Trans Universe

By Monica F. Helms

Every November 11th, the US celebrates Veterans Day, a day to honor all of those who served in our military, all of those who are currently serving and especially all of those who died serving our country. This is a special year for different reasons. For the first time in history, gay, lesbian and bisexual veterans and service members can celebrate Veterans Day openly because of the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Sadly, trans service members still cannot celebrate openly.

Another reason is the date, 11/11/11. Many people do not know the significance on why Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11, or why Veterans Day parades start on the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of that day. It all came about ninety-three years ago in France.

On November 11, 1918, the armistice to end World War I went into affect, on the eleventh hour of that day. The 11th minute of the 11th hour was never officially recognized, but many Americans use that to extend the “eleventh” number pattern. On November of 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th as the day to commemorate Armistice Day.

On May 3, 1938, Congress declared Armistice Day a legal holiday for federal workers. On June 1, 1954, we changed the name to Veterans Day, after America had just finished WWII and the Korean War. They changed the name in order to commemorate all veterans who served this country in all wars. On June 28, 1968, Veterans Day was made a floating holiday to give federal workers a three-day weekend, but that didn’t last long. Because the day was considered one of historical and patriotic significance, on September 20, 1975, the holiday was put back on November 11 of each year.

This year, not only will Veterans Day officially start on the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, but this will be the first time ever it will also be on the eleventh year. There are no American survivors of WWI to witness this special day. The last American WWI veteran was Frank Buckles, who died February 27, 2011. On 11/11/11 at 11:11, he will be one of those we will remember and honor. Thank you for your service, Frank.

Thank you for the service of all of those who have worn the uniform of our nation. Amongst them are my grandfather, all of my uncles and one of my aunts. My father served in three wars and in three branches of the military. I served eight years in the Navy, my brother retired after 20 years in the Army and his son is currently in the Air Force. I want to especially thank my oldest son, who did fours years in the Marines and two tours in Iraq. Veterans Day means a lot to our family.

This video is in response to President Obama’s request that university campuses open their doors to the ROTC and military recruiters. Just because DADT has been repealed, LGB people still can’t serve openly and they will not get all of the benefits afforded to straight military people. On top of that, the military will still discriminate against allowing trans people to serve openly. The ROTC should remain off of campuses.

Rep Bobby Franklin, from Marietta, GA, stated that LGBT people are the same as drug dealers. The LGBT community of Georgia attempted to speak with him at the Georgia State Capital building, but he didn’t come out to see us. We delivered the letter to his office instead. This video shows that process, including a reading of the content of the letter. Also, Rep Franklin has introduced a bill that says that any woman who has a miscarriage has to be investigated on the reason why.

By Monica F. Helms

This was a fun video to make for a favorite piece of music. There are over 500 NASA images gone into making this and hours of editing. The music is “Chamber of Horror” by Rick Wakeman.

Welcome to Part 2 of the series on Transgender and Transsexual Veterans of America. In this video, we will show one person we missed in Part 1 and several transgender and transsexual veterans who served in the 20th and 21st Centuries. We will also discuss Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and how the repeal didn’t affect trans people.

Several people have sent in their information and pictures, but not all appear in this video. We will be showing the rest of them in Part 3. If you are a trans veteran and you still wish to send in your information to be included in Part 3, there is plenty of time. Leave a message on the YouTube video page or send it to Monica Helms at tava1@earthlink.net.

This is a tribute to the many beautiful people in the transgender community. All are successful individuals who contribute to society and help others on a daily basis. This video doesn’t begin to highlight all the people who help make this world a better place to live in.

This video is to remember the nine teenagers who took their lives in the month of September because of LGBT bullying or harassment from a fellow student. The video was made using footage and audio from the vigil that took place on October 2, 2010 in Atlanta, organized by the Sister of Perpetual Indulgence, Atlanta Chapter. We must tell our children, “It gets better.” Life gets better. May these nine youths rest in peace, as we pray for their families.

By Monica F. Helms

I took video of the Atlanta National Organization for Marriage rally, August 7, 2010, but because of problems uploading to YouTube, and some personal issues.  This is the first I can share them with people.  There are five videos, and I still have to edit the video I took of the LGBT rally at Woodruff Park, before the NOM rally.

This first one is called, “Atlanta LGBT Community at NOM Rally, August 7, 2010.” On This video, we see the LGBT come together to face the National Organization for Marriage at the Georgia State Capital Building and show their faces to be visible. NOM has a tiny crowd compared to the LGBT Community, as NOM tries to drum up support for their archaic attitudes toward love, marriage and commitment.

With the divorce rate at 50%, maybe straight people should worry about fixing their own marriages instead making a mockery of it. With their bad track record, they shouldn’t be telling others how to run their lives.

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By Monica F. Helms

The VA has a new directive on the treatment of Transgender Veterans, BUT they won’t release it. This is becoming a theme with the Obama Administration. Tell LGBT people that their issues are important then do nothing to make them a reality. Transgender veterans have decided not to be quiet about this issue any longer.

First, a little history. In January of 2003, the Transgender American Veterans Association was formed with the primary mission to work with the Department of Veteran Affairs to have their medical facilities treat transgender people with dignity and respect.

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This is my most ambitious video project yet. It’s called: “Transgender and Transgender-Like Veterans – Part 1.” Besides doing it in widescreen, I used several techniques I have only experimented with in the past.

This is a documentary of those individuals who crossed gender lines to serve their country, from the Revolutionary War to the Spanish American War. The video has stories of interesting people, like Deborah Sampson, Albert Cashier and Cathy Williams. It didn’t turn out too bad for what I had to work with.

I wanted to do a tribute to all of those transgender and transgender -like people who served this country proudly. It was amazing what I found when researching the information for this video. I hope you like it.