While responding to a fire in Bushwick early yesterday morning, firefighters found the unconscious body of a 25-year-old woman who was pronounced dead at the scene. Now it turns out that the victim was a notable transgender performer, Lorena Escalera, who was the "Puerto Rican Beyoncé." more ›

A transgender woman has filed a lawsuit against the city and several police officers who allegedly humiliated her and chained her to a wall inside the station house for 28 hours after she was arrested in the subway. According to the lawsuit, which you can read in full below, Temmie Breslauer was arrested by an undercover cop last month for illegally using her father’s discount fare card at the 125th Street subway station. Breslauer, whose legal name is Todd, is a transgender person undergoing hormone replacement therapy and intends to undergo genital reassignment surgery. She alleges that police "targeted" her because of her appearance, and then prolonged her booking so they could torment her. more ›

Remember a few months ago, when seven-year-old Bobby Montoya gained national attention because he "liked girl stuff" and wanted to join his local Girl Scouts chapter? After a giant PR headache, the organization decided to let Montoya in, saying "if a child identifies as a girl and the child's family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout." Despite the fact that Montoya didn't actually join his local troupe, the decision to allow him to do so instantly infuriated some conservative troupes, who called the move "extremely confusing" and an "almost dangerous situation." more ›

Remember back in October, when Bobby Montoya, an adorable seven-year-old boy who "likes girl stuff" drew national attention because he wanted to join his local Girl Scouts troop? Well, nearly two months later, Christian leaders of three Girl Scout troops in Louisiana are reacting with disgust, quitting their posts and disbanding their troops because Montoya was allowed to join. more ›

In 2009 the State Supreme Court ruled that a transgender person seeking a name change does not have to provide proof of any medical procedure justifying the change. But the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund says that transgender people still need to jump through hoops to get their birth certificate's sex changed. "A birth certificate is a fundamental form of identification," said TLDEF staff attorney Noah Lewis. "By refusing to give transgender people accurate birth certificates that reflect who they are, the city subjects transgender people to harassment and discrimination in areas like employment where ID is essential to proving eligibility to work." more ›

After a 14-month legal battle, a transgender couple from the Bronx was given permission to marry by the city clerk (below), who apologized for the treatment the couple received when they first attempted to get a marriage license. The couple, one male to female transgender and the other female to male, had been in a relationship for over a decade and attempted to wed in December 2009. But a worker at the City Clerk's Bronx office asked for their birth certificates because they didn't look like the sexes listed on their photo IDs, something Michael Silverman of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund calls "illegal and unconstitutional." more ›

Back in March, Make the Road New York was singling out J. Crew for discriminating against transgenders, after testing a number of retailers. Oddly, American Eagle wasn't on the list of stores they sent us at the time, but today the Daily News reports that the organization has had a hand in impacting change at the retailer. more ›

In an effort to make the campus a friendly place for transgender students and people with small children, the College of Staten Island is reconstructing one bathroom in each building to be gender neutral. "It's common sense, really," said Professor Dr. Syed Rizvi. "It provides people with a safe environment to perform basic human functions." The conversions don't seem too difficult either. Eight men's rooms were changed to unisex with the simple addition of a lock on the main door. more ›

A Medical Examiner has ruled the cause of death for Edelbuerto (Amanda) Gonzalez-Andujar: homicide from compression to the neck, and detectives believe she was killed by a man she had been dating. Her body was discovered on Tuesday in her Ridgewood apartment when a concerned relative asked the building's superintendent to open her apartment, having not heard from Amanda in three days. Friend Milagros Ramirez told ABC News, "She was such a sweet person, you know? She was loved by everybody, so I just can't figure who would do this." more ›

Edelbuerto Gonzalez-Andujar, a transgender woman who went by Amanda, was found dead in her ransacked Ridgewood apartment yesterday afternoon. Around 4 p.m. acquaintances came looking for the 29-year-old, only to find her naked and lifeless on the bed. "Everything in the apartment was destroyed. All her Marilyn Monroe pictures were destroyed," Barbara Vega told the Daily News, adding that she'd been trying to reach her friend since Friday. Gonzalez-Andujar had been stabbed several times in the neck and chest; the Times reports that her laptop was missing from the apartment, but so far cops aren't sure whether there was a break-in and don't have any suspects. "She never had any problems with anybody...We need to know who did this to her," said Vega. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] The latest company being called out for their discriminating hiring practices is J. Crew (following the lead of Prada, American Apparel and scores of others). Today a rally will go down at 1:15 p.m. in front of their 5th Avenue location, after a non-profit group called Make the Road New York filed a complaint with the NY Attorney General's office. more ›

A transgender New Yorker has filed a $10 million lawsuit against former NFL cornerback Eric Green, accusing him of sexual assault in early 2009. According to the lawsuit, Green met Angelina Mavilia, 38, in a casino in Phoenix when Green was still on the Arizona Cardinals. Green allegedly took Mavilia back to his condo and forcibly sodomized her, then told her, "This never happened. You'd better not tell." Mavilia is also suing NYC over a separate incident that occurred after she was arrested for trespassing in a Manhattan housing complex on Oct. 30, 2008. more ›

For hundreds of transgender people trying to establish new identities, Manhattan courts have played a crucial role. Nearly 400 transgender people have sought and been granted name changes either from male to female, female to male or ambiguous, making New York a name change capital of the country. They've enlisted the help of city advocates who specialize in the emerging field of transgender law—now the network is almost 200 lawyers strong. more ›

In what is being described as a "high-profile event" tomorrow, Governor Paterson will sign an executive order extending legal protections to transgender employees of New York State. (The order applies only to state employees under the executive branch—not to the private sector.) Sources tell City Room that the executive order will include transgender people in antidiscrimination policies that already govern state agencies, and will offer the broadest protections ever extended to transgender public employees in New York. Dru Levasseur, Lambda Legal transgender rights attorney, says, "This will bring New York up to par with other states that are taking the lead on workplace fairness." more ›

The State Supreme Court ruled yesterday that a transgender person seeking a name change does not have to provide proof of any medical procedure justifying the change, striking down an earlier ruling. The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, a nonprofit advocacy organization, had brought the case to New York Civil Court in February on behalf of Olin Yuri Winn-Ritzenberg, a transgender man who wanted to change his first name from Leah. more ›

LGBTQ advocates are pushing the state legislature to amend New York's hate crime law to include gender identity. Under the current state law, prosecuters can classify assault as a hate crime if it stems from the victims' sexual orientation, but crimes against transgender victims do not necessarily qualify. One of the leading advocates for reform is Carmella Etienne, 23, who was attacked in Queens in July by two men shouting anti-gay slurs and threatening to cut her throat. more ›

As the debate to legalize gay marriage rages on within the chaotic confines of Albany, two young men took matters into their own hands and hoodwinked their way into a marriage certificate at the City Clerk's Office. Hakim Nelson and Jason Stenson were married on May 26th, sliding under the radar on Nelson's food stamps card, which lists him as a female. No one at the clerk's office raised an eyebrow since Nelson arrived wearing an orange dress with white leggings. The two believe that they made history with Stenson saying, "People in Albany can say, 'Look, it's already happened, so let's just make it legal.'" Hakim Nelson and Jason Stenson, you might be New York's first gay marriage to go public, what are you gonna do now? We're taking our story to the New York Post! The Post talked to a city official, who seemed pretty unfazed, telling the paper, "If someone is trying to willfully sneak through, we try to stop it. But you have instances of females [who] have male names and vice versa. You've heard of a boy named Sue, right?" The newlyweds have been honeymooning at a homeless youth shelter in Brooklyn. more ›

After a two year absence, 47-year-old Yeshiva University literature professor Jay Ladin returned to school last week as Joy Ladin, putting the oy in Joy by arriving at the midtown campus wearing a black skirt and pink lipstick. According to the head of the National Center for Transgender Equality, Ladin is the only transgender employee of a religiously conservative university in America. more ›

There was plenty of buzz Monday about Radar's investigative report on $2,000 an hour hipster hookers, but that wasn't the week's only close-up on the oldest profession. A bit further down market, to say the least, the Villager's Laurie Mittelmann pals around with transgender street walkers in the West Village: "While shoes may also pain the feet of males and females, underwear can present unique problems for pre-operation transgender women. They want foxy little numbers, but still need to cover bulging male genitalia." And just like the author of the Radar story, Mittelmann also turns down a paranoid john who approached her for "'rocks and sex.' Apparently, he thought there was a chance this reporter was an undercover cop. 'You’re either going to hook me up with some fun, or hook me up in cuffs,' he said, licking his lips and kneading his pants." Demonstrating enormous self-control, Mittelmann somehow resisted his charms. more ›

Republicans in the State Senate introduced a bill this week that would protect minors, particularly transgender students, from bullies. But no one will take credit for sponsoring the bill, and it may disappear as quietly as it was introduced. A spokesman for the Senate majority leader Dean G. Skelos would not comment on the proposed law, telling the Times, “We are focused on property tax relief.” Similar legislation has been passed in the Democrat-controlled Assembly; the mysterious Republican version would require schools to train teachers to intervene during bullying and keep track of bullying cases, including incidents involving sexual orientation. 11 other states have already enacted such laws, according to Alan Van Capelle of the Empire State Pride Agenda. more ›

The Daily News reports that a Bronx prostitute was killed by a john. The suspected killer reportedly didn't realize the prostitute was a transgender woman. Talib Stewart, also known as Nesha and Sanesha, was stabbed in a Belmont apartment building, and the 37-year-old killer was apprehended there as well. more ›

Last month, New York City kicked off a big global advertising campaign to attract more tourists to the Big Apple. The ads appear in a number of venues, and the Post notes that media space has been bought in Out magazine and on the LOGO network, as well as LGBT websites. A Bloomberg administration official explains that gay and lesbians have more disposable income, as they are usually dual-income without kids, "What we're saying... more ›