Queer notes: Transgender health and homophobes

This weekend I will be attending the State Democratic Party convention. I'm hoping that the State Party will pass a resolution on transgender healthcare. The resolution calls for anti-discrimination in healthcare based on gender identity. Currently a transgender person can be denied insurance coverage on the basis that they are transgender. As far as I can tell there will be only two transgender people at the entire convention-myself and a woman named Vicky Kolakowski, a transgender activist and attorney. Frankly I am a little surprised that there are so few transgender delegates. The National Democratic Party had six transgender people attending at the convention last summer. Unfortunately our efforts for inclusion at the National Party level were unproductive. It will be interesting to see what happens on the State level.

Two thirds of the tg community reports discrimination in their healthcare coverage. And I don't mean what everyone thinks of when they think of transgender folks and healthcare--meaning surgery for transitioning. I mean everyday healthcare that everyone else seems to enjoy. That's why so many folks end up going to Tom Waddell Health clinic. We can't even get coverage sometimes if we are out on our application for insurance, let alone how doctors treat you when you come in the office. If they can deny you on anything that is remotely connected to gender, they will. Assemblymember Mark Leno wrote a great opinion piece last summer on the struggles that folks face...

I have to admit I'm a little nervous about how well it will do. And yet, I have also been impressed with the local support. The SF Democratic Party unanimously supported the resolution and the resolution has been endorsed by the SF Board of Supervisors, SF Labor Council, the Harvey Milk Club and the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club.

I will be reporting from the convention on how well the resolution does on the blog this weekend so for those of you who care about tg issues, wish me luck and check in this weekend to see what happens with this critical issue.

Local queer activist Dennis Brumm sent an email link to a blog in Minnesota that has a picture of a homophobic Senator hiding in the bushes watching a LGBT rally. I had to look at the picture several times before I could find her head popping over the bush. Go to the link and it is about ten pictures down. You won't believe me about how bad it is until you see it for yourself. Trust me. Check it out. She really is peeking over the bush to see the rally. Then she gets busted and runs off with her bodyguards.

Finally, go see the new documentary "The Pursuit of Equality" on April 24th at the Castro Theater. You can see the trailer at www.pursuitofequality.com. There is a great clip of Rosie O'Donnell coming down the steps of City Hall after her wedding. There were at least a thousand people waiting at the bottom of the steps for her. I admit I was one of them and I admit again that I was teary-eyed. I'm truly a both a sucker and a softie.