Randy Smith, who served in the first Iraqi war, added: “I definitely wouldn’t want to share a shower with a homosexual. We took care of that kind of stuff, just like (Kirkland) said.”
Smith later tried to apologize, saying he knew of violence against gay service members in concept only and never knew of any actual incidents or anything that he could report, but maintained he was “telling it how it is actually” and claimed that hazing would come if “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed.  Smith also said he he has a 19-year-old gay daughter who lives in California, and that while he “disagrees with her lifestyle,” he understands that it is her right to live it.   “I don’t begrudge her because she’s gay,” Smith said. ”… I would have no problem standing beside a gay man in a time of war, standing back to back, him having my back and me having his back, but I would, as I said last night, have trouble sharing a shower with a gay man.”

Dr. Kirkland, on the other hand, just dismissed his original comments as a “joke.”  In more recent days, he has issued a statement to “clarify” his position, but he has still not recognized that the problem is one of bigotry and intolerance towards LGBT people, and that problem needs to be addressed immediately in both the military and society at large.
The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition would like to remind both Dr. Kirkland and Mr. Smith that they do not have to look far for examples of violence in military, or in the district they seek to represent, against LGBT people.

• On July 5, 1999, Private First Class Barry Winchell, a Missouri native stationed at Fort Campbell, part of which is in the 8th Congressional District, was bludgeoned to death in his sleep by fellow soldiers because he was in a relationship with a transgender woman he had met in Nashville at a local nightclub.
• There are several other acts of violence within the district that have been based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.  In 1992, an entertainer named P-Nutts was found with her throat slashed in Clarksville.
• On July 15, 2007, a lesbian from Lauderdale County was left blind in one eye as a result of a beating at a nightclub in Jackson because she looked too masculine.
• On July 18, 2009,  the home of a transgender woman in Benton County was burned down.

In addition, there have been many violent acts perpetrated against African-American transgender women in Memphis, part of which is also located in the 8th Congressional District.

The 8th District Primary will not take place until August 5.  If a candidate is not willing to take a public pledge to support equal rights for all, and is not willing to denounce discrimination and violence against LGBT persons, they do not deserve your vote.

There is nothing funny about violence against LGBT people, and anyone who thinks such violence is a “joke” does not deserve to be a public, elected official.

Yesterday, a new date for the trial was announced in Memphis: Monday, July 12.

If convicted, McRae faces a maximum of 10 years in Federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Johnson was found murdered in Memphis in November 2008. No arrests have ever been made in that case.

Those who voted Yes on the motion were:

• Les Winningham (D-Huntsville), Chair
• Ron Lollar (R-Bartlett), Vice-Chair
• Judy Barker (D-Union City)
• Tommie Brown (D-Chattanooga)
• Ulysses Jones (D-Memphis)
• Mark Maddox (D-Dresden)
• Johnnie Turner (D-Memphis)

We urge you to thank them for refusing to support this ill conceived, discriminatory bill.  Those who voted No, and, thus, were willing to pass the bill were:

• Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville)
• Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald)
• Terri Lynn Weaver (R-Lancaster)

Later, on Wednesday afternoon, the companion bill, SB1250, by Dewayne Bunch (R-Cleveland), was sent to the General Subcommittee.

The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition was one of many groups that worked in opposition to these bills.  We will remain vigilant in the event there is an attempt to revive this legislation in 2011.

Carla Lewis

Last week, Carla Lewis of Maryville, Secretary of the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition and blogger at manicsquirrel, qualified as a candidate for the Tennessee House of Representatives in the Democratic Primary in District 8, covering parts of Blount and Sevier Counties.

This week, however, Carla decided to withdraw and endorse Marvin Pratt in the Primary instead:

While I would be a constant advocate and voice for gay and transgender Tennesseans if elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, the people of the 8th District in Blount and Sevier counties have needs of their own that require attention.
Ranked the most visited national park in the country with 8-10 million visitors per year, the residents of the 8th district rely heavily on tourism as their greatest source of revenue.  Tourism in general is a poverty industry (often part time and seasonal) for its workers while artificially inflating the cost of living for local residents.

According to the USDA, 20% of children in Sevier County though the age of 17 live in poverty.  With an increase in poverty, so increases the occurrence of domestic violence, drug manufacture and use, and unwanted teen pregnancy.

In addition to addressing economic conditions, I have a few creative ideas on improving the education system in Tennessee such as requiring all public high schools to offer classes in brainstorming, problem solving and critical thinking.

We applaud our friend and collegue for coming forward to discuss so many critical issues of importance, even though she has decided not to run this year.  We look forward to her continued efforts in the political arena on behalf of the residents of District 8, and urge other transgender residents of Tennessee to follow Carla’s lead and consider running for office as well.

Duanna Johnson

This case has brought national attention to Memphis because of the severe brutality of the beating, which was evident on a police surveillance video that was leaked to a Memphis television station in June 2008.

In November 2008, Federal authorities indicted the officer who performed the beating, Bridges McRae, with one count of violating Johnson’s civil rights.  Unfortunately, Johnson had been murdered just one week earlier.

If convicted, McRae faces a maximum of 10 years in Federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

To date, no charges have been filed in the case by the State of Tennessee.  That responsibility rests with Shelby County District Attorney, Bill Gibbons, who withdrew from the race for Governor this morning.  Now that Mr. Gibbons is returning to his job, it is time for him to join Federal authorities in pressing charges in this clear case of police brutality and anti-transgender discrimination.

On Wednesday, the Tennessee House K-12 Subcommittee rolled two bills by Representative Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville), HB0821 which would ban teaching sexual diversity, and HB0812, which would require parents to sign written permission slips for students to take Family Life Courses, until the committee’s Last Calendar, which is expected to be on March 31.

The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition remains opposed to both bills.

Other major bills of interest to TTPC this week are:

Voter ID:

The House Elections Subcommittee has rolled HB 0639 by *Maggart, a Voter ID bill which TTPC has previously opposed because it could disfranchise transgender voters in Tennessee, to Wednesday, March 23.  A separate bill, HB0270 by Watson, Rich, Bass and Evans, was amended to remove the new ID provisions.  TTPC, along with the ACLU and Common Cause, have all dropped their objections to that bill, which is moving through the House.  TTPC remains opposed to HB0639.

Members of the Elections Subcommittee are:

• Eddie Yokley (D-Greeneville), Chair
• Eric Watson (R-Cleveland), Vice-Chair
• Jim Cobb (R-Spring City)
• Joshua Evans (R-Greenbrier)
• Gary Moore (D-Joelton)
• Harry Tindell (D-Knoxville)

The House Elections Subcommittee meets Tuesday, March 23, 1:30 pm CDT, in Legislative Plaza, Room 16.

REAL ID Act:

The House Public Safety Committee rolled HB 1426 by *Niceley, opposing implementation of the REAL ID Act of 2005, until On Tuesday, March 23,.  The Senate companion bill, *SB 1934 by *Burchett,has already passed by a vote of 29 to 1.

In both 2007 and 2009, the full General Assembly passed resolutions opposing implementation of REAL ID by unanimous votes each time.  In addition, officials of the Tennessee Department of Safety testified in January 2008 about their concerns of compliance due to the cost to the state.

To date, Congress has delayed implementation of REAL ID until 2014 for people 50 years of age and younger, and until 2017 for people over the age of 50, but this law remains a real burden for transgender people.

TTPC is strongly opposed to the REAL ID Act of 2005 and continues to support efforts by the state to urge Congress to repeal the law.

Members of the House Public Safety Subcommittee are:

• Vince Dean (R-East Ridge), Chair
• Tony Shipley (R-Kingsport), Vice-Chair
• Ty Cobb (D-Columbia)
• Chad Faulkner (R-Luttrell)
• Pat Marsh (R-Shelbyville)
• Ben West (D-Hermitage)

The House Public Safety Subcommittee meets Tuesday, March 23, 4:00 pm CDT, in Legislative Plaza, Room 16.

Pay Equity in the Workplace:

The Tennessee House Employee Affairs Subcommittee will take up HB0776 by Mike Turner this Wednesday.  This bill, called Pay Equity in the Workplace, would increase penalties for denying equal pay for equal work based on gender.

TTPC strongly supports this bill.

We encourage you to contact members of the House Employee Affairs Subcommittee and express your support for equal pay for equal work regardless of gender.  Members of the Employee Affairs Subcommittee are:

• Mike McDonald (D-Portland), Chair
• Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville), Vice-Chair
• Sherry Jones (D-Antioch)
• Gary Moore (D-Joelton)
• Donna Rowland (R-Murfreesboro)
• Mark White (R-Memphis)

The House Employee Affairs Subcommittee meets Wednesday, March 24, 12:30 pm CDT, in Legislative Plaza, Room 29.

On this Veterans’ Day, we hope all will remember both our Veterans’ and active Service members who volunteer on behalf of their country, and ask Congress to end all discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people in both the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the Department of Defense.

Currently, there is only one bill in Congress that addresses discrimination in the military, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1283).  This bill will repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which bans people who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual, from serving in the military, but it will not lift the ban against transgender people.  The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition asks you to please call or email your Congressional Representative and urge that person to push to add “gender identity or expression” to H.R.1283, so that transgender people who wish to serve their nation can continue to do so.

The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition was one of many groups working across the country on behalf of this legislation which is the first law ever enacted by the Federal government that provides explicit coverage for transgender people, as well as for lesbian, gay, or bisexual people.

We applaud all who worked hard over the past several years tosecure adoption of this vital legislation which will now make it a federal crime to assault a person based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

This law will provide victims of hate crimes the opportunity to seek justice in federal courts.

We now challenge members of the Tennessee General Assembly to adopt HB0335, by Rep. Jeanne Richardson (D-Memphis)/SB0253 by Beverly Marrero (D-Memphis) which would add “gender identity or expression” to Tennessee’s Hate Crimes statute. Currently, Tennessee is one of 38 states which does not provide protection for transgender residents. The rash of hate crimes against transgender persons, especially against African American transgender women in Memphis, make passage of this bill even more important here. Having an additional tool available to victims will make life safer for everyone and send a message that the lives of transgender people in Tennessee have value too.

Once again, the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition thanks all who worked on behalf of the new federal law, especially those who rejected the claims that adding transgender people would be a bad “strategy.”

The vote this morning was 64 to 35. We are, however, extremely disappointed that both of Tennessee’s Senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, chose to vote No, despite the plethora of Hate Crimes against LGBT people, and especially against African American Transwomen, in Tennessee.

Hate Crimes legislation will be the first positive bill covering transgender, as well as lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, ever to reach the desk of the President of the United States. We look forward to seeing President Barack Obama sign this important piece of legislation into law.

The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition also recognizes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which announced plans yesterday to establish the nation’s first National Resource Center to assist communities across the country in their efforts to provide services and supports for older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals.

According to HHS statistics, estimates are that as many as 1.5 to 4 million LGBT individuals are age 60 and older. Agencies that provide services to older individuals may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with the needs of this group of individuals. The new Resource Center for LGBT Elders will provide information, assistance and resources for both LGBT organizations and mainstream aging services providers at the state and community level to assist them in the development and provision of culturally sensitive supports and services. The LGBT Center will also be available to educate the LGBT community about the importance of planning ahead for future long term care needs.

The LBGT Resource Center will help community-based organizations understand the unique needs and concerns of older LGBT individuals and assist them in implementing programs for local service providers, including providing help to LGBT caregivers who are providing care for an older partner with health or other challenges.

Finally, TTPC also applauds the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which also annouced yesterday a series of proposals to ensure that HUD programs are open to all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity as well as the first-ever nationwide survey of housing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. This historic announcement explicitly addresses discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time by a federal agency.

According to the HUD announcement, the proposed rule by HUD will make three important changes to federal regulations. First, it includes language that ensures LGBT families are recognized and covered by HUD programs, including affordable housing assistance. Second it requires organizations that administer HUD grants to abide by state and local laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Third it prohibits consideration of factors other than creditworthiness, including sexual orientation and gender identity, in the awarding of mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration.

All three of these actions from the Nation’s Capitol are major steps forward in ensuring that LGBT individuals and families are treated fairly and with respect across the nation.
We thank all who made this possible.

• Organization: Nashville CARES
• Business: OutLoud Books & Gifts (Ted Jensen & Kevin Melody, owners)
• Media: Linda Welch (Inside OUT© Nashville & XENOGENY©)
• Visual Arts: Bobby Jones (Son of Ellis)
• Individual: Jim Hawk
• Group/Entertainment: MAC Productions

The 2009 BASU Legacy Award recipients will be honored during the Nashville Black Pride© opening ceremony on Friday, October 23, at 7 PM at the Hotel Preston, 733 Briley Parkway, Nashville, TN 37217. The gathering is free and open to the public and is the official kick off of the Nashville Black Pride© theme “YEAR OF CHANGE”. We congratluate all of this year’s honorees.

For more information on Nashville Black Pride #7, Year of Change, contact:

• E-mail: NashBlackPride@aol.com
• Web Site: www.brothersunited.com/blackpride.htm
• MySpace: www.myspace.com/nashvilleblackpride
• You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/nashvilleblackpride