Several national social-justice organizations have criticized the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival ( also known as Michfest ) for its unofficial policy excluding trans* women.
The Human Rights Campaign has thrown its weight behind those taking issue with the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival's "intention" to exclude transgender women, according to Advocate.com .
This happened just days after Equality Michigan called on the festival to reverse its policy.
Other groups that have called on Michfest to change its policy include The National Black Justice Coalition, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and The National Center for Lesbian Rights.
Transadvocate.com reported that Rea Carey, executive director of the task force, recently said, "As an organization with a core value of inclusiveness, the Task Force believes that the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival's 'womyn born womyn' intention, to the exclusion of transgender women, must end. It also runs at variance with welcoming and respecting the reality of all women's lives."
This year, out Canadian rock trio Hunter Valentine announced it would not perform at the festival because of Michfest's intention, which they see as discriminatory; also, Orange Is The New Black star Lea DeLaria cancelled her scheduled performance after becoming the subject of online criticsm for being on the event's roster.
However, Gender Identity Watch has taken the opposite side, supporting the event's policy, Transadvocate noted. The organization claimed that the social-justice groups opposing the rule are anti-lesbian, and directed them to read a "grass roots" booklet distributed at Michfest this year.
One entry in the booklet reportedly states, "There is no such thingas 'trans,' other than it exists as a social phenomena that intentionally or unintentionally, promotes male rule of our lives and separates us from our connection to ourselves and the laws of nature. "
Michfest is taking place through Aug. 10.
Also please see related commentary
2013-08-07 VIEWS Michigan Fest: Our Bodies, Ourselves, by Tracy Baim, Windy City Times; Plus MichFest: A Response
at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/VIEWS-Michigan-Fest-Our-Bodies-Ourselves/43968.html .