Date: Tue, 05 May 1998 07:56:58 +0000 From: Clare Howell Subject: IYF9 MEDIA ADVISORY - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Editor: Clare Howell, clare@gpac.org . STUDY FINDS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS IN INTERSEX CHILDREN . WEST HOLLYWOOD ADOPTS TRANS-PROTECTION ORDINANCE . VACAVILLE PRISON WARDEN MEETS WITH TRANSGENDER PRISON ADVOCATES . PHILADELPHIA PAPER TRASHES TRANSEXUALS Contact: Cheryl Chase, cchase@isna.org STUDY FINDS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS IN INTERSEX CHILDREN ====================================== [San Francisco, CA: 3 May 98] A STUDY BY DUTCH researchers (Slijper, et. al.) has found that children treated for intersexuality develop psychological disorders. Related in Archives of Sexual Behavior (27), the study of 59 children with a variety of intersex conditions notes that "Despite the sex assignment, genital organ correction soon after birth, psychological counseling of parents and intensive psychotherapy of children, general psychopathology developed in all groups..." The study concludes with a call for a reconsideration of the sex assignmnet in children both with abiguous external genitalia and testes and ovotestes. However it rejects the notion of allowing patients to decide for themselves what genital surgery, if any, is best. Furthermore, intersex activists say the study misrepresents the enlightened guidelines of Diamond and Sigmundson for the treatment of intersex children. Said intersex activist Cheryl Chase, of the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA), "This study misrepresents Diamond's work so as to dismiss it. The Dutch authors wrote that because Diamond calls for an end to genital surgery on infants, he recommends that 'the child should neither be raised as a boy nor a girl, but as an intersex person.' But, in fact, Diamond's study provides extensive and detailed guidelines for how to decide which sex to assign to intersex children. Diamond emphasizes 'In rearing, parents must be consistent in seeing their child as either a boy or a girl; not neuter.' I suspect that Slijper, et. al., have never read Diamond." ### Contact: Transgender Menace Southern California Shirley Bushnell, shirley@earthlink. net Jacob Hale, ZeroboyJH@aol.com WEST HOLLYWOOD ADOPTS TRANS-PROTECTION ORDINANCE ================================================ [Los Angeles, CA: 20 Apr 98] THE WEST HOLLYWOOD City Council unanimously approved an agenda item to direct the City Attorney to draft an ordinance that would amend the City's anti-discrimination statute to include prohibition of discrimination against transgender people. The City of West Hollywood will be the first jurisdiction in southern California to adopt anti- discrimination protections for the transgendered, joining the state of Minnesota and the cities of Seattle, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Iowa City, Evanston, IL, and Cambridge, MA. A number of transgender people spoke to the City Council in support of the agenda item. Mayor Steve Martin recalled the memory of long-time AIDS activist Connie Norman in thanking the transgender speakers for their courage. He also recommended that the City undertake sensitivity training for its staff. ### Contact: Ad Hoc Committee for Prison Health Care Reform Patricia Kevena Fili (510) 839-0524 Scott Cozza (707) 778-0564 Judy Greenspan (510) 655-2931 VACAVILLE PRISON WARDEN MEETS WITH TRANSGENDER PRISON ADVOCATES ============================================== [San Francisco, CA: 1 May 98] WARDEN ANA RAMIREZ Palmer, of the California Medical Facility (CMF) at Vacaville, and representatives of an ad hoc committee advocating for the rights of transgender prisoners met on 30 Apr 98. The meeting, held in the prison, marks the first time an official of the California Department of Corrections (CDC) has met with transactivists to discuss the care and treatment of the transgender prison population. "We requested this meeting after learning about the lack of services and care for transgender prisoners at CMF-Vacaville," said Patricia Kevena Fili, a minister and transgender activist. "We presented our concerns fully yesterday to Warden Ramirez Palmer and key members of her staff, who listened carefully and promised to meet further with us to resolve these problems." Said Cynthia Chandler, Director of Women's Positive Legal Action Network, "We asked the warden to ensure that CMF staff receive special training on the issues surrounding the care and treatment of transgender prisoners." A transgender committee member, who is a member of the San Francisco police department, offered to conduct sensitivity training for prison staff." ### PHILADELPHIA PAPER TRASHES TRANSEXUALS ====================================== [Philadelphia, PA: 1 May 98] IN A NEW LOW IN MEDIA trashing of transgender people, the Philadelphia Daily News' "Real Woman Road Test Crew" ran an April Fool's Day contest where readers were invited to "guess-the-transexual." The contest featured pictures of two women and was headlined "She's a He? Sheesh! (Or is it Heesh?) Readers' task was to guess which one was the "Real Woman." On 8 April, the paper published a photo identifying the "genetic girl" for readers. Responded Beth Farrow, a member of the local transgender group Passages, "My family grew up on a steady diet of this sh*t, and it's one of the reasons why we're estranged today. That's how they see me, as some freak." Morris Thompson, the openly gay opinion-page editor, commented, "One little contest is hardly a cosmic trashing of the transgender community. I'm saying, lighten up..." ### Subscriptions. Please send: subscribe iyf-online or: unsubscribe iyf-online to: MajorDomo@apocalypse.org For prior press releases, check the GenderPAC website at: http://www.gpac.org (c) 1996 InYourFace Our online news-only service for gender activism.