Jordan Gwendolyn Davis

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By Jordan Gwendolyn Davis • 11 years ago

Another Part Of The War On Women (Or: Yes, I Am Woman, Too)

On Saturday, many rallies were held around the country decrying the Republican War On Women, a very real offensive that is seeking to turn back the clock on reproductive freedom. I wish I could have gone to the one in Harrisburg, but alas, I had a prior commitment here in Philadelphia.

I am pro-choice, and have been for as long as I even was interested in politics; in fact, one of the first major protests I went to was the March For Women’s Lives in Washington, DC back in 2004, when I was still in disguise as a “cisgender male” (which goes to show how old I am and how close I am to “aging out” of Amplify). Although I do not have the proper equipment to give birth, I stand with the cisgender women, transgender men, as well as genderqueer/agender individuals who may potentially get pregnant, and may want to be able to prevent unwanted pregnancy with birth control, or, if already pregnant, terminate said pregnancy.

The War on Women goes far beyond reproductive freedom. and the perpetrators transcend partisan politics. There, of course, is still wage disparity between genders, the average state legislature is only 23% women (and Pennsylvania is even worse, with a paltry 16%), domestic violence services being the victim of austerity measures, and the fact that Planned Parenthood, which does many great services beyond abortion, is being vilified by the right. These are all issues that should be viewed ...

By Jordan Gwendolyn Davis • 12 years ago

Obama’s Transgender Nanny And What It Means Going Forward

Children who are exposed to those who are different at a young age tend to be a lot more tolerant, and gender differences are no exception. Just today, an AP bulletin on a part of Obama’s early life could explain how he has come to do more for the trans community than any other president.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports via AP:

Once, long ago, Evie looked after “Barry” Obama, the kid who would grow up to become the world’s most powerful man. Now, his transgender former nanny has given up her tight, flowery dresses, her brocade vest and her bras, and is living in fear on Indonesia’s streets.Evie, who was born a man but believes she is really a woman, ...

Children who are exposed to those who are different at a young age tend to be a lot more tolerant, and gender differences are no exception. Just today, an AP bulletin on a part of Obama’s early ...

By Jordan Gwendolyn Davis • 12 years ago

SEPTA Gender Sticker Controversy: Is It Time For Philly To Cut The Pursestrings?

It is a new year, and when it comes to issues surrounding the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), not much tends to change. This includes a discriminatory policy in which gender stickers are placed on monthly and weekly passes with the intention of “fraud prevention” and the unintended consequences that occur for members of the trans*/gender variant community. The powers that be within the SEPTA borg claim that they will be switching to a system of fare cards, much like what is used in New York City, thus eliminating the need for stickers on the passes, which are “stand-alone”. Below is a picture of a typical pass (this is my pass, note the orange F on the upper left ...

By Jordan Gwendolyn Davis • 12 years ago

Trans Woman In Mass Prison Must Receive Laser, Conservative Federal Judge Says

American society tends to run on retribution, and according to the New York Times, other nations dwarf the US in terms of prison population:

Criminologists and legal experts here and abroad point to a tangle of factors to explain America’s extraordinary incarceration rate: higher levels of violent crime, harsher sentencing laws, a legacy of racial turmoil, a special fervor in combating illegal drugs, the American temperament, and the lack of a social safety net. Even democracy plays a role, as judges — many of whom are elected, another American anomaly — yield to populist demands for tough justice.

This American obsession with retribution has often manifested in ugly and triggering ways, such as victim blaming in prison rape. Yes, prison in ...

American society tends to run on retribution, and according to the New York Times, other nations dwarf the US in terms of prison population:

Criminologists and legal experts here and abroad point to a tangle of factors ...

By Jordan Gwendolyn Davis • 12 years ago

This Holiday Season: Don’t Give To The Salvation Army

November is the month of elections and the beginning of the holiday season. Now, with few exceptions, people who support LGBTIQ rights tend to go blue and those who oppose tend to go red. Blue and red happen to be the main colours of the two largest non-profit-thrift-stores-which-help-people-out, the relatively secular Goodwill and the religious conservative Salvation Army, respectively. This is why whenever you are out and about and you are a queer or an ally, and you see a red kettle, you should avoid it like the black plague and go blue, if not local:

The Huffington Post reports:

The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle bell ringers have become a truly iconic part of the holiday shopping season. However, many lesbian, ...

By Jordan Gwendolyn Davis • 12 years ago

My experience with the Transgender Day of Remembrance in Philadelphia

Every year, on November 20, we commemorate the Transgender Day Of Remembrance; this important day was the brainchild of trans activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a response to the murder of Rita Hester of Allston, Massachusetts in 1998 (and what is bittersweet here is that 13 years later, her home state would throw trans people under the bus). I did my duty as a member of the community and attended two events in Philadelphia, the first one was at 5pm and was connected with Occupy Philadelphia, and the second, in contrast, was held at the ornate William Way Community Center at 7pm. This is my experience.

I had already promised my friend Dawn, a fixture in Philadelphia’s trans community, that ...

By Jordan Gwendolyn Davis • 12 years ago

Transgender Children Roundup

There have been many news stories concerning transgender youth in the last month or so, so I will be providing a round-up of five stories about the most misunderstood of queer youth.

MAINES FAMILY OF MAINE HONOURED BY ACLU:

Wayne Maines of Orono, ME is a conservative Republican from Northern Maine. Now, it’s safe to say that conservative Republicans from Northern Maine don’t exactly sign up to be trans allies, but when what he thought to be his son turned out to be his daughter, he was able to put his partisan predilections aside and be a father first.

The Maines family, Wayne, his wife, Kelly, and their 14-year-old children, Nicole and Jonas, were honored Thursday for their efforts toward ending ...

There have been many news stories concerning transgender youth in the last month or so, so I will be providing a round-up of five stories about the most misunderstood of queer youth.

MAINES FAMILY OF MAINE HONOURED BY ...

By Jordan Gwendolyn Davis • 12 years ago

Canadian Ad Confuses Me

As a child growing up in a backwater 60 miles from my current home in Philadelphia, I was confused. I was confused as to why I had that “thing” between my legs. I was confused as to why I couldn’t get hormones and transition much younger. And this continued from adolescence into young adulthood. I was confused as to why I had to be a boy but I just learned to accept it until my mid-20s, when I finally said “frack it, I’m going to be what I’ve always wanted to be, and damn the torpedos.” I did not have the benefit of being a participant in trans-competent institutions, and I do not know how my former boarding school in ...

As a child growing up in a backwater 60 miles from my current home in Philadelphia, I was confused. I was confused as to why I had that “thing” between my legs. I was confused as to ...