Hungarian couple swap sexes

A married couple in Hungary have become the country's first pair to swap sexes.

According to the Hungarian magazine Blikk, the woman had a sex-change to become a man and vice versa.

Doctor Laszlo Pajor who led the operation in the southern town of Szeged said the surgery had been successful.

But the couple have already experienced their first problem when the "new woman" was taken to the female ward to recover.

The hospital's other patients would not accept her and she then had to be transferred back to the male ward.

From: camillesh@yahoo.com (Camille Hopkins)

Dear Friends,

The Buffalo News seems to have taken somewhat of a favorable interest of the Trans community here. In Sunday's (Oct. 20) paper there are two stories about transsexuals. One story, "The Transition", is about a Trans woman who returns to Kenmore West High School (a Buffalo suburb) for her 25th year reunion. The other story, "A New Face at
City Hall", features myself.

Both articles present an honest portrayal of many transsexuals' lifes by showing us in a positive light as well as connecting us to a setting familiar to most people - that of family. Donna with her loving mother and son and me with my supportive & loving parents. My hope is that many will think we're somewhat different but OK
individuals. At least that's the feedback I've received so far. We can hope a little progress was made today.

Take care.
Camille

Here is the text and the URL to both articles:
"A New Face at City Hall" -

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20021020/1030560.asp

"The Transition" -

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20021020/1030562.asp

The Florida Department of Health and rehabilitative Services needed time to implement internal policy changes following the June 2002 news that intersexed people and post-operative transsexuals born in Florida were to be allowed amended Florida birth certificates reflecting their corrected sex and gender-appropriate names.

The policy clarification, implemented in mid-October 2002, reflects current medical knowledge concerning transsexuals as well as their
realistic needs.

Intersexed or transsexual persons requesting an amended Florida birth certificate must provide the Florida Department of Health with (1) a
copy of the court order granting a change of name under either Florida Statute, Section 68.07 regarding legal name change or a substantially
similar statute from another state; (2) a notarized affidavit from the physician who performed the sex reassignment surgery; and (3) a fee for birth certificate amendment (currently $20). Use of Florida Department of Health Form DH 430, Affidavit of Amendment to Certificate of Live
Birth, is recommended. The affidavit must include the physician's medical license number and be accompanied by medical records, signed by the physician who performed the surgery, certifying that the individual has completed sex reassignment in accordance with appropriate medical procedures and is now considered to be a member of the new gender for all medical purposes.

The issued birth certificate will be marked "Amended" but without identification of what has been changed. Additional copies may be
ordered for a moderate additional cost.

Both Equality Florida

[www.eqfl.org]

and the National Center for Lesbian Rights

[www.nclrights.org]

will post a Florida Name Change/Birth Certificate Amendment kit at their respective websites. The kit will include required forms as well as a sample physician's letter. NCLR has supported Equality Florida in its efforts to bring about this policy change.

Intersexed and postoperative transsexuals born in Florida can obtain additional information by contacting the:

Office of Vital Statistics
Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services
P.O. Box 210
Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042
(904) 359-6929 or
(904) 359-6931.

Contact Person: Vanessa Edwards Foster; Houston, Texas
Contact Email: ntacmedia@aol.com
media@ntac.org
Contact Phone: 832-483-9901
Website: http://www.ntac.org

Paul Cosgrove, Chair of the Community Health Partnership today announced that the agency has awarded the 2002 Public Health genius Award to Lori Buckwalter of Portland. Buckwalter, Executive Director of It's Time Oregon receives an unrestricted award of $5,000, based upon demonstrated originality, insight and ability to create lasting change in the public health arena. The award was presented at a breakfast meeting, October 10th at the Multnomah Athletic Club.

Cosgrove stated, "Buckwalter is receiving the Public Health Genius Award for her compassion, dedication, achievement, and commitment to social
justice in behalf of transgendered people in the city of Portland and elsewhere." Agency officials report her work has resulted in lasting
changes to both local and national public health policies, law enforcement and public safety initiatives, and civil rights ordinances. Her advocacy has been recognized for its creativity, patience and persistence, and for the considerable personal vulnerability it has
entailed. Her public volunteer work has made a profound difference to the dignity, health and safety of individuals and the entire community.

In 2001 Ms. Buckwalter was also awarded the Portland Mayor's Human Rights Award and the Basic Rights Oregon Fair Workplace Award, as well
as receiving national recognition as a leading transgender rights advocate. Buckwalter is employed by Kaiser Permanente. A Kaiser
Permanente representative stated Buckwalter has made substantial contributions to the company's handbook on Culturally Competent Care:
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) Population.

In presenting the award, Multnomah County Commissioner Serena Cruz said of Buckwalter, "She is a passionate, articulate and tireless advocate
for civil rights and equal justice. She played a key role in working with both the City of Portland and Multnomah County to successfully
expand civil rights protections including gender identity issues."

Cruz added, "Sometimes we are lucky enough to have a citizen who can illuminate a problem and who will work with government and the community
to create a remedy. Our Genius Award recipient, Lori Buckwalter, has taken the private injustices and discrimination that she had endured and
channeled her passion towards establishing rights and protections for others who face the same discrimination."

Community Health Partnership is a local charitable organization that supports public health activities in Oregon. Formerly known as "Friends of Public Health," the Partnership provides Special Needs Grants to public health agencies, scholarships for public health education and is an advocate for improvements in public health. This is the first year for the agency to present the Public Health Genius Award.

In accepting the award, Buckwalter announced she is donating half of her $5,000 award to Outside In, a local nonprofit agency supporting homeless
and runaway youth, particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. In response to Buckwalter's generous gift, Powell's Books matched the gift of $2,500 to Outside In and Dr. Toby Meltzer's office made an additional gift to Outside In.

Brian Bolton, Executive Director of Community Health Partnership stated that the agency will be accepting nominations for next year beginning
now and through January, 2003. Bolton stated that the event raised more than $5,000, which will be used to support the agency's grants and
scholarship awards.

For information, contact: Brian Bolton or Nancy Donaldson at (503) 416-3690

TIJUANA, Baja California

Vladimir Garcia, also known as Saidi, adjusts his jacket before going out with friends in Tecate, Baja California. The Tecate city govenment recently passed a resolution that prohibits men from dressing as women. David Maung, AP

Homosexuals in the northern city of Tecate
announced Thursday that they would protest a city hall ruling prohibiting male transvestites from dressing as women in public places.


Gay groups are organizing a march, to be supported by the gay-lesbian movements of the cities of Tijuana and San Diego, California, to demand the revocation of a decree that forbids
men from dressing as women and disturbing
the public peace."


The march is slated for Nov. 5, while the Attorney General's Office for Human Rights is working on a document which "advises against the measure, because it is unconstitutional," Attorney General Raul Ramirez said.

Tecate Mayor Juan Vargas said that "there is no turning back," because the measure is not unconstitutional and the rights of some people should not be given preference over those of others "for there are legal, social and moral
laws to ensure harmony and respect."

According to Vargas, gays dressed as women "are a very bad example for the children."

The mayor and the local legislature recently sparked a controversy by decreeing a "restricted timetable" or "state of siege" for underage
youngsters, who are forbidden to be on the streets after 10 p.m.

http://www.thenewsmexico.com/noticia.asp?id=38932

NTAC DECRIES CHEAP SHOT TACTICS IN YPSILANTI CAMPAIGN

Transgender groups, including the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition, are up in arms over what they call "low blows" by conservative groups trying to repeal Ypsilanti, Michigan's equal rights ordinance.

Just days before the elections and the vote on whether to repeal protection for the town's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents, the battle has heated up, with gay and transgender groups up in arms over opposition tactics, including inflammatory language, attack ads and stereotypes about transgender people.

The opposition includes Tom Monaghan, ex-CEO of Domino's Pizza, former Green Bay Packer Reggie White, the religious soul group the Winans sisters, and a group calling themselves
"Ypsilanti Citizens Voting Yes For Equal Rights Not Special Rights."

Meanwhile the Ypsilanti Campaign For Equality (YCFE) is going door-to-door to explain how the opposition is resorting to mudslinging, negative, libelous attack ads.

This bedroom community of less than 23,000, nestled between Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan, passed an ordinance in 1997 protecting its gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents from discrimination. Since then, this city has been in the crosshairs of a relentless attempt to overturn the measure - all of which have failed.


Monaghan, well-known for anti-abortion views, donated about $7,000 to put the initiative to repeal on the ballot. He is not a resident of Ypsilanti, and Washtenaw County Judge Donald Shelton threw out the initiative in August
because Monaghan collected signatures illegally.

Since then, the decision invalidating the initiative has been overturned by the Michigan Court of Appeals, allowing it to be reinstated on the ballot for a vote. A previous vote to repeal the ordinance in 1999 also failed.

Proponents of equal rights are dismayed at the opposition's tactics this year, which harkens back to D. W. Griffith's "Birth of a Nation" styled racist ploys.

The most recent tactics attempt to portray transgenders as pedophiles. In the latest development, the opposition group circulated an ad featuring a picture of a pre-operative transsexual, with the caption "Will you vote YES to protect your daughter ... your granddaughter ... from being forced to use the girl's bathroom with men like this?"

"It's misleading, and very provocative," said Vanessa Edwards Foster, chair of the transgender civil rights group, NTAC. "They implant the message of "protect your daughters" with the false image that male-to-female transgenders all somehow rape or molest.

"It's only a step away from the Klan movie "Birth of a Nation" inferring a need to protect your daughters by saying that all black men wanted to rape white women," Foster concluded. "These broad generalizations are not only inaccurate, they're defamatory and damaging to an entire class of people."


"This is more about a powerful man, Tom Monaghan, with a personal agenda," said Lisa Zuber, co-chairwoman of YCFE. They have been trying to inform voters and Michigan residents about the threat to repeal the ordinance.


"The ballot language is confusing," said Beth Bashert, spokeswoman for YCFE. The language of the ballot requires one to vote "No" in order to keep the equal rights ordinance in place, or "Yes" in order to kill the ordinance. "We
need to make sure that voters understand that the nondiscrimination ordinance will be annulled (if the referendum passes)," Bashert added. "We have to get that message across."

The Ypsilanti Campaign For Equality (YCFE) may be reached at
http://www.ycfe.org

From: The National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC)
Contact Person: Vanessa Edwards Foster; Houston, Texas
Contact Email: ntacmedia@aol.com
media@ntac.org
Contact Phone: 832-483-9901
Website: http://www.ntac.org

Founded in 1999, NTAC - the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition - is a §501(c)(4) civil rights organization working to establish and maintain the
right of all transgendered, intersexed, and gender-variant people to live and work without fear of violence or discrimination.

The Court of Appeal has just issued its ruling
in favour of a trans woman whose application to
join West Yorkshire Police had been refused.

The case of A v West Yorkshire Police has been
dragging on for several years, having already
been heard at an employment tribunal (where it
was upheld), and at the Employment Appeal Tribunal.

The Police have been refused leave to appeal.

Today's ruling is not only an important victory
in discrimination law, it is also the first time
that the UK courts have upheld this summer's
ruling of the European Court of Human Rights
in the Goodwin case.

However, the judgment does contain some unfortunate backtracking on the right to privacy, and we will have to analyse the decision carefully to assess the impact of the judge's remarks in that area.

Claire McNab (Vice-President, Press for Change)
http://www.pfc.org.uk/

This message comes to you from Press for Change,
the UK's trans rights campaign. More info &
online-archives: http://www.pfc.org.uk/pfclists/

BANGALORE:

Subject: India: Organizations seek rights for transsexuals and hijras

Peering through the gender kaleidoscope
--hundreds of thousands of transgendered persons
in a blinkered world that only sees male or female.

For instance, contrast Conway's life with Olga, a woman born as a male in Salem, Tamil Nadu. ``I underwent the sex change operation after I finished school. After that, no college would admit me so I had to discontinue my studies. I have still managed, but there are those who don't even have a ration card,'' said Olga, who attended a recent event for hijras in Bangalore that brought together more than 200 of them from different parts of South India.

Even the numbers support Olga's story: Of the 2,000 hijras in Bangalore City, only three have regular jobs with NGOs, the rest barely survive -- they run public baths, beg or do sex work. Though there are no official figures, there are around 50,000 to 1.25 million hijras in the country. ``A hijra who can afford the sex
change operation gets it done and they become transexuals,'' says Arun Kiran, from Transgender, an organisation working with sexual minorities in Pune.

The moment a man decides to become a woman in India, the person disappears legally. There is not even a remote chance that she can land a decent job or own property -- the only certainty that remains is a life of scorn and ridicule. ``Our society does not give space to
more than two genders. In a patriarchal and rigidly enforced heterosexual world, it is a huge struggle for gays, lesbians and transexuals to come to terms with their identity,'' says
Manohar, who runs Sangama, an NGO for sexual minorities in Bangalore.

Section 377 of the Indian Constitution criminalises what it calls ``carnal intercourse against the order of nature.'' The law was
introduced by the British in 1860, but it has since been repealed in Britain but continues here.

While 377 itself is rarely used to book charges, the police use it to extort money, allege activists. ``There have been many cases of the
police witch-hunting hijras and foisting false cases on them,'' says Famila, a hijra activist with Sangama.

``We have to ensure that hijras like any other minority are able to enjoy basic human rights. The state cannot use its instruments to inflict violence on them. They have to be conferred with literacy and health,'' says Hasan Mansoor, president, Karnataka Public Union for Civil Liberties.

Besides, activists point out that as the AIDS scourge spreads in the country, all awareness campaigns simply bypass sexual minorities even
though the disease is a major threat to them.

They say the ideal way out is allow a little space for everybody. After all, Conway has shown that divergent ideas indeed break new ground no matter what the differences.

From: "Terisa Gibson"

Subject: India: Organizations seek rights for transsexuals and hijras

NewIndPress.com (newspaper group)

http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?
ID=IE420020903043733&Page=4&Title=Features+%2D+People+%
26+Lifestyle&rLink=0

Transgenders, gays march is opposition to Tecate cross-dressing ban

About 400 marchers and more than 1,000 spectators turned out for the protest march by transgendered people and gays in Tecate, a small Mexican border city of 125,000 people, November 12.

The protesters sashayed down the city's main street behind a sound truck playing "I Will Survive," "Girls Just Wanna' Have Fun," "Supermodel (You Better Work)," "Vogue," and "Livin' La Vida Loca."

The march was a protest against a new city law that criminalizes any "man dressed as a woman who transits in the public way causing social perturbation." The City Council passed the law October 21 because, it alleged, cross-dressing prostitutes are soliciting clients in the central plaza, behaving crudely, and spreading HIV.

The law has not been well-received by local residents, who lined the street to cheer the marchers. It also has been widely denounced by newspaper editorial writers, talk radio hosts and callers, and by local, state and national human-rights officials.

"The Tecate mayor is trampling on our rights," said marcher Oeuki. "We are in a free country and he can't violate our rights like that."


"We want this law repealed," said marcher Miguel. "We want the city government to respect every person's way of being."

Jacqueline Ordhez and three of her transgendered friends came from far-away Mexico City for the march. They belong to the Active Homosexual Revolutionary Front.

"The city officials and the police, those fucking people make me sick," Ordhez said. "In Mexico City we are very free. The police don't bother us. If all the gay people get together, we can do something for this state, Baja California."

Tijuana activist and marcher Max Mejía said Mayor Juan Vargas Rodríguez "is trying to rule people's lives as if Tecate were a tiny village far away from anywhere."

Tecate, known for its traditional Mexican downtown plaza, wineries, and a brewery that bears its name, is 25 miles east of Tijuana and 42 miles southeast of San Diego.

"It's important to respond to this as a supporter of gay and transgender rights, and of human rights for everybody," Mejía said. "The support from the people on this matter, if you listen to the radio stations, is just incredible. All the media people are speaking very strongly against this law. The media is really laughing at the mayor."

Tecate residents lining the parade route were unanimous in their support for the marchers.

"It's great. They should be who they are. It's their right," said Israel Morales.

"They have the right to defend themselves," said Ana. "I have nothing to say against them."

"It's important that the international community know what's going on here," said spectator Felipe. "Tecate is a very nice town with nice people but the government is not respecting human rights. It's political repression. We have a new president nationally who ended 70 years of one-party rule, but Tecate has not changed politically."

Roberto Vázquez, the Tecate representative of the Baja California State Office for Human Rights and Citizen Protection, joined the march.

"We are trying to help the homosexuals," he said. "City officials are having good times making laws. Most of the people of the city are against the law; they are calling to the radio stations and speaking against it."

The march stopped for half an hour two blocks short of the central plaza when police had cleared traffic on one side of the street but not the other. "Our permit gives us the entire street, from sidewalk to sidewalk," said Sheila Obregón Mange, president of the Tecate Rainbow Gay Association.

The march resumed only after several marchers carrying a huge rainbow flag ran ahead and used the flag to block oncoming cars––something police had been unwilling or unable to accomplish.

"In Tijuana, we do just march on one side of the street," said leading gay activist Enrique Alejandro García. "It appears the gays are a little more radical in Tecate. They have their permit and they want the whole street." Following the march, a large rally took place in front of City Hall, which sits on the southeast corner of the central plaza. City Hall spokesperson Roberto Rodríguez said it was scandalous that three transgendered persons stood atop a van in front of City Hall, raising their blouses and showing their breasts.

"Did you see that?" he asked this reporter. "Did you see that? Do you think that's right, in front of little children? This is exactly what this law is trying to regulate. This is exactly what we mean by ˜social perturbation.'"

As the rally continued, 12 transgendered Tecate residents went upstairs to the City Council chambers for an impromptu meeting with the police chief and seven members of the 10-member council. (Two non-councilmembers, one the mayor, also have votes on the Council, for a total of 12 votes.)

Although only three councilmembers voted against the law when it was passed, at least five of those present voiced support for repealing it. The next City Council meeting is November 21.

"This is not a regulation against gays or homosexuals," City Hall's Rodríguez explained in an interview. "The sexual contact of every person for us is intimate and free. I want to be very clear about this. We are not against homosexuals, we're not against lesbians, we're not against gays. This regulation speaks specifically to a man dressed as a woman transiting in the public way causing a social perturbation," he said. "It's a matter of the image of the city. They are bothering people, with words and gestures and actions."

Rodríguez insisted cross-dressers are free to walk around Tecate if they do not cause social perturbation, but Mayor Vargas told the local weekly, The Newspaper of Tecate, that even cross-dressers who do not "upset public order" will be arrested.

The punishment for violating the new law is arrest and a fine equal to 40 days' salary at the national minimum wage, which would be about $152.

REX WOCKNER/GayCityNews

Chicago, IL --- November 19, 2002 ---

Today Cook County amended the County's Human Rights Ordinance to include the classification of Gender Identity. The vote came less than two weeks after the Chicago City Council passed a similar amendment by a 40 to 9 vote majority.

With a population of 5.4 million people, Cook County is the largest county in Illinois and one of the largest counties in the United States. The new law affects the nearly 2.5 million people who live within Cook County outside of the City of Chicago. The law provides protection to the transgender and gender variant population by making it illegal to discriminate against a person on the basis of gender identity.

Sponsored by Board President John Stroger, and Commissioners Mike Quigley and John Daley, the ordinance was introduced at the Cook County Board meeting on November 7. The amendment was passed unanimously by the Cook County Human Relations Committee on November 18, and today was passed by the Cook County Board with a vote of 14 to 1 (and 1 voting present).

Miranda Stevens-Miller, Legislative Director of Illinois Gender Advocates, had been working for about two years with the office of Commissioner Quigley on the language and strategy of the ordinance. She said, "What a pleasure it has been to have worked with Mike Quigley on this issue. I cannot imagine a more decent and compassionate public servant."

Commissioner Quigley, Legislative Aide Laura Nelson, and Chief of Staff Jennifer Koehler worked tirelessly in the days following the passage of the Chicago amendment to line up the support behind the Cook County amendment.
Commissioner Quigley had been hoping to pass the Cook County amendment simultaneously with the Chicago amendment, but certainly before the newly
elected Board took over in December. The vote came at the end of a grueling four-hour County Board meeting, as the next to last item of business of the outgoing Board.

The new law amends Cook County's Human Rights Ordinance with the addition of Gender Identity, which is defined as "the actual or perceived appearance, expression, identity, or behavior, of a person as being male or female, whether or not that appearance, expression, identity or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with the person's designated sex at birth." The law provides protection from discrimination in employment, in public accommodations, in housing and in credit transactions.

Beth Plotner, Chair of Illinois Gender Advocates, said, "I am thrilled that Cook County so quickly joined with Chicago to provide the same rights and protections to our community. And as a suburban Cook County resident, I am overjoyed that I can finally stand up and say 'I have rights'."

http://www.tgender.net/mailman/listinfo/ita-announce

I live in Iowa City, IA. Yesterday in the "Close-Up" (profiles of community members) section of our tiny local newspaper a terrific
transgendered person was featured, Cianan. He's a chemistry major, a leader in several important organizations.
I celebrate his courage and energy and his parents, too (are you listening, Cianan's Parents?) A couple of quotes from his interiew: What is your favorite meal? "My mom's chicken enchiladas." The biggest lesson you have learned in life is... "Don't
underestimate people's ability to go on loving you, no matter what happens.
When I came out to my parents, I expected them to throw me out of the house.
I was ready to leave my old life behind and start over. They blew my socks off with how much love they had for me. I couldn't even have imagined it."
Yay, Cianan! Yay, C's Parents! Yay, all transgendered folks. Yay, all people who love transgendered folks. Yay, us!

Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download :

http://explorer.msn.com

The Baltimore City Council became the 53rd jurisdiction in the US to ban discrimination on the basis of "gender identity or expression" this week. Some of those who testified for the measure said that they face discrimination in jobs and housing and are stopped from trying on clothes in stores, as well as being harassed by cops who take them to be sex workers.

GayCityNews/Andy Humm/News Briefs

Ditched by political parties in the last Assembly elections, about 3,000 eunuchs are now seriously contemplating to nominate their representative
from Sayajigunj for the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Interestingly, they have managed to muster support of about 1,000 "fake" eunuchs, who "support their cause". However, the final decision about contesting the election would be taken on Monday, the last date of filing nomination papers, president of the Gujarat eunuch association Veena Masi said.

Veena Masi said, "The Congress had promised support to us. But we realised that politicians never keep their promise. We faced trouble
during the recent communal riots and we made frantic calls to Dalsukh Prajapati of Congress but nobody came to help us. This time we have
decided to keep away from political parties and take independent stand."

According to Veena Masi, a meeting of eunuch association was convened recently and members from adjoining Anand also participated in it. "At
present we are getting mixed response but the picture would be clear by Monday. We would communicate with our members in other parts of the state and get their opinion before taking the final decision." There are about 3,000 eunuchs based in Baroda, Ahmedabad, Surat, Saurashtra and
other regions of the state.

Veena Masi also informed that there is a large number of fake eunuchs in the market. She said, "Though they are fake they have assured their support in case we decide to fight elections."

However, Asha Masi of Baranpura area expressed that she has lost faith in politics and would like to remain away this time. She said, "We had a bitter experience last time. I would like to contribute my time in doing good things for the society rather than be a politician." She maintained that even if a member of her community stands for election, she would keep away from it.

http://www.ahmedabad.com/news/2k2/nov/elec2k2/25eunuch.htm

Ban on male cross-dressing gets a mixed response. One result has been a surge in gay pride.
This city may be minutes from cosmopolitan San Diego and just over the Mexican border, yet life moves as slowly as a colonial village and residents hold tight to their traditions.

The town's central square fills each afternoon with young couples holding hands, old friends
playing dominoes and farmers in cowboy hats lounging on park benches.

Just off the square, however, Saidi's Salon breaks with both history and tradition. Inside on a recent day, Ruben Obregon chatted with
customers, his tight brown blouse fitted at the waist and his jeans laced up to the knees. Jose Alberto Villagomez --black locks in a shoulder-length bob and red shirt.

But now Tecate's city council has approved an ordinance that could make the way Obregon and Villagomez dress a crime. The one-sentence law, approved last month, translates: "Men dressed like women in public who are disturbing the peace can be cited for a lack of morals."

The ordinance is designed to reassert the city's traditional values, protect children and, according to its authors, curtail the sort of promiscuous lifestyle that they worry could contribute to the spread of AIDS.

Suddenly, men who had felt a measure of acceptance and some comfort in this conservative town say they feel threatened. Under the law, they can be arrested, fined $50 and jailed for two days -- as they see it, simply for being who they are.

Activists throughout the region have attacked the ordinance as not only vague -- failing to specify what constitutes cross-dressing -- but grossly
unfair in suggesting that men who dress in untraditional ways are a social and public health threat.

City officials say police officers will make the judgment calls required by the ordinance: Do painted nails, pierced ears and makeup constitute "dressing like a woman," or do only a dress or skirt justify an arrest? And what is necessary to show that peace has been disturbed?

At least one city councilman believes cross-dressers should be arrested if they are kissing in public or talking to young people "inappropriately" --for example, standing too close to them.

Advocates for the cross-dressers -- including gay community leaders on both sides of the border -- say the law has had a silver lining, bringing attention to their issues as never before.

Twenty years ago, most cross-dressers rarely left their houses for fear of being beaten up or harassed, said Saidi Garcia, owner of the hair salon. But this month, they were able to dress in drag and march peacefully through town, even drawing vocal support for their cause.
"We are in our element now," he said. "We are not so repressed. The culture is more open and we are more united."

The controversy in Tecate started this spring, when Mayor Juan Vargas heard from a local doctor that one cross-dressing manreportedly tested positive for HIV. Vargas and the city council drafted the new ordinance, which passed, 9 to 2,
with one abstention.

"We don't want AIDS in Tecate," said councilman Cosme Cazares Burgueno. "The government has an obligation to protect its people. That's the reason we have to take these measures."

Cazares said that he doesn't have anything against gays and that the ordinance could be used
to cite others, including men who disguise themselves as women to commit robberies.

Councilwoman Sonia Chavez Aguilar said the ordinance should help cut down on gay street
prostitution and remove a bad influence for children. "That's not what I'd like my kids to see," Chavez said. "It's immoral."

Chavez said she would also like to make gays
take regular blood tests and carry health cards.

Councilman Jose Carlos Perez Perpuly tried to convince his colleagues that Mexican law does not let local governments infringe on the right of free expression. He called "absurd" the argument that the ordinance will cut the spread of AIDS.

"The resolution doesn't achieve anything," he said, shaking his head. "It doesn't solve the
public health problem. We can't repress a group of citizens that is part of our town. We have the responsibility to secure the rights of all citizens."

The local chapter of the state human rights office opposes the ordinance and plans to
challenge it in court as unconstitutional.

Tecate's gay activists say their community includes perhaps 30 cross-dressers, but midriff tops and brightly painted nails are a glaring contrast with the routine attire of most men:
worn jeans and work boots.

Hairstylist Villagomez said city leaders are using AIDS and public health as a pretext to
apply the ordinance.

"This is a homophobic law from the last century," said Villagomez, a 26-year-old man who plucks
his eyebrows and wears earrings and, occasionally, women's clothes.

To fight against the ordinance, Obregon and
several friends formed the Rainbow Gay Pride Group, which now has a membership of about 40. They delivered a petition to City Hall and twice in two weeks staged protest marches unlike
anything ever seen in the rural town.

Dozens of men wearing tight skirts and high-heeled boots paraded through town during the most recent rally this month. Among the 200 marchers were residents of Tijuana, Mexicali and San Diego, city officials said.

The new ordinance has divided this city of about 80,000, which is surrounded by vineyards and
olive orchards and is perhaps best known for the beer that bears its name.

Beatriz Lopez, a waitress at Cafe Los Pinos in the main square, said she thinks the law and a new curfew for youths are making Tecate a better place to live and visit.

Antonio Carrillo, 74, however, looked up from a
game of dominoes to say that the law is crazy and that men should be allowed to dress as they wish.

For Obregon, 38, there have always been stares and occasional name calling about his appearance. But in the last few weeks he has been arrested three times. The first time, he paid a $20 fine and was released. He said officials from the city's human rights office helped free him after the other arrests.

Earlier this month, Obregon went on a local radio program to raise awareness about the dispute and to say that more should be done to educate the public about HIV and AIDS.

Tecate's gays say they know it won't be easy to get the town leaders to reverse their decision, but that they will keep fighting.

"We are in a macho culture," Obregon said. We have advanced, but very little. We knew, with a march, we weren't going to win the battle. We have to keep fighting."

href="http://www.latimes.com/templates/misc/printstory.jsp?slug=la%2Dme%2Dtecate26nov26§ion=%2Fnews%2Flocal">

[This message was edited by Rose Royalle on 12-01-02 at 05:43 PM.]

City council Members Unanimously Approve Anti-bias Protections for Transgender People

Prompted by the recent slaying of a transgender teen in Newark, the San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to add transgender people to
the list of groups protected under the city's anti-discrimination policy.

Councilman Ken Yeager proposed changing san Jose's harassment policy after learning about the beating death of Eddie Araujo--also known as
Gwen--last month. Araujo was killed after his dual identity was discovered at a party, authorities say.

Members of the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee, a gay and lesbian political advocacy group that Yeager co-founded in 1984, approached
Yeager and Mayor Ron Gonzales about the amendment, which will add protections for gender identity. Current protections include race, color, ethnicity, national origin, disability, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation and religion.

According to Yeager, cities including San Francisco, New York City, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Dallas, and Seattle have adopted similar policies. Yeager said he knows of only one transgender city employee in San Jose, but companies that receive city contracts also would have to comply, he said.

San Jose Mercury News



. .
/\\//\ Gwendolyn Ann Smith * www.gwensmith.com
> () < Columnist, Bay Area Reporter & Philadelphia Gay News
\/()\/ Board Member, FTMI * Board Member, GEA
"I want this to be a harmony of voices" - Lauren D. Wilson


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