Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 02:55:16 GMT
Subject: ACTIVISTS PICKETING SF CHRONICLE
From: riki@nyc.pipeline.com (Riki Anne Wilchins)

MEDIA ADVISORY - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
 
CONTACT:  
Jess Bell (510)528-3977 
Riki Wilchins Riki@Pipeline.Com 
 
ACTIVISTS PICKETING SF CHRONICLE 
================================ 
[San Francisco - October 3, 1996] RESPONDING TO  
provactive and transphobic coverage by the  
conservative SF Chronicle, TRANSEXUAL  
MENACE - SF today announced they would picket  
the newspaper Tuesday, October 15th.  
[See related story below] 
 
	Said an unnamed Menace spokestrans, "Every  
time we step forward to try to make our lives a  
little more livable, someone tries to push us  
back in the closet. They figure transpeople are  
a 'free shot' since we never fight back...  
Well, guess what: the rules have changed." 
 
        Those interested in participating should  
contact Jess Bell at (510)528-3977.  
                 ### 
 
 
SF CHRONICLE HAS TRANSPHOBIA ATTACK 
=================================== 
 
[San Francisco - September 23-30] LOCAL TRANS- 
ACTIVISTS inquiring after the exclusion of  
trans-related medical services from the city's  
insurance plan became national news as the SF  
Chronicle ran an exaggerated story hinting at  
mass sex-change surgeries at taxpayer expense,  
following up with a transphobic cartoon about  
an reptile who felt "trapped" in a cat's body. 
 
	Members of the SF Transgender Community  
Task Force and the SF Human Rights Commission  
had originally approached Supervisor Tom  
Ammiano on Friday, September 20.  Referring to  
the 2-year old SF city ordinance outlawing  
discrimination against the transgendered, they  
pointed out that exclusions in the city health  
plans of trans-related medical case appeared to  
place the city in violation of its own statues.   
 
	This pro-forma inquiry was met by a SF  
Chronicle story on Monday, September 23,  
headlined "Move to Cover City Worker's Sex  
Changes."  The Associated Press (A.P) wire  
service then picked up the story and alleged  
that were 6,000 in the SF area who could  
potentially apply for sex-change surgery.   
Arthur Bruzzoni, Chairman of the SF Republican  
Party then chimed in with public statements  
comparing sex-change surgery to cosmetic breast  
enlargement.    
 
	Said Jamison Green, local activist and  
founding member of Transexual Menace-Men,  
"Transpeople are once again being used as pawns  
for local conservatives to score some safe  
points at the expense of another minority.   
 
	"The figure used by some press of 6,000  
transpeople covers *everyone* trans-identified,  
including drag, genderqueer, crossdressing,  
transvestite, *and* transexual people.   
Actually, according to our figures there are  
only 7 transexuals city employees, so the  
effects of any change would be negligible. 
 
	"Also, city taxpayers are not being asked  
to pay a single penny.  We are asking for the  
removal of an exclusion from *existing*  
insurance coverage, *not* a tax on the  
citizens. We deserve to have our medical needs  
covered just like anyone else - trivializing  
our situation out of ignorance is something we  
will no longer tolerate." 
 
                       ### 
(c) 1996 InYourFace 
The on-line, news-only service for gender  
activism from GenderPAC. To be removed from  
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