stonemasons builders and architects compete with each other to the projects. this is how massive churches with towers that pierce the clouds like skyscrapers are created a. contest of the cathedrals stars people 12th on t.w. . today joe biden became the 1st us president to issue a proclamation recognizing transgender people at the same time the pentagon on biden's orders reverse the trump administration's ban on transgender people from serving in the military this brings the u.s. in line with germany's military which now has its 1st transgender commander tonight on this international transgender day of visibility we introduce those among us who

have been ignored and overlooked for much too long the people who have a right to be seen the transgender people we now see i'm for golf in berlin this is the day. i am transgender and i decided that age of 40 to actually leave my male life behind when i wanted to say that i'm female are they on my gender map that they should put female i don't want any member of the transgender community to suffer i don't want them to live in these rural mind. i wanted to become a man i thought the said you can do it but you don't have to do it by yourself i can help you through that whole thing my mom once said it's she seems to be highly happy. also coming up it is promising

news for parents who hope to soon send their kids back to school today finds are said tests showed that it's corona virus vaccine is safe and effective for children as young as 12. i definitely hope we get back whatever we would call a non law. and eventually citizen but we start a long way to go to get on that actually. but to our viewers on p.b.s. in the united states and to all of you around the world welcome we begin the day connecting the world with the people it sometimes doesn't see and much too often chooses not to today is international transgender day of visibility transgender refers to people who do not identify with the sex given to them at birth recent polls show that one quarter of people say they personally know someone who is transgender that means for most people the only contact they have is via the media

which tonight will introduce you to people who just like you and me simply want to live their lives freely in a world free of hate and hostility towards them for some it means risking their lives for others it means a life led as an example and that brings us to our 1st story her name is understands the a b. phone she is the 1st commander in the german military who also happens to be transgender she brings more than 20 years of service to the table and she is responsible for more than $700.00 soldiers and she has a story to tell. putting on makeup has become a part of her every day routine anastasio be following is a lieutenant colonel in the german army and a transgender woman. i am transgender and i decided 42 actually leave my male life behind the 40 i realize that i was a woman. that was the point of my life were decided to actually move into the

direct consequence of coming out as a transgender woman came after 20 years of military service to anastasio own surprise it wasn't a stumbling block in her career shortly after her sex change surgery she became a commander in charge of $700.00 soldiers sergeant major dietmar shared a met anastasio be falling after her gender reassignment for him honest as he is just another fellow soldier. to cuba i just accept that people are the way they are and that goes beyond transgenderism i feel the same way about other more mundane things like what party they vote for what make of car they like you just have to accept people the way they are that he said. that would be fun lived as a man she led a seemingly ordinary life but says she felt tremendous emotional pain because she didn't feel comfortable in her body as a male. look for flight into. the world her probably helped.

to perform to male standards but my inner self was always. crying after that almost 20 years. i was at a point in my life where my emotional stability my motional well being well being had a point where i don't want to live this way anymore after 3 years as a commander honest career has taken off she is now the head of the division in the bundeswehr is cyber and information domain service. she is also making it her mission to stand up for transgender people in the german armed forces promoting diversity and tolerance. what i know from my experience is what is definitely certain if you are true to yourself and live the way you are probably open you will have a better life i think my mom once said that she seems to be finally happy.

what it's like now from the german to the u.s. military my 1st guest tonight joined the u.s. army in 1903 as edward long at the time the pentagon classified transgenderism as a psychosexual disorder after deployments in iraq and afghanistan after receiving the bronze star medal with 30 years of service long retired in 2011 in 2012 edward long became jennifer marie long and jennifer long joins me tonight from new york jennifer it's good to have you on the program you know you come on the day when there's a lot of news to report i want to get your reaction to the pentagon today ending the trump ban on transgender people from serving in the u.s. military it's a it's a great moment you know it but it's full circle it was long in coming i mean given several years ago when the ban was reinstated it. was detrimental audio lot of

folks i mean it was and right now it's about 15000 over 15000 you know u.s. soldiers that went in a fight as trans national being who were forced to almost out of the service and now. realize that full careers and full potentials and service posed show that transgender people in the u.s. are twice as likely as system to people to enlist in the military do you know why that is. well 1st of all it's more likely for men to enlist in the military 1st and foremost. and from my point and for most when interviewed it's usually from one to change it going from male to female and they join the military it's more of a flight to masculinity or try to reassert yourself as as male or a man and you choose the military to do that and that's one of the venue's that

happens or it sometimes just because you fall in the footsteps of family but more unless it's more likely that it's the fact there's flight to masculinity is numerous articles that have come out on that fact itself you sued the army for the right to change her name on your military record and you won that case in 2015 how significant was that legal victory. it was very significant it was actually the army board of errors and omissions who held that you know standard that you couldn't couldn't change anything on a document other than if there was an error and or omission and since my name fell into neither it became it became a case that in that case the ability to change my name on that document being so essential to the individual after service it's a some nation of total military service on a single document and it's mostly important to the veterans that individual you know for employment for federal statuses for different benefit programs. the

veterans administration medical care facilities it's all those things you need that document and having the right name on the document you know just makes things smoother you don't have to cherry carry around name change documents and have a lot of other issues involved and the war out in yourself so to speak to for a little viewers know around the world vet across the united states there are v.f.w. post veterans of foreign war person there at the white community centers and tells in cities you are the commander of your local v.f.w. post i think it's number 132 is it is it an issue or topic there at all that you were transgender when you're surrounded by all of these these fellow veterans. yeah it's been an amazing part when i 1st joined it was unknown to them it actually became known to them and it won my case for my d.d. to 14 had hit the news it was major news here in the end in the united states and

it was featured in evening news and then when they found out most of them were in this belief that they couldn't believe it was actually so and most of them it was almost all of them just accepted me as a was because they already knew me and for an organisation it's usually pretty staunch and you know what i call curmudgeon a. they've been very good to me and i've you know so much so that you know i'm spinnin commander of the post now for 6 years running and it's usually a one year so a one year position so i've been doing it for 6 years you haven't said i think we're going anywhere. but most people tell us that they do not know a transgender person personally they only know about them basically through television of the media so maybe you can help us here with some of the basics i mean how do you refer to yourself i mean should we refer to you as your him or senior her or they have made that comes up

a what when we talk to people about transgender well most people identify with the pronouns you know she or him depending i can my case it would be she infers some that say you know from female to male would be him is a they usually come for the addresses those who are gender non-binary so that usually that's where that usually falls as in my case it would be you know it would be. announce how you know i would identify you know nat's base what about representation of transgender people in the media it has increased a lot recently do you feel that transgender people are still are these still too often overlooked or maybe even not seen by the majority. well you know it goes back to your previous question about not been seen or not being heard remember you know when you you know being transgender a transitioning it's a verb it's an action right it's a period of time and usually once folks go you know through that period and then

you know just like anastasia in your previous. run you know she went through a period now she's anastasia right it's all you have a transgender past but it doesn't define you now most folks today just get on with their lives and you'll find it's invisible right it's not we just want to you know be our authentic selves and have that life. not necessarily causing attention to ourselves what is your message tonight just heard to parents who want their children to grow up and to grow into the personality that feels natural for them well you know everybody knows you know it you know everyone knows that a young age 1st and foremost we're just i just happen to grow up in a time when it was very difficult to identify and or come out because there was no information on it and here and today you know i would often said that you know it's

better to have a well adjusted child than you know a child that it's either to their own life and or has. health issues. so you know being supportive of your child you know it's not the worst thing and you know they're going to be happy they're going to be lost it it's hard for the parents they have their own idea you know that they want you know they have a son or daughter and now there's a difference in their will feel that way and it's can be traumatic for the parents however in recent years and more that i've met are starting to understand and want to be proactive in their child's life and the trend in the active part of transition you know so much so that they were in with the schools and working with the communities to help their child adjust. with jennifer long unfortunately our time has run out but we appreciate you taking the time to share your story and your thoughts with us today we appreciate it thank you thank you thank you so much for having me. well in the western world the united states for example transgender

visibility is said to be at an all time high in politics and media and in sports it's a different picture in africa where being seen can be tantamount to being sentenced to death in uganda transgender activists are calling for the authorities to recognize their community they say they often live in fear. beyond sikharulidze has been coded costs for being a trans woman. she has been also did on the wrist it. when how father learn to about how trans women students who rejected her. i didn't have any belonging i didn't have i didn't feel loved i felt because they said i'm an outcast and they said because in the my lai in my local language they say which means like you are deaf or is something so all the other things that made me feel like oh i am not human those are the things i wanted me to take my life.

from formulae rejection to community insults original calculates humbles carefully she house also experienced violence is that there when i got aboard the right guy i told him to drive me from. going on and it drove me to mocking the way he took when a group of boys talk to me. in 2011 currently founded the transgender equality uganda in nonprofit organization to help troubled trans women some of them secret few jobs the organizations premisses but even here heroines you cannot guarantee vs safety. the local come into people do not know war so it's still a challenge so what we have being advised by the local the local it does that we should also all have dialogue with the local with the local community members and. they. will get to know so that we live together

a nominee. says uganda's president signed the anti homosexuality act in 2014 uganda has been widely branded hostile for the l g b t q i people courage you once thought to change today i would love to see a band that understands different jeanette's questions that for example a gun that i understand trends like when i want to call to say that i'm female are they on my agenda they should put him in the united nations as repeatedly appealed to the ugandan government to uphold the rights of sexual minorities but many ugandans including some members of parliament and really just lead as i think people from such groups should not be treated as equals. in bangladesh a woman who does what i do has made headlines by becoming the country's 1st transgender news anchor the transgender community in bangladesh faces stigma abuse

and discrimination finding a job can be almost impossible many turned to sex work or they end up on the streets begging it makes this story even more remarkable. it's been a long way to the top for tasha nuva an unsure shia the newly appointed news anchor has had more than just glass ceilings to push through to end up here but. i. think. as bangladesh's 1st transgender news reader she's had to work hard to get her foot in the door at that analyst at the chrysler to many other channels barely anybody called me for an interview a couple of them called me for auditions but that was it i guess they weren't brave enough to take me with that as i had many others perhaps wanted to work with me but again probably they had their own limitations but i never realized this would grab

so much attention. born kemal hussain shashi nuva says she knew from very early on that she was born in the wrong body friends neighbors and even her family for acting more like a woman and like many transgender people she says she was bullied and sexually exploited for years. at the short i had my parents once told me to get out of the house then when i couldn't cope with it anymore i left home by myself i couldn't stand the neighbors telling my father about how i should act or walk like a man i never wanted to be a person like that. i'm not going to go out of. her determination has paid off enough to fling her hometown for the capital dhaka she underwent hormone therapy worked hard and kept up her studies though it hasn't been easy she hopes her fight will make it easier for others. i mean. i don't want any member of the transgender

community to suffer i don't want them to live a miserable life i hope they will find work according to this skills that's. a tall order in conservative bandit. my attention to this journey suggests a stunt has been made. well it is some of the most promising news for parents who would like to send their kids back to school protected from the coronavirus today by on take 50 announce that it's coded 1000 back scene is safe and effective in teenagers trials of children as young as 12 showed robust antibody responses the data published today is preliminary it has yet to be peer reviewed pfizer biotech will then submit their results for review by regulators in the u.s. and here in europe if regulators give the green light this would be the 1st vaccine

against the corona virus for children this is caleb chung he's 12 years old and took part in the biotech pfizer trial his father a university doctor says he's extremely proud of his son and all the other children who volunteered for such an important study is definitely a very special opportunity to be able to do something like this cause. i'm just at home doing on my own score and there's not much i can really do to fight back yes. because to being in this trial and potentially helping other kids to feel safe and want to get the vaccine in the future one of the cons for bell. is really some way that i could actually help out. said 2260 children between 12 and 15 participated in the trial none of those who received the vaccine went on to develop covered 19 but among those given the placebo shot there

were 18 cases to develop a site those results indicate the vaccine is 100 percent effective at preventing covered 19 in this age group. the breakthrough is a win for both young people and by an take find the results potentially put the vaccine produces out in front of the developers and could pave the way for authorization for use in teenagers in the coming weeks if confirmed the results would be an important step in stopping the global pandemic and getting children around the world back into classrooms. in europe many families have been homeschooling for months after multiple lockdowns germany's health ministry welcomed the results but stressed further analysis was needed to see if the goal is to make vaccines available for children and adolescents as quickly as possible if that is possible but this requires a review this is now

a 1st study that must be approved for occupational groups. but. the main problem with the e.u. sluggish vaccine rollout so far has been a lack of supply but if that can be solved young people could find themselves getting off food the jab sooner than they expected well i'm joined tonight by dr william schaffner professor of preventive medicine at vanderbilt school of medicine in nashville tennessee in the united states dr schaffner it's good to see you again so you've heard the news will the pfizer biotech vaccine will it provide the peace of mind that parents need if schools are to reopen on schedule in the fall. well right we hope it'll make a very nice contribution after all we still have to get these results for review by the food and drug administration but we have our fingers crossed where optimistic

and there's enough time now so that we could get our vaccination programs organized for these teenagers these high school students and in addition i think we'll have enough vaccine so yes i think the students may not like the jabs but parents they'll be very pleased to be pleased to send the kids back to school that's for sure these trials were conducted as you said on teenagers high school students what do we know about children under the age of 12 and a possible vaccine. well the biotech pfizer folks already working those studies as are other companies following up so i think we'll add an abundance of data by the end of the summer and we can start vaccinating people around the world dr schaffner especially here in europe are watching events in the u.s. and you know they're confused and concerned the u.s. is vaccinated about a quarter of adults now very impressive and yet we've got the centers for disease

control warning of new surges that could wipe out any progress so are the vaccinations are they are they making a difference or not. oh print they certainly are cases and hospitalizations among people age 65 and older are dropping and that's very very exciting you know with vaccinated about 3 quarters of that population and every day we're vaccinating more but at the same time younger adults and college students at been out and about taking off their masks going to the bars and i think the virus is spreading in that population so we have a race between our vaccination efforts and the virus which is still a little bit ahead of us i'm afraid now when i ask you we've got about a minute left what do you make of the mixed messaging surrounding the astra zeneca vaccine i mean we're we're told one side says it's still it's good for people of all ages germany says not for people under 60 i mean who would you trust. well i

think all those data will come to our food and drug administration very soon if the f.d.a. is it an emergency use authorization its approval that i think will pour oil on the troubled waters around the world you know this vaccine cheap easy to use was going to be one of the major vaccines around the world we hope that's still the case all right dr william schaffner as always we appreciate your time in your concerns tonight good to see you thank you. well the day is almost done the conversation it continues online you'll find us on twitter either at the w. news or you can follow me at brant goff t.v. yet remember whatever happens between now and then tomorrow is another day we'll see you then a. boy

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one continent. 700000000 people. all with their own personal stories. we explore every day life for. what europeans fear and what they hope

for. some cars on the road. you know 90 minutes on d w. is quite as simple as it seems. to understand the world better we need to take a closer look at. the experience knowledge tomorrow tradition. copied ugly. in the ugly of climate change. because remember so. much nice to people. what endears do they have of their future.

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this is the w. newswire from berlin tonight for the 3rd time since the pandemic began france is going into lockdown the president says the shutdown already in place in some regions will be extended to the entire country for at least one month schools will close domestic travel will be beyond morning france is close to losing control of this pandemic also coming up tonight more mixed messages the ease medicines

regulator backs the astra zeneca coronavirus vaccine for old age groups comes a day after germany stop the use of astra zeneca in people under the age of 60. i'm off is good to have you with us. we begin with the latest evidence of just how severe the 3rd wave of the pandemic has become for europe tonight france has extended coronavirus lockdown for one more month in an address to the nation president emanuel has said that we will lose control if we do not move now coronavirus cases have risen sharply in recent weeks in france with almost 60000 new infections reported in the past day intensive care units are in danger of being swamped here is the french president. and the full quote i know how difficult the

effort i am asking of you is sick you don't but i know what the consequences are for our country and for our lives. and you also know that we have done everything possible to take these measures as late as possible and up a time when they were strictly necessary and these are the times. but i also want to tell you tonight thanks to vaccination the end of the crisis is finally in sight. because at this hour you are already more than 8 and a half 1000000 to have received a 1st injection of vaccine 3000000 have received 2 and that was the 1st president speaking there earlier this evening lisa lewis is our correspondent in paris she has been following that address and i asked her which of the measures announced by the french president would have the most impact on the french people. well

basically as you said he's extending the measures that i in place at this very moment in 1000 departments about a 3rd to france to the whole of continental france and nonessential shops will close in france because of that and also as you said schools will close that will obviously have a huge impact and there are 2 weeks of high days ahead anyway for schools so basically all schools were closed for one week and then another 2 weeks of holidays and then one week of another online you know another week of online classes with many people of the staying staying at home and apart from those going to primary schools now that will have a huge impact for parents but this is still a lockdown light people will be allowed to go outside they say not that one kilometer radius is a rule in place that france had looked on number one and number 2 last year so the government is really banking on each one's responsibility not to meet up with lots of people are side and not to spread the virus like that leaves the president

saying the measures will last at least a month and he also said that there is light at the end of the tunnel is this going to reassure people in france that the government will keep this pandemic under control. well as a set it is a lockdown lie to many people here fear it's too little too late really because the government hasn't been cracking down on people so to say earlier in late january there was a moment where seemed to be hesitating to impose stricter measures and then he said no we're not going to impose anything else than the curfew that's been in place for a few months now here and we are controlling the pandemic and many people here in france are now angry that he didn't take stricter measures because now obviously at the weather is getting better and everybody feels like you know having more freedom and they wouldn't have minded so much to stay at home for 2 months for the last 2

months when it was raining really so many people here fear that this is not enough obviously they're hoping it will be enough and that that in by mid may as promised tonight that life will gradually go back to normal here in france you know i said that there are about 5000 patients in intensive care now in french hospitals and give us an update on the severity of the coronavirus situation in france. it is very severe especially compared to neighboring countries you know here the incidence rate across france is at about $330.00 that is you know the number of infections per $100.00 inhabitants per week that figure is at about 130 in germany even lower in the u.k. another country such as spain and portugal in france that figure stands at 550 and one intensive care doctor told me just a few days ago that he feared that at the number of intensive care patients in the

paris region would reach 3500 based on the current infections already and that would be 800 intensive care penge patients more than during the 1st very severe way in spring 2020 say it looks like it's really you know again down to the wire and many people have been asking for stricter measures for one hour here what about vaccinations we know that france is not back to a large percentage of the population now there are concerns about the astra zeneca vaccine. well that's right according to polls about 60 percent of the french are quite skeptical of that vaccine however when you look at the figures and one of my car tonight announced that about 8500000 french people had already received their 1st jab that's 2 or 300000 more than just a day ago so the vaccination speed is quite fast and the skepticism of astra zeneca

seems at least for now not to be slowing down dots pete. lewis with the latest tonight from paris lisa thank you. or internal to astra zeneca has corona virus vaccine which today got the backing of europe struggle regulators for use in all age groups and it came off the back of moves by germany and other countries to restrict the vaccine for younger people over reports of blood clots that risks however hobbling the country's already sluggish vaccination rollout. getting the jab in germany has hit another snag overall vaccine supply still short and now shot at astra zeneca that are available can't get into the arms a certain age groups there's concern over blood clots reported in a small number of people who got the shot to the federal tax a nation committee chose to suspend use for groups under 60 with some exceptions to react. lation i'm not about i'm not at all happy about it says decisions you can

believe me but need couldn't act in the different ways in the moment. but the european medicines agency disagree. according to the current scientific knowledge there is no evidence that would support restricting the use of this vaccine in any population the immense chief says there's no proven causal link to the vaccine and cloning and that that benefits of astra zeneca and the fight against hope it outweigh its risks that's not enough to convince the chairman of the german vaccination committee. because we have our own there is solid data own this fall and then must say that we are not there of how monitoring is to fall in other european countries since one of the problems you have him a hopes to reach a scientific conclusion on the back scene by next week. and here is some of the

other developments in the coronavirus pandemic a court in brussels has ordered the belgian government to lift all walked on measures within 30 days this after a lawsuit contended they were illegal and violated human rights the government says it plans to appeal by on take 5 years as a study showed that its vaccine is 100 percent effective in children between the ages of $12.15 the companies say that it will aim to get shots to teens before the next school year starts russia has become the 1st country in the world to approve a covert $1000.00 bank scene for animals it aims to reduce the spread of virus mutations in species such as me which are vulnerable to infection. in brazil president viable sonora was the one of the biggest crises of his presidency after the heads of the navy army and air force all resigned together and that as the country records its highest daily cope with 19 death toll the pandemic has also exacerbated brazil's economic crisis millions of people have lost their

jobs and their home. in brazil long queues for the corona virus vaccine a common and increasingly so are bred queues. as a coronavirus pandemic rages on these people are putting their lives on the line just to get something to ease with a 3 month gap between government financial aid packages putting food on the table is becoming increasingly difficult and with a more contagious variant sweeping through the country increasingly dangerous. well look at the situation if it wasn't for the church handing out this food i don't know where would i eat where what i ate i have no money the pandemic has forced millions into unemployment timelessness and hunger there is living on the streets face increased risk of catching the disease because of this people who are homeless are being offered vaccines in sao paulo. this 2nd wave it came with greater severity increasing the cases much more we believe that this new strain has further

aggravated the health of people who already have underlying conditions people living on the streets already have diabetes syphilis hiv and other diseases besides alcohol and drugs and are even more vulnerable i think i might as well know about. brazil's response of the crisis has drawn criticism from around the world president jenny of both has consistently opposed looked on measures and downplayed the seriousness of the virus once describing it as a little flu. with the heads of the nation's navy and air force resigning a political crisis has now been added to the mix by the nation is facing well over $3000.00 coronavirus related deaths per day but the infection rate and death toll rising as the virus continues to spread and looks like the worst may still be yet to come. are listening to look at some of the other stories that are making headlines around the world to be on mars military has been carrying out air strikes on its own citizens forcing thousands to flee their homes and seek medical

treatment in neighboring thailand daily protests demanding the restoration of democracy face an increasingly brutal crackdown more than 500 civilians have been killed since the start of february the jailed kremlin critic alexina of all he has announced that he is going on a hunger strike it follows a demand by an of all these doctors that the dissident receive immediate medical treatment for a severe back problem of all he has been detained at a penal colonies and said to bury he survived a near fatal poison attack last august and italian navy captain working at the defense ministry has allegedly been called selling documents to a russian official in response italy has expelled 2 russian diplomats the navy captain has been arrested and russia's ambassador has been summoned to italy's foreign ministry the kremlin says that it hopes bilateral ties will not be damaged by this affair now to a man who has found a novel way to help those who are less fortunate british great grandfather john

wilcox was inspired by the achievements of war veteran captain tom moore and football star marcus rationing to raise money for charity the 89 year old is dusting off his roller skates for the 1st time in a long time. it's been 70 years since the last skaters that john will call has decided it's time to get his skates out once again. you're going to be boring your going to be boring and i saw this boy and his father it's great growth great thing and i thought well that's the thing to do along comes tom with a throw away and i thought yes with more wives. i'll be able to scrape inspired by the fund raising efforts of r e f a veteran said tom moore an english football and markus rushford john will cut plans to skate 90 laps of his courtyard by his 90th birthday next year. if i do

through the week. despite describing his route as a bit hairy due to its slopes he has already completed 8 laps the great grandfather is doing it all to raise money for the charity fair share which helps feed hungry children and their families it's really quite endearing and a bit humbling in a. limited to feel a bit like a hero and. look at them both and the people who donate the real heroes. i mean what am i doing using his wife's role of frame john wilcox has already smashed his initial fundraising target with 9 months to go hard in football north macedonia have beaten germany 21 in a world cup 2022 qualifier into sport midfielder. scored the winning goal late in the 2nd half the result germany's 18 match winning streak in world cup

qualifiers it was also their final competitive game before this summer's european championship. you're watching the w. news g w business news is up next with a man by the name of mr wants to be. my 1st vice i also saw in machines. where i come from women are almost by this notion for even something as simple as learning how to write a by saying those isn't. since i was a little girl i wanted to have a bicycle off my but it took me as the month. finally they gave up on rental buying

and i say but 3 times because sewing machine sewing i suppose was more appropriate for goes than rising unbiased.