and photographed and having these pictures placed in the paper.

I’ve heard several rants pointing fingers at our Cis-gender siblings (Cis-gender people are those who identify as the gender they were assigned and socialized as from birth) in the LGBT community saying they don't care about the needs of Trans* people. And I have seen the lack of visibility of Trans* friendly event spaces and even shopping booths. However, I’ve also seen a gradual shift in attitudes and awareness towards those who are gender non-conforming. For example, in prior years, Baltimore Pride had gender-marked Port-o-pots; this year they were unmarked. I know you might be asking yourself, why does that matter? Well, for Trans* people who scan everywhere they go for the safest place to have their needs met, this is progress. This means that Trans* people had no fear of being harassed for using what others perceived as the “wrong” Port-o-pot. We only had the same fear as all people have – the smell and germs. This small act created a safer space for Trans* people and made Pride a little more inviting. Additionally, Baltimore Pride’s Grand Marshal was Trans* and there were more transgender voices on the Pride committee than in the past.

I look forward to the progress we’ll make at next years Pride as a more inclusive place for all. One day I hope Pride becomes the celebration of self-expression and freedom it was intended to be; where we all work together because we recognize our similarities instead of our differences. And lastly, that we look around and ask ourselves how we can help more people feel welcome at Pride.

Tags: Pride transgender

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Wanna be a Super Model - We're looking for a few good gender queers

May 24, 2011

In partnership with Hollaback Baltimore, the Transgender Response Team (TRT) will be creating a public service announcement (PSA) to promote positive visibility of transgender and gender nonconforming Marylanders. Our message is one of unity among our diverse communities, and of nonviolence and equality for all.

We are looking for transgender and gender nonconforming spokesmodels representing our diversity (age, race, gender, passing/not passing,
etc.) to participate in the video shoot. We already have four people signed up from the TRT to participate. We currently have 4 open slots available (maybe more, we'll see how things sort out). Previous modeling/acting experience not at all necessary, but patience and a sense of humor are a big plus!

Tags: transgender Community PSA Gender Identity

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Trans Parency: Owen's day in Congress

May 19, 2011

This post was written by Owen Smith, Equality Maryland's Gender Equality Organizer. This past Monday, Owen spent the day briefing members of congress on the need for gender identity protections - on a national level. Every week, Owen will be sharing his experiences on Trans Parency, his blog. To contact Owen, click here.

On Monday, May 16th, I was asked by our national partners, National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), to travel to our nation's Capital to help brief Congress and Congressional staffers about the importance of providing legislative protections for transgender people. We were reporting on the findings from the recent study done by NGLTF and NCTE's Injustice at Every Turn.

Tags: Trans Parency Owen Smith transgender Gender Identity

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GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY ON BALTIMORE COUNTY HATE CRIME CASE

May 17, 2011

ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 17, 2011) – Governor Martin O’Malley issued this statement today following the hate crime charge in the beating of Chrissy Lee Polis last month in Rosedale:

“I want to commend BaltimoreCountyState's Attorney Scott D. Shellenberger for using every available means to prosecute the heinous beating of Chrissy Lee Polis last month.

“Even with Maryland's 'hate crimes' law, it is clear that more must be done to protect the rights and dignity of transgendered people. In the struggle for justice and equality for all, I'm committed to working with the Maryland General Assembly during the next legislative session to increase awareness and provide even greater protections for transgendered people.

“As some have noted, out of this awful beating has come a moment to foster a deeper understanding and respect for the dignity of all persons. We should not allow the moment to pass without greater action.”

Tags: Governor Martin O'Malley transgender hate crimes Gender Identity

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