"Hakim Nelson and Jason Stenson married on May 26 with nary a raised eyebrow among the oblivious city bureaucrats who not only OK'd the marriage license, but conducted the ceremony, despite gay marriage being illegal in the state. The plucky couple filled out their marriage application online at the Apple Store on 14th Street in May. A few days later, they went to the City Clerk's Office on Worth Street to complete the form and get their marriage license. Nelson — who goes by the name 'Kimah' and hopes to one day have surgery to become a 'full female' — wore an orange dress and white leggings, his straight, brown hair falling to his shoulders. The gullible clerk didn't seem to notice that both Nelson, 18, and Stenson, 21, have male first names. They both had to present identification to obtain the license. Stenson used his state ID card, and Nelson gave a state Benefit Card, which he uses to collect food stamps. By a fluke, Nelson's ID card has an 'F' for female on it, because the official who issued it in April assumed from his appearance that he was a woman." [NYP]
The Big Problem If ENDA Doesn’t Stipulate What Changes Must Be Made to Employee Bathrooms (5)
· Tina says: First off, I am all for ENDA. But bathroom issues are not about trans people.... »
GLAAD Only Gets Angry When Gay People Say ‘Fag.’ Straight Women Get Awards (40)
· djm says: I’ve referred to myself as a fag. My ex-bf gets offended and wonders why I say that... »
Gov. Paterson Wants NY’s Lawmakers to Choose a ‘For’ or ‘Against Discrimination’ Column (7)
· Schteve says: @NoDoubleStandards Except the Democrat that won there is against marriage equality.... »
Were These Dads Harassed + Detained By Wal-Mart Because They’re Gay? (27)
· mb00 says: I have to admit that I shopped at wal-mart in Honolulu last night out of necessity. Just... »
So This AIDS Vaccine Actually … Works? (17)
· djm says: I’m not so sure about this. Yes, I’d definitely get this vaccine if it became... »
PHOTOS: Coaster Through Life (28)
· Nobodyatall says: God, that was way too easy: http://www.facebook.com/p aulyyyy His myspace... »
Is It Wrong to Refuse to Have Sex With HIV-Positive Men? (99)
· djm says: I don’t think it’s wrong to refuse, no, but I don’t personally have a... »
Adam Lambert Suckled a Breast Just Before Breaking Up With Drake LaBry. Coincidence? (57)
· Nicole says: You’re pretty niaeve then if you think the world revolves around you. And how... »
Can’t A Television Show Say ‘Fag’ Anymore Without GLAAD Getting Upset? (84)
· WTF says: No 73: Per your argument, whenever anyone says “lame” they’re clearly... »
· WTF says: WTF – gay men were the heroes in this episode. When the fags on Harleys were... »
If Nelson is trans, she should be referred to as she. Further, someone who reads a trans person as the gender they're presenting is not "gullible." I know this isn't your original copy, but, being a queer site and all, you guys might think about rewriting it or writing your own so that it's actually queer-positive.
In New York, trans people have the option to change their legal sex to match their gender, at which point they may marry someone of the opposite gender (i.e., an trans woman may marry a man). All that happened in this case is that the state allowed a man to marry a woman who was not yet fully legally a woman. The only thing really interesting about this will be seeing how the state ends up treating this situation.
TowelRoad broke this almost twelve hours ago.
In all honesty, this is fraud. Some of the comments on the NY Post site are just…despicable, but the main point is that they tricked the system and got something that is, in New York, illegal. The whole Welfare/food stamps thing also calls into question whether these two married to receive yet another financial assist.
"They took their new license to the Adult Family Intake Center in Manhattan hoping to qualify for couples' housing."
I want to agree with these two, but…they just seem like con men to me. Or, con man and woman, if you must.
@Jackson:
Yes, "con man and woman"…how pathetic the objective, though. What a con…oy… God forbid homeless lgbt youth con the system that fucked them.
@TANK: Whether the system fucked them or not, conning it will just get them more screwed over. Kimah isn't registered as a trans woman, her birth certificate says Male. Had she changed that, this wouldn't be news, and the two would be married. This makes me angry, y'know, seeing these two very young people having to struggle like this, but all this lying and trickery made what would've been a quaint, cute story of a man and his transgender wife standing up for equality into an illegal disaster that will likely land the both of them in jail for fraud.
Is it any less a "con" than gay men who enlist in the military knowing they are not welcome? People don't usually call them out for gaming the system.
I am always so amazed (and angered) by those on this site who are so quick to condemn the victims (LGBT people) of a rotten and unfair system while apologizing for and happily handing out a free pass to the sons-of-bitches who keep perpetrating the bigotry, hatred, discrimination and conditions that force many of us into making horrible choices in life, just to survive.
That so many people can come off sounding so moral righteous and high-minded over a totally immoral political system, is just mind-boggling.