JT LeRoy author must pay triple legal fees

A judge rules Laura Albert must pay nearly $350,000 in legal fees, triple what she owes a production company for duping it with fake trans teen JT LeRoy.
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Media blitz puts transwoman off Obama dinner

Media blitz puts transwoman off Obama dinner
Florida firefighter Jennifer Lasko, a representative small-ticket donor, declines the invite after it's reported she used to be a man named John.

San Francisco provides new trans services

A city-funded employment program was launched this week in San Francisco in collaboration with the LGBT Community Center, Jewish Vocational Services, and the Transgender Law Center. The program will provide employment services for the transgender community and employer training and support services. Jewish Mosaic provided diversity training to the entire staff of Jewish Vocational Services in advance of this week’s launch. To read an article about the project from the The Bay Area Reporter, please visit: www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=1977

Clergy ask to review trans pastor's eligibility

United Methodist clergy in Baltimore are asking for the denomination's highest legal authority to review a bishop's decision to reappoint a transgender pastor to lead a city congregation.

Vision TV Program Gets a D-

I'm tempted to give it a D-. I had been sort of hoping that the pronoun troubles and emphasizing that they were "transgendered males" were isolated to the article, but this wasn't the case.

To its credit, it didn't outright criticize or condemn transition, it called it a behaviour rather than a sin, but that's still not the same as allowing for the possibility that (as the article title said) God may have made transgendered people, rather than people who "misguidedly believe" that they're transgendered. The only time we hear that God had anything to do with it was from the mouths of the interviewees themselves, and that not often. It seemed to me the same old "hate the sin / love the sinner" adage when it came to the church argument for being LGBT-affirming.

The producers tend to have some sway in putting together a production like this, and I wonder how much of what we saw was coloured by what the producers wanted to show. I don't know what the selection process was for the interviewees, but certainly their selections didn't much challenge the stereotypes that people have of transgendered people, other than to humanize us slightly. And then, all we saw of them was clothes shopping, putting on makeup, getting dressed, etc., the photo albums, and one of the girls out taking photos in male mode. All I really saw presented to viewers was a caricature, and I wonder how much of that was what the producers suggested they do for the camera, as opposed to the interviewees' own initiative.

I suppose that I shouldn't have let the other recent media treatments get my hopes up about this one.

Take care;
Mercedes

Transsexual Wins Battle Over Surgery Paymentby

365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: May 17, 2007 - 7:00 pm ET

(Allentown, Pennsylvania) A 15-month battle with the administrator of a company insurance plan over the cost of sex reassignment surgery has ended in victory for an Ohio transsexual woman.
Electronics engineer Jan Stacy was told by company that its self insured plan covered the surgery, and in 2006 she entered hospital.
But when she later submitted her bills to the plan's administrator, Highmark Blue Shield, it refused to pay.
Stacy went back to the company human resources officer and again was told the company plan included sex reassignment. Nevertheless, Highmark stood firm, refusing to pay.
She then took her case to Equality Advocates, a Pennsylvania organization that provides legal services to the LGBT community.
Even after the initial intervention of Equality Advocates, Highmark continued to insist that it owed no reimbursement to Stacy and extended the policy exclusions to a routine office visit.
The organization and Highmark agreed to an arbitration process to avoid going to court. But even after Highmark finally conceded that Stacy’s surgery was covered by her employer’s current plan, they continued to refuse to pay most of the claim, on the grounds the surgery was performed "out of network", and that the surgeon did not charge the "reasonable and necessary" amount for the procedure.
Equality Advocates persisted and Stacy’s employer intervened forcing Highmark to reverse its position.
Stacy was ultimately awarded $14,097, the bulk of the surgery costs.
"It is appalling how badly Highmark Blue Shield mishandled Ms. Stacy’s claim," said Katie Eyer, Employment Rights Project Attorney at Equality Advocates.
"Their repeated refusal to pay this claim was clearly the result of bias against the transgender community, and demonstrated a willful ignorance of the medical necessity of procedures such as SRS."
Eyer said that transgenders across the country have "systemic" problems dealing with insurance claims. Stacy was fortunate, said Eyer, that her company has a written policy on equality and that it had its own insurance plan which specifically covered transsexuals.
Few other self administered plans or HMOs have such provisions.

Fired Trans City Worker Among Final Candidates For New Jobby

365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: May 16, 2007 - 7:00 pm ET

(Sarasota, Florida) The city of manager of Largo, Florida who was fired after revealing plans to begin sex reassignment, has made it to the final six for a similar position in Sarasota.
Susan Stanton, 48, learned this week that she will be interviewed for the Sarasota City Manager's job. Eighteen people applied for the position and earlier this month the list was narrowed down to 11 people.
After city officials checked references and conducted background checks six applicants, including Stanton, were left.
The group will receive individual interviews with commissioners and a final selection is expected to be made in June.
The City of Largo fired Stanton - who at the time was still using his birth name, Steve - in March after placing the 48-year old on suspension with pay following an interview Stanton had with the St. Petersburg Times.
Stanton decided to go public after the paper began asking questions about rumors that had begun circulating that Stanton had been seen at out of town locations in women's clothing.
Stanton told the paper she has begun receiving hormone therapy and counseling - a requirement for transitioning.
Following the publication of the interview Stanton issued an email statement to all staff at Largo City Hall outlining the reasons behind the decision to transition and pleaded for tolerance.
City Council said it placed Stanton on suspension because the issue of transsexuality was dividing the staff. But after it voted to fire Stanton councilors said that was not the reason, claiming Stanton was difficult to work with.
Three weeks ago, Stanton applied for the position of city manager in Sarasota. The application bore her new name, Susan, with an asterisk that the name change is pending.
Earlier this week Stanton was in Washington lobbying members of Congress about transgender civil rights.
Meanwhile, in Largo, city commissioners who voted to fire Stanton are calling for an investigation of Mayor Pat Gerard, Commissioner Gay Gentry who supported her.
After about 200 residents signed a petition denouncing Gerard and Gentry commissioners want County Sheriff Jim Coats to investigate whether they or any others elected officials or employees violated the city charter by keeping Stanton's sexuality a secret until she publicly revealed it.
The petition points to a provision in the charter that requires city officials to report any suspicions of misconduct in office to the city commission.