November 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR). TDoR is a day to memorialize those who have been killed as a result of “transphobia,” or the hatred or fear of transgender and gender non-conforming people. This day of remembrance brings attention to the continued violence endured by the transgender community. TDoR was founded in 1998 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a transgender graphic designer, columnist, and activist, to memorialize the murder of RITA HESTER in Allston, Massachusetts. Like most anti-transgender murder cases — Rita’s murder has yet to be solved. Since its inception, TDoR has been held annually on November 20th, and has slowly evolved from the web-based project started by Smith into an international day of action. In 2010, TDoR was observed in over 185 cities throughout more than 20 countries.
Cut and pasted from WikiPedia. Good find, Billy. Do you have any thoughts of your own on this matter?
I think Billy just wants us to reaffirm his decision to become “Betty”.
Billy’s posts are no less original perhaps, but certainly more informative in that he brings up issues most people are unaware of, than what is in the average stump speech of the majority of those running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. And once they are elected we pay them $174K per years, with lots of perks including, according to 60 Minutes this past Sunday, the legal right to engage in insider trading.
So, since Billy’s posts are made without the expectation of any kind of remuneration whatsoever, I’m going to give him a pass.
And on a related note, a bookie had given me really really good odds against Chas Bono being named People’s Sexiest Man of the Year today. Oh well. There’s always next year.
I was a victim of transgender ribbing
Not that I cared, but let’s just say I heard about it at almost every poker game for years. Everybody knew. Everybody. And I’m not gay, if I was, no one could rib me for it.
OK, the story. I was pretty drunk (always say that before a, " I got laid by a transsexual" story). But really, I was . 
This girl, older, maybe 30 ish ( I was about 20 ish at the time, and drunk, remember that ), picked me up. Good looking really, a blonde with great feeling tits. Tranies take hormones and then grow real tits. You could to if you wanted to eat estrogen pills.
Long story short, she- he was a post op trany, didn’t tell me and we slept together. She felt a bit different downstairs, but I did her anyway. To her credit, she did ask me what I thought about her adam’s apple. I think she wanted to tell me, yet did not.
I am not bitter, yet can understand how men who are strongly anti gay may feel violated sorta. To be honest, I had a good time, in what I would call a not gay way, tits, nice hair. OK, I am a dummy. But it was much like getting drunk and doing a girl. It didn’t feel creepy at the time, like gay sex would have. I respect my gay friends, but I never have gay sex because it would feel creepy.
My friends all found out, and, well, this is the kind of story that does not die down quickly. I am 53 and I still get ribbed about this. That’s OK though, I have to admit, it’s a pretty fucking funny story, and if I knew it, I’d tell it about you to.
I did not sleep with her after I learned “the truth” (thankfully not on Maury), but I was not angry or violently inclined towards her either. We remained friends. She was a smart, funny person. My friends never forgot though. I still haven’t heard the end of this.
Tolerance or Acceptance
I like to think of myself as a fairly open minded person, one of my jobs is a community support worker so i work closely with people who don’t always know or have a good idea of their own sexuality and i am bisexual myself and the one thing i have to say is either accept or tolerate, we are all human.
Acceptance is not tolerance. accept a person because he or she has lovable traits, but you tolerate everybody just because they’re alive and human, how hard can it be?
Have you ever heard of the Middle East? 
The “truth” is she IS a woman. A smart, funny person.
And your “friends” may be transphobic.
Greg,
I support your right to be who you are. I support transgender rights to live free from violence.
http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/violence-discrimination-still-threaten-us-transgender-people
According to Trans Murder Monitoring, a project initiated by the non-profit association Transgender Europe, 116 transgender people were murdered worldwide in the first nine months of 2011. Seven were killed in the United States.
Diane Freedman, a researcher on transgender issues and head of the Freedman Center for Clinical Social Work on Long Island, and others at the Nov. 13 memorial service, said the gruesome nature of the murders suggested a high level of hatred.
The methods of killing included multiple stabbing, slitting of the throat, beating, stoning, burning, decapitation, strangulation and shooting.
The number of transgender people murdered in the United States currently is lower than in other countries, most notably in Latin America, where more than 80 were killed so far this year - 29 in Brazil alone - and Asia.
But the problems facing transgender people in the United States are severe, according to a 2011 survey released by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
The survey of 6,450 people found widespread discrimination at home and at work, extreme poverty and very high rates of attempted suicide. Even accessing healthcare poses challenges for transgender people. Nearly one in five
being refused care and 28 percent were harassed in medical settings.
Does the study track motive? Understandably, this can be hard or impossible to determine in some circumstances. But if the surrounding circumstances involve specific non-related activities, such as a drug deal gone wrong, being caught in bed with a married person, etc., should those count?
i think you guys might be missing the point and getting to technical, i think the day is about reflection, growth and change, too look at those who have been wronged and spread awarness so it becomes less common and hopfully one day stops.
no matter who or where you are you should not be murdered for your sexuality.
+1
Uhm, cough, yes or no
I don’t think my friends were hateful or fearful , as much as they loved taking the piss out of me. It was the definition, almost, of a fucking funny story.:o I am not swearing gratuitously here. Tranny’s aren’t gay. You could not pay a normal gay guy any amount of $ or attention to have his private parts cut and made to look girl like. Not the gay vision at all.
I think tranny’s have the hardest row to how. Remember how Mr Slave abandoned Mr Garison when he became Ms Garison on South Park. Dumped by Mr Slave. Not an easy emotional change. It’s not really a gay thing, the pop culture just sort of lumps them together. Normal gay guys think all that hormones and surgery to look like pussy is freaky strange , like the straight guys do. Gay guys don’t want guys with a fake pussy any more than straight guys do.Fucking strange, and if you are gay, no more dick. Not cool.
Hat’s off to Chaz Bono, and the many other Tranny’s that will step out. Smallest community on earth. They must feel very strongly to do what they have done. Not easy . I always knew I was a guy and the body stuff fit. Easy for me.
So good post Billy. Let’s honor those who are cool people and didn’t get born with the sex parts they feel they are. Feelings are important, and this explains the extremes that tranny’s will go to.Mostly sweet people, they must take a road we can’t imagine. Gay or straight. you cannot imagine their road.
just thought i would add this for fun
John, this addresses your question
http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/fbi-releases-annual-hate-crime-statistics-publication-for-
Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released its annual Hate Crime Statistics publication for the year 2010. The report, which details hate crimes reported by states, municipalities and universities, provides a partial snapshot of the number of hate crimes committed on a range of categories, including sexual orientation. The report concludes that 19.3% of all hate crimes, or 1,528 incidents, were the result of sexual orientation bias.
The percentage of victims targeted because of sexual orientation bias continues to trend upward among the overall number of reported hate crimes from 2008 (17.7%) and 2009 (18.5%). Overall, the number of reported hate crimes increased slightly this year and across all distinguishing characteristics. Even so, these numbers represent only a sample of the actual number of hate crimes that occurred in 2010. A crime is included in the report only if a law enforcement agency decides to report it to the FBI. Because reporting to the FBI is voluntary, countless incidents go unreported by both victims and agencies every year. Thus, the FBI’s hate crime statistics report provides an incomplete picture of the total number of hate crimes that occur in any given year.