February 26th, 2015

FEATURING:

Leela Ginelle, frequent contributor to PQ Monthly (including the podcast PQ Mouthy) and Bitch Media on issues of trans justice, speaking about the history of anti-trans discrimination in feminist and gay/lesbian activist communities.  Some radical feminists, sometimes referred to as TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists), deny that trans women are truly women (often misgendering them), and advocate for the creation of controversial "woman born woman" spaces that exclude trans women.  We also discuss alarming rates of violent assault and murder of trans women, as well as high rates of economic instability, homelessness, suicide, poor health outcomes and more.

AND:

Dan Handelman, head of Portland Copwatch, speaking about the city's recent vote to rejoin an FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force and share information with the federal government in potential terrorism cases.  Portland had stood out for ten years as the only major US city that didn't assign full-time officers to JTTF.  City council's close vote to rejoin, with Mayor Hales casting the decisive yes vote, has drawn sharp criticism from the Muslim community and police accountability/civil liberties advocates, who say participation could damage community trust and make Muslims more hesitant to report crimes.  We also discuss the now-underway wrongful death suit against the city on behalf of Brad Lee Morgan, a suicidal man who was fatally shot by Portland police in 2012 when, police say, he drew a toy gun with the intention of provoking police to shoot him.  Attorneys for Morgan's family, who seek $3 million in economic damages, argue that the officers' negligence and failure to adhere to training and policy guidelines escalated the situation and played a role in their son's death.