2nd Annual TransOhio Unity Picnic - June 1, 2008

Please join us on Sunday, June 1, 2008 for the 2nd Annual TransOhio Unity Picnic!

Goodale Park in the Short North
120 W. Goodale Blvd, Columbus, OH 43201
Sunday, June 1, 2008
12:00PM to 5:00PM
Phone: 614-441-8167

This is open to all Ohio GLBTQIA people, friends, family and allies (kids are invited too!)!

TransOhio will provide chicken/main dish and we are asking that everybody bring a picnic-type-food to share (and a serving spoon). Also, don't forget to bring a blanket/chairs for yourself and your guests. Please bring your own drinks. No alcohol is permitted in the park.

Please RSVP to us at TransOhio@wowway.com - this will help with additional planning!

Volunteers are needed! Please email Angie at angie@transohio.org to help at the picnic!

Please join TransOhio for this afternoon of fun, food and friends!

TransOhio May 2008 Newsletter Now Available (Transgender)

Hello TransOhio Friends, Families and Supporters!

The May 2008 issue of the TransOhio newsletter is now available! You can download the newsletter at http://www.transohio.org/news/TransOhioMay2008.pdf

This is a big issue, lots of great stories and things happening in May!

In this issue:
*Lobbying on Capitol Hill with the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE)

*Lobby Day (Ohio) - Registration Open to May 5th

*Short stories by transgender community members

*Photography series featuring Jim H. to open in LA

*Author Amy Bloom reading information

*Coyote Grace performances

*Pride Leadership Journal

*Ohio and national events

*Calls for artwork and papers

And More!

The TransOhio Transgender and Ally Symposium has been rescheduled to August 22-24, 2008!

So, check out the information in the May newsletter and save those dates for us!

Questions?
Email transohio@wowway.com or call 614-441-8167!

Enjoy the May issue of the newsletter and we'll see you at the 2nd Annual TransOhio Unity Picnic!

Our best,
Shane, Karen, Angie, Skylar, Monica, Christelie and Jenni
TransOhio Board

Hello TransOhio Friends, Families and Supporters!

Hopefully you're enjoying the spring weather that's finally made it's way into Ohio!

There's a lot going on this month, so, check out the following events!

This week:

Self-Defense: For Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People
Learn mental, verbal and physical skills
Resistance to a physical attack provides a significantly great chance of surviving

Class is free & open to all LGBT People!
Class meets for 5 consecutive Tuesdays on April 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th and, May 6th from 6pm-8pm.
Location: Pomerene Hall 306 (1760 Neil Avenue, OSU Campus, Columbus, Ohio)
To register: Sexual Violence Education and Support The Student Wellness Center 292-4527 or email sves@osu.edu BRAVO 294-7867

XTRAVAGANZA, A Dance Celebrating Fat, Queer and Trans Bodies
Hosted by Transcendence
Friday, April 11, 2008.
9:30pm- 11:30pm. (Bowling Green State University)
BTSU Multipurpose Room # 228.
Email joeller@bgsu.edu for more info.

Generation 2008 A Summit for young LGBT and allied leaders in Ohio
Saturday, April 12, 2008 at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Visit http://mcc.osu.edu/ for more info!

Next Week:
NCTE Lobby Day 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Training for NCTE Lobby Day
Visit http://www.nctequality.org/ for info

NCTE Lobby Day 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Rally and Lobby Day Visits on Capitol Hill
Visit http://www.nctequality.org/ for info

NCTE Town Hall Meeting on Trangender Rights
Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the, National Center for Transgender Equality, is coming to Columbus on Saturday, April 19, 2008 for a Town Hall Meeting on Transgender Rights!

Please join TransOhio for a discussion with one of the most influential leaders in the movement for Transgender equality in America. Transgender issues affect everyone, and especially anyone who does not conform to society's rigid stereotypes of maleness and femaleness.

Saturday, April 19, 2008. 3pm.
The Center on High (1160 N. High Street, Columbus, OH 43201)

Please join TransOhio on April 19 for this fantastic opportunity to get some of the latest information on the topics that affect all of us. Please feel free to bring your friends, family and others.

TransOhio Monthly Meeting
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Meeting announcements will be made on Saturday, April 19, before the NCTE Town Hall Meeting.

PFLAG-Columbus monthly meeting
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Visit http://www.pflagcolumbus.org/ for more info!


Call for Writers: TransOhio Monthly Newsletter
TransOhio is accepting contributions for our monthly newsletter.

We're interested in the following:

*poetry & short stories (fiction & non-fiction)
*reviews and narratives about workshops & conferences
*opinion essays
*coming out letters to family & friends
*photos & artwork (drawings, paintings, etc.)
*local and national workshops and events
*book and movie reviews or recommendations
*online resources
*trans-friendly doctors, services, support groups, counselors, etc
*GLBTQI identities in the Trans-world
*SOFFA's experiences and observations

Send your contributions by email to TransOhio at: TransOhio@wowway.com!

June:
Will you be in Columbus for Pride 2008? Volunteer to help at the TransOhio Pride 2008 Booth! Email transohio@wowway.com to volunteer! Are you a member of another transgender or ally organization? Contact TransOhio to see how your group can be part of the TransOhio Pride 2008 Booth!

August:
TransOhio Transgender and Ally Symposium (rescheduled from March) Don't forget to mark your calendars for the reschedule TransOhio Transgender and Ally Symposium which is now scheduled for August 22-24, 2008 in Columbus, Ohio. Check out http://www.transohio.org/ for the most up-to-date information!

See ya'll soon!
TransOhio Board

Labor of Love— Where’s Our Respect, Acceptance, Tolerance and Community?

In the March 14, 2008 issue of The Advocate, there was an article called Labor of Love: Is society ready for this pregnant husband? The article was written by Thomas Beatie, a female-to-male transsexual who is now 5 months pregnant. When I first read this article I thought, wow, I’m not sure how I feel about this. Not to mention, this is really going to send the transgender community into an uproar. And I was right. Unfortunately.

I’ve seen some horrible comments get passed back and forth between people in the transgender community—and of course, there has been blatant homophobic and transphobic statements
and reports by news reporting agencies. What I find most troublesome though is the transgender community response. In some sense, I think our own community’s response is more
harmful then those on the outside doing the news reporting. I’ve seen a lot of comments from people about Beatie “not really being transgender” or not being “man enough” or people
referring to Thomas Beatie with female pronouns. To me, that’s pretty disrespectful! And really, just plain old’ distasteful.

I think that we, as a community, want to receive several things, two of which are respect and acceptance. Teaching tolerance is sometimes just not enough, but everything has to begin somewhere, right? We want acceptance at work, from our families, from our friends, from religious communities, from the government, and so on. It’s only fair, right? We are asking people who may not necessarily agree or understand our need to physically and surgically change our bodies, to accept and respect our decisions.

Tolerance (n):
a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.

Acceptance (n):
a disposition to tolerate or accept people or situations.

Respect (n):
to show regard or consideration for: to respect someone's rights.

Community (n):
a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists.

There are a lot of events and people in the world that I don’t agree with and a lot of events and people that I just don’t understand. Honestly. I just don’t get it. In some communities,
for example, the BDSM/Kink community, there’s a saying, “it’s not my kink, but it’s ok” - seems pretty simplistic doesn’t it? I think so. There are people who chose a different path of transition then my own. There are people who decide that they don’t want hormones or decide that surgery isn’t for them. That’s cool. That’s their choice and I respect that. I may not understand it and I may not think that their way is the best way, but, I respect it. I accept it. And, in some sense, I guess you can say I tolerate it.

Thomas Beatie isn’t the first FTM to carry his own child. And my guess is that he won’t be the last either. What is important to remember is that we are responsible for our own actions and reactions. We’re responsible for what comes out of our mouth—the good, the bad, and the consequences. It’s important to remember that your journey is your own. Your life, is your own. How you decide to do it, doesn’t represent the entire transgender community. There’s different ways to express gender and sexuality. There’s no right or wrong way to do it.

I respect Thomas Beatie for his choices, and for being open about his experience. I also admire him—he and his wife made a tough decision to be public about something very private. You may not understand it, but being accepting and respectful goes a long way in a community that often finds itself on the short end of the stick.

Educate. Advocate. Support. Community.

If we don’t support and respect one another, who will?

April 2008 TransOhio Newsletter Now Available

The April 2008 issue of the TransOhio newsletter is now available!

You can download the newsletter at http://www.transohio.org/news/TransOhioApril2008.pdf.

Please join TransOhio and Mara Keisling, Executive Director of The National Center for Transgender Equality, for a Town Hall Meeting onTransgender Rights in Columbus on Saturday, April 19th. See April newsletter for details!

In this issue:

*Town Hall Meeting on Transgender Rights with Mara Keisling from National Center for Transgender Equality

*Labor of Love: Where's Our Respect, Acceptance, Tolerance and Community?

*BRAVO Self Defense Class

*Updated symposium information

*Ohio and national events

*Calls for artwork and papers

The TransOhio Transgender and Ally Symposium has been rescheduled toAugust 22-24, 2008! So, check out the information in the April newsletter and save those dates for us!

Questions?

Email transohio@wowway.com or call 614-441-8167!

Enjoy the April issue of the newsletter!

Our best,
Shane, Karen, Angie, Skylar, Monica, Christelie and Jenni
TransOhio Board

TransOhio and Mara Keisling - Open Town Hall Meeting

Please join TransOhio (www.transohio.org) and Mara Keisling for An Open Town Hall Meeting on Transgender Rights.

What: An Open Town Hall Meeting on Transgender Rights
Date: Saturday, April 19, 2008
Time: 3pm
Location: The Center on High (1160 N. High Street, Columbus, 43201)

Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the, National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE www.nctequality.org), is coming to Columbus!

Please join us for a discussion with one of the most influential leaders in the movement for Transgender equality in America. Transgender issues affect everyone, and especially anyone who does not conform to society's rigid stereotypes of maleness and femaleness.

Mara is traveling the country to talk to us and to listen to our concerns. The evening will focus on issues of gender identity that affect our daily lives; including ENDA, the federal hate crimes bill, Social Security gender-record matching, the Real ID Act, and other issues that challenge us.

Join Mara for the inside story of what really happened in the recent Congressional battle regarding ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Mara will share with us how United ENDA was able to create the one of the most amazing advocacy campaigns in LGBT history.

How and why were transgender people excluded from the employment protection bill?
Why is transgender inclusion a key issue for those who believe in equal employment rights? What are organizations like NCTE doing about it?
Most importantly, what we can all do about it locally!

The National Center for Transgender Equality NCTE is a 501(c)3 social justice organization dedicated to advancing the equality of transgender people through advocacy, collaboration and empowerment. NCTE is our voice in Washington. Come hear how NCTE works to make us heard by our legislators and how you can help make our collective voice even louder.

Please invite your trans, gay, and straight friends - anyone who would like to learn how laws and policies get changed, and who would like to help make equality a reality for everyone. There will be time for discussion after the presentation.

If there are questions that you'd like to submit to TransOhio ahead of time for Mara, please let us know. You can email your questions to us at TransOhio@wowway.com.

Questions? Call TransOhio at 614-441-8167 or email us at TransOhio@wowway.com.

This event is open to the public and everybody is invited to attend.

Please join TransOhio and Mara Keisling for An Open Town Hall Meeting on Transgender Rights

Please join TransOhio (www.transohio.org) and Mara Keisling for An Open Town Hall Meeting on Transgender Rights.

What: An Open Town Hall Meeting on Transgender Rights
Date: Saturday, April 19, 2008
Time: 3pm
Location: The Center on High (1160 N. High Street, Columbus, 43201)

Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the, National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE www.nctequality.org), is coming to Columbus!

Please join us for a discussion with one of the most influential leaders in the movement for Transgender equality in America. Transgender issues affect everyone, and especially anyone who does not conform to society's rigid stereotypes of maleness and femaleness.

Mara is traveling the country to talk to us and to listen to our concerns. The evening will focus on issues of gender identity that affect our daily lives; including ENDA, the federal hate crimes bill, Social Security gender-record matching, the Real ID Act, and other issues that challenge us.

Join Mara for the inside story of what really happened in the recent Congressional battle regarding ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Mara will share with us how United ENDA was able to create the one of the most amazing advocacy campaigns in LGBT history.

• How and why were transgender people excluded from the employment protection bill?
• Why is transgender inclusion a key issue for those who believe in equal employment rights?
• What are organizations like NCTE doing about it?
• Most importantly, what we can all do about it locally!

The National Center for Transgender Equality NCTE is a 501(c)3 social justice organization dedicated to advancing the equality of transgender people through advocacy, collaboration and empowerment. NCTE is our voice in Washington. Come hear how NCTE works to make us heard by our legislators and how you can help make our collective voice even louder.

Please invite your trans, gay, and straight friends - anyone who would like to learn how laws and policies get changed, and who would like to help make equality a reality for everyone. There will be time for discussion after the presentation.

If there are questions that you'd like to submit to TransOhio ahead of time for Mara, please let us know. You can email your questions to us at TransOhio@wowway.com.

Questions? Call TransOhio at 614-441-8167 or email us at TransOhio@wowway.com.

This event is open to the public and everybody is invited to attend.