Lincolnj28's blog

I was wandering through Craigslist tonight, and just had the urge to look and see what was going on under jobs in the TV/Film/video category. To my surprise, there was something very interesting. I answered the ad myself, and thought I would cross-post it here in case anyone else was interested.

Oscar nominee casting film about MEN’S GROOMING

Date: 2010-08-23, 3:57PM PDT

Reply to: mensgroomingdoc@gmail.com ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

One of the themes I'm hearing over and over again is that we're
moving toward a single online identity. Information has begun to pile up
closer and closer together. The Internet has been a point of learning
and connection for the trans communities for years. We discover facets
of our identities, find trans positive services, and those of us in more
isolated areas connect with the larger community for support.

To me, the idea of our online identity's solidifying has possible
direct implications for the trans communities. We already know that
human resources reps do Web searches on candidates, and the idea that we
should "just not say anything we don't want others to know" doesn't
necessarily hold water in our cases.

A lot of us use the Web for community building and information sharing. Here are just some of the ways I can think of:

• Trans related blogs, especially from voices that don't get air time in the mainstream LGB-T media
• Compiling information about physicians, counselors, and other service providers who work with us
• Rating those service providers
• Putting out dates and times for conferences, support groups, and other community events.

What do you think about our lives, the role the Internet plays in
growing our community, and protecting our information in this age where
information is increasingly bought and sold without transparency? I see
us as an untapped market, so part of the reason I'm asking is to start a
conversation about how to guard and grow our information in the future.

This week in Seattle is Geek Week (August 13th-22nd), and part of
this week's events is a conference devoted to exploring privacy,
technology, and access to information. I'm here to understand what's
going on now, trending topics, and how these movements in privacy affect
the trans community.

We have a great need to protect the privacy
of our information for a variety of  obvious reasons. Information is
currency now, both literally and figuratively. In my mind, it would be
beneficial for the trans community to understand this and not get left
behind. We are making gains in the legal realm. I think this shows that
we're starting to take control of the words and concepts used to define
us. The next step in this evolution is to broaden this out and make sure
that we begin to control who profits from our lives and experiences.

I'll have more as the conference goes on...

Lincoln

Well, ok, the study actually says they're looking for non-trans people, but I'm trying to use the term cisgender more and more. I picked up the link from an article on www.trans-health.com .

They say they are going to develop online HIV intervention materials to protect the health of these non trans cisgender partners and trans people. There is a $30 gift certificate in it for those who finish the survey.

Here's the weblink:

https://www.allgenderhealth.org/

Although I am glad (and shocked!) to see that they included trans men, part of me wonders how effective online resources will be for protecting the health of our community. I guess only time will tell!

Emerald City Metropolitan Community Church Seattle starts penpal program for transgender inmates

Seattle, WA—

Raised Voices is a new ministry being offered by Emerald City MCC. Letter writing programs are often popular among inmates, since mail may be someone’s only contact with the outside.

Members of Emerald City noticed that there are many Christian programs, as well as amazing queer and trans specific penpal projects. But there wasn’t one that brought the two elements together. And so Raised Voices was born.

Why the name? “It’s a mission statement in itself,” says Lincoln Rose, program coordinator. “As queer Christians, we are mandated to speak against the evils of the prison industrial complex. This is the time to show our incarcerated TGI cousins that they are not forgotten. Our intent is to form relationships and provide support.” As of this writing, they are unable to give money to inmates who ask.

Raised Voices currently serves TGI inmates at facilities in Washington State and Oregon. They feel a regional focus will help with relationship building and resource referral.

Inmates don’t have to be wary of getting religion pushed on them if they sign up. “Absolutely not,” explains Ray Neal, Emerald City’s pastor. “You never have to talk about God if you don’t want to. The mission is to support inmates.” But he does know there’s a need for the faith aspect. “There is rarely any queer-affirming pastoral care provided in the prison system. We want to be available if people do have questions.”

If you or someone you know is incarcerated in Washington or Oregon, let them know about Raised Voices. They can send a letter to this address:

Raised Voices
C/o Emerald City MCCS

This post is originally part of my blog Talk about Gay Racism, which you can find here.

Talk About Gay Racism

Monica's blog, TransGriot, can be found here:

http://transgriot.blogspot.com

Monica Roberts is an amazing activist. One of the founders of the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC), she's been involved in making the world a better place for trans folks since 1998. An accomplished fiction and nonfiction writer, she focuses her writing and activism on increasing the visibility of trans people of color. She is one of four African American trans women to win the International Foundation for Gender Education's Trinity Award, the highest honor that international organization bestows. Her blog, TransGriot, has been going strong since 2006, and is one of the main places I get my news about what's going on in the world. I caught up with her on Facebook, and she was gracious enough to grant me a quick interview for TAGR.

Monica, thanks again for doing this. I read your blog regularly. What made you decide to start TransGriot?

I got fed up with the lack of diversity in the trans blogs at the time, the whitewashing of trans POC's out of trans history and the ignoring of our accomplishments. That led to the January 1, 2006 birth of TransGriot.

Outside of your blog, are you writing anything else?