Big fat zero: Spokespeople from the Transgender Law Center, the Human Rights Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union told Mic that no statistical evidence of violence exists to warrant this legislation. Vincent Villano, the director of communications for the National Center for Transgender Equality, told Mic in an email that there isn’t any firm data to corroborate these lawmakers’ claims, and that NCTE has “not heard of a single instance of a transgender person harassing a non-transgender person in a public restroom. Those who claim otherwise have no evidence that this is true and use this notion to prey on the public’s stereotypes and fears about transgender people.”

Link to full article from Identities.Mic

Today, during the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting, members approved a resolution which essentially denies the lived experience of transgender individuals everywhere.

Read the whole story here:

http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/southern-baptist-convention-approves-anti-transgender-resolution

By JENNIFER FINNEY BOYLAN, Jennifer. “We Want Cake, Too.”

The TONI project is a first-of-its-kind space for students to share college and university policies important to transgender people. Use this site to learn about campus housing policies, health plans, and curricula, or add and edit information about the school you currently attend.

I have added a record for Texas Tech (http://transstudents.org/texas-tech-university) and would love to be able to fill in the various pieces of the extensive puzzle for current and prospective students.

We agree that Section 1557’s sex discrimination prohibition extends to claims of discrimination based on gender identity or failure to conform to stereotypical notions of masculinity or femininity. [it also] prohibits sexual harassment and discrimination regardless of the actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity of the individuals involved.

 

Here’s the press release from the Human Rights Campaign:

http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/hhs-makes-clear-that-nondiscrimination-protections-under-obamacare-includes

This press release is from TransgenderEquality (http://transgenderequality.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/new-iphone-app-finds-nearby-gender-neutral-restrooms/)

Finally, there is an easy way to find gender neutral restrooms while on the go. A new app, TranSquat, allows users to search for nearby gender neutral restrooms using their iPhone. The app is powered by safe2pee, a nationwide directory of gender neutral restrooms. Users can add and share new locations to help build the directory.

The National Transgender Discrimination Survey found that 22% of transgender and gender nonconforming people were denied access to restrooms appropriate to their gender at work. Using gender-specific restrooms as a trans or gender non-conforming person may lead to stressful, embarrassing, and even threatening situations. And transgender people who regularly delay restroom use out of fear can develop urinary infections and other health problems.

What’s the downside? For now, the app is only available on the iPhone and costs $2.99. Other smartphone users can access the safe2pee database through the mobile site at www.safe2pee.org/new/mobile.