Transgender golfer denied entry into tournamant

Lana Lawless, a 57 year old transgender woman who won the women’s world championship in long-drive golf in 2008, is suing the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and it's sponsors after being denied entry into this year's tournament.  The Long Drivers of America, which organizes the tournament, changed their rules to match the LPGA policy, which specifically states that competitors be “female at birth," a statement that according to Lawless would violate California's civil rights laws.

Sponsors Dick’s Sporting Goods, Re/Max, and CVS are also named in the lawsuit, as is the Long Drivers of America.

“It was devastating to me,” Lawless said of the rule change. “How can they say that rule was not changed specifically directed at me if you have a rule that allows me to play and you come back and you change it?”

The topic for debate here is whether transgender athletes possess a greater advantage over other females.  I am unaware of any clinical research, but her case is far from unique, nor is she the first transgender female to win a golf championship.  Other golf organizations-including the USGA-and other sports allow transgender athletes.  In fact, the International Olympic Committee have been allowing transgender people to compete since 2004, provided they have undergone reassignment surgery and at least two years of postoperative hormone-replacement therapy.  Lawless had gender-reassignment surgery in 2005.

Read the full article at the New York Times

Student teacher removed after admitting he's gay

Seth Stambaugh, 23, a graduate teaching student at Lewis and Clark college, was placed in Beaverton Student District as a student teacher in a 4th and 5th grade class at Sexton Mountain, a public Beaverton elementary school.  On September 15, he was informed that he was no longer allowed to teach in his school district.  Why?  Apparently, when asked by a student if he was married, he replied that he was not because he would choose to marry another man, and that's illegal.  This comment got back to a parent, who complained and thus Stambaugh was removed.

This follows a previous complaint about Stambaugh concerning his appearance.  The offending attire consisted of "pressed slacks, a button-up oxford shirt, and a cardigan."  The source of this complaint just happened to be the same parent who later caused Stambaugh to lose his job.

The question here is, was Seth Stambaugh in the wrong by revealing his sexuality to 4th and 5th graders?  That is certainly debatable, and parents obviously have the right to teach their children whatever beliefs they want.  However, if he were straight and told his students that he was married to, or interested in marrying, a woman, no one would bat an eye.  There isn't a single gay parent out there that would complain that their child's teacher was promoting a heterosexual lifestyle.  It's also safe to argue that by revealing his sexuality to his students, he could be helping young people who might be struggling with feelings of their own.  Regardless, it's ludicrous that a school district would fire someone based on a single homophobic parent who apparently has a vendetta against this teacher.

Read the original article at The Portland Mercury.

Welcome!

As I write this, it's October 2010.  We're less than a month away from an election that is all but sure to change the political landscape to one that is less friendly to LGBT people's quest for equality.  Meanwhile, gay teens are still struggling with their sexual identity and being harassed for it, so much that in many cases they feel the need to take their lives.  Gays still can't openly serve in the military and more than 14,000 servicemen and women have been discharged under the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy.  In 45 states a gay individual still cannot marry the man or woman they love, simply because they share the same gender.  These issues personally affect me and I simply can't stand by and watch anymore.

Hence this blog.  What I hope to do here is find cases of injustice toward LGBT individuals and expose those guilty as the homophobes they are.  Whenever someone loses their job due to their sexuality, whenever a hate crime toward an LGBT youth is committed, whenever a politician tries to score political points by spreading hate toward the gay community, you'll read about it here.  The more we expose these people for what they really are, the more people will recognize how wrong it is. 

Thanks for reading!