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Trump Reportedly Banned the Words ‘Transgender’ and ‘Diversity’ in CDC Documents


Thee Trump administration has reportedly directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—America’s public health agency—to omit seven words from its 2018 budget documents. According to a report from the Washington Post, the news was announced Thursday and promptly enraged those in the public health sector. The thing is, the seven words happen to be pretty key terms for a public health agency to use.

Two of the phrases gone are “transgender” and “diversity”—and in an Orwellian move, alternative phrasings for some of the terms were offered.

Here are the seven banned words:

  1. Science-based

  2. Evidence-based

  3. Fetus

  4. Transgender

  5. Vulnerable

  6. Entitlement

  7. Diversity

This is pretty problematic, considering the CDC—as a public health agency—must necessarily make science- and evidence-based decisions in order to protect the nation’s diverse population, which often includes vulnerable groups in health care, such as fetuses requiring adequate prenatal care and people who are transgender and seeking safe medical care. (See what we did there?)

The ban is troubling in a way that goes beyond semantics, too: for example, in its erasure of the transgender population and its implicit denial of health issues faced by people of color who disproportionally live in at-risk communities: “You cannot fight against the Zika virus, or improve women’s and fetal health, if you are unable to use the word ‘fetus.’ You must be able to talk about science and evidence if you are to research cures for infectious diseases such as Ebola,” Dana Singiser, vice president of public policy and government affairs for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, told CNN. “You must be able to acknowledge the humanity of transgender people in order to address their health care needs. You cannot erase health inequities faced by people of color simply by forbidding the use of the words ‘vulnerable’ or ‘diversity’.”

The source who informed the Post—apparently a longtime CDC analyst—told the paper that instead of using “science-based” or “evidence-based” in wording, the following was offered: “CDC bases its recommendations on science in consideration with community standards and wishes.”

The Health and Human Services department is pushing back and calling the Post‘s report fake news.

“The assertion that HHS has ‘banned words’ is a complete mischaracterization of discussions regarding the budget formulation process,” a HHS spokesman told The Hill on Saturday. “HHS will continue to use the best scientific evidence available to improve the health of all Americans. HHS also strongly encourages the use of outcome and evidence data in program evaluations and budget decisions.”

Meanwhile, we’re suddenly feeling a strong urge to re-read 1984 over the holidays.

Related Stories:
–Donald Trump’s New Health and Human Services Pick Is “Public Enemy #1” for Pro-Choice Groups
–Donald Trump’s Child Care Plan Fails Working Families, and a New Report Proves It
–Donald Trump Just Expanded a Decades-Old Anti-Abortion Policy to Apply to All Global Health Initiatives



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Danica Roem Just Became Virginia's First Openly Transgender Lawmaker


Danica Roem made history on Tuesday night when she became the first openly transgender woman elected to a state legislature.

The 33-year-old Democrat and former journalist will now take over a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates that previously belonged to 13-term Republican incumbent Robert Marshall. During his time as a Virginia delegate, Marshall consistently tried to undermine LGBTQ rights. He wrote an anti-gay marriage amendment as well as a transgender bathroom bill modeled after the North Carolina law (both measures were ultimately struck down.) He also attempted to ban gay people from serving in Virginia’s National Guard and once described himself as the state’s “chief homophobe.”

Roem, however, focused her campaign on remedying traffic congestion and infrastructure problems within the district. Beyond this, job creation, improving public schools, and fighting for civil rights were all cornerstones of her campaign.

As noted by The Advocate, Althea Garrison, a black woman, was the first transgender woman to hold office at the state level when she was elected in 1992. However, she was not out at the time of the election and was outed by The Boston Herald against her wishes.

Roem was not the only candidate making Virginia history Tuesday night. Hala Ayala and Elizabeth Guzman became the first Latina women ever elected to the House of Delegates, with both unseating Republican incumbents.

And in Minneapolis, Andrea Jenkins became the first openly transgender black woman to be elected to public office in the United States. Jenkins had 12 years of experience working with different members of the Minneapolis city council and campaigned on a platform that included raising the minimum wage, creating affordable housing, and treating youth violence as a public health concern.





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A Federal Judge Just Blocked Donald Trump's Transgender Military Ban


In an order-by-tweet that caught many people—including some preeminent members of the Department of Defense—by surprise, President Donald Trump announced in July that transgender men and women would no longer be allowed to serve in the military, reversing an Obama-era policy that allowed transgender recruits to openly serve.

Now, a federal judge has blocked parts of Trump’s proposed ban saying that transgender service members who have brought litigation forward against Trump “have established that they will be injured by these directives, due both to the inherent inequality they impose, and the risk of discharge and denial of accession that they engender.”

After introducing the ban on Twitter, Trump handed down an official directive outlining the policy in late August. Under his proposal, transgender recruits would be banned from the military, medical treatment funding for current transgender troops would be completely cut off, and Defense Secretary James Mattis would have power to expel transgender service members. In late August, Mattis put a temporary freeze on the ban when he announced that he would wait to put the policy into effect until a team of experts completed a study determining the effects it would have on current service members.

In a ruling handed down on Monday, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly blocked parts of Trump’s ban related to “accession and retention.” In short, the aspects of Trump’s proposal that affected the recruitment and retention of transgender troops were struck down by Kollar-Kotelly’s decision. She did not, however, offer a ruling on the directive prohibiting funding for “sex reassignment surgical procedures,” saying that her court does not have jurisdiction over that aspect of the ban.

With Kollar-Kotelly’s decision, the military will now “revert to the status quo” in regard to transgender service members—meaning former President Obama’s serve-openly policy will live on.

Related: Senator Tammy Duckworth on Trump’s Trans Military Ban: ‘This Man Is Not Fit to Be Commander-in-Chief’



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Ryan Murphy's 'Pose' Makes History With Largest Cast of Transgender Actors Ever


Ryan Murphy‘s newest series, Pose, is making TV history by featuring the largest cast of transgender actors ever to appear on a television show.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the pilot of the show will feature “five transgender actors in series regular roles,” all of whom will be playing transgender characters on-screen. Pose is set in New York City in 1986, and according to THR, follows its characters through the city’s various different social scenes, including the luxury Trump-era universe, the downtown social and literary scene, and the ball culture world.

The American Horror Story producer and his team set out on a six-month nationwide search to find his cast, and selected actors Indya Moore as Angel, The Carrie Diaries’ MJ Rodriguez as Blanca, model Dominique Jackson as Elektra, and Transparent alums Hallie Sahar as Lulu and Angelica Ross as Candy.

“We are thrilled that Pose pushes the narrative forward by centering on the unique and under-told experiences of trans women and gay people of color,” says the show’s writer, Steven Canals. “Ryan has assembled a strong team of storytellers and innovators to collaborate on telling this important narrative. As a Bronx-bred queer writer of color, I’m honored to aid in ushering this groundbreaking show into homes.”

In addition to featuring transgender actors on-screen, Pose has plenty of trans voices behind the scenes, too. Canals is reportedly writing scripts in conjunction with Transparent‘s Our Lady J, as well as working with transgender rights activist and New York Times best-selling author Janet Mock. Murphy also plans to bring on emerging transgender directors through his “Directing Mentorship Program,” a diversity initiative that pairs budding talent with mentors from the industry.

Considering transgender roles have historically been given to cisgender actors, this is a huge deal. As the video short #Proud2Be points out, this tradition not only denies trans actors opportunities and advancement, but it also reinforces harmful stereotypes and contributes to real-world violence against the trans community. Murphy famously cast two cis actors to play trans characters on Glee (and was met with some pretty harsh criticism), so his decision to keep things authentic seems to be a step in the right direction.



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Meet Ines Rau, Playboy's First Transgender Playmate


PHOTO: Victor Boyko/Getty

Ines Rau at Vogue’s 95th Anniversary Party in 2015

Playboy’s newest issue will be one for the history books for more than one remarkable reason.

The first is the fact that its cover model will be none other than Playboy’s founder Hugh Hefner, who died on Sept. 27 at the age of 91. It will mark the first time a man has graced the cover of the magazine without a woman by his side.

But perhaps more significantly the issue will also contain a pictorial and centerfold Playmate feature with its very first transgender model. And that honor will go to French model Ines Rau.

As People explained, 26-year-old Rau was photographed by Derek Kettela for the spread, in which she rocks a simple white bra and matching lace panties, along with sexy but understated white socks and sneakers.

And while the Playmate title is new this isn’t Rau’s first time being photographed for the revered men’s magazine. She previously appeared in its May 2014 “A-Z Issue,” in a spread titled “Evolution.” That spread, People explained, was all about celebrating the world’s shifting acceptance of differing gender identities.

“It’s how I celebrated my coming out, actually,” Rau told Playboy in an accompanying interview. “I took that chance, and then I signed with an agency.”

And even for someone as strong and confident as Rau, living as her true self didn’t come easily. As she told Playboy, “I lived a long time without saying I was transgender. I dated a lot and almost forgot. I was scared of never finding a boyfriend and being seen as weird. Then I was like, You know, you should just be who you are. It’s a salvation to speak the truth about yourself, whether it’s your gender, sexuality, whatever. The people who reject you aren’t worth it. It’s not about being loved by others; it’s about loving yourself.”

Now, as a model who has broken barriers in high fashion in campaigns for Balmain and in the pages of Vogue Italia, Rau is without question a woman worth taking advice from.

“… The advice I have for girls is to chill,” she said. “Don’t pressure yourself. Embrace yourself and be proud of who you are with your imperfections. It’s all in the mind, you know?”



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Model Teddy Quinlivan Comes Out As Transgender


You might recognize model Theodora Quinlivan (known as Teddy), with her red hair and confident walk, from the countless runway shows she’s worked during New York Fashion Week and beyond. (This season alone, she’s walked Coach, Tory Burch, Carolina Herrera, Diane von Furstenberg, Derek Lam, Oscar de la Renta, Self-Portrat, Jeremy Scott, Monse, and Jason Wu… phew.) Today, on the last day of NYFW for Spring 2018, the 23-year-old came out as transgender.

In an exclusive interview with CNN Style, the 23-year-old explained that she decided to reveal her this about her identity in the hopes of increasing visibility for trans models working in fashion. (Only 0.17% of models cast for the Fall 2017 season back in February, across all four Fashion Weeks, were trans, according to The Fashion Spot.) But also, the current state of politics had something to do with the timing. “I’ve decided to reveal my trans identity because of the political climate in the world right now—particularly in the United States,” Quinlivan said. “I was ready to come out, but I think the times we live in elevated the sense of importance and urgency.”

PHOTO: Peter White

Another thing holding her back from coming out, she explained to CNN Style, was that she has presented as a cisgendered woman since she was discovered by Nicholas Ghesquière of Louis Vuitton in 2015 and began modeling professionally. “Since I transitioned when I was 16, I’ve been living as a cis female,” Quinlivan said. “That privilege [of presenting as cis female] gave me a lot of confidence to walk down the street, date and [work] in the fashion industry, where people I would presume I was a ‘normal’ girl.'”

Tory Burch Spring Summer 2018 Fashion Show - Runway

PHOTO: Peter White

As a white, cis-passing model, Quinlivan recognizes the privilege that has shielded her from some of the uglier realities of being a trans woman. “There’s been violence against transgender people—particularly transgender women of color—since before I even knew what transgender was,” she said to CNN Style. Because there are so few trans voices within the fashion community, specifically, she said that “[i]t’s really important to take advantage of a time like this” to speak up about her identity.

Jeremy Scott - Runway - September 2017 - New York Fashion Week: The Shows

PHOTO: Peter White

Of all the demographics represented in the fashion industry—both in ad campaigns and on the runway—transgender women are the least prevalent. That 0.17% from earlier represents only 12 models who appeared on the catwalk last season—and it was a record high.

Ulyana Sergeenko : Runway - Paris Fashion Week - Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2017-2018

PHOTO: Peter White

While Quinlivan is only one more name on that list, her appearances in so many big shows can definitely be said to make a difference. She explained to CNN Style that she had few transgender role models growing up (working in fashion or otherwise), so visibility matters to her. “There are not a lot of openly trans people in media, and I think it’s really important to show people that not only am I trans, I’m (also) very successful and good at what I do,” she said.

Oscar de la Renta - Runway RTW - Spring 2018 - New York Fashion Week

PHOTO: Catwalking

Since she shared her story this afternoon, there’s been an outpour of support for the model. Her agency, Women Management, posted clips of Quinlivan’s CNN film on Instagram, and wrote: “We are so proud of @teddy_quinlivan’s bold disclosure and we celebrate the Woman who she truly is.” On Twitter, the Human Rights Campaign thanked her for coming out.

Self-Portrait - Runway - September 2017 - New York Fashion Week

PHOTO: Peter White

Moving forward, Quinlivan hopes that her experience will help other models feel more comfortable with their gender identities—and push the needle in the industry to a point where diverse model castings are the norm. “If being transgender is something that gets attached to my name throughout my career, then it’s for a worthy cause,” she expressed to CNN Style. “But I look forward to the day when it doesn’t matter.”

Related Stories:

Last NYFW, Fashion Got ‘Political’—Now What?

What CurvyCon Says About Where Fashion Is Going

Christian Siriano’s Inclusive Spring 2018 Runway Featured Size, Gender Diversity



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