Monarch Fall 2015

Dear Reader:
Thank you for your interest and support in Transgender Equality.
The Transgender Community reports: 54%attempt suicide, double
the unemployment rate, 41% family rejection, violence,and we are
twenty times more likely to face homelessness than cisgender
people. ONE OUT OF EIGHT TRANSGENDER PEOPLE WILL
FACE MURDERED IN THEIR LIFE TIME. I will share with you
that I live with a knife wound on my hand. Fortunately I survived the attempted
murder: most of us don’t.
When we came together to form this organization no one was prepared for the
demand within our local community. As we grew many came forth to help us in
our humanitarian efforts for equality. One year later we have almost 300 volunteers
and supporters dedicated to improving the lives of our people. However, our work
to create equality for all in the Inland Empire is far from done. Our hope is that by
the end of 2016 we will have 600 people and companies assisting us in our
endeavors. So much work for so few is so little for so many. Please join us.
Over the past year I have received hundreds of phone calls regarding Transgender
issues. One of the main complaints I hear is family rejection. With no family
support the individual has to deal with systemic and willful discrimination from the
general public. The only place we find support is with each other and some
enlightened cisgender friends. I also discovered that Transgender people were
declined emergency assistance from organizations such as Catholic Charities and
the Salvation Army.
As a result of this discrimination we created MONARCH. With the funds we
receive from our advertisers and donors we will be able to complete our current
projects and hopefully create a fund that will allow Transgender people in our
community to request emergency assistance to prevent hunger, evictions,
unemployment and other basic human needs.
WHEN YOU SEE THESE ADVERTISERS PLEASE SUPPORT THEM. They
are the people who have come forward for those least supported in our community.
OUR MOTTO IS:
“WE CANNOT HELP EVERYONE BUT EVERYONE CAN HELP SOMEONE”
Thomi Clinton
President and Founder of Transgender Community Coalition and TDOR Palm
Springs
www.TransCC.org
Photo by Lena Ingram

The Follies of Identity Documents:
From A Jersey Born, Pennsylvania Made,
California Girl
By Jordan Davis
jordangwendolyn712@gmail.com
On August 10, 2015, I was saddened, but not surprised to see that
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie once again vetoed a bill that
would allow those who were born in New Jersey to change their
birth certificates without surgery. Although I usually just face
palm at what the Bully-In-Chief does, this time, it was personal
for this California girl, as while there is a lot to escape from in
New Jersey, one can never escape bad birth certificate laws.
When I pitched the issue to Garden State Equality for legislation
of this type, I was already living in Pennsylvania,where I was
able to get a doctor to sign off on the newly implemented
PennDOTpolicy to get the gender marker changed on my
driver’s license. However,changing my name was tougher; while
I was able to file in forma pauperis so I wouldn’t be burdened by
filing fees, and was able to get a waiver for the publication
requirement, I had to go through a judgment search process that
was redundant and would have been burdening had I not gone
through Mazzoni Legal in Philadelphia. I was lucky though, to
not have a criminal record, because PA bars people convicted of
certain felonies from changing their name, something that could
affect transgender people of color or transgender people with
disabilities,among other things.
While I was doing a lot of activist work in Philadelphia and well
after my name was changed, a bill in New Jersey
(continued on page 22)
Page 6

My Top Manager is a Transwoman
By: Michaela
eplmendy99@aol.com
I first met Kristy after she had been working for a month at
one of my El Pollo Loco restaurants in Thousand Oaks,
California. Kristy is a tall dark haired Latina, transwoman in her
late twenties. While observing her, the first thing I noticed was a
caring and good natured attitude with our customers. She was
our first transgender employee and I was anxious to meet her.
The manager who hired her put her front and center at the cash
register, which is where she belongs. She is great with customers.
As we got to know each other she told me the story of what had
happened at a previous job with Taco Bell. Kristy had worked at
a Taco Bell in the Ventura County area. Though she clearly
identified as a woman, the manager told her she must use the
men's bathroom. While using the bathroom one day, she was
sexually molested by a customer. Her employer's response was to
tell her, she could use the women's room but only when no other
women are inside. One time, while using the women's restroom,
a female customer entered after Kristy was inside. This customer
complained to her husband about a man dressed as a woman in
the ladies room. Her husband pressured store management into
firing Kristy. Unfortunately, her story is not unique. I have heard
so many stories just like hers from other transwomen.
The basic need for any transgender person to get a foothold in
this world is to have a decent job. Today transwomen are more
than twice as likely to be living in poverty. There are
considerable barriers both social and legal
(continued on page 26)
Page 8

Intersex
By Alyce Anders
alyce.m.anders@gmail.com
When I was a young boy, I played sports like the other boys my age. I was
pretty good, and even fantasized about playing major league baseball when I
became a man.
But that day never came. While the other boys grew stronger and more
muscular, I stopped growing, and my body started taking on a more feminine
appearance. My voice didn't deepen like my friends, and instead of growing facial
hair, I grew breasts.
In a year’s time, I went from being one of the tallest and strongest to being
shorter and weaker than the other boys in my class. And for some reason that I
couldn't quite comprehend, my friends stopped being my friends. I did nothing to
them, but yet I became an object of their ridicule. They would sneak up on me and
lift my shirt, often in front of the girls in our class. I would get beat up at least once
a week, and lived in constant fear and humiliation.
I thought things would be different in high school, but it only got worse. We
were required to shower after Physical Ed class, which meant I had to expose my
“freakish” body to the others. My genitalia remained small and somewhat boyish,
and seeing the more mature boys only added to my sense of inferiority.
I was subjected to constant harassment. They would grope my breasts, and hide
my towel so I’d have to run through the locker room naked looking for it. One
afternoon after class, four or five of my classmates held me down and put lipstick
on me, and then wrote obscenities allover my body.
I felt alienated, and began fantasizing about becoming a woman. But at the
same time, I did everything I could to look and act as manly as possible. Then at
age seventeen, I finally started developing secondary male traits like facial hair and
a deeper voice. It was like going through puberty a second time, and it helped me
better conform to my assigned,male gender. Even so, my hidden desires never
diminished.
We do not choose our sexuality, our gender identification, or how our bodies
develop. Despite what some ignorant people claim, a twelve year old boy doesn’t
suddenly decide to grow breasts or seek reassignment. I know that for a fact; I
lived it. The only choice I made was to allow people like that to judge and define
me, instead of embracing the person I was born to be.
Page 10

IT'S NOT ABOUT ME:
MY TRANSITION THROUGH MY FAMILY'S POINT OF VIEW
By Michaela
eplmendy99@aol.com
When I started my transition from male to female I wanted my family to
know that life as they knew it needn't change. I loved my family. I had been
married for over 25 years to the love of my life, Barbara. We were the "Ken
and Barbie couple." I was the rugged, dark and handsome guy. She was the
gorgeous sexy dancer and we had three beautiful children. I was running a
successful business. From the outside we were like the picture perfect
family. But I had a secret that I had been unable to share with my family. I
was born into the wrong body. Underneath my macho male driven veneer
was a female psyche.
The time came when suppression was no longer an option. I was dying
inside. I told my family I needed to transition. I asked them for support and
understanding. I wrote hundreds of letters to our friends and family
informing them of my changes to come and asked support for Barbara and
my three children. My family had been the center of my life and I was
committed to helping them come with me on this journey. I met with a child
therapist to chart the best way to help my children. Barbara could not adjust,
however, to what she saw as losing her handsome, masculine husband. This
was too big a change. She would insist she was not a lesbian. "It's still me
here inside." I pleaded. "Don't you see me?" But she didn't,and without her
support nothing went smoothly with our children. She drank daily and went
on angry tirades.
I came out to my older daughter first. We had been so close. I explained
how for all these years I was hiding the feminine side of myself and showed
her pictures of me made up as a woman. I was not prepared for her reaction
of pain and loss.
"But you’re my father" she said. "I don't want to see these pictures."
I had underestimated how my transition would affect her. I had been a major
force in her life. Through our frequent outings we shared a love of the
outdoors. To her I was the image of the man she would one day marry. In
one afternoon that person disappeared. Several months later she told me,
"you don't realize what a pedestal I had you on. I don't see that ever being
the same."
(Continued on Page 29) Page 13

Foundations of Trans Misogyny
By Roxanne Mariscova
bober.rm@gmail.com
Misogyny, according to the
Merriam-Webster online
dictionary,means a hatred of
women. Its first known use was
circa 1656. Applied to the
transgender community, it means
hatred of transwomen. Without
any disrespect to the experiences
of transmen, the peculiar
circumstance of transwomen are
worth serious thought. In Whipping Girl, Julia Serano uncovers
the foundations of this cultural attitude by her remark that men
and women may be considered equal, but masculinity and
femininity certainly are not. A little reflection unwraps the
underlying assumptions.
For the transwoman however, even her first assertion remains
in question. Statistics quickly demonstrate that society generally
does not regard a transwoman as equal, or even human. There
have been 19 murders of transwomen so far this year. That’s one
every two weeks. A generally accepted statistic indicates that
murder is the cause of death for 1 in 12 transgender persons, 1 in
8 for a transwoman of color. By comparison, the death rate for
our bloodiest conflict, the American Civil War,was 1 soldier in
15. In 49 of 50 states Trans Panic remains a legitimate defense
for murder.
(continued on page 21) Page 15

A Special Thank You
Transgender Pride and TDOR Committee
Operation Safe House of the Desert
Bank of America Corporation
Palm Springs Farmers Ins. on El Cielo Rd.
Desert Regional Medical Center
Eisenhower
Keith Redwine
Erica Thurman
Tim Perlick
Kyler Katez
Ally Zemelman
Doug Wilson
TDOR Special Committee
Palm Springs Farmers Insurance on El Cielo Rd.
Playoff Sports Bar
Clay Decker Cross
Leslie Mariah Andrews
Paul Cochran
Edmundo Ochoa
Scott De La Torre
Keith H. Dager
Scott De La Torre
Samantha Brandy Cross
Elisabeth Miller
Birgit Phillips
Merrill Lynch
Dick Haskamp
Deborah Sutton-Weiss
Elizabeth Miller
Antonio Lopez III
Some Fabulous Leos
Palm Springs Human Rights Commission
Palm Springs Home Team
Brandon Edwards
Pegster Denise
Special Thank You too:
DJ Galaxy/Vincent Corrales for the cover art, Ally Zimelman, Desert Hot
Springs UPS Store, Floyde, Kent and Buddah, Jan David and Carol Ross,
Brad Furh, Will Dean, Eric Davis, Nino, Nicholas Snow, Lisa Morgan,
David Gray and Gray Marketing, Gay Desert Guide, Palm Springs POSH
Hotel, Del Buell for managing our web pages., Tana Pigeon for web
graphics., Playoff’s Sports Bar and Bingo Maniacs: Carlos, Itai, Terressa,
Chiron, Becky, Kent, Floyd, Scott, Letty, John, Joseph, Misty, Rainy,
Stormy, Cisco, Fernando, Pegster, Cathey, Jessica, Susan, Jamie, Cindy,
Creg, Tara, Bill, Krystal, Jason, Eric, Ann-Sophie, Monica, Birgit, Tom,
Rj, Susan and everyone else, Steve, Linda Stevens, Candice Nichols, Lena
Ingram, Pinkie, Carol, Allison, Fabey, Tommi, Fleet, Eve, Dion, Tommy,
Joaquin and Larry, Troy, Dirk, Janet, John, Mark, Bloom in the Desert,
MCC, St. Paul’s, Joni, Church of the Risen Christ, Dr. Stroud, Mona,
Geoff Kors, Paul Lewin, George Zander, Tobi, John DiNapoli, Sisters of
Perpetual Indulgence, Pat Cooper, Craig Dunham, sorry out of room!

Transgender People Unlawfully Killed
In the U.S.
2015
Papi Edwards, 9 th of January
Lamia Beard, 17 th of January
Ty Underwood, 26 th of January
Yazmin Vash Payne, 31 st of January
Taja De Jesus, 3 rd of February
Penny Proud, 10 th of January
Bri Golec, 13 th of January
Kristina Gomez Reinwald, 15 th February
Sumaya Dalmar, 22 nd of February
Keyshia Blige, 7 th of March
Vanessa Santillan, 28 th of March
Mya Hall, 30 th of March
London Chanel, 18 th of May
Mercedes Williamson, 2 nd of June
Jasmine Collins, 23 rd of June
Ashton O'Hara, 14 th of July
India Clarke, 21 st of July
K.C. Haggard, 23 rd of July
Shade Schuler, 29 th of July
Amber Monroe, 8 th of August
Kandis Capri, 11 th of August
Elisha Walker, 15 th of August
Tamara Dominguez, 15 th of August
Kiesha Jenkins, 6 th of Oct.
Zella Zionia, 15 th of Oct.

Transgender People Unlawfully Killed
In the U.S.
2015
Ashton
O’Hara
Vanessa
Santillan
Mya
Hall
Papi
Edwards
Sumaya
Dalmar
Kandis
Capri
Elisha
Walker
No Photo
K.C.
Haggard
Kiesha
Jenkins
There are to many murders to fit on one page, the others are on pages:
4, 7 and 31. Suicides are on page 24 of this edition.

The Mayor and Council
Continue to Support the
Transgender Community

(continued from page 15)
Beyond the basic human rights tragedy still lies the
question of why femininity is so derided and masculinity so
exalted. The answer resides in a physics principle at the
very foundation of the universe. It is called entropy.
Entropy makes it much easier to destroy than to build.
Humans honor power and the immediate drama of
destruction appears to indicate power. This destructive
power is closely associated with masculinity. Caring,
nurturing, and supporting are feminine traits which reflect
building qualities. Building is slow, and often tedious, not at
all exciting and therefore easily undervalued and
dismissed. The fundamental association of building with
femininity versus the dramatic power of masculine
destruction underpins much of the revulsion towards
transwomen.
Page 21

(continued from page 6)
to ease gender change requirements of birth certificates
passed both houses, but was later vetoed by Christie in
early 2014. This would affect me at the tail end of last
year, when frustrated with various things in PA, I
absconded to California, which, like many states, requires
that a birth certificate be presented when switching ones
license over. Even though I had "female" on my PA
license, I had to get a doctor's note (difficult due to it
being hard to locate a doctor while using Medicaid) to
override the New Jersey birth
certificate Governor Christie won't let me change to get
an accurate gender marker on my new CA license, a
process that took 50 days. So Christie is still hurting me
all the way across the country.
We must do better, not only by name changes, but by
the medieval and convoluted system of birth certificates.
A primary identity document should not have
extraterritorial jurisdiction over people's lives, and
transgender people should not have to be put in a
position to have to report a name change, but be unable
to change their gender marker on their birth certificates.
We need to fix society.
Page 22

Hate Crimes
By Cathy Serino
mbnut@hotmail.com
2015 is turning into a record year for the murder of transgender
people. With all these murders, the question everyone keeps asking
is "why are these not being listed and pursued as hate crimes?"
Officials seem to go out of their way to label a crime anything BUT a
hate crime. The reason for this is actually pretty simple, it's hard to
prove motive and when a motive is clear, it's bad for business.
The FBI keeps statistics on hate crimes around the country that
anybody can access and no city or town wants to be on that list
because it damages their image to the rest of the world. What
business or person is going to want to move someplace that has a
high level of hate crimes? The sad truth is that it is so much easier
and profitable to label the crime as a robbery or domestic violence
then it is to label it a hate crime.
Unfortunately this trend will probably continue as long as
politicians and hate groups keep filling people's heads with hate
towards the transgender community. All we really can do is to
continue to put pressure on officials when this happens to properly
investigate these crimes and to also continue to raise awareness of
what is happening.
Eylul Cansin, age 23, Jan. 5 th ;
Melonie Rose, age 19, Feb. 11 th ;
Zander Mahaffey, age 15, Feb. 15 th ;
Aubrey Mariko Shine, Age 22, Feb. 24 th ;
Cameron Langrell, age 15, May 1 st ;
Ash Haffner, age 16, Feb. 26 th ;
Sage David, March 2 nd ;
Transgender Suicides 2015
Taylor Wells, age 18, March 15 th ;
Blake Brockington, age 18, March 23 rd ;
Ezra Page, age 15, March 28 th ;
Ashley Halstrom, age 26, Oct. 14 th ;
Taylor Alesana, age 16, April 2 nd ;
Sam Taub, age 15, April 9 th ;
Rachel Bryk, age 23, April 28 th ;
Kyler Prescott, age 14, May 18 th ;
Jess Ships, age 31, June 24 th ;
Same Ehly, age 21, June 26 th ;
Skylar Marcus Lee, age 16, Sept. 28 th ;
Emmette Castle, age 14, Oct. 7 th

(continued from page 8)
to obtaining a job as well as to transition while on the job.
More than 3 of 5 transgender persons work in states that have no
protection for gender identity in the workplace. Based on six
studies done between 1996 and 2006, 20 to 57 percent of
transgender respondents said they experience employment
discrimination, including being fired, denied a promotion or
harassed. Though even more difficult to measure, transgender
people also face considerable barriers in the job application
process. Even in California, which has laws in place against
gender discrimination in the workplace, transgender workers are
often treated at best as second class citizens.
In Kristy's situation, over a year had gone by and it was past
the statute to file a lawsuit. I was disappointed. I wanted Kristy to
have justice. We also need high profile lawsuits to let employers
know there will be severe punishment for gender
discrimination in the workplace. In the end though, it is
possible that the transgender success stories
told by employers, will bring about the greatest change.
Kristy has done extremely well with us. Our customers
adore her. Today she is the general manager of our
busiest restaurant and I could not be more proud of her. In
fact the restaurant she manages is ranked number two
our of over 400 units in the El Pollo Loco chain for quality
and customer service. We are now at six trans-employees
and growing. Two others have made it into management. I am
quite certain there will more success stories to follow.

(continued from Page 13)
It was naive to believe they would accept what was happening to me
without a great deal of pain and angst. To my children, the father they
looked up to had disappeared. Before transition, I had been their hero and
role model. I doted on them. Made them each feel special and safe with one
on one time as they grew up. I championed every cause in their lives.
A close friend asked to meet for coffee to talk about the letter I had sent.
He wanted to tell me of his two transgender friends in high school who later
tried to transition and took their own lives. I was aware that over 40% of
transmen and women attempt suicide. I was going to therapy. I had a loving
family. I would be okay.
My two younger children, still living at home, would ask of me through
their mom, "You need to stay in your room when their friends come over."
She would add, "Don't embarrass them. You chose to do this, so live with
the consequences." I angrily explained this was not a choice. Who in their
right mind would make such a choice to risk losing everything dear to them?
I was no longer to go to my children's schools or to school events for fear of
their friends finding out about their dad. I was not to meet with their
counselors.
When my 13 year old daughter had open house at middle school, I
decided to attend, anonymously. On the classroom wall I found her poem
among those of her classmates. It read:
“When I was 4 years old I would sit on my daddy's shoulders and I was on
top of the world. Nothing could hurt me. Now everything has changed. I am
no longer daddy's little girl. I am no longer safe. Now even the sound of his
voice sickens me."
I was reeling from the loss of my children. I began to feel that they would
be better off without me. I needed to do the right thing. A transgender friend
had committed suicide by piping in the exhaust from his car into his closed
garage. I began thinking of how I might make my own exit and give my
family relief from the pain and embarrassment I was causing them.
A few days later, I am sitting in my car next to my 18 year old son. I can't
do his anymore. What is there left to live for? Everyone will be better off
without me. I open my door and step out into the road to face oncoming
traffic. I see my son running towards me as I fall to the ground. The smell of
hot musty asphalt fills my lungs. He grabs hold of me, and says, "Dad I
don't care what.
Page 29

gender you are in, this family needs you. Please don't leave us."
This wakes me up. He gets on the ground next to me and gives me a
hug. I whisper, "Thank you Shimon. I love you. I won't leave you."
The next day I see my therapist who tells me suicide is a selfish act. .
She told me my wife and children will NEVER get over it. That every
day they will wonder what they could have done to prevent it or how
they contributed to i cause.
I was feeling pain over the loss of love from my children. But they
had lost more than I had. While I was moving towards a life of
fulfillment and freedom they were losing a beloved father who cared
for them; made them feel safe, important and cherished. I stopped
feeling sorry for myself and let go of my anger for not having their
support. We had all needed space. I left home soon after beginning
my transition. After about eighteen months, things started to change.
It was a slow process coming back to my family, with subtle
movements and gestures. A smile and eventually a hug where there
was only distance before. My children called me on my birthday.
They accepted an invitation for a Passover Seder and then for
Chanukah. It was special to be with all three at one time. I watched
how they looked after each other and made each other happy. Their
laughter filled my home with joy. I hid my tears. In these moments I
felt less like a failure. I must have done something right. I imagined
them as children on vacation in Yosemite running under the spray
from a waterfall feeling so much love I though my heart would burst.
So many life memories from family vacations I planned for us year
after year. Here they were in my living room fifteen years later, the
laughter and love still evident. Thank you God, I thought, for looking
after them when I couldn't. My children had never left my heart, not
for a moment. Now they were coming back to me.
Page 30

Strength In Numbers
By Jennifer Thompson
jebree4ever@gmail.com
It’s sometimes said there's strength in numbers. Often strong in
many ways, trans people could greatly benefit from the assistance of
cis-gender allies. Their support starts with the recognition that trans
and cis-gender persons have a shared humanity. Trans people have the
same need for respect, love, gainful employment, and the fulfillment
of personal goals as they do. The failure to recognize trans folk as part
of the human family breeds indifference, intolerance, and active trans
malevolence, both personal and institutional.
Cis-gender support also comes by educating oneself in the basics of
trans topics. With solid evidence from medicine and psychology,
scientific studies refute the notion that being trans is a "lifestyle
choice." Allies should also learn from advocacy groups (such as the
National Center for Transgender Equality), reliable websites, and the
emergence of transthemed television content (such as "I am Jazz") that
accurately informs. And they should listen, without judgment, when a
trans person shares an aspect of their personal journey with them.
Equipped with knowledge and a sound perspective, cis-gender
people become genuine trans allies by active assistance. Such
advocates should educate others (both individuals and institutions)
about the impediments and hazards (legal, medical, financial,
vocational, violence, etc.) that harm trans people, condemning
depictions and remarks that deride and vilify trans people. Allies
should offer open support whenever trans people are physically
attacked or willful mis-gendered. And genuine help comes in
celebrating trans professionals, buying their products or services,
attending their cultural productions, quoting their scholarship, or
endorsing legislation and political candidates that will vigorously
address trans specific issues and promote the general welfare of trans
people. In close collaboration with trans people, cis-gender allies can
show, indeed, there's strength in numbers.
Page 32

Since the beginning of mankind,
painting one’s body has been a
form of expression that invokes
and expresses the spirit of that
animal. This artist has brought
this way of life,to an artistic form,
that insures that man and
womankind do not forget their
history. Craig Tracy’s, work
embodies not only the animal
spirit but, ensures that, the conversations to preserve and
connect to nature continue in modern times.
www.craigtracy.com
email: info@craigtracy.com