"Transgender Council Member's Name Change Draws Objection

A Rapid City, S.D., council member born with the name Tom Murphy now goes by Marla Marissa Murphy. The legal name change is one of the steps Murphy has taken to match her gender. The new name was granted at a Tuesday court hearing...
There was one objection-- Mark Kirkeby, a Pennington County commission member who lost to Murphy in a 2001 city council race.

But Circuit Judge John J. "Jack" Delaney opined that Murphy is "the same person, the same personality, the same id, if you will." Delaney said he carefully considered Kirkeby's objection but did not think that someone having a contrary opinion was enough reason to deny the name change.

Murphy started the process of changing gender more than a year ago. The transition will not happen until after Murphy completes her term on the council. The term expires in June, and she has decided not to run again. In an interview last year with the Associated Press, Murphy said she has known since age 18 that she wanted what is called gender-reassignment surgery. Murphy said she probably would not be ready for the surgery for several years. To qualify, she must live as a woman for a year and get the approval of a psychiatrist.

Murphy said the name-change process was fairly simple. It required four legal notices, a petition to the court, and a hearing that took about five minutes. Murphy said people should talk to her about the process she is going through. "The only way people are going to learn is by asking questions," she said. Murphy, a never-married 49-year-old retired Air Force master sergeant, has an undergraduate degree in industrial technology and a master's in counseling and human development."

Saw this on Getty images, Korean t/g/ pop group
http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/FrameSet.aspx?s=imagesSearchState|0|0|30|0|0|0|1|||0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|3|korea|0|0|0|0&p=3

Not sure what you were trying to link to, Jonomar, but I came across this article on T/G musicians today which features one of our local gals, Lisa Jackson, along with acts from Minnesota and San Francisco:

The T/G Rock Music Explosion

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Barbara Sommers,

Sorry about that. I guess it was a temporary link. If you do go to the link, you punch in Korea in the search box to the left,that should take you to the Korean Trans band.

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a friend emailed me this story with a link to amnesty int'l website. by following the link you can add your name to a list demanding a through investigation into these allegations. thanks...

>From Amnesty International
******************************
Help Kelly McAllister by demanding an investigation into the allegations of police abuse and ill-treatment.

Take action now »
amnesty int'l website re: kelly mcallister

Kelly McAllister, a white transgender woman, was ordered out of her parked truck on August 16, 2002 by deputies from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department (SCSD). When she refused she was reportedly beaten, pepper-sprayed, hog-tied, dragged across the pavement face down and eventually put in a patrol car. She says her repeated requests to use a toilet were refused and, while she was still in the car, she defecated in her clothing.

Kelly McAllister was charged with assaulting the police and taken to jail, where Sheriff's deputies, jail personnel and other inmates reportedly subjected her to humiliating and threatening treatment, including transphobic
verbal abuse.

Following a separate incident on September 6 she was returned to Sacramento County Main Jail for three days, during which time she was put in a bare, cold basement cell. When she complained, guards reportedly threatened to strip her naked and put her into a metal restraint chair.

Guards later put her in a cell with a male inmate, who was much taller, heavier and stronger than her. She alleges that the inmate repeatedly struck, choked, bit and then raped her. Hospital medical staff who treated her injuries confirmed that she had been sexually assaulted.

The accused inmate accepted a plea of "unlawful intercourse in jail" and was sentenced to three months' imprisonment. However, the SCSD did not investigate the alleged abuses by its own deputies and corrections officers.

Join Amnesty International's call for a thorough investigation into Kelly McAllister's allegations of abuse and the actions of its deputies leading to her rape.

Take action now »
amnesty int'l website re: kelly mcallister

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