A stacked bill at Port O’ Pints in Crescent City capped off the four city tour of local band St Sophie last Saturday. With bands traveling from afar to play this event, Redwood Voice’s Sebastian Monroe and Rory McCain covered the event. Listen to Rory’s synopsis here!
Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors Meeting (ZOOM Recording)
At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Chris Howard pressed Tom Kelem about the proposed fiscal sponsor of an LGBTQ+ Resource Database that the county had prior granted a Mental Health Service Act contract to. This was due to Queer Humboldt (the aforementioned fiscal sponsor) having values that are “anti-racist, anti-colonialist.” Supervisor Howard bombarded Mr. Kelem with questions about what exactly those values meant, expressing concern that they were hypocritical due to the county funding them. This implies that the county government of Del Norte County is pro-settler colonialism, and that threats to colonialist values will not be tolerated.
Kelem responded to the questioning that “he wasn’t there when they made those ideas.” He then defended Queer Humboldt, as they are non-profit organization willing to be the fiscal sponsor for this endeavor, that are also involved in LGBT issues, he stated that “that seemed like a really good fit to me.” Howard would not take this answer however, and then proceeded to seemingly cow the rest of the Board to not second the motion or ask any further questions. This deprives the LGBTQ+ community of Del Norte comprehensive and easy access to mental health services and resources in our area. In an already isolated community, this exacerbates the issue of feeling alone and unable to find help in Del Norte County.
In an article from The Trevor Project published December 15th, 2021 the following statistics are lined out.
LGBTQ+ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. (Johns et al., 2019; Johns et al., 2020)
The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ youth (13-24) seriously consider suicide each year in the U.S. — and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds.
The Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.
The article continues to state many other statistics including how social support and practices supporting LGBTQ+ youth help curb that rate significantly. Supervisor Howard claimed during the April 26th Candidate forum that he is in favor of providing mental health services for our community, and yet when an opportunity arises to do so for an underserved population he strikes it down due to colonialist sentiment. While Supervisor Chris Howard led the questioning, no other Supervisor spoke up in defense of Mr. Kelem or the program. When one does not speak up against acts of prejudice they are no better than the one who has prejudiced.
Supervisor Chris Howard on Mental Health in Del Norte
Jamie Marquis can’t count the number of times they’ve been called the wrong name.
A junior psychology major at the University of California, Davis, who identifies as non-binary, they changed their name several years ago. But since then they’ve struggled to get that name even on basic educational records, instead of their name assigned at birth that they do not identify with, commonly known as a deadname.
“I wish that there was a way to really explain to cisgender people how being deadnamed feels,” Marquis said. “It’s humiliating. It makes you feel out of place and unwelcome, because of all the things about your identity, even your name is being ignored.”
A new state law could make a huge difference for people like them, Marquis said. Not only could it ease anxiety, but it could also provide important protections from discrimination and harm.
The new law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, requires the state’s public colleges to update records for students who have legally changed their names. It also allows graduates to request an updated copy of their diploma at no cost to them.
Then, starting with the 2023-24 class, it will require institutions to allow students to self-identify their names on diplomas, even without legal documentation of a name change. (The legislation does not specifically require colleges to let students self-identify their names on educational records besides diplomas without legally changing their name. It also does not affect how people are identified on legal documents used for tax, immigration status and other purposes.)
“It’s humiliating. It makes you feel out of place and unwelcome, because of all the things about your identity, even your name is being ignored.” — Jamie Marquis, junior psychology major at the University of California, Davis
The right to self-identify one’s name on a college diploma helps protect transgender and gender non-conforming students, advocates say. Research shows that transgender people are at higher risk of discrimination and violence.
Academic records listing a student’s name and gender as assigned at birth could potentially “out” that student’s identity, which can put them at a significant disadvantage when seeking housing and employment, said David Chiu, who authored the bill while representing San Francisco in the state Assembly. Chiu, now the San Francisco city attorney, said he was asked by Equality California and other transgender activist groups to draft the bill.
“A college diploma represents years of hard work and academic achievement,” Chiu said in an interview. “It shouldn’t cause stress or harm by having someone’s deadname on it because of outdated school policies.”
NO STATEWIDE POLICY
In California, public colleges have been using a range of policies about what names they record on diplomas and in other records, as no statewide policy existed. In November 2020, the University of California system put in place a policy — the Presidential Policy on Gender Recognition and Lived Name — that ensures that all individuals are identified by their accurate gender identity and preferred name on university-issued documents and in UC’s information systems.
At California State University and the California Community Colleges, there have been no system-wide policies, spokespersons said. But the two systems support the new state law, they said.
Jamie Marquis and their cat Cleo in their backyard in Sacramento on Dec 4, 2021. Photo by Karlos Rene Ayala for CalMatters.
Some campuses have put their own policies in place. American River College in Sacramento County, for example, adopted an affirmed name policy in 2019, which allows students to change their names in campus computer systems, and in early 2020, to self identify their name on their diplomas.
The change, college officials said, has been powerful and emotional for students. Emilie Mitchell, interim dean of social and behavioral sciences at American River College, described her experience helping a former student change their name in the college’s computer system.
“This person was just crying when they were talking about going into classes, and professors often read the roster out loud, and it was their deadname,” Mitchell said. She said she could hear the retraumatization they experienced.
Within five minutes, Mitchell was able to change the student’s name in the system.
“I thought, that’s such a small thing, right?” Mitchell said. “All I did was click a couple of boxes, literally, but this person’s experience, their educational experience, their sense of being validated in their identity, was so profound.”
Eli Fox, a junior psychology major at California State University, Monterey Bay, changed their name during their first few months of college but said they had to deal with a lot of stress due to their deadname being on high school documents.
“It was really tricky to get everything to line up,” Fox said. “There are a lot of school administrative people who aren’t really educated, and it was really difficult trying to educate them and also advocate for myself.”
High-school teachers, college professors, and administrators have often resisted respecting their name or helping them change their school documents, Fox said. They often asked Fox invasive questions about their transition that made them feel like they were just being nosy.
“No one should have to explain their identity or justify the way that they are to anybody,” Fox said.
Fox said they are relieved to see the law pass, as it will make the process easier for future students like them. Fox aspires to use their degree in psychology to work in data gathering and research, and wants to continue their education in biopsychology, and incorporate social theory into science.
Fox says they have gained so much knowledge just from being queer and being around queer people. They hope to help show LGBTQ+ youth of the future to be proud of who they are while looking different or feeling different.
REDUCING ANXIETY
Michelle Haggerty, a psychology professor who advises the Queer Student Union at College of the Redwoods in Eureka, said the new state law will help to reduce the anxiety of both students and professors and to create a more accepting environment on campus. If students are able to update their names on school records before the semester starts, it will erase any awkward scenarios where the professor may deadname a student by accident, Haggerty said.
She also said this new policy will help students after they graduate, lessening how much they may have to explain their name or who they are to future employers. Haggerty has known students who have quit their jobs due to discrimination and invasive questions about their transitions, she said.
“Depending on where you are, it makes people feel unsafe,” Haggerty said of being transgender or gender non-conforming. “Different industries and different communities will look at these things differently… I think it’s hard to make a judgment on ‘Am I safe or not?’ and ‘Who can I reveal these aspects of myself to?’”
“A college diploma represents years of hard work and academic achievement. It shouldn’t cause stress or harm by having someone’s deadname on it because of outdated school policies.” — David Chiu, who authored the bill while in the state Assembly
The new law could help protect cisgender college students, too.
Linda Johnson — a sophomore at College of the Redwoods who has earned a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College and a master’s degree from Fuller Theological Seminary — said that she was unable to have her maiden name printed on her diploma. At a time when she was going through a divorce from an abusive spouse, she wasn’t able to feel happy or excited when she received her diploma. Instead, she didn’t even want to look at it.
“It would have been so much easier if I could have gone and said ‘This is what I want’ without having to wait for all of the legalities to catch up,” Johnson said.
Marquis, the Davis student who is also an American River College graduate, remembers the anxiety of a day when they walked up to the counter of the community college’s records and admissions office to update their academic records. Had they forgotten a document? Would they be met with help or hindrance?
“It’s so awkward and uncomfortable to have to go up to every teacher, every front desk staff, every doctor, and explain the situation,” they said. “And it’s draining to constantly be polite to the people that want to tell you all about how hard it is for them to remember.”
When the process went smoothly, they felt a sense of bewildered relief. But their name-change journey still wasn’t over. When they transferred to UC, they had to present records from high school which still used their deadname.
Now, Marquis hopes the new law will remove some of these roadblocks — and that that could help them finally just be themselves at ease.
As a beacon of hope, Marquis aspires to take this experience with them as they enter the field of psychology after college and work with mentally ill queer children, letting them know it is ok to be themselves, whoever that may be.
Taylor is a fellow with the CalMatters College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. This story and other higher education coverage are supported by the College Futures Foundation.
CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
2021 is already almost over and so many bad things have happened that it’s hard to keep up. And, as exhausting as it can be to keep up with current news, it’s very important to remain vigilant. For example, this year saw the rise of legislation targeting transgender rights. A record number of bills have been introduced in states across the US this year that seek to interfere with trans people’s safety and even prevent trans youth from accessing gender-affirming care. Two anti-trans bills from Tennessee and Arkansas that restricted trans rights in their states managed to become law. The bill in Tennessee required businesses to post signs on bathroom doors “warning” people if their bathrooms are trans friendly. The bill in Arkansas would make it illegal for doctors to prescribe any gender affirming care to a patient under the age of 18. However, these laws were thankfully shot down by a federal court in July. While this is a great victory for the trans community, attacks on the rights of the trans community are far too common. Considering this, I would like to focus on the bill that was introduced in Arkansas back in April and unpack some of its contents, and refute some of the anti-trans rhetoric.
The S.A.F.E. Act
In April of 2021, Arkansas became the first state in the country to ban medical treatments for transgender minors. This bill, HB1570, is also titled THE ARKANSAS SAVE ADOLESCENTS FROM EXPERIMENTATION (SAFE) ACT. While being opposed by many, and even vetoed by the governor who had passed a different transphobic bill earlier this year, his veto was overturned by the Senate. Having read this bill in its entirety, I and many other trans activists find it to be deeply harmful and anything but safe.
The bill restricts any medical professional from providing or referring youth under the age of 18 to any gender affirming care. This includes puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, and surgeries. The stated reasoning behind this decision is that transgender people only make up a small portion of the population and there haven’t been enough scientific studies into the longterm effects of these gender affirming procedures.
It is important to mention that the most common form of gender affirming care that children and youth receive is puberty blockers, NOT hormones or surgeries. For many providers, a social transition is needed before they will even prescribe the blockers, to make sure that the child is comfortable living as their gender.
Puberty blockers, as the name suggests, are prescribed to youth to postpone their puberty. These blockers are not only prescribed to transgender youth, but also to cisgender youth who are developing much earlier than their peers. These blockers have been studied for their effect in youth for decades and have been found to be harmless and reversible. So, when adults begin to bemoan the use of puberty blockers in trans youth to prevent a possibly traumatic puberty, one has to question their intentions. There wasn’t this much of a pushback for cisgender children accessing these blockers. However, thanks to the recent bill in Arkansas, children of any gender identity will have a harder time accessing these blockers.
Harmful Outcomes
If this bill had not been blocked by a federal court, it would have caused tremendous harm to the trans youth in Arkansas. Not only are trans and gendernonconforming youth more at risk to be bullied by their peers, they also have a higher rate of self harm and suicide. According to the Trevor Project, “40% of transgender adults reported having made a suicide attempt. 92% of these individuals reported having attempted suicide before the age of 25”. Restricting access to gender-affirming care will only increase the mental duress that trans youth feel from gender dysphoria.
In addition, the process to accessing gender-affirming care like puberty blockers or hormone replacement therapy isn’t quick. In fact, most doctors who are capable of prescribing said medications require a letter from a psychiatrist who specializes in gender identity. Speaking from personal experience, I had to travel around 2 and a half hours to the nearest licensed psychiatrist who would be willing to discuss hormone replacement therapy. From there, it took months to get an appointment with a doctor who would prescribe testosterone to me. After that, it takes years of waiting to get a referral for top surgery and even longer to schedule the actual appointment. And this was while I was a legal adult advocating for myself, and I didn’t have to deal with potentially unsupportive parents, like many trans youth have to.
This process isn’t easy, and it’s often exhausting to young trans people who have already had to justify their identity to everyone around them. Now, they have to push through miles of red tape to plead their case to a medical professional, some of whom aren’t even willing to give care to transgender patients. Many trans people have reported discrimination or harrasment from medical professionals because of their gender identity. Restricting trans peoples’ access to healthcare would also reduce the amount of trans patients that doctors would communicate with, isolating them from the community as well.
Next Steps: Becoming an Effective Advocate
First things first, educating yourself about transgender issues and terminology is crucial to becoming an effective ally. There are plenty of online resources like GLAAD or the ACLU website that can teach you more about transgender identity. It’s alwasy incredibly important to keep in mind that trans people of color experience higher rates of violence, harassment, and medical discrimination.
Secondly, if you live in one of the states that currently has anti-trans bills introduced, please call your representative and ask them to fight it. You can find out if your state has bills either enacter or proposed at theguardian.com, where there is a map detailing each state and their fight against anti-trans bills.
Finally, be an advocate for transgender people in your own social circles. If you hear the kind of anti-trans rhetoric that these bills are promoting, call it out. Take the time to educate those around you about trans issues and encourage them to become advocates as well. The trans community needs allies who care about our wellbeing and our right to exist as ourselves.
Redwood Voice’s Primary November Project, a video documenting the importance of Transgender Awareness Month in our local community of Del Norte.
We have reached the end of November. Families have come together to give thanks and nurture one another. They are unified – they are, quite simply, together.
And as they are together, they reconnect and recollect. They speak of the time that has passed since last seeing one another, they remember what came before this moment of celebration and connection.
There are many people who don’t have that luxury this time of the year. There are many people who must remember a much darker part of their lives – some, the loss of others, while the remaining remember how far they’ve come through adversity and hardship, remembering how hard they had to fight or hide to simply live to see these holidays.
Thanksgiving holds its fair share of connotations – for better, for worse, for all in between. It can be a spectacular time: a genuine, lovely gathering of family and friends. It can be, for perhaps a majority others, a grey time: those detached from their family, or even completely separated; those who spend the holidays alone; those who spend the holidays remembering those they once spent them with, but now live in times long since past. And of course, this isn’t even beginning to delve into the generational traumas of which the “American Thanksgiving” are rooted into and the atrocities that have taken place to build its cruel beginnings.
Regardless of how powerfully it encompasses this month, Thanksgiving is simply a mixed time. In a sense, perhaps the holiday it has evolved into is a time to ignore the traumas of the past – but ignorance does not lead to healing.
Ignoring a wound does not let that wound heal, but instead infect into something far worse. Even in writing this article, staying at a neutral, objective point, the mere act of talking about the negatives of this time of the year will surely outrage others or be deemed “controversial.” But it is simply true. Thanksgiving covers the attempts of many who wish to speak out. The Native American community wants the past to be visible without any strings attached, to spread awareness and knowledge of the wrongdoings of the settlers and the crimes committed against them. There is even a holiday the day after Thanksgiving known as “Native American Day” to amplify this awareness, and the entire month of November holds the monthly observance of “National Native American Month.”
Just as there are widely known observances, there are those buried under or unknown altogether. The one I present today is one that has been utterly erased to a point that few outside of those affected even consider its possibility of existence – an observance that, upon Googling, you won’t even find the name of:
Transgender Awareness Month.
Transgender Awareness Month – a month to memorialize the victims of transphobic violence and raise awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide.
November is a time when many members of the Transgender Community, as well as allies, reflect on pivotal historical moments that have fundamentally built the movement. But these moments come not from success without labor – they are times in which the community has overcome struggle, times in which we have climbed from the dirt placed on us to keep us down, buried, unseen, only to then blossom forth. One of the most notable instances of these happens to be Rita Hester’s murder on November 20th, 1998, due to her gender identity. This sparked outrage among the trans community, inspiring them to fight harder for a brighter future where we could live in a world that did not want to kill those who wanted to happily live as themselves. That’s why November 20th now marks Transgender Day of Remembrance. It is not a celebration, it is not an event of pride – it is a day marking loss. It is candlelit vigils as we read the names of those we have lost to violence, those we have lost to hatred against people being themselves.
Rita Hester, a transgender African American woman killed for expressing her gender identity on November 20th, 1998. A candlelit vigil was held for her attracting nearly 250 people.
We remember this pain. Many must live with it for the rest of their lives. Many suppress who they are to hide this pain – but ignoring the wound never heals it.
I’m sure many reading this may even be hearing about it for the first time. There are very few resources out there to for Transgender Awareness Month, and the closest our community has come has been the establishment of Transgender Awareness Week. It seems that our mourning and visibility must be cut short.
The purpose of Transgender Awareness Month is to educate those who know not of trans issues, of trans struggles, of where our movement originates – of where our movement is leading us. Its purpose is to step out and speak with those who want to learn, and we are more than willing. We know that there are allies who hope to provide as much assistance as they wish, but oftentimes they simply fall back. This month is here to invigorate them and others, to fight hatred with knowledge, to present who we are, what we’ve been through, and where we’re going now.
In Del Norte County, I cannot possibly overemphasize the importance of this.
I have met with a few fellow trans members of Del Norte to discuss its climate and why it is so absolutely crucial to have these conversations – why we need to be seen, why we need to be heard, why we need to be simply affirmed and understood as living beings. We are your neighbors, your fellow community. We want nothing more than to be accepted as we are, and those kind enough to do so inspire us to only further march with our message.
“Those moments of affirmation from your neighbors and friends here are too rare.” – Jacob Patterson (she/her), local queer activist.
“The world is a better, brighter place for you daring to show who you really are.” – Sam Bradshaw (he/they/she), True North Youth Organizer.
“We exist. We need to be accepted.” – Wyatt (he/him), Local Youth.
So I present all of this before you – this video, my words, our collective work – on the final day of November, near the month’s end. Why? Because I’m sure this is the first you’re hearing of it. But personally, I don’t believe there should be “designated times” to accept, love, and support others. So take this message as you will. Love your neighbors, learn about them, accept them, even if you don’t fully understand their lifestyles, and if that is the case, ask – talk to them. We are more than willing to explain who we are, more than willing to be seen, because for too long we have been in hiding. Let us all be unified and, quite simply, together.
esent all of this before you – this video, my words, our collective work – on the final day of November, near the month’s end. Why? Because I’m sure this is the first you’re hearing of it. But personally, I don’t believe there should be “designated times” to accept, love, and support others. So take this message as you will. Love your neighbors, learn about them, accept them, even if you don’t fully understand their lifestyles, and if that is the case, ask – talk to them. We are more than willing to explain who we are, more than willing to be seen, because for too long we have been in hiding. Let us all be unified and, quite simply, together.
Let us look forward to a time when the only Remembrance we need is to remember how long ago the trans community was forced to combat violence, and how it has now been reborn into a time of cherishment and acceptance.
CRESCENT CITY, CA– Growing up queer in a remote Northern California town of just 7,500 people, I experienced firsthand how a rural school can fail to meet the needs of LGBTQ students. It’s a failure with dire consequences.
I experienced abuse in a relationship for the first time at age 13, in part because I lacked any knowledge of what it means to consent. And without healthy queer relationships to model, I presumed my partner’s manipulations were normal. Suffering abuse, dealing with intolerance in my community and lacking any institutional support to speak of, I developed some unhealthy coping mechanisms: I was self-medicating by age 14, and self-harming at 15. At the time, I hated myself and was feeling ashamed. In an attempt to leave Del Norte, I had my first experience in sex work at 16, with a man three times my age.
Sadly, this ripple effect is not altogether uncommon among LGBTQ youth, especially for those of us living in geographically and culturally isolated areas. When we don’t see ourselves reflected in the world around us, when we are systematically marginalized and when our very identities are painted as deviant, we can become that self-fulfilling prophecy.
California took a positive step toward addressing the problem with the passage of AB 329, otherwise known as the California Healthy Youth Act, late last year. The bill expanded on existing law to ensure that students will receive “comprehensive” sex education, including “affirmative” examples of same-sex relationships and education about gender identity.
But how will it actually play out in the classroom? If taken seriously and applied thoughtfully, the new law could make a huge difference in the lives of queer youth, especially those living in rural communities. So, I went to my local high school, Del Norte High, to ask queer students: What would you like to see covered in your new, “comprehensive” sex-ed classes?
Do you know where you can access women’s health resources? Do you know where to direct a friend in need? Are you interested in learning more about local resources and women’s health issues? Gender Talk has a solution, and it comes in the form of a celebration. Gender Talk’s Pink Party is a fun, free event open to all ages and genders organized with the purpose of broadening interest in women’s health and youth development through performances, art, music, and presentations from your local health agencies.
Gender Talk is a community group housed at Coastal Connections that advocates for promoting gender and LGBTQ+ equality in addition to providing a safe space for discussion and creative outlets for local youth. Jacob Patterson, facilitator of Gender Talk states “Our goal is that with the Pink Party, we will bridge gaps between local services and maximize this opportunity not only to educate the community, but to allow agencies to network and learn about each other. We want to make it a fun event that makes health more approachable and that also makes talking about health issues less scary for people.”
The event will include live performances by Spare Change, a youth group with Planned Parenthood NorCal, in the form of educational skits on healthy relationships, gender equality, domestic violence, and bullying. Other presenters, booths, and guests include Building Healthy Communities, CASA, Del Norte Child Care Council, Del Norte High School’s new GSA, Expanding Youth Horizons, Harrington House, the Inter-Tribal Council of California, North Coast Rape Crisis Team, Open Door Community Health Center, Planned Parenthood, Redwood Voice, Tolowa Dee-Ni’ Nation, True North Organizing Network, Universal Heart Shamanic Drummers, Wild Rivers Community Foundation, Yurok Tribe, and more.
“Agencies don’t always have a venue to mingle and learn what each other is doing” Patterson says, “We want to break down health silos and perpetuate community discussion around health issues.” If you are an agency looking to educate the public about what you do, you are welcome to bring along any promotional materials (pamphlets, flyers, business cards, etc) to make available to attendees during the event at a local resources booth.
“Women’s health issues have impact on the community as a whole,” says Patterson, “At the Pink Party, you will have the opportunity to educate yourself, meet with groups whose services you may not have been aware of, and learn how to be an advocate by familiarizing yourself with services available. If someone in your life is in need, you will have names and face that you can refer them to.”
The Pink Party will take place Friday, February 19th from 5:00pm-8:00pm at the Veteran’s Hall 810 H St, Crescent City. There will be door prizes, catering by Bar-O Boys Ranch, music, and art. All are encouraged to attend! For any questions, visit Gender Talk on Facebook at facebook.com/GenderTalkCC
This kickoff video for the Quiltbags PLUS campaign is a collaboration of Redwood Voice and Gender Talk in partnership with young people enrolled in the 2015 Youth Training Academy. The Quiltbags PLUS Campaign was designed by youth to address visibility and representation of marginalized individuals in the LGBTQ+ communities. The YTA was put on by Building Healthy Communities and California Center for Rural Policy in the Del Norte County and Adjacent Tribal Lands area.
Jacob Patterson of Redwood Voice and Gender Talk, an LGBTQ community group, asks “What Is Pride?” We aim to promote LGBTQ and gender equality, while discussing some of the themes surrounding Gay Pride.
Telling the untold stories of Del Norte and Tribal Lands through amplified youth voices.
