Boston Fraternity Raises Money for Trans Frat Bro's Surgery: VIDEO

A Boston frat is demonstrating exactly what the word fraternity means, raising money for their transgender brother Donnie Collins's surgery. As of this posting, they've raised $6,862. Story below.

Writes Benjamin Lindsay at OUT.com:

Earlier this year, Visual & Media Arts sophomore Donnie Collins pledged as a prospective brother to Phi Alpha Tau, the nation’s oldest professional communicative arts fraternity. An Alexandria, Virginia native, Collins didn’t come out as transgender until age 17 while attending a boarding school in Windsor, Conn. Of his time in an all-girls dorm, he says in a recent interview, “They were really nice, but it was all horrible."

Thus far, Collins has been taking his gender transition one step at a time. Barred from using his mother’s insurance to cover any physical transitions, he has singlehandedly covered the bulk of his hormone therapy since December 2011.

“I’d go to the endocrinologist and pay hundreds of dollars out of pocket, because, of course, I didn’t have insurance of my own,” he explains.

Collins now has a college health insurance policy through Emerson, a policy, like so many others, that is trans-exclusionary. It is common practice for insurance companies to deem female-to-male breast augmentation—or top surgery—as a cosmetic plastic surgery rather than a necessity. So Collins has been raising money for the procedure for months, but it seemed that one door after another would close in his face. His petition for a trans-inclusive policy was recently denied by the college's insurance plan, and his personal Chipin fund will cease when the crowd-funding site shuts down next month.

In a time when his options were running out, Collins’s brothers in Phi Alpha Tau have rallied together to cover some of the surgery’s cost. Find their indiegogo fund here: Brothers of A Boston Fraternity - FTM: Top Surgery. The brothers' fund has already surpassed the $2,000 they initially hoped to donate, but now they’re looking to cover even more of the procedure’s $8,100 cost.

Watch Phi Alpha Tau's fundraising video, and Donnie Collins thank you, AFTER THE JUMP...

Trans Model Channels Michelle Obama for 'Candy'

Model Connie Fleming is Michelle Obama for the cover of the transversal style magazine Candy.

Writes publisher Luis Venegas:

I especially love the cover story, which for the first time isn't a super-popular star, but a fabulous, beautiful black transwoman channeling a politician who looks pretty much like Michelle Obama. I remember back in early 2007 when the Democratic Party’s nominees were narrowed down between two "controversial" stereotypes never before seen for presidency: a black man, Barack Obama; and a woman, Hillary Rodham Clinton. At that time, I thought, 'when will the time come when these archaic walls break down and the White House will be occupied by, for example, a black, transsexual woman?' At that moment I decided someday I would toy with this idea on one of my covers of Candy. Connie Fleming is the model and she's done a fabulous performance, photographed by Danielle Levitt and styled by Brad Goreski.

D.C. Radio Hosts Suspended for Transphobic Exchange

This morning I posted on the disgusting exchange between 980am ESPN radio shosts Steve Czaban and Andy Pollin in which they mocked trans college basketball player Gabrielle Ludwig.

They have been suspended. Wrote the station in a statement:

We strongly believe two of our employees crossed the line when discussing a transsexual person on their program last Thursday. Such intolerance and insensitivity will never be tolerated by this company. Due to the nature of this conversation, the pair have been temporarily removed from ESPN980's Sports Reporters program.

Writes GLAAD: "GLAAD has extended an offer to sit down with Czaban and Pollin and leaders from the transgender community to talk about the issues that affect transgender Americans, particularly those who are involved in athletics. It is important that the lesson they take away from this isn't simply 'don't make fun of transgender people or you'll get suspended.'  LGBT equality and inclusion in sports will never improve unless we are able to use these moments to educate each other and see each other as human beings."

D.C. Radio Hosts Steve Czaban and Andy Pollin Spew Disgusting Transphobic Rant: AUDIO

An inexcusable exchange between 980am ESPN radio shosts Steve Czaban and Andy Pollin has folks calling for their suspension, and rightly so.

The hosts unleashed a transphobic rant last Thursday about trans college basketball player Gabrielle Ludwig, Outsports reports:

They said transgender people should not be allowed to play sports. ”Whatever you’ve got to do to scratch that inner itch and quell those inner demons, that’s fine. But don’t go playing sports then. And don’t go playing sports saying, ‘but I’ve go the rights of everyone else.’”

They make fun of Ludwig’s appearance, including her biceps and tattoos. Clearly reacting to photographs, they expressed deep-seeded disgust at her appearance. “That could be a Russian chick,” they said as they cackled.

They referred to her as “he/she” and as “it.” “I think ‘it’ is the politically correct term.”

Listen to the rant, AFTER THE JUMP...

The hosts reportedly made a 10-second non-apology for their language.

Writes Outsports: "These men are a disgrace to their profession, and they should be suspended without pay."

The NCLR's Helen Carroll released a statement:

The horrific comments by ESPN’s Radio’s Steve Czaban and Andy Pollin show a level of disrespect and harmful rhetoric that is inexcusable.  They called Gabrielle Ludwig, transgender  California Community College student-athlete, “it”.  This and their entire transphobic rant shows a level of ignorance and just plain ‘meanness’ that I try to stay away from.  Unfortunately, the many transgender sports participants I have had the privilege to work with, are not shielded from hateful people such as Steve Czaban and Andy Pollin.  I would think that a sports network that espouses respect for LGBT people will see the harm that is occurring with this rant, be forthcoming with an apology and take immediate action against these two so-called sports radio professionals.

Contact information for the station is located HERE.

Jared Leto Discusses Emotional and Physical Challenges for Role as Transsexual Woman with AIDS

(photo by Terry Richardson. More here)

Jared Leto is playing a transsexual in his new film The Dallas Buyers Club.

Leto recently spoke to ET about the project:

In Dallas Buyers Club, Leto plays a transsexual named Rayon and tells ET the process of transforming into her has been life changing. "It's a lot of work to be a pretty little girl. I have a newfound respect for women in general," he said at The IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards.

"I waxed my entire body, including my eyebrows. I've lost a lot of weight because I'm playing a young person with AIDS. It's been challenging but really inspiring too." Leto told me that it was the opportunity to tell this story that lured him back to acting.

"I haven't made a movie in 5 years. I thought it was a beautifully written script [and] a wonderful character, who I just fell in love with. I figured if I was going to come back and act again, this was the one to do it."

The movie also stars Matthew McConaughey, who has also lost much weight for the film. Here's its synopsis on IMDB:

Loosely based on the true-life tale of Ron Woodroof, a drug taking, women loving, homophobic man who, in 1986 was diagnosed with full blown HIV/AIDS and given thirty days to live. He started taking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved AZT, the only legal drug available in the U.S, which brought him to the brink of death. To survive, he smuggled non-toxic, anti-viral medications from all over the world, but yet still illegal in the U.S. Other AIDS patients sought out his medications forgoing hospitals, doctors and AZT. With the help of his Doctor, Eve Saks and a fellow patient, Rayon, Ron unintentionally created the Dallas Buyers Club, the first of dozens which would form around the country, providing its paying members with these alternative treatments. The clubs, growing in numbers and clientele, were brought to the attention of the FDA and pharmaceutical companies which waged an all out war on Ron. "DBC" follows Ron Woodroof's personal fight to survive which lasted 2191 days when he died on September 12, 1992, six years after he was diagnosed with the HIV virus.

Today is the International Transgender Day of Remembrance

Today is the 2012 International Transgender Day of Remembrance, created to draw attention to the many people killed due to anti-trans hatred and prejudice and mourn those who have been lost.

A shocking number of transgender people are killed each year in murders related to their gender identity, the TVT Project reports:

The March 2012 update reveals a total of 816 reported killings of trans people in 55 countries worldwide from January 1st 2008 to December 31st 2011. The update shows an exponential increase in reported killings of trans people over the last four years. In 2008, 141 cases were reported, in 2009 213 cases, in 2010 214 cases, and in 2011 a shocking number of 248. These are mainly the reported cases that could be found through Internet research and cooperation with trans organizations and activists. In most countries, data on murdered trans people are not systematically produced and it is impossible to estimate the numbers of unreported cases.

GLAAD has posted a timeline of transgender visibility.

The HuffPost looks at 50 trans icons.

The Socially Connected Equality Network made this video in memory of the 265 transgender people who lost their lives in 2012. Writes SCEN: "This video is there to honor those that died so violently and prematurely. Some victims were tortured, burned or shot more than a dozen times only because they were expressing who they truly felt they were inside."

(clip via think progress)