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Steve Rothaus reports at the Miami Herald:

They’ve bullied and taunted her, calling her names and writing on her locker. And now, the seniors at McFatter Technical High School have elected Andrew Viveros their 2011 prom queen. “They called my name and I was in total shock,’’ said Andrew, a 17-year-old who was born male but has publicly presented herself as female for the last two years. With her long wavy brown hair, Andrew wore a royal blue dress and got a fresh manicure for the Friday night dance. Andrew, also known as Andii, plans to someday change her name to Andrea after she transitions. She wanted to run for prom queen in order to show other transgender teens “it gets better.” She ran against 14 others.

Following its approval by the Connecticut House, today the state Senate will consider a bill granting anti-discrimination protections on the basis of gender identity. The measure has been been characterized as the "Bathroom Bill" by anti-gay groups, who are today flooding right wing sites with pleas to call Connecticut's legislators. Cited in the Christianist materials are numerous cases of men arrested for peeping or videotaping in women's restrooms. That has nothing to do with Connecticut's bill, of course, but outrageous lying scare tactics have long been the calling card of God's Gentle People.

A Texas judge has ruled that the trans widow of a firefighter killed in the line of duty is not eligible for his death benefits.

Ever since Thomas Araguz died fighting a fire at an egg farm last year, his family has been battling his widow, Nikki Araguz, over $600,000 in death benefits. The firefighter’s family argued that, since Nikki Araguz was born a man, her marriage to Thomas Araguz –under Texas law – was not valid. The family said the death benefits should go to Thomas Araguz’s two children with his first wife. But Nikki Araguz has maintained that Thomas Araguz knew about her past as a man, and that their marriage was legal. Nikki Araguz had sexual reassignment surgery after the marriage. The couple was estranged at the time of Thomas Araguz’s death. On Tuesday, Judge Randy Clapp said that because Nikki Araguz was born a man, Thomas Araguz was not married on the day he died, and any marriage – formal or informal – is void.

The decision is expected to be appealed.

Anti-gay groups will rally this afternoon at the Connecticut state capitol building in opposition to the pending transgender rights act, which Christianist groups have characterized as a "bathroom bill" which will allow men in dresses to molest little girls in public restrooms.

From the Connecticut Family Institute:

"HB 6599 is subjective and vague. Terms such as 'gender expression' and 'gender identity' vary by person and include such vagaries as 'mannerisms.' It will permit men - sexually attracted to women, but dressed as women (or not) -- to access women's public bathrooms, showers, changing rooms and locker rooms. Women and families that object will be bigots under the law. It takes away parental rights to object to cross-dressing persons -- or persons who permanently express characteristics of both sexes -- teaching in the classroom. It even prevents adults from regulating such behavior by the students. Parents, principals and School Board members that object will find themselves bigots under Connecticut law."

Hate crimes charges have been filed against the two Maryland teens arrested last month for the brutal attack on a transgender woman at a Baltimore McDonald's.

The indictment returned Monday by a Baltimore County grand jury charges Teonna Brown with assault and a hate crime in the attack on Chrissy Lee Polis last month. She is also charged with assaulting a customer and a McDonald's employee who tried to intervene. A 14-year-old girl is facing the same charges in juvenile court. A videotape of the April 18 beating posted online shows a woman being attacked repeatedly while an employee and customer try to stop them. The woman then appears to have a seizure.

The day after the attack, McDonald's fired the employee who filmed the incident with his cell phone rather than attempting to intervene.

"Transgender" is the "hot word of the day" over at Dictionary.com. An excerpt:

The word transgender is a recent addition to English. In conversational use as early as the 1960s, “transgender” entered the dictionary in the early 1990s. Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning “across or beyond.” Gender shares the same Latin root as genus. As a classifier for male and female, “gender” replaced “sex” in the 20th century. This was a trend started by feminist writers who wanted to highlight the biological attributes of males and females separate from their social characteristics.

Nick Krieger's book about his transition, Nina Here Or There: My Journey Beyond Gender, launches today.

Anti-gay and Christianist groups are organizing against Connecticut's proposed transgender rights bill by characterizing the measure as a "bathroom bill" that will allow men in dresses the freedom to molest little girls in public restrooms. This tactic, sadly, has worked in other states.

The Connecticut Legislature is about to vote on HB6599, the "Bathroom Bill", which gives broad and needless special privileges to "transgendered individuals" but from which all amendments to protect the public and children have been defeated by Democrats kowtowing to the extremist LGBT lobby. As a result this bill as now constituted, would permit ANY man who claims female "gender identity" even if he just wears a dress cannot be excluded from any job statewide, and MUST be given access to women's facilities, including public and private women's restrooms, locker rooms and showers. The "Gay Mafia" is fighting tooth and nail to win this fight, because it could be used as a model nationwide. We must stop this right here, right now, in CT.

The above-linked article warns: "It means that a man who is a sexual predator could claim to be 'transgendered' and enter a women's public bathroom, locker room or shower. DO YOU WANT YOUR WIFE OR DAUGHTER IN THIS SITUATION?"

Paglia says Bono has "mutilated" his body and is bringing reassignment surgery into the mainstream.