sábado, abril 28, 2007

A brief interlude in the writing marathon

You know how sometimes editor's deadlines come and you still haven't gotten to writing the article? And how sometimes people are asking you to write something and you say yes even though you have a bunch of stuff you're supposed to do first?

Well, enough is enough. L* put her foot down with me, and this weekend I'm working hard to finish an article that was due in February.

So I've been at the computer working since yesterday morning, more or less singlemindedly.

L* went off to her Sunday morning yoga and asked if I'd seen the news?

No, what's wrong?

Apparently a gas tanker exploded early this morning. No one was killed (unbelievable) but driving from Oakland to San Francisco (or perhaps driving back) is going to be no-go for the forseeable future. I think the regular I-80 traffic might go through, but everything coming up from 880 south and 580 (the 580 is our freeway) is not happening.



"They are urging people to telecommute if possible"

Ummm...anyway, now I have to pull my mind back from this and my work week ahead, and buckle down and finish this article.



jueves, abril 26, 2007

Haircuts: Men $35, Women $45, Transgenders $40


L* got the transgender rate on her haircut on Tuesday. She went back to the place she first got it cut before chemo. She's such a cute little guy now, especially when she's wearing her green polo shirt.

L* has been very patient with the strange emotional baggage that we've all been attaching to her hair. By "we all" I mean both her parents and I. Example 1: L*'s dad tells her she looks like her Nana with her curls. Example 2: ktrion tells L* she looks like Nikki Giovanni. These are all (unintentional) attempts to keep L* from cutting her hair.

But she cut it: and she didn't loose any of her strength. And she is looking muy guapo!

In Alma Lopez's film Boi Hair, Lisette, Claudia, and Alice are discussing the difficulty of getting a boi cut, and how the hairdressers always want to give you some Lady-cut: even gay guys--who you'd think would know better! L* has been much afflicted by this of late.


viernes, abril 06, 2007

NACCS Community Award

Every year, the National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies honors local community activists at each annual convention, to acknowledge the importance of social change to our academic endeavors, and to recommit ourselves to our communities.

This year, NACCS gave an award to Sylvia Guerrero and (in memoriam) to her transgender daughter, the late Gwen Araujo.



Since the murder of Gwen Araujo in 2002, Sylvia Guerrero has done tremendous outreach, especially to bay area high schools, about the challenges faced and the rights owing to transgendered teens. Guerrero is being honored for her advocacy and for her work to pass AB 1160, which eliminated the "gay panic" defense
for assault and murder.

During the awards ceremony, Sylvia Guerrero noted that, although she has received many awards, this was
the first time she has been acknowledged by a Latina/o organization. She spoke movingly of the need for Latinos, who value tradition and familia, to truly love, accept, and honor all of our children.

Guerrero's brother mentioned that his father had marched with César Chávez and instilled in his children a sense of pride in being Latino. He spoke about the long struggle of Latinos in the US, and the eagerness to work hard if it could make life better for our children. "We struggled for our lives then," he said, "We didn't think she would have to struggle for her life now." He told the audience that his niece Gwen was a proud Latina. And old-school Latinos need to learn to deal with it.

Sylvia Guerrero and her family received two standing ovations.

NACCS Lesbian BiMujeres and Trans Caucus Resolution



This photo was taken by L* at the memorial service for Ruby Ordeñana in the Mission on March 23. We are now at the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies conference, in San Jose.


NACCS Conference
Spring 2007--San Jose, California
Lesbian, Bisexual Mujeres, Trans Caucus Resolution

Title: Resolution to Support The Gwen Araujo Community Award and to draw attention to the recent brutal murder of Ruby Ordeñana, March 2007.

WHEREAS the NACCS Northern California Foco is presenting a Community Award to Gwen Araujo and her mother Sylvia Guerrero, who worked hard to support AB 1160, the “Gwen Araujo Justice for Victims Act” which amends jury instructions to state that the use of the so-called "panic defense'' is inconsistent with California's comprehensive hate crimes law.

We the Lesbian, Bisexual Mujeres, Trans Caucus wish to recognize and
acknowledge the importance and timeliness of this award considering two recent murders of TransMujeres, most notably the brutal murder of Ruby Ordeñana in San Francisco on March 16, 2007.

WHEREAS the murder of transpeople is part of the violent systemic policing of non-conforming gender expression in families, schools, work places, and communities.

We the Lesbian, Bisexual Mujeres, Trans Caucus acknowledge the necessity for a letter to be drafted by the NACCS Board which will strongly state the necessity for education, resource materials, and demand respect for Trans self-determination in life and in death.

WHEREAS this resolution will not have by-law implications, it will incur a small monetary burden: cost of mailings.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The Lesbian, Bisexual Mujeres, Trans Caucus shall work with the Board to write this letter and have it published in Noticias de NACCS as well as have it sent to the City of San Francisco, the San Francisco Police Department, the District Attorney’s Office, the Nicaraguan consulate, and local media.

Submitted by the Lesbian, Bisexual Mujeres, Trans Caucus

--March 22 Community Flyer about the death of Ruby Ordeñana

Community Mourns Murder of Latina Transgender Woman
Requests Attendance at Vigil to Demand Change

San Francisco, California (March 22, 2007) - A Nicaraguan transgender woman, Ruby Ordeñana (aka Ruby Rodriguez) 24 years old, was murdered on Friday, March 16, 2007. Her body was found on the corner of Cesar Chavez and Indiana Streets in the Mission District of San Francisco. The murder is currently under investigation by the San Francisco Police Department. Community United Against Violence (CUAV), EL-LA, San Francisco LGBT Community Center, TRANS Project, allies, and community members will hold a community vigil in her honor on Friday, March 23, 2007 at 6:00PM, on the corner of 24th Street and Mission Street in the Mission District.

Organizers request that the community bring a white candle to the vigil. There will also be an additional altar set up on Cesar Chavez and Indiana Street, and community members are encouraged to bring flowers, photographs, cards and good wishes to this site. Let us not forget Ruby. She was an exceptional woman who was intent on improving her life. Ruby participated in various support groups and language classes, and idolized Chicana singer Selena.

This murder comes at the heels of at least two other violent deaths of transgender women of color in the San Francisco Bay Area over the past six months. Transgender people, particularly low-income transgender women of color, are disproportionately poor, homeless, criminalized and imprisoned as a result of systemic discrimination in
our daily attempts to access safe housing, healthcare, employment, and education.

Unfortunately, Ruby's murder is not an exception, but an everyday fear for many transgender people who are targeted and brutalized by institutions and society at large. Our communities mourn Ruby's death and ask for a renewed commitment to real safety for transgender communities. It is vital that the Mayor's Office, the San Francisco Police Department, and the District Attorney's Office work to end the cycles of criminalization, poverty, and violence in transgender communities and communities of color.

jueves, abril 05, 2007

Sighting


There was a Querido sighting on Wednesday.

L* is quite sure she saw Querido. But she was in her car, so didn't introduce herself.