Wedding Surprise "Gifts?"

Well, I suppose this is as good a time as any to announce to all of you-I have a little surprise for the groom!!!

Trans Vets Win!

From the Advocate:

A pair of transgender military veterans recently won an important recognition victory that advocates say could have wide-reaching effects on how the U.S. armed forces treats its transgender members and veterans. 

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey announced Tuesday that the U.S. Army will allow two trans veterans — Jennifer,(left) a former Sergeant Major in the U.S. Army and Nicolas, a former National Guardsman — to update the names on their discharge papers to reflect their current legal names, granting them access to their earned veteran's benefits at home and at work.

Allowing the two veterans to update "DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," a key identifying document for veterans has potentially far-reaching implications for trans veterans across the U.S., notes ACLU-NJ. Currently, trans service members largely remain silent about their gender identities due to the Department of Defense's instruction 6130.03, which lists any gender-affirming treatment, surgery, or behavior as evidence of a "mental illness" that makes a candidate not fit for duty. 

Go here for more!

Movin' Along!!!!

Fortunately, I was able to move my computer and other bloggin "Stuff" to a new home without incident-so far!!! What's going on is I am moving from my old house into another in route to my partner Liz's house in Cincinnati.  But, I still have to sell my original house in the spring.

At any rate-more than a couple very positive happenings took place.

The first is a landmark protection case concerning transgender school students.  Here is an excerpt from Outword:

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education released a long-awaited, much-needed guidance document for elementary and secondary schools that offer or want to offer single-sex classes.

Included within the document was an important protection for transgender students that should not be overlooked. The guidance states clearly that transgender students must be allowed to participate in single-sex classes consistent with their gender identity. (In other words, consistent with who they are.) This latest positive breakthrough builds on guidance released earlier this year that made it explicitly clear, for the first time, that Title IX extends to claims of discrimination based on gender identity.

Nicole Maines (from left), 14, her mother Kelly Maines and her twin brother Jonas listen to Wayne Maines (right) as he delivers a stirring speech about their experience in helping Nicole seek justice and acceptance as a transgender youth

Plus, a Maine Transgender student’s (above)  lawsuit ended with a $75K award, a final order telling Orono schools to allow bathroom access  to the girl’s bathroom in grade school and middle school.  The need for this clarifying direction to schools across the country could not have been clearer. For more on the story go here.

As soon as I get caught up, I will connect a few dots to the Laverne Cox presentation I went to plus further positive news concerning active transgender military members and vets.