Trans News Updates: 1st half 2010

Trans News Updates of 2011 (Jan-June):

This page links to news of general interest to the trans community during the first half of 2011. This running log of news also serves as a window into areas of media focus and public interest regarding trans issues during 2011. Let us know if you hear of news to include in this list. To access to a wide range of trans news, we recommend "Google News", searching on keywords such as transgender, transsexual, sex reassignment, sex change, gender variance and gender transition.

2011: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun

Lynn Conway

http://www.lynnconway.com

Click here to access the currrent Trans News Updates

June 2011

6-30-11: IBN Live (re India; posted 6-27): "No report of sex-change surgeries in Indore, says top officer" (more)

"Indore District Chief Medical and Health Office (CMHO) today denied that there was any official report about sex-change operations being performed on normal children in the city hospitals, and questioned the feasibility of such a procedure. A national daily had reported that such operations were being performed in Indore every day, at the behest of parents who favoured a male child. The CMHO, Dr Sharad Pandit, told PTI today that following this, he had called a meeting of all the paediatric surgeons working in the private hospitals, and sought a report on "plastic surgeries related to undeveloped genital organs" in the respective hospitals. The meeting would be held soon. "There are about ten such hospitals where plastic surgery is performed on children suffering from undeveloped sex organs. There is no government hospital in Indore where such surgery may be done under the rules of the Medical Council of India," Dr Pandit said. . . . But saying that he had asked for more information from private hospitals, Dr Pandit added it would be premature to make further comment on the subject."

6-30-11: Care2 (re India): "Indian Girls Forced to Undergo Sex Reassignment Surgeries" (more, more, more, more)

"Earlier this week, the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the health department in the province of Madhya Pradesh launched an investigation into allegations that parents are using corrupt surgeons to surgically change girls’ genitals because they wanted boys instead.
The Hindustan Times broke the story with a series of pieces claiming that doctors in the city of Indore say they have turned between 200 and 300 girls into boys. The operations were fairly inexpensive, but they’re also recommended only for children whose internal genital organs do not match their external organs . . .

“Genitoplasty is possible on a normal baby of both sexes but later on, these organs will not grow with the hormonal influence and this will lead to infertility and impotency. It is shocking news and we will be looking into it and taking corrective measures,” said the president of the India Academy of Pediatrics in Indore . . .

The fact that the parents of intersex children should be able to choose their children’s gender – surgically, if necessary – does not seem to be debated in India, however. The disturbing element of the surgeries that are being investigated in Indore is the fact that these procedures are becoming normalized as part of a cultural norm in which some families, because of social or financial incentives, value boys more than girls.

So while there is a legitimate and ongoing debate about genital surgery as a whole, this is particularly distressing because it may be part of a larger mindset in which, according to Ranjana Kumari of the Centre for Social Research, ”people don’t want to share their property or invest in girls’ education or pay dowries.”"

6-30-11: SEXIS (re Thailand): "ID Cards an Issue for the Transgendered in Thailand – "Ladyboys" and "katoeys" lobbying, marching for rights" (more, more, more)

"Because their faces may no longer match what's on their ID cards one group is concerned that the 'ladyboys' of Thailand might be marginalized in next week's general election. Reuters reported on the issue yesterday, quoting Yollanda Suanyoc of the 2,500-member Trans-Female Association of Thailand as saying "We have a big problem when we use our identity cards in banks, schools, hospitals and now when we vote," and "The picture may show a woman but it says 'mister' on the card. Or the picture may show a teenage boy and the person now looks like a woman."

According to Suanyoc, the government says changing their title and sex will be confusing for society and that "The government worries that they won't know about our past.""

6-30-11: The Boulder Weekly: "Breaking through the binary – American English constrains self-expression", By Sara Kassabian

"The quest for equal social and legal representation has traveled from church to courtroom and everywhere in between — but in many ways, inclusion for the LGBTQ community begins and ends with the language we use to concoct social meaning.

Joshua Raclaw, a sociocultural linguist and Ph.D. student at the University of Colorado Boulder says language is closely connected to culture. “A lot of anthropologists view people’s language and the categories of that language as expressing viewpoints intimately tied to the culture of that language,” he says.

The American English language often adheres to binaries to articulate the world, which can be problematic for individuals who do not identify with one of the two normative or dominant descriptions. “We have a society and culture that understands sex and gender in terms of only two,” Raclaw says. In reality, there is a huge population of people who identify outside the male-female, heterosexual binary — whether it is an individual’s biological sex, sexual orientation, sex or gender identity, sexual behavior or gender expression.

“If you’re in that third category, it is really, really difficult to identify yourself in your everyday life, because your language does not accommodate for your gender identity,” Raclaw says. “So people in the U.S. who don’t fit into a binary gender — people who may identify as androgynous or gender queer, for example — when they don’t see themselves as being fully male or female, how do they talk about themselves using language?”"

6-30-11: BBC (UK): "Photos show another side of Andy Warhol"

"Photographs of Andy Warhol in ladies' wigs and full make-up have gone on display in the UK for the first time. His friend and collaborator Christopher Makos, who took the photos, talks about working with the patriarch of pop art.

Warhol's impassive, enigmatic stare is the same in most of the 349 frames that Makos fired off at the Factory studio over two days in 1981.

But using seven different wigs and little else, the artist transformed himself into a series of striking female alter-egos."

6-29-11: NCTE: "U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Unveils Plan for Transgender Inclusive Research" (more, more, more)

"Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced plans for transgender inclusion in a critical national health survey. Building on commitments from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, this is an important advancement for transgender people and can help correct the gap in resources for transgender health.

“This is a big deal,” says Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “Transgender people haven’t been included in federal studies before because the research on how to study our community has not been available. We now have the Obama Administration's commitment to support the ground work needed to do the real research right.”

The plan includes a clear path by HHS to conduct methodological research and testing on transgender inclusive survey questions to be used in their studies. HHS plans to learn from research experts to determine how to best ask respondents about their gender identity."

6-29-11: Bay Windows: ""I AM: Transgender People Speak"

This week’s "So They Say" section is devoted to the transgender people and allies who took part in the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition’s (MTPC) "I AM: Transgender People Speak" project, an ongoing public education effort that allows transgender people to speak from the heart.

The "I AM" project involves transgender volunteers sitting down in front of a video camera and describing their experiences as transgender individuals. The anecdotes range from heartbreaking discrimination to inspiring support. The following quotations are borrowed from those messages, recorded and edited by Jesse Begenyi. To find out more about transgender rights and to learn how you can get involved, please visit www.mtpc.org or www.transpeoplespeak.org."

6-28-11: ESPN: "Renée Richards Wants to be Left Alone – Sitting down with the transgender icon and onetime most controversial woman in sports"

"By the time she retired, the perception of transsexuality as a freakish disorder had already begun to soften. None of this would have happened if she'd folded into a private life, a fact that is not lost on the doctor, even as she continues to volley with her own regret. There is a duality to her tennis career — to her public life — that I imagine she will never be able to fully reconcile in her own mind, in the same way we may never fully understand the central mysteries of what shapes human identity, no matter how far along we come."

6-28-11: IBN Live (India): "Trans-men break their silence"

"The third pride march in Chennai heralds the beginning of a few ‘firsts’. We have long been hearing about the man-to-woman transgenders (trans-women). For the first time in Chennai, the woman-to-man transgenders (trans-men) opened up, as they shared the story of their lives.

Dinesh (22), a self taught artist and writer, is a science fiction junkie from Chennai. On first sight, he would come across as reticent somber young guy. But when one actually gets to talk to him about arts, he is instantly transformed, ready for an animated conversation."

6-28-11 The New Republic (posted 6-23): " Breaking Boundaries", Interviews conducted and compiled by Eliza Gray and Margy Slattery (A photo gallery)

"This project began five months ago as a simple reporting assignment: investigate how people who were making the transition from one gender to another learned to alter their voices. That relatively simple inquiry, however, opened a vast array of issues and questions, and introduced me to a number of people whose lives—despite any proclamations of banality—were utterly inspiring. The scope and length of the article grew, and eventually it turned into a broad look at the state of the transgender rights movement.

Several weeks ago, TNR's art director, Joe Heroun, conducted a photo shoot in New York with eleven members of the transgender community. I spoke to them and learned about their lives. There was Maggie Stumpp, who transitioned at the height of a successful career in finance. Or, Laverne Cox, who survived intense bullying as a boy in Mobile, Alabama, and has become a stunning and confident actress and producer. And Sam Berkley, our cover subject, a self-described "scrappy kid from Brooklyn," who decided he was "done with this girl shit" and transitioned a year ago. He is now a plaintiff in a civil rights law suit against New York City.

It would be impossible to catalog or classify all the varieties of transgender experience. My hope, however, is that the following gallery contributes to our understanding of this community.-- Eliza Gray"

6-28-11: The New Republic (posted 6-23): "Transitions – What will it take for America to accept transgender people for who they really are?" (more)

"At some subterranean level, transgender people provoke deep fear and hostility in our culture. They complicate categories that many people would prefer to think of as fixed. One might think that, as the gay rights movement has advanced, transgender people would share equally in its gains. But, in fact, the mainstreaming of the gay rights cause has created tensions between the two movements, and at times the transgender community has been pushed aside. Transgender people clearly need more protection from our laws and society. But they can’t win these victories on their own. Like every minority group at the outset of a civil rights campaign, they will need the rest of us to take the time to understand their lives—and maybe even try to imagine ourselves in their shoes."

6-25-11: Lynnconway.com (re Vietnam): Evelyn's book "Mom I need to be a girl" translated into Vietnamese

Please alert your Vietnamese friends around the world that Đinh Nhung of Vietnam has just translated Evelyn's book into Vietnamese: "MẸ ƠI, CON PHẢI TRỞ THÀNH CON GÁI”.

6-25-11: VOA News: "New York Approves Same-Sex Marriage in Major Gay Rights Victory" (more, more, more)

"The U.S. state of New York has approved same-sex marriage, handing American gay rights advocates a major victory in their quest for equality.

After extensive debate, the New York State Senate approved the legislation Friday night by a vote of 33 to 29, as two previously undecided Republican lawmakers cast the deciding votes in favor of it. A short time later, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the legislation into law . . .

With the final approval, New York became the sixth U.S. state where gay couples can wed, and by far the largest state. Gay couples can begin marrying in the state in 30 days. New York could become a magnet for such marriages because the state has no residency requirement for obtaining a marriage license.

Activists consider New York's approval particularly significant since it is the third largest U.S. state and because of New York City's international stature. The city also is considered to be the birthplace of the gay rights movement, with the Stonewall riots in the city's Greenwich Village community in 1969.

One of the pivotal Republicans, State Senator Stephen Saland, had voted against a similar bill two years ago, but on Friday pledged the deciding vote in favor the law. He called his change of heart "a vote of conscience" and said he was "doing the right thing."

Gay couples in the legislative gallery wept as they listened to his speech."

6-24-11: The Hindu (India): "State proactive in securing rights of transgender community: speakers"

"The Tamil Nadu government has been proactive in securing the rights of the transgender community in the State, making it the most progressive in terms of addressing the human rights issue of the marginalised community, speakers at a discussion organised jointly by the United States Consulate in Chennai, and Sahodari, said here on Friday . . .

Speaking on the occasion, G. Jayalakshmi, deputy director, Social Welfare Directorate, said a welfare board for transgenders' was constituted in September 2008. It was thanks to this board, that several welfare schemes of the government were able to reach the target group, she said. District and State-level screening committees were constituted to screen the transgenders to provide them with identification cards, and so far, 2892 ID cards have been distributed to people who have come forward to screen themselves.

All those with ID cards could avail themselves of government schemes and welfare measures. Ration cards had been provided to a total of 1,238 persons, and 133 group houses were allotted to the transgender community, as part of the government scheme . . . Members of the community were also receiving Old Age Pension, Ms. Jayalakshmi added. Circulars had been sent to government hospitals instructing staff to provide treatment with courtesy to members of the transgender community."

6-24-11: Minneapolis StarTribune: "The transgender life looks like others – There's discrimination, but those who have family support can thrive"
"It sounds like a great set-up for drama: My spouse, Marcus, who used to be Margery, goes back to the college he attended as a woman, which happens to be a women's college, Mount Holyoke.How will the alumnae respond when one of their own shows up at their 25th reunion as a man? The drama turned out to be a nonstory. Of course some classmates did initially --understandably -- look to me as the presumed alumna . . . Other than his gender transition, what Marcus had been up to was not all that different from what his classmates had been up to. He got established in his career, bought a house, served on some nonprofit boards, got married and adopted our daughter.

Not all transgender people are so fortunate. As the 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey reports, 63 percent of transgender people have experienced serious discrimination. They've been physically or sexually assaulted, have lost a job, have been evicted, have had to drop out of school, or have experienced homelessness or some other calamity because of bias. The one bright spot in the survey is that transgender people who are accepted by their families fare far better on nearly every measure. And families are more likely to support their transgender loved one than stereotypes might suggest: 43 percent of transgender people maintain family bonds."

6-24-11: San Francisco Chronicle: "Transgender attack: D.A. seeks hate crime charges"

"San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón said Thursday he intends to refile felony hate crime charges that a judge dismissed against two men accused of attacking and robbing a transgender woman.

Gascón said San Francisco Superior Court Judge Bruce Chan's decision to order the two defendants to stand trial for civil rights, assault and robbery charges did not go far enough."

6-23-11: Daily Echo (UK): "Transsexual 'humiliated' in Poole stadium toilet row" (more, more)

"A TRANSSEXUAL speedway fan said she broke down in floods of tears after being told she was not allowed to use the ladies’ toilets at Poole stadium.

Victoria Saxe-Coburg said she was told by security in front of other spectators there had been a complaint about her from another spectator.

The 55-year-old from Bournemouth, who had a gender reassignment operation more than 20 years ago, said she was told to use the disabled toilet."

6-23-11: Human Rights Europe (Europe): "Hammarberg: “Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people still face discrimination in Europe”"

"“Millions of people in Europe are discriminated, stigmatised and even victims of violence because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.” This stark message from Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg, lays bare the scale of homophobia and transphobia in Europe, uncovered in his report launched today.

Speaking about lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) people, Hammarberg says: “They cannot fully enjoy their universal human rights. There is an urgent need for all European governments to remedy this situation and take policy and legislative measures to combat homophobia and transphobia . . .

The report analyses the situation of LGBT people in the member states as regards attitudes and perceptions towards them, legal standards and their implementation, protection from violence and access to asylum, freedoms of assembly, expression and association, gender recognition and family life, and access to health care, education and employment."

6-23-11: Council of Europe (Europe): "Discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity in Europe" (40mb PDF)

"This report is the result of the largest study ever made on homophobia, transphobia and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity in the 47 member states of the Council of Europe. The findings are presented in six thematic chapters followed by forward-looking conclusions. The Commissioner’s recommendations on the issues that emerged from the findings of the study can be found at the beginning of the report . . .

There is considerable resistance among many people to discuss the full enjoyment of universal human rights by LGBT persons. Even if this may not be a popular human rights topic, the time has now come to take the discussion forward and make it concrete. Supported by the facts presented in this report, I look forward to a constructive dialogue with authorities and other stakeholders to improve respect for the human rights of LGBT persons.

– Thomas Hammarberg, European Commissioner of Human Rights"

6-23-11: TS Roadmap: "“DSD” supporters on track to get intersex listed among DSM-V’s disorders"

"Anne Tamar-Mattis, an intersex activist with Advocates for Informed Choice, has embraced the problematic concept of DSD (Disorders of Sex Development). She has just published a piece in which she seems surprised that this short-sighted choice is about to usher in a new era of repathologization of the people her organization serves. She notes:

I am very concerned about the move to classify people with intersex conditions who reject their gender assignment as a subtype of the gender dysphoria diagnosis.

http://www.thehastingscenter.org/Bioethicsforum/Post.aspx?id=5406

For years, many of us have pointed out that Gender Identity Disorder (GID) and Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) are merely variations on a theme. Both turn traits into diseases. DSD is especially problematic because it conflates issues of function with issues of cosmesis, and it categorizes a wide range of naturally-occurring traits (even those not requiring medical intervention) as diseases to treat. DSD is a dangerous setback that erases decades of hard-earned rights and sets the stage for radical “cures,” including reparative therapy already used on trans youth . . . "

6-23-11: The Irish Times (Ireland): "Concern over status of transgender people"

"Independent Senator Katherine Zappone said she was deeply concerned over the long delay in regularising the position of transgender people. The situation caused severe distress to many of them, affecting their health, families and their jobs. The resolution recently adopted by the UN Human Rights Council specifically focused on human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It was now one year on from the government’s withdrawal of its appeal in regard to the High Court case taken by Dr Lydia Foy. The government had acknowledged it was in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights because of its failure to provide for the issuing of new birth certificates to transgender people. Dr Foy had been on this legal journey for at least 14 years. “I hail her as a courageous, brave and persevering change-maker,” said Dr Zappone.

An interdepartmental group had been established to make recommendations for legislation required for legal recognition of the acquired gender of transsexuals, added Dr Zappone. She wanted to know when it would report to the Minister for Social Protection and if its findings would be made public."

6-23-11: The West Australian (Australia): "Transsexuals must wait for gender ruling"

"A landmark case to determine whether female-to-male transsexuals must undergo dangerous penis construction surgery that is not performed in Australia, to legally swap genders in WA was heard in the High Court yesterday.

Two female-to-male transsexuals, whose identities are suppressed, are facing a wait for a reserved decision after taking their fight to be legally recognised as men to the nation's highest court in a test of the State's gender re-assignment laws."

6-23-11: OakPark.com (Illinois; posted 6-21): "One kid claims a space on gender spectrum – Parents make bold choice to embrace 'gender diversity' and find an Oak Park public school that's game to explore the path"

"Jamie is your fairly typical schoolgirl. She wears her blonde hair long, likes the color pink, and takes a keen interest in fashion. She's equally comfortable on the monkey bars as she is on a kickball field, and she's happiest doing both activities in a skirt. She's energetic and outgoing, and, at age eight, looks forward to playdates with her closest friends.

Jamie is also comfortable in her own skin, an accomplishment few people far beyond her years can claim. It's not easy, and it's a continuing process, because Jamie was born a boy. "

6-22-11: Statesman-Journal: "Transgender worker sues for parity in health coverage – Lawsuit challenges PEBB on exclusion for surgery"

"A transgender state employee is suing the Oregon Public Employees' Benefit Board for refusing to cover the costs of surgery to remove his female reproductive organs.

PEBB denied Oregon Court of Appeals clerk Alec Esquivel coverage for removal of his ovaries and uterus because "services related to a sex-change operation, including evaluation, surgery and follow-up services, are not a covered benefit," according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Marion County Circuit Court . . .

Esquivel's lawsuit contends the state covers hysterectomies and oophorectomies for a host of other reasons, but unfairly excludes coverage of the procedure for transgender people."

6-22-11: The Village Voice: "The Tranny Chaser Chaser – Gay guys who like straight guys who like guys dressed as girls"

"I’m no stranger to the walk of shame, but this is the first morning I’ve ridden the R train into Manhattan with metallic blue eye shadow smeared across the upper third of my face like a sloppy Warhol silkscreen. I’ve spent the prior evening at a bacchanal called Eden Underground: a sex party for transsexuals and their admirers in Park Slope that just rang in its one-year anniversary. What brought me to the polymorphously perverse bi-monthly Friday night was a search for gender identity’s Yeti: gay men attracted to the straight men who are attracted to transsexuals—the tranny chaser chaser.

At the party, plenty of hot, blue-collar trade search for transsexuals. Those gay men who cross-dress solely to chase these guys are called everything from “deceitful” to “blackface,” but “midlife crisis” probably comes closest. They are going after what they can’t have—dressed as men, anyway. Sweetie, Eden’s large-and-in-charge mistress of ceremonies, sums it up as cruising for men they “could never get wearing a pair of jeans on a Saturday night.”"

6-21-11: The Stranger: "Trans Advocates (At Least Where Genderqueer Kids Are Concerned)", by Alice Dreger
"When my son was in preschool, there was this kid who was convinced he was a train. Actually this child—let's call him Thomas—believed he was a locomotive. "Train," I learned from Tommy, is technically the engine plus all its attached cars. One person couldn't be a whole train, Tommy explained to me. That would just be silly!

The other preschool parents thought this was so cute. I kept wondering whether, by the time Tommy grew up, there was going to be a surgeon who would offer to transform him physically into an engine. I wasn't sure what that would look like, but I had already met a surgeon interested in using his craft to provide people with wings. I figured that surgeon, 20 years later, might be willing—given enough cash and a firm liability waiver—to try to approximate a Big Boy, trademark infringement on Union Pacific notwithstanding . . .

Some will label me anti-trans for opening with my story of Tommy, but I'm not. I just think the way some putative progressives are dealing with trans right now among kids is—well, it's kind of transphobic.

Changing a kid's name and gender identification at the age of 5 or 6? This approach takes gender claims of little children so seriously that it's actually beholden to a ridiculously strict notion of gender. No meaningful trans really allowed.

Fact is, kids don't always mean what we mean when they make seemingly firm identity claims. Let's go over some other uncomfortable facts. The great majority of young children who declare they are a gender that doesn't match their birth sex grow out of the mismatch. Most boys who declare themselves girls or act girly grow up to be ordinary gay men. These men may occasionally crossdress for fun using drag handles like "Helvetica Bold," but they won't seek to have their penises and testicles removed and replaced by estrogen and a vulva . . . "

[In this article Ken Zucker's ideological supporter and spokeswoman Alice Dreger attacks the modern movement towards compassionate care of transgender children, while implicitly supporting the trans-reparative therapy that Zucker has long practiced on children. Is it any surprise that transphobe and ardent Dreger-supporter Dan Savage is editorial director of The Stranger? ]

6-21-11: Guardian (UK): "The anti-trans Catholic paper has nothing to do with human rights – The UN may have supported trans rights, but Catholic opposition is still working from the cheat sheet of predetermined doctrine", by Roz Kaveney"

"On 17 June, the UN human rights council passed a resolution in favour of the rights of lesbians, bisexuals, gay men and trans people; the coalition that opposed this included Russia, Pakistan and Nigeria. And, of course, the Catholic church.

In the aftermath of that historic victory, a couple of US Catholic NGOs distributed a 2009 paper produced by three Catholic bioethicists – Richard Fitzgibbons, Philip Sutton and Dale O'Leary – from the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute. Their paper The Psychopathology of "Sex Reassignment" Surgery argues that trans people are mentally ill, and by implication need therapy not rights; it asserts that there is no evidence that trans identity, or indeed gay identity, is innate.

The motives behind the distribution may be to persuade the UN not to bother itself further with the rights of gay or trans people – surprisingly, one might think, given the astonishingly high worldwide murder statistics for the trans community in particular, and the number of states in which homosexuality carries the death penalty. The three doctors responsible for the paper are all committed anti-abortionists, but they are less voluble about the right to life of people who have actually been born.

For some Catholics – by no means all – human rights are best defined as the right to do what the church says is God's will. There is a tottery structure of circular logic to this: the church knows what the true purpose of human life and sexuality is, and it is to do what the church says."

[Note that Fitzgibbons, Sutton and O'Leary extensively cite the "research" of Ken Zucker, J. Michael Bailey, Ray Blanchard, Anne Lawrence and Paul McHugh when constructing their demonic pathologization of trans women. Looks like Zucker et al have been the warped-scientists behind the Church's rampage against gender variant people all along. Should it then come as a surprise that Bailey's apologist and defender Alice Dreger is sponsored by the Jesuit-founded "Medical Humanities and Bioethics Program" at Northwestern University? After all, such programs are notorious for their insertion of religious-based ideology into academia in the guise of "reason and science".]

6-21-11: LGBT Denmark (Denmark; posted 5-25): "Stop pathologizing gender variation!"

"Danish parliament building) about the living conditions and treatments available to transgender people. The conference revealed, a widespread wish among the participants to remove the gender identity diagnoses from the Classification of Diseases. Hence we have afterwards had a discussion within LGBT Denmark, the Danish National Organisation for Gay Men, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgendered Persons, about the consequences of the diagnoses . . .

We feel the question about health care access has not been sufficiently investigated in the debate and therefore this is a main focus of this paper. Because Denmark bases their Classification of Diseases upon ICD-10 that is the basis of this text, but the arguments pertain to the gender diagnoses in DSM too. We conclude that the gender diagnoses stigmatize transgender people and are unnecessary for treatment. We therefore recommend that gender variation should no longer be considered an illness within the diagnostic classifications."

6-20-11: Miami Herald (re Puerto Rico): "Deadly assaults in Puerto Rico target gay and transgender people"

"Francheska González looked into her attacker’s eyes as he kicked and punched and saw her own death.

“He kept saying, ‘Faggot! You have no right to exist!’’’ said González, a 41-year-old transsexual. “I’d cry and scream, ‘What happened? Why are you hitting me?’ He said: ‘For being like that.’’’

González’s vertebrae was broken and right breast implant ruptured in the April beating, making her a survivor of a series of deadly attacks against transgender and gay people in Puerto Rico. When transgender teenager Jorge Steven López was decapitated, dismembered and set ablaze in November 2009, it marked the start of what activists say is an escalating wave of hate crimes in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Eighteen gay or transgender people have been killed since then. Three were murdered in a single week earlier this month."

6-20-11: NJ.com: "Newark man indicted on murder and intimidation of transgender woman" (more)

"A Newark man has been indicted on murder and bias intimidation charges in the killing of a transgender woman he met at a nightclub, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office announced yesterday. Alrashim Chambers, 24, is accused of shooting Victoria Carmen White multiple times in a home in Maplewood on Sept. 12, 2010, authorities said.

White, 28, was a lingerie model who had had sex reassignment surgery nine years earlier, the prosecutor’s office said. Investigators believe Chambers shot White after learning she was a transgender female."

6-20-11: The Bioethics Forum: "Leave Intersex Out of the DSM-V", by Anne Tamar-Matt

"As the executive director of Advocates for Informed Choice, the only organization in the country focusing on legal advocacy on behalf of children with intersex conditions or DSD, I am very concerned about the move to classify people with intersex conditions who reject their gender assignment as a subtype of the gender dysphoria diagnosis. As things stand now, the presence of a physical intersex condition excludes a person from a diagnosis of GID.

This makes sense. When doctors must make decisions about gender assignment for children with DSD they try to predict what gender identity the child is most likely to develop, based on outcome data about people with similar medical conditions. The latest consensus statement on the treatment of DSD makes predicted gender identity a central criterion for gender assignment. When gender identify is difficult to predict with any assurance, the consensus statement states that doctors can fall back on other factors such as genital shape and surgical convenience. It also recommends allowing the child to reassign sex where the initial assignment turns out to be incorrect. So referring to the desire to change gender assignment as a psychopathology, rather than as evidence of an incorrect medical decision about gender assignment, is at odds with the medical consensus.

Many of my constituents, both affected adults and parents of affected children, are extremely upset by this proposed change. Psychological diagnoses ought not to carry stigma, but they still do and many intersex people do not feel that they should have to take on that stigma as a result of someone else’s incorrect decision. Having this diagnosis in the DSM will also create other legal and medical problems for people with DSD who wish to change their gender assignment."

[We hope that those who naively embraced the "DSD" terminology for intersex people finally visualize why the word "disorder" was so heavily promoted by Alice Dreger. It's the key code-word used by psychiatrists to bring groups of newly-defined "disordered people" under their dominion. By weaving this terminology into the DSM-V, Zucker can pathologize intersex children who resist their birth gender assignments – and generate a whole new stream of clients for his gender-reparatist clinic at CAMH.]

6-20-11: The British Psychological Society (UK re USA): ''Response to the American Psychiatric Association: DSM-5 Development" (more)

"The Society is concerned that clients and the general public are negatively affected by the continued and continuous medicalisation of their natural and normal responses to their experiences; responses which undoubtedly have distressing consequences which demand helping responses, but which do not reflect illnesses so much as normal individual variation . . .

The putative diagnoses presented in DSM-V are clearly based largely on social norms, with 'symptoms' that all rely on subjective judgements, with little confirmatory physical 'signs' or evidence of biological causation. The criteria are not value-free, but rather reflect current normative social expectations. Many researchers have pointed out that psychiatric diagnoses are plagued by problems of reliability, validity, prognostic value, and co-morbidity . . .

The Society recommends a revision of the way mental distress is thought about, starting with recognition of the overwhelming evidence that it is on a spectrum with 'normal' experience . . . Rather than applying preordained diagnostic categories to clinical populations, we believe that any classification system should begin from the bottom up – starting with specific experiences, problems or ‘symptoms’ or ‘complaints’ . . .

While some people find a name or a diagnostic label helpful, our contention is that this helpfulness results from a knowledge that their problems are recognised (in both senses of the word) understood, validated, explained (and explicable) and have some relief. Clients often, unfortunately, find that diagnosis offers only a spurious promise of such benefits . . .

We therefore believe that alternatives to diagnostic frameworks exist, should be preferred, and should be developed with as much investment of resource and effort as has been expended on revising DSM-IV. The Society would be happy to help in such an exercise."

[The British Psychological Society criticizes the entire DSM as being based on unsound methods, and recommends sweeping changes in its formulation.]

6-20-11: Jurist: "Connecticut law offers comprehensive protection for transgender people"

"Jennifer Levi [Director of Transgender Rights Project, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders]: "Recently, the Connecticut Senate passed a bill that adds the phrase "gender identity or expression" to all existing state sex discrimination laws. The Senate's passage followed that of the House of Representatives where the debate had been much lengthier. Governor Dannel Malloy has pledged his support for this legislation which should be signed into law any day now. Governor Malloy's signature will make Connecticut the 15th state to adopt transgender-specific provisions into its non-discrimination laws. Adoption of the legislation is a significant step forward for the transgender community which has struggled recently in getting explicit non-discrimination laws passed in no small part because of the amped up opposition to such legislation from the right."

6-20-11: Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (posted 6-16): "Research Reaffirms Traditional Understanding of Gender"

"New research reaffirms that gender is grounded in the biology of men and women, supporting the traditional understanding of gender agreed on by the international community. UN delegates are receiving copies of the research at a time when debates about “gender identity” are heating up: member states are engaged in a contentious vote on the issue at the Human Rights Council this week and they are preparing for a battle on sexual orientation and gender identity during this fall’s General Assembly.

“The Psycopathology of Sex Reassignment Surgery,” a peer-reviewed article authored by Richard Fiztgibbons, Phillip Sutton, and Dale O’Leary, questions the medical and ethical implications of performing sexual reassignment surgery (SRS). The authors approach the issue from the medical and biological perspective that human gender is a matter of genetic composition, explaining that “sexual identity is written on every cell of the body and can be determined through DNA testing. It cannot be changed.”

The authors affirm that biological sex cannot change, and they renounce the concept of “gender identity,” or the idea that gender, as a social construct or personal perception, is separate from one’s biological sex. Citing the work of psychoanalyst Charles Socarides, they explain that “there is no evidence that gender identity confusion – a gender identity contrary to anatomical structure- is inborn.” . . .

The study discredits the “gender identity” as a social construct, and it reinforces international consensus that gender is defined “traditionally” as “men and women” in the context of society."

[The Roman Catholic Church widely disseminates some 2009 anti-trans pseudo-science in its increasingly strident attack on trans-people.]

6-19-11: Hollywood Reporter: "Renée: Los Angeles Film Fest Review"

"Drath, who comes from a tennis-loving family, remembers as a boy Dr. Raskin, an eminent eye doctor who treated his sister, yet later appeared in a skirt at the U.S. Open, and wants to find out what happened. Good luck.

Observing Richards in an interview today and then in old footage and old interviews, one clearly observes a war going on within this person, not so much between male and female, as between what one friends calls the “private person,” who is extremely wary of all this attention, and a headstrong and arrogant individual who craves the limelight . . .

In person today, the rangy and angular six-foot-two woman still struggles to suppress the alpha male that Dick once was. The practice of medicine — Richards by all accounts is an even better doctor than tennis player — continues to sustain her life and, she says, keep her sane. But when speaking of her son or the problems she caused for those close to her, a melancholy settles over her and the film.

One cannot know if more time devoted to interviewing Richards or the casting a wider net to bring in more voices belonging to friends, colleagues or experts in transsexualism might have brought more clarity or understanding to the story of Renée Richards. For in the end, this movie adds to the mystery rather than solves it."

6-19-11: The Times of India (India): "Court frees transgender arrested for begging" (more)

"After months of detention at a beggars' home, a transgender caught begging in south Delhi was allowed to walk free after the intervention of a Delhi court. Setting aside the order of a special metropolitan magistrate sending appellant transgender Rani to the beggars' home for two years, district and additional session Judge AK Chawla said: "The appeal is accepted and the order of detention is set aside" . . . The court said that the transgender had a right to lead a life of dignity and earn a livelihood. "The appellant undisputedly is a transgender and it is a hard fact that in our society, transgenders are being shunned even today," said judge Chawla . . . "It is difficult for them to get even menial jobs.""

6-19-11: Weirdnews.com: "Sexually Ambiguous Dads Celebrate Father's Day"

"On the surface, Donna Rose is a typical 53-year-old woman. She enjoys going on dates in her home town of Charleston, S.C., and has a successful business as an IT consultant.

Like other women her age, Rose also has a grown son, 25, with whom she has a great relationship, despite the fact he lives in Austin. In fact, they are very likely to talk on Sunday when the son calls her up to wish her a happy Father's Day.

That's not a typo: Up until 1996, Rose was known as "David," and lived life as a man. She was married for 15 years and raised a son. For a time after her reassignment surgery, she was a single parent and had to work out the proper terminology with her son. It wasn't an easy process but Rose insists that, despite being a woman, she will always be a dad."

6-18-11: The Boston Globe: "UN endorses gay, transgender rights"

"The United Nations endorsed the rights of gay, lesbian, and transgender people for the first time yesterday, passing a resolution hailed as historic by the United States and other backers and decried by African and Muslim countries . . .

The resolution expressed “grave concern at acts of violence and discrimination, in all regions of the world, committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.’’

More importantly, activists said, it also established a formal UN process to document human rights abuses against gays, including discriminatory laws and acts of violence. According to Amnesty International, consensual same-sex relations are illegal in 76 countries, and harassment and discrimination are common in many more."

6-17-11: "FHM Accidentally Adds Man To 100 Sexiest Women List; Retracts; Then Attacks Him"

"Supermodel Andrej Pejic took home the honor of being named one of FHM Magazine’s 100 Sexiest Women of 2011. (Number 98, to be exact!) The only problem? Pejic is a man.

Hey, stuff happens. And admittedly, Pejic runs in very high fashion androgynous circles. Surely FHM apologized and cracked a joke in their next issue about Pejic being a beautiful man, right? Wrong.

Instead, FHM posted an incredibly offensive blog on their site labeling Pejic a “crossdresser” and accusing him of pretending to be a woman to secure a modeling contract. There’s also something about “passing the sick bucket” if Pejic ever becomes a Victoria’s Secret model, and a hateful attack on transgender supermodel Lea T . . . "

6-17-11: The Daily Mail (UK): "Caught with his trousers down... Chaz Bono has to readjust his bottoms during a pit stop at a petrol station"

"Two years into his gender reassignment process and Chaz Bono looks every bit the man he wants to be.

The transgender son of pop superstar Cher was born female, but has spent the past few years slowly becoming male. And he had a typically masculine moment when he adjusted his trousers in public while stopping off for petrol in Hollywood."

[A typical snarky Brit tabloid article, replete with paparazzi photos.]

6-17-11: Passport Magazine: "TSA Fires Transgender Female for Not Working as a Man" (more, more)

"Ashley Yang, a TSA employee, took pride in her job, but when the TSA found out she was transgender, Ashley was forced to choose between her identity and her job . . .

The TSA said in order for Ashley to work as a female, she had to undergo a “complete transition.” Ashley refused to go to work as a man, so ultimately, she was fired.

When the Transgender Law Center heard of her case, they filed a complaint about the TSA. They said Title 7 protected Ashley against discrimination as a transgender federal employee. The TSA reached a financial settlement, rewarding Ashley with back pay and payment for pain and suffering. TSA was also required to undergo training about transgender employees."

6-17-11: In the Life Media: "Ashley Yang: The Story of a Trans TSA Worker" (Video interview)

"Ashley Yang was hired by the TSA as a transportation screening officer, a job that is gender segregated. When the TSA found out Ashely was transgender, they told her she would have to work as a man and comply with the male dress code. She was required to cut her hair or wear a men's wig, use the men's bathroom and pat down male passengers who were routinely sexually harassing her."

6-17-11: Dallas Voice: "Who decides what’s medically necessary?"

"Say the phrase “transgender health benefits,” and most people immediately think insurance coverage that pays at least some of the costs of sexual reassignment surgery. But there’s a lot more to it than that.

The problem, said National Center for Transgender Education Executive Director Mara Keisling, is that issues of medical treatment are being made by accountants rather than by doctors. And trans-phobia is playing a role in too many of those decisions . . .

“The insurance for federal government employees specifically excludes coverage for the costs of [gender reassignment surgery], but there have been a number of cases where that was used to exclude coverage of any type for transgenders,” Keisling said.

“I know of a federal employee who was told insurance wouldn’t pay for care for her son’s broken arm because she was transgender. Another trans woman who was anemic and needed transfusions was told insurance wouldn’t cover the treatments because she had ‘transsexual blood,’” she said.

“The list goes on and on. I know another trans woman who was playing for a woman’s softball team and broke her arm during a game,” Keisling continued. “She went to the hospital, had the X-rays and got her arm set. Then the insurance company turned around and denied the claim. They said if she weren’t transsexual, she wouldn’t have been out there playing for a women’s team and she wouldn’t have broken her arm.”

When it comes to these “really egregious stories” that are “so clearly wrong,” Keisling said, the victims can hire lawyers and get remedies through the courts. Still, she said, “You have to know what to do, how to get things fixed.” And court cases aren’t cheap, either."

6-17-11: New Statesman Blog (UK): "Transsexual people and the public eye - What challenges would be faced by a famous person transitioning in public?", by Juliet Jacques
"There are few openly transsexual people in British public life -- and virtually none who have come out when already famous. The most notable exception remains acclaimed travel writer Jan Morris, who kept her gender reassignment secret until announcing its conclusion in 1972 and then publishing her autobiography, Conundrum. Since then, nobody approaching Morris's level of celebrity has publicly transitioned, with almost all of Britain's known transsexual people realising their identity before stepping into the spotlight.

By contrast, the hard work of post-war activists and the courage of openly gay, lesbian or bisexual people have created a climate where, slowly, public figures can discuss their sexual preferences without press intrusion -- or pressure to act as advocates -- ruining their lives . . .

The situation for noted people in any field who come out, or are outed as transsexual would almost certainly be less accommodating. (I focus on 'transsexual' rather than 'transgender' people, cross-dressers or transvestites, as the 'Real Life Experience' required to access medical treatment obliges full time living in the chosen gender, making its public expression and resultant attention unavoidable). As there have been so few test cases, I can only speculate on what may unfold, but the experiences of visible transsexual people in the USA offer some clues."

6-16-11: LBGT Weekly: "It’s been a pretty good year so far for transgender people", by Autumn Sandeen

"In the big picture of basic civil rights for transgender Americans, 2011 has to this point been a good year for civil rights progress. Sometimes I know it’s hard to focus on what’s been accomplished when we also see what hasn’t yet been accomplished, or see backward steps, but for trans people we’ve seen more civil rights gains than losses.

To begin with, three states have added antidiscrimination protections based on gender identity to their lists of protected classes for antidiscrimination legislation . . . "

6-15-11: Jezebel: "My Best Guy Friend Became My Best Girlfriend", by Melissa Jeltsen

"My friend Juno and I both need to pee. Bad. As the movie credits roll, we shuffle out of the darkened theatre and book it to the restrooms. The men's entrance is on the left, women's on the right. This is the moment when we split and pivot towards our respective labels, like we've done at the countless bars and pit-stops that have peppered our eight-year friendship. But not tonight. For the first time, we go through the same door together.

Until he was 32-years-old, my best friend was a man. She's now a woman. And while she adjusts to this new reality, our relationship is shifting as we search for a new balance."

6-15-11: Baltimore City Paper: "Transgender Gap - Anti-discrimination bill threatens transgender, LGBT alliances"

"Months after the end of the legislative session, HB 235—a bill that would have provided job, housing, and credit protections for transgender individuals—remains a sore subject. Some trans activists lobbied for it, while others lobbied against it, judging it inadequate. Harsh words were exchanged throughout the legislative session, particularly in the lawless realm of the internet, with accusations that touched on race, class, and sexual orientation. And by session’s end, Equality Maryland—the state’s leading lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) advocacy organization and the bill’s chief lobbyist—was on the verge of imploding. It had lost two prominent legislative battles: the gay marriage bill and HB 235. (In late April, the organization’s executive director, Morgan Meneses-Sheets, was fired or quit, depending on who you ask; she did not return calls for comment for this article. In late May, the organization announced it was in a state of financial crisis. The staff is greatly diminished, and the board president has since resigned.)

Many in the trans community hope to rise, phoenix-like, from the ashes and pass a bill next year. There are signs they may. Following the McDonald’s attack, for instance, Gov. Martin O’Malley issued a statement pledging to work for “even greater protections for transgendered people” in the next legislative session. But before they can take advantage of that promise, trans activists will need to find some common ground."

6-14-11: genderborngendermade.com: "gender born, gender made - Raising Healthy Gender-Noncomforming Children", by Diane Ehrensaft, Ph.D. (more)

“Gender Born, Gender Made brings to our homes, schools and clinician’s offices a wealth of ideas and tools that will prove invaluable as we move towards a more empathic, just and inclusive society.”

– Edgardo J. Menvielle, MD, MSHS, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The George Washington University, Director Gender and Sexuality Development Program, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC and author of the foreword to Gender Born, Gender Made.

“Dr. Ehrensaft has written a seminal and informative book that fills what has been a gaping abyss in the literature for parents rearing gender non-conforming children. There have been few resources available for parents with children whose gender expression is notably different from their peers, and they are often isolated and frightened. Informed by her years of experience as psychologist working with children and families as well as her years of experience as a mother, Dr. Ehrensaft understands the anguish of parents, as well as their enduring and fierce love and support for their children.”

– Arlene Istar Lev LCSW-R, CASAC, Choices Counseling and Consulting, Albany, NY

6-13-11: Just Plain Sense (UK): "New resource makes LGBT History interactive", by Christine Burns (more)
"A few months ago, back in February, I reported on how our team at NHS North West had launched a new travelling exhibition charting the history of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans people, especially in England's North West region . . .
I promised at the time that we would be following up with an interactive resource that everyone could access. Today it went live . . .
The timeline celebrates the history and achievements of LGB&T people, particularly those that have contributed to healthcare over the years, and the development of a vibrant and active community in the North West.
The timeline also documents the way in which the medical view of sexual orientation and gender identity have altered through the ages, showing the landmark decision points where changes occurred.
The interactive resource can be accessed here at http://www.help.northwest.nhs.uk/lgbt_timeline/"

6-13-11: JTA: "From shul to the mikvah, transgender Jews seek place in Jewish life"

"Noach Dzmura is a roly-poly man with a light brown beard, dancing eyes and a contagious laugh.

He has a master’s degree in Jewish studies, publishes widely on Jewish topics and is the communications director at his synagogue. In 2006 he received an award from the San Francisco Jewish federation that funded a year’s study in Israel. He also was born a female.

Dzmura, 48, is one of a growing number of transgender Jews who are open about their status, taking leadership roles in the synagogue and trying to carve out a place in the Jewish community for those who fall outside the standard definitions of male and female. It’s not easy, he acknowledges."

6-13-11: Bay Windows (re Spain): "Transsexual takes seat in Madrid Assembly" (more, more, more, more, more)

Actress Carla Antonelli took her seat in the Madrid Assembly June 7, becoming the highest-ranking openly trans elected official in Spanish history.

"It’s very exciting to be here, to see the room and be seated on the bench," Antonelli said.

Spain’s State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals said, "[We] hope that this appointment will serve as an example and is supported by companies so they get used to transsexual reality and permit transsexual people to compete for jobs on equal terms with everyone else, without their gender identity being a factor."

Antonelli ran as a party-list candidate for the Madrid Socialist Party-Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party."

6-13-11: FireDogLake: "Film Exploring Murder of Navajo Transgender Teen to Air" (more, more, more)

"Tomorrow night Independent Lens (PBS) will air the documentary Two Spirits about the brutal murder of a lovely transgendered boy in the Four Corners area in 2001. You can check for local listings.

This is surprisingly hard to write even a decade later. Researching and remembering have caused my heart to torque again, and my throat to close in sorrow, rage and bewilderment; it’s as if it all happened recently, and images and words are colliding in my mind and body; few of them have found resolution because hate crimes like this still happen today."

6-13-11: Pink News (UK; posted 6-06): "Exclusive: Credit scoring company Equifax discriminating against trans clients"

"An investigation by PinkNews.co.uk reporter Jane Fae reveals that one of the UK’s largest credit scorers, Equifax, is discriminatory in its treatment of trans individuals.

The consequences of this discovery are potentially huge – and costly – as discriminatory treatment means quite possibly that the trans community is being treated unlawfully, not just by Equifax, but by any third party company that uses Equifax’ services when issuing credit cards.

The discovery came about after a number of complaints from trans men and women who felt they had been treated badly when applying for credit in their new name. The UK has two credit scoring agencies – Experian, the largest, and Equifax – and complaints appeared mostly to cite Equifax."

6-13-11: Montreal Gazette (Canada): "Bringing Transgenderism Out of the Closet", by Jillian Page

"“I want to send a message that transsexuals do not have to be prostitutes or hide their identities to be part of society,” says Brazilian model Lea T. in a Newsweek article . . .

But it is not so easy for transgender people, ie. those who choose to live between official gender designations with no plans to transition And many of them do hide their trans identities from parts of society. They may have no choice: for example, how many workplaces would accept a crossdressing male if that person is not going through a gender transition process like I have done? In truth, I don’t have an answer to that question, because I think most crossdressers — especially male crossdressers — wouldn’t take it into the workplace for fear of repercussions.

So, yes, I suspect that many transgender people do feel they have to hide their identities to be part of society in countries like Canada and the United States, even though there may be laws in some places to protect them from discrimination. Our countries have a ways to go yet before transgender people will feel completely accepted — and safe."

6-12-11: The Times of India (India): "“Taking a stand with pride”

“As a man, Angel Glady never managed to stand up to his boss. But as a woman, she did. And on June 12, at the panel discussion 'Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Voices', she explained to the audience just how she did it.

"In my first round of employment at an IT company, I worked as a man," said Glady. "I explained to my team leader that I was undergoing a sex change, but he never took it seriously. He just asked me to keep coming in to work as a man," she added. While Glady didn't mind in the beginning, when her sexual transformation was complete, she told her boss she found it uncomfortable to keep pretending to be a man, dress like one and even use the men's bathroom, while living as a woman. Her boss said he didn't want to take it up with the human resources department and Glady quit her job.

"Five months later, they called me and said they couldn't find a good enough replacement and hinted that they wanted me back," said Glady. "I went back to work, but as a woman, on my own terms," she added."

6-10-11: Just Plain Sense (UK): "The perils of a transneologism", by Christine Burns

"I confess I've never felt altogether comfortable with some usage of the word transphobia.

That's not to say I don't understand the rationale behind its' construction, or what it technically stands for. There are plenty of times when such a word is genuinely needed to describe a whole range of aggressively negative behaviours.

However, I worry that indiscriminate use of the word can not only dilute the meaning but can also diminish support for campaigners on the occasions when such a term is genuinely valid."

6-10-11: New York Times: "Boys Will Be Boys? Not in These Families."

"For generations, parents who saw their toddler boys put on tutus or play with dolls would either ignore the behavior as a phase, or reflexively repress it. But in recent years, more parents have chosen the approach taken by Harry’s mother and father. Rather than looking away, they are trying to understand their toddler’s unconventional gender behavior, in order to support it and prepare for what they fear could be a life of challenges.

“Is my 4-year-old gay?” read postings on parenting Web sites that offer strings of advice that can, by turns, be acidly dismissive or thoughtfully engaging. The dialogue represents a new direction. “Ten years ago, the gender and sexual meaning of young children’s behavior was only discussed by a small handful of developmental psychologists,” said Arlene Istar Lev, a family therapist in Albany. “Children who expressed that were silenced and their parents were ashamed of them: ‘You will not walk out of the house that way.’ ”

Now, Ms. Lev said, “parents want to be supportive and that’s what is new. A generation of parents is developing a philosophy of encouraging their children: ‘Sweetie, let’s talk about this.’ ” "

6-10-11: The Washington Post: "VA tells hospitals transgender veterans are eligible for hormones, care and counseling" (more, more, more, more)

"The Veterans Health Administration has informed its hospitals and clinics that transgender veterans are eligible for hormones, care before and after gender change surgery, and mental health counseling as part of their regular benefits.

In a directive issued Thursday, the VA reiterated that its facilities are not permitted to perform genital or breast surgeries on veterans in the process of changing genders.

But the agency confirmed that transgender patients are entitled to routine health care that takes their special needs into account and to transgender-specific treatments such as hormone therapy and “non-surgical, supportive care for complications of sex-reassignment surgery.”

In accordance with what it termed “the respectful delivery of health care,” the VA also instructed medical personnel at its 950 health care centers to refer to transgender veterans in conversation and on medical records by the gender pronoun they prefer, regardless of whether they have undergone surgery."

6-10-11: New York Magazine: "Valentijn de Hingh: Transgender Model to Watch"

"Valentijn de Hingh is a transgender model who was followed by a documentary film crew from the age of 8 to 17. At first, when filming began, the footage was supposed to be used in a television documentary about children questioning their gender identity. But then filmmaker Hetty Niesch got the idea to follow de Hingh and stuck with her for nine years, until she was 17 years old; that documentary finally aired on Dutch television in 2007.

At the age of 17 and the height of five foot nine, de Hingh started modeling with an agency in Amsterdam, walking runway shows for designers like Martin Margiela and Comme des Garçons. When she grew to six foot one, agents said she was too tall, and she stopped modeling. However, with the rising popularity of transgender model Lea T. and androgynous model Andrej Pejic, de Hingh took another stab at it when she was working at a modeling agency in Amsterdam as an assistant booker. She ended up shooting with Patrick Demarchelier for Love magazine, and is "currently shooting a lot for various magazines," Vogue.it reports."

6-09-11: Care2.com: "Maine Legislature Defeats Attack on Transgender Rights" (more)

"Both the Maine state House and Senate defeated a measure this week that would have stripped trans citizens of the protections afforded them by Maine's human rights act. The House voted down the legislation on Tuesday by 81 to 61 with 15 of the Republican majority breaking away to side with the Democratic minority against the bill. Similarly, the Senate also voted down a counterpart measure by 23-11 on Wednesday.

The bill, LD 1046, originally the work of Rep. Kenneth Fredette (R-Newport), aimed to stop transgender people being able to sue for discrimination if a public or private entity forces them to use the restroom of their perceived birth-assigned sex rather than their self-defined gender identity or expression."

6-09-11: The Advocate: "Portland Adopts Trans-Inclusive Health Care for City Workers" (more)

"The Portland, Ore., City Council Wednesday unanimously passed an ordinance introduced by Mayor Sam Adams that adds comprehensive transgender health care benefits to one of the available plans for city employees . . .

Trans-inclusive health care, while supported by the American Medical Association as medically necessary treatment that should be covered by health insurance plans, is offered by only a handful of government employers. In 2001 the city and county of San Francisco became the first to cover comprehensive care, which includes transition procedures, psychotherapy, and hormone treatment. "

6-09-11: Ottowa Citizen (Canada): “Theatre review: Fascinating story of a man born into a woman’s body”

"Somewhere along the line, Nina Arsenault got terribly sidetracked. Seeking herself, she wound up instead pursuing as assiduously as others might stalk wealth or a career the illusory goal of physical perfection. The image, she thought, was the person. Wrong.

As she reveals in her fascinating but flawed autobiographical performance The Silicone Diaries, her quest — and the story is like a misguided hunt for a holy grail — began with a reasonable enough intent. A female born into a male’s body, she decided to become the woman she was meant to be.

But where other transexxuals might have opted for just hormone therapy or even a sex change, Arsenault obsessively pursued the contemporary ideal of female beauty. She had 60 surgeries over eight years to sculpt her body: face reshaped, ribs hacked away, breasts and hips injected with illegal silicone - no amount of pain, or expense, was too much."

6-09-11: CNN: "Reporters find tragic story amid embarrassing scandal"

"The story about Kirk Murphy's suicide began to come to light last year with an anonymous tip: Anti-gay rights activist George Alan Rekers was traveling to Europe with a male escort. The tip came from one of the escort's acquaintances. We were skeptical, and the tipster answered our skepticism with screenshots of the e-mails Rekers had exchanged with his 20-year-old companion, whom he'd met at Rentboy.com. We used the screenshots to deduce the approximate time of the pair's return to the United States, and set off to take a picture . . ."

[This story reveals how CNN reporters uncovered the story of how Rekers' Therapy to change 'feminine' boy created a troubled man. Note how the story concludes:]

"Where are other Rekers patients? We now know the fate of Kraig. But what became of the dozens of other children upon whom Rekers conducted his experimental therapy? . . .

iReport: Did you participate in similar research? We would like to find out."

[CNN is really on Rekers case, but we think they should also be asking these same questions about Zucker's reactionary trans-reparatist treatment (more, more, more, more) of gender-variant kids. Given the large numbers of young boys Zucker has treated, it seems likely that there is a wide swath of damage out there. Readers should alert CNN that Zucker is continuing the same kind of treatments that Rekers used over three decades ago. It is STILL GOING ON in Zucker's clinic, RIGHT NOW!]

6-09-11: BBC (UK; posted 06-06): "The Essay - A Letter to My Body", by Sarah Graham

"'A Letter to my Body' is a series of essays in which five thinkers, artists and writers ask themselves how they relate to their own bodies. In this first essay Sarah Graham, who is now a successful therapist and addictions counsellor, explores her at times turbulent relationship with her body. From the age of eight Sarah was given ongoing medical treatment for a disorder of sexual development - but she only learned the real nature of her diagnosis at the age of twenty-five when a gynaecologist finally revealed the truth: that she is an intersex woman. She has XY chromosomes. She had never questioned her sex and had lived her life as a woman. Doctors had even shielded her parents from the truth about her gender. The shock of the revelation led Sarah on a path of depression and addiction which nearly killed her. However she has gradually rebuilt her health and her self esteem. In this essay she makes peace with her body and questions our society's polarised expectations of gender."

[A powerful, moving essay, as read by Sarah (14 min audio recording)]

6-08-11: Windy City Times: "Susan Stryker takes Ariz. post"

"Susan Stryker, a leading scholar of transgender theory and history, has been named director of the University of Arizona's ( UA ) Institute of LGBT Studies in Tucson.

Stryker is an author, filmmaker, archivist and activist whose documentary, Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria ( 2005 ) told the story of the first known instance of collective militant queer resistance to police harassment in U.S. history. Led by transsexuals and drag queens, the San Francisco incident in 1966 preceded the better-known New York Stonewall riots by three years . . .

In her new position, Stryker sees the opportunity to build on existing strengths of the Institute and take them further. One of those assets is the Institute's emphasis on border cultures. "I want to keep that focus and to think of all the ways border studies metaphorically reflect queer identities and crossings, and also how border issues impact the LGBT community in reality," she said. She joins the university this summer."

6-08-11: TYFA: "TransYouth Family Allies' Kim Pearson wins Vanguard Award at LGBTA Youth Award"

"Kim Pearson, Executive Director of TransYouth Family Allies (TYFA), was awarded the prestigious Vanguard Award Tuesday night in recognition of her work on behalf of gender-variant youth and their families.

TYFA President Shannon Garcia said. “The Vanguard Award is a wonderful acknowledgement of Kim's work for TYFA at the frontier of family support related to gender identity and expression. Gender-variant minors and their families have unique needs. As more young people express a wider range of gender identities, including transition to living in their affirmed gender, TYFA is leading the way in these emerging legal, medical, and social issues.”"

[TYFA is a major force in countering the pathologization of gender variance in children and teens by Zucker and other reactionary practitioners in the psychiatric community]

6-08-11: CNN: "Therapy to change 'feminine' boy created a troubled man, family says" (Anderson Cooper 360 video)

"Kirk Andrew Murphy seemed to have everything to live for. He put himself through school. He had a successful 8-year career in the Air Force. After the service, he landed a high profile position with an American finance company in India. But in 2003 at age 38, Kirk Murphy took his own life.

A co-worker found him hanging from the fan of his apartment in New Delhi. His family has struggled for years to understand what happened. "I used to spend so much time thinking, why would he kill himself at the age of 38? It doesn't make any sense to me," said Kirk's sister, Maris Murphy. "What I now think is I don't know how he made it that long."

After Kirk's death, Maris started a search that would uncover a dark family secret. That secret revealed itself during a phone conversation with her older brother Mark, who mentioned his distrust of any kind of therapy . . .

Kirk Murphy was a bright 5-year-old boy, growing up near Los Angeles in the 1970s . . . Their mother, Kaytee Murphy, remembers Kirk's kind nature, "He was just very intelligent, and a sweet, sweet, child." But she was also worried. "Well, I was becoming a little concerned, I guess, when he was playing with dolls and stuff," she said. "Playing with the girls' toys, and probably picking up little effeminate, well, like stroking the hair, the long hair and stuff. It just bothered me that maybe he was picking up maybe too many feminine traits." . . .

Then Kaytee Murphy saw a psychologist on local television. "He was naming all of these things; 'If your son is doing five of these 10 things, does he prefer to play with girls' toys instead of boys' toys?' Just things like this," she said . . . Kaytee Murphy took Kirk to UCLA, where he was treated largely by George A. Rekers, a doctoral student at the time. In Rekers' study documenting his experimental therapy (PDF), he writes about a boy he calls "Kraig." Another UCLA gender researcher confirmed that "Kraig" was a pseudonym for Kirk. The study, later published in an academic journal, concludes that after therapy, "Kraig's" feminine behavior was gone and he became "indistinguishable from any other boy." . . .

Kirk's mother said she believes the experimental therapy destroyed Kirk's life. "I blame them for the way his life turned out," she said. "If one person causes another person's death, I don't care if it's 20 or 50 years later, it's the same as murder in my eyes.

[Rekers reparatist therapy on feminine boys was aimed at preventing "transvestism, transsexualism and some forms of homosexuality", and he'll be long-remembered for his pathologization of gender variance and his cruelty to children.

Zucker at CAMH is following in Rekers footsteps, practicing the same type of emotionally-crippling treatments on feminine boys. The only difference is that Zucker claims his trans-reparatist treatments (more, more, more, more) are specifically aimed at "preventing transsexualism" instead of homosexuality. Given the large numbers of young boys Zucker has treated, it seems likely that, in the end, his legacy will be similar to Rekers.]

6-08-11: The Sun (UK): "My little boy’s grown up to be a girl of 17 – Mother’s bond with sex-change teenager"

"Posing arm in arm, teenager Hannah Whetton and her mum Carol look like any loving mother and daughter. They enjoy going clothes shopping together and share make-up tips.

But for the first 16 years of her life Hannah was Arron, Carol's son. Carol, 45, says: "Our relationship has totally changed since Hannah told me she wanted a sex change."

6-07-11: GIDReform.org: "The Proposed Gender Dysphoria Diagnosis in the DSM-5", by Kelley Winters, Ph.D.

"Last month, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) released a second round of proposed diagnostic criteria for the 5th Edition of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). These include two diagnostic categories that impact the trans communities, Gender Dysphoria (formerly Gender Identity Disorder, or GID) and Transvestic Disorder (Formerly Transvestic Fetishism). For decades, the GID diagnosis has drawn protest from trans and transsexual communities, their allies and supportive medical and mental health professionals for its depiction of gender diversity, gender transition and medical transition care as mental illness and sexual deviance. The current diagnostic criteria for GID in the DSM-IV-TR cast difference from stereotypes of birth-assigned gender roles as pathological and are biased to favor harmful gender-reparative psychotherapies that enforce birth-role conformity. However, many community advocates and supportive medical professionals agree that some kind of diagnostic coding is necessary to facilitate access to medical and/or surgical transition care for those trans and transsexual people who need it. There is a need to replace the GID category with diagnostic nomenclature that is consistent with transition care, for those who need it, rather than contradicting transition care. There is a need for diagnostic nomenclature that does not harm those it is intended to help.

I urge trans community members, friends, care providers and allies to call upon the APA to clarify in the DSM-5 that nonconformity to birth-assigned roles and being victims of societal prejudice are not, in themselves, mental pathology. The current period for public comment to the APA ends June 15."

6-07-11: Edge Boston: "More Than 2,000 Attend Philadelphia Trans Health Conference"

"More than 2,000 people from across the country attended the 10th annual Philadelphia Trans Health Conference at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from Thursday, June 2, through Saturday, June 4.

The conference, which focuses on the issues and needs of those who identify as trans, began as what its Web site described as a "one-day gathering of transgender activists, allies and service providers" in 2002. 1,400 people attended last year’s conference. And it has become the world’s largest trans-specific gathering . . .

Joelle Ruby Ryan, who is the first trans woman to receive a Point Scholarship, attended the conference for the third time. "I gained a wealth of new information, met some truly wonderful people and realized that our army of trans activists and supporters are growing exponentially. It is a very exciting time for our movement," she told EDGE"

6-07-11: San Francisco Chronicle: "Va. inmate sues after gruesome tries at sex change" (more, more)

"Crouched in her cell, Ophelia De'lonta hoped three green disposable razors from the prison commissary would give her what the Virginia Department of Corrections will not — a sex change.

It had been several years since she had felt the urges, but she had been fighting them for weeks. But like numerous other times, she failed to get rid of what she calls "that thing" between her legs, the last evidence she was born a male.

Months after the October castration attempt, De'lonta filed a federal lawsuit Friday claiming the state has failed its duty to provide adequate medical care because it won't give her the operation. She says the surgery is needed to treat her gender identity disorder, a mental illness in which people believe they were born the wrong gender."

6-06-11: Maine Public Broadcasting Network: "Transgender Girl Lobbies Maine Lawmakers to Maintain Civil Rights Protections"

"This week the Maine Legislature is expected to vote on a controversial bill that would repeal civil rights protections for transgender people. LD 1046 would say that unless otherwise specified, rest rooms, showers and locker rooms designated for one biological sex are restricted to that biological sex. Transgender people denied access to such facilities would no longer be able to claim discrimination under the Maine Human Rights Act. Among those closely watching the outcome of the legislation is a 13-year-old transgender girl and her family."

6-06-11: Color Lines: "Anti-Gay Group Targets Oakland’s Classroom Gender Lessons" (more)

"The National Organization of Marriage is taking heat for aggressively coming out against gender identity lessons taught at an Oakland elementary school, as part of an anti-bullying campaign. It’s just the latest campaign waged by a group that often features black pastors to help spread its anti-gay message.

NOM president Brian Brown sent a letter to supporters calling the lessons “disturbing” and that the organizers want to “embed in these children’s minds the idea that we all have a right to make up our own gender(s).”

NOM is an organization that campaigns against same sex marriage, civil unions, and adoption by gay couples. They have notably featured public figures of color such as Alveda King, the niece of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and New York state senator Rubén Díaz, Sr. at their rallies."

6-05-11: Sunday Sun (UK): "Ex-Navy man's hope to become Transgender model"

"Swinging her long legs around the pole, Natasha Gray moves to the music with expert precision and everyone in her class follows her with ease.

She’s a popular pole-dance teacher, but she’d love to be a fashion model and TV presenter, and loves making outfits for pole dancing competitions.

Yet the dance classes and clothes – and 36D boobs – are a world away from her former life . . . as David Payne, a Royal Navy officer . . . "

6-04-11: The Connecticut Mirror: "With no GOP votes, Senate gives final passage to transgender bill" (more)

"The Senate voted 20 to 16 early today for final passage of a bill outlawing discrimination against people who are transgendered, ending a years-long fight in the General Assembly. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has promised to sign the bill as soon as it reaches his desk.

As was the case in the House, every Republican voted against the bill, including five GOP senators who voted for a similar measure four years ago. Democrats Paul Doyle of Wethersfield and Joan Hartley of Waterbury joined all 14 Republicans in opposing the bill."

6-04-11: The Independent (Ireland): "The doctor's secret"

"He was one of the most respected and powerful men in the British Army but, when he died, he turned out to be a woman from Cork.

A report with the startling facts leaked out in July 1865 after the death of Dr James Barry, Inspector General of Hospitals -- the highest medical rank in the British Army. It emerged that he was a woman and possibly even a mother.

London society was rocked by the news, but the army refused to comment. Meanwhile, Barry had already been buried, so no post-mortem had taken place and his secret went to the grave. In a way, it was a fitting end to the doctor's life -- he died as he had lived, surrounded by controversy."

6-04-11: Hispanically Speaking News (re ): "Meet Lea T: Brazil’s Transsexual Rising Model Superstar (Video)"

"In less than 2 years, she has been on Oprah, landed editorials in Vogue Paris, walked for Givenchy, and was in the cover of LOVE magazine smooching Kate Moss!

Lea T. is the daughter of well-known former Brazilian football player Toninho Cerezo. She is currently ranked #42 on the Top 50 Models Women List by models.com

Miss T. was first discovered by Givenchy senior designer Riccardo Tisci . Her first runway show was for Alexandre Herchcovitch during São Paulo Fashion Week this past January, only a few months after she became the face of Givenchy."

6-03-11: NPR: "Message For Transgender Kids From One Who's Been There: You Matter
"Kids who grew up like me needed to know that despite the fact that their internal sense of gender did not match their sexual organs ... they mattered."

That's why, People.com associate editor Janet Mock said today on Tell Me More, she decided to reveal in a book, on the pages of Marie Claire magazine and in an It Gets Better Project video that she made the transition from male to female.

"Nearly half of transgender youth contemplate wanting to kill themselves," Mock said during a conversation with Tell Me More host Michel Martin. She wants them to know that they can get through what are hard times. Things do, in fact, get better"

6-03-11: The Bay Citizen: "Coyote Grace and the Art of Transition: Rising Americana Stars to Headline Sonoma Pride"

"Ingrid Elizabeth and Joe Stevens of the Americana band Coyote Grace make a sweet couple on stage; she’s a spunky redhead plucking an upright bass, and he’s a blue-eyed, bearded guy with a voice that envelops you like a worn armchair. But there’s more to the duo than first meets the eye. First of all, they’re no longer dating, though they remain best friends and musical partners. And for most of their romantic entwinement, they were both women—something that’s now hard to imagine, given Stevens’ masculine appearance and dusty baritone voice."

6-03-11: Go Chengdoo (China): "Change your sex at Huaxi Hospital"

"Huaxi Hospital is now the first hospital in Sichuan offering legal sex-reassignment surgeries, as approved by the Health Ministry, reported Sichuan Online and Tianfu Morning Post.

This comes after a strict audit as Huaxi Hospital submitted the application after the barrier for qualification was raised. Fewer than ten hospitals nationwide were granted the approval, which Huaxi received on 27 May, according to Cen Ying, the Head of Department for Aesthetic Reconstruction for Burns at the hospital.

Due to disorder and confusion surrounding sex-change operations, the Health Ministry called for a halt of such surgeries throughout China in 2009. Last year, the ministry began to standardize the management of 17 clinical procedures. The ministry allowed Grade 3 and higher general hospitals to apply for the certification to offer sex-change operations. A panel of experts from the fields of law, psychology, ethics, aesthetic surgery, urology, endocrinology, obstetrics, and gynecology among others was sent to the hospital to conduct the audit."

6-02-11: The Bilerico Report: "The Death of the 'Transgender' Umbrella", Filed By Mercedes Allen

"If you've traveled anywhere among trans or LGBT blogs in the past year or three, you've inevitably come across an ongoing battle over labels, and particularly "transgender" as an umbrella term. It seems to be a conflict without end, without middle ground and without compromise.

Yet for discourse on human rights and enfranchisement for transsexual and transgender people to move forward at all, at some point that discussion needs to have some sort of resolution, and some thorough dissection of the argument will need to take place. Could an alliance-based approach be a solution? Or more accurately, could enough people on both sides of the argument be willing (that is, to not see their position as immovable) to seek an alliance-based approach for it to make a positive difference in the discourse? I don't know. But something that has become clear to me over the past while is that the language is changing. And I don't have to like it, but I have to understand what that means."

6-02-11: The Daily Surge (Myrtle Beach, MD): ''Born Again: Myrtle Beach gets reaquainted with local woman that used to be a man" (more)

"Memoirs and biographies of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances are big business. So big, in fact, that these compelling stories regularly represent the largest portion of the nonfiction book market, according to most New York Times Nonfiction Bestsellers lists. It seems we're interested in what makes people tick and to hear (or read) their stories.

So lucrative are these stories that many of them are partially or fully fictionalized with salacious and titillating details to help gain interview slots on TV talk shows and sell books. The fraudulent authors are eventually exposed, usually by Oprah. But Oprah won't have to do any finger-wagging at Myrtle Beach resident Chris Goldman, whose story of a recent sex change and transition from male-to-female seems epic in its scope, unbelievable to some, yet is quite true."

6-02-11: LGBT Asylum News (re Venezuela): "In Venezuela, another transgender woman killed"

"LGBT activists have asked the Venezuelan authorities to investigate the killing of a transgender woman in an exhaustive, immediate and objective manner and without prejudice against her gender identity or the work activity she performed. Luisa Nicol, an 18 year old transsexual, was killed by a sharp weapon in a well-known hotel in Caracas in El Rosal Varela. Her family was dismayed about what had happened.

Her mother stated: “Our relationship had always been very good, we would talk very often and I would ask her numerous times to do any other job but the one she was doing. Indeed she was also assaulted and was almost killed with a knife last week."

This is not an isolated case. 30 April two other transgender women known as Ruby (Enderson Jesus Bianconi, 18 year old and identified by her family) and Samanta (still to be identified) were also killed in Caracas."

6-01-11: The Times of Malta (Malta): "Transgender seeks legal remedy, compensation from European Court"

"Joanne Cassar, who underwent gender reassignment surgery to become a woman and was denied the right to marry because of a lacuna in the law, has taken the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg demanding compensation.

The 29-year-old had won the right to marry but this was overturned on appeal last week when a judge ruled that, although she had her human rights breached, the problem was in the law and she could not marry . . .

She also said that taking into consideration the fact that the case took seven years to conclude, there was a breach of human rights and since she was not granted a legal remedy or compensation in that regard, she called for compensation and a remedy to the situation.

Ms Cassar had undergone surgery in the UK when she was 22 after being diagnosed with gender identity disorder, a conflict between a person’s physical or apparent gender and that person’s self-identification."

6-01-11: Indy Week: "Transgenderism and transsexualism are expressions of life-loving invention", by Eva Hayward

"A love affair broke out between a transsexual woman—male to female—and a transgender man—female to male.

I have lived as a woman for years, and he had recently transitioned from female to male. I define as transsexual—someone who feels an essential need to modify her body—and he is transgender—not necessarily wanting sex reassignment. I always desired men, and he always women. While sex and gender identity do not define one's sexuality, we moved across cultural categories of gay and lesbian, man and woman. Neither of us was looking for a transgender lover, but we found each other and became a different kind of heterosexual couple.

Although relationships can be complicated, love is often quite simple. In many ways, our relationship is no more or less convoluted than any other: Do you desire me as much as I desire you? Has this relationship changed me, or not? And in other ways the coupling feels novel."

6-01-11: The Register (UK): "Facebook under fire over Israel, transgender bullying"

"Last up – and arguably most serious – is a tale of ordinary everyday bullying and incitement to violence. If the first two campaigns challenged Facebook moderation by presenting them with politically subtle argument over the nature of protest and free speech, the third, which appears to have taken Facebook rather longer to respond to, was a page entitled: "i'm a women [sic] LOL JK i'm the guard from poundland".

The page, apparently originating among a number of young persons in the Newcastle-on-Tyne area was little more than an attack on a security guard, working at extreme discount store Poundland, who also happened to be transgender. Typical of the comments put up were: "anyone got a photo of the ugly tranny? Put it on here and have a giggle."

The page survived for a number of weeks, apparently unreported. This changed on Wednesday, when a piece by journalist and blogger Paris Scarlett Lees exposed the page to the transgender community and led to a flurry of reports both to Facebook and the local police, who are now investigating those who posted."

6-01-02: CNN International (re Cuba): "Cuban enjoys new benefit of free sex-change operation"

"On the job, Juani Santos is just another one of the guys. He inspects recycled canisters for flaws at a gas tank factory in western Cuba and cracks jokes with the other workers. Short and stocky, he has a deeply lined face and thick mustache.

But Juani was born a girl. It was only two months ago that the 61-year-old transsexual underwent gender reassignment surgery."

May 2011

5-30-11: LGBT Asylum News (re Dominican Republic): "Video: trans woman murdered in Dominican Republic”

“10 May a 27 year old trans woman, Leonel Carmona Adames (Naomi), was found battered to death in her house in Villa Altagracia, a town north of the capital of the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo . . .

Hundreds of fellow sex workers showed up in tears and anger and demanded to see her body, which the authorities agreed to.”

[Includes a powerful video of hundreds of mourners in near hysteria, as Naomi's battered body is removed from her house.]

5-30-11: Miami Herald/GSFLA: "Transgender McFatter senior crowned prom queen", by Steve Rothuas (more)

"They’ve bullied and taunted her, calling her names and writing on her locker. And now, the seniors at McFatter Technical High School have elected Andrew Viveros their 2011 prom queen. “They called my name and I was in total shock,’’ said Andrew, a 17-year-old who was born male but has publicly presented herself as female for the last two years.

With her long wavy brown hair, Andrew wore a royal blue dress and got a fresh manicure for the Friday night dance. Andrew, also known as Andii, plans to someday change her name to Andrea after she transitions. She wanted to run for prom queen in order to show other transgender teens “it gets better.”"

5-30-11: Liberal Conspiracy: "Baby names and the storm in a teacup", by Jennie Kermode (more, more, more, more, more)

"A Canadian couple’s decision to raise their baby without declaring it a boy or a girl has sparked controversy across the media. But what, ultimately, is all the fuss about? How has the home life of one small child come to reveal such deep-seated hysteria about our relationship with gender? . . .

The harm, we are told, will occur when unconforming children try to fit into a tightly gendered world. But the adult world is full of women who like football and men with long hair; they may experience prejudice from time to time yet for the most part they are still able to lead happy, productive lives.

Homophobia and transphobia (rarely distinguished in the minds of the prejudiced) can be a serious problem for those who are more visibly different, but as a society we are gradually making progress in tackling this. We no longer accept it as an excuse for discrimination or violence. Why accept sexist stereotyping more generally?

Storm is in fact just one of many children who have been raised in this way. Every now and again they make headlines. The real question is: why are we so obsessed with judging people on the basis of what’s between their legs?"

5-30-11: Queerty: "Should Gamespot Censor Comments Against Transgender Reviewer Carolyn Petit?"

"Yesterday, Kotaku mentioned that Carolyn Petit, associate editor of Gamespot, released some of her very first video reviews. She’s a really great reviewer with her fair share of fans. Sadly, she has gotten some flack for her transgender identity from the site’s commenter trolls. They compared her to Jay, the long-haired stoner from Silent Bob and Jay Strike Back and said things like “it’s a ‘she’, I think.” Gamespot has censored most of the worst comments, but should they have? . . .

There’s something about allowing the haters to hang themselves with their own words and letting other commenters see the sort hate lobbed at trans people so they can understand why we need to stand against it. But fellow commenter WhataName2 thinks that allowing such hateful comments ultimately ruin the site’s community rather than build it . . . "

5-29-11: Styleite: "Andrej Pejic Called A ‘Thing’ By FHM Magazine" (more)

"We were pretty pumped to learn that somewhat frat-tastic men’s mag FHM had named gender-bending model Andrej Pejic the 98th sexiest woman in the world — and so, apparently, was Andrej when he told New York Magazine about it at a book party last week. Unfortunately, as outwardly sexy as FHM might have found Andrej, their write up of him was a puerile mix of barf jokes and a severely heteronormative bias. Pejic’s page on the site has apparently disappeared (read: been taken down) but one savvy Tumblr user grabbed a screenshot . . .

There’s been no word from FHM about the piece or its subsequent removal. Taking it down was a step in the right direction, but addressing the issue would be even better. Was the writer reprimanded? Is FHM apologetic? Or just embarrassed? Because there’s a bit difference between the two."

5-29-11: On Top Magazine: "Chaz Bono's Girlfriend Jennifer Elia: I've Never Identified As Lesbian"

"“I identify myself as an individual,” Elia said, “and I haven't been very active within our community. I never identified as a lesbian, and I never identified as straight.” She said that her boyfriend's transition has not affected her community identity: “I've never really identified with just one community, so I haven't really felt any difference.” And she added that she's always thought of Bono as male.

“We always had a male/female dynamic and I treated him, I guess, as male,” she said. “I felt like he was a man.”"

5-28-11: The Jakarta Globe (Indonesia): "Indonesia's Transgender Community Facing Test of Faith"

"For Indonesian transgenders, practicing religion in public is not an easy thing, but that doesn’t stop some from trying.

Mariyani, a 50-year-old transgender hairdresser, said during a discussion on homosexuality and religion that transgender people, just like other people, wish to be able to practice their religion openly. "

5-27-11: Bed-Stuy Patch: "Woodhull Hospital to Begin New LGBT Training Initiative: A new training initiative launched by Health and Hospitals Corporation hopes to better meet the needs of LGBT patients"

"The program -- a joint effort with the National LGBT Cancer Network -- was announced by HHC President Alan D. Aviles at a press conference in Bellvue Hospital's Center Atrium in Manhattan, and was developed to provide a more open environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender New Yorkers, who sometimes avoid seeking adequate health care due to fear of stigma.

“The LGBT community is carrying an undue burden of disease,” said Liz Margolies, founder of the National LGBT Cancer Network. She cited a recent finding that one in five transgender people have been turned away by healthcare providers."

5-27-11: Asia One News (Singapore re Malaysia): "Helping transsexuals blend into society"

"Kuantan: With their stylish outfits and designer handbags, a group of transsexuals made heads turned as they walked into a seminar hall at a resort here recently. But they weren't here for a frivolous or illicit purpose. Instead, the 30 individuals in their 30s and 40s, came to attend a four-day advocacy and motivational programme ending yesterday, designed at helping them improve their life and livelihood.

While some of the "pretty women" earned a living by working as seamstress and mak andam (beautician), many of them who felt dejected and sidelined by society ended up in the flesh trade. While the programme touched on the various career opportunities and the programmes available to help them get a fresh start, it also broached into health and moral issues."

5-27-11: The Dallas Voice: "Transgender? Transsexual? The power of words in self-determination", by Tammye Nash

"In that first post, we used the term “transgender” to refer to Araguz, which is the general umbrella term that we use here at the Voice. We based that on conversations with advocates in the trans community who told us that “transgender” is an umbrella term that includes all those who are gender variant, while “transsexual” specifically refers to those who have fully transitioned or are in the process of transitioning.

So I was surprised to see comments to that first blog about Nikki Araguz taking us to task for describing her as “transgender” instead of using the term “transsexual,” and pointing out that Araguz had, in her personal blog, asked that the media refer to her as transsexual instead of transgender."

5-27-11: Federal Times: "OPM: Treat transgender employees with respect"

"Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry today sent a memo to agencies answering common questions about how transgender and transitioning employees should be treated in the federal workplace.
“Managers and supervisors should be aware that not all transgender individuals will follow the same pattern, but they all are entitled to the same consideration as they undertake the transition steps deemed appropriate for them, and should all be treated with dignity and respect,” OPM wrote in its guidance."

5-27-11: U. S. Office of Personnel Management: "Guidance Regarding the Employment of Transgender Individuals in the Federal Workplace"

"It is the policy of the Federal Government to treat all of its employees with dignity and respect and to provide a workplace that is free from discrimination whether that discrimination is based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity or pregnancy), national origin, disability, political affiliation, marital status, membership in an employee organization, age, sexual orientation, or other non-merit factors. Agencies should review their anti-discrimination policies to ensure that they afford a non-discriminatory working environment to employees irrespective of their gender identity or perceived gender non-conformity.

The purpose of this memorandum is not to address legal rights and remedies, but instead to provide guidance to address some of the common questions that agencies have raised with OPM regarding the employment of transgender individuals in the federal workplace. Because the guidance is of necessity general in nature, managers, supervisors, and transitioning employees should feel free to consult with their human resources offices and with the Office of Personnel Management to seek advice in individual circumstances . . . "

5-27-11: The Task Force (posted 5-25): "Transgender rights victory in Vermont"

"Congratulations to advocates in Vermont, and a special thank you to Rep. Bill Lippert and state health officials, who worked on tremendously important legislation relating to gender changes on birth certificates.

Although some other states allow gender changes without proof of surgery in their policies, Vermont becomes the very first to have clear language in its statute that makes clear surgery is not necessary to update one’s birth certificate."

5-27-11: Perezhilton.com: "Whoa! Transsexual "Memoirist" Claims To Having An Affair With LL Cool J!"

"If you haven't gotten your latest copy of Hip Hop Weekly in the mail yet, you're missing their biggest story to date. The mag has an exclusive interview with one Miz Toni Newman, who until recently, worked NYC's "Tranny Row" for years, but now considers herself a "memoirist." She has a new book out that documents her time as a prostitute and within the pages, she details the, um, services she provided to some of her more profitable clients…like LL!"

5-26-11: GID Reform Advocates, “Transvestic Disorder, the Overlooked Anti-Trans Diagnosis in the DSM-5,” by Kelley Winters, Ph.D. (more)

"On May 5th, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) released a second round of proposed diagnostic criteria for the 5th Edition of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). These include two diagnostic categories that impact the trans communities, Gender Dysphoria (formerly Gender Identity Disorder, or GID) and Transvestic Disorder (Formerly Transvestic Fetishism). While GID has received a great deal of attention in the press and from GLBTQ advocates, the second Transvestic category is too often overlooked. This is unfortunate, because the Transvestic Disorder diagnosis is designed to punish social and sexual gender nonconformity and enforce binary stereotypes of assigned birth sex. It plays no role in enabling access to medical transition care, for those who need it, and is frequently cited when care is denied (Winters 2010). I urge all trans community members, friends, care providers and allies to call for the removal of this punitive and scientifically unfounded diagnosis from the DSM-5. The current period for public comment to the APA ends June 15.

Like its predecessor, Transvestic Fetishism, in the current DSM, Transvestic Disorder is authored by Dr. Ray Blanchard, of the Toronto Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH, formerly known as the Clarke Institute). Blanchard has drawn outrage from the transcommunity for his defamatory theory of autogynephilia, asserting that all transsexual women who are not exclusively attracted to males are motivated to transition by self-obsessed sexual fetishism (Winters 2008A). He is canonizing this harmful stereotype of transsexual women in the DSM-5 by adding an autogynephilia specifier to the Transvestic Fetishism diagnosis (APA 2011) . Worse yet, Blanchard has broadly expanded the diagnosis to implicate gender nonconforming people of all sexes and all sexual orientations, even inventing an autoandrophilia specifier to smear transsexual men. Most recently, he has added an “In Remission” specifier to preclude the possibility of exit from diagnosis. Like a roach motel, there may be no way out of the Transvestic Disorder diagnosis, once ensnared."

5-26-11: New Statesman: "Chaz Bono and transgenderism's rich history – A culture’s latest milestone", by Juliet Jacques
"Historically, trans individuals have been denied control of their stories within the mainstream, having them framed by cisgender journalists, filmmakers and editors in ways that are frequently sensationalist or deliberately transphobic, or that cast people as passive victims. From both necessity and choice, trans people's creative reflections have often been produced out of the spotlight, and their relationship with the media has been fractious -- hence the casual observer's perception that we have scant heritage.

For those willing to look, there exists a century of cultural landmarks, often intertwined with, and sometimes overshadowed by gay and lesbian history."

5-26-11: Daily Mail (UK re US): "'My dad used to call me Fred': Cher's son Chaz Bono reveals late father Sonny's ironic early nickname"

"Her father Sonny Bono didn't live to see his daughter Chaz go through her female-to-male gender reassignment process. But it turns out that the singer-turned politician, who died back in 1998, already had a male nickname for his daughter. 'He called me Fred,' Chaz recalls on tonight's edition of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. "

5-26-11: New York Times: "What Makes a Man (or Woman) in a Marriage License? In Texas, It’s Unclear"

"A two-year-old state law says a court order recognizing a sex or name change is acceptable for marriage license applicants. But a 1999 Texas appeals court ruling stipulates that, at least for purposes of marriage, medical procedures cannot change a person’s sex — you are what you were at birth, period.

This legislative session, politicians have punted on clarifying the issue. And that means that despite the state’s constitutional prohibition of same-sex marriage, some clerks are issuing marriage licenses that, by some definitions, create gay unions. Other clerks are not sure what to do, waiting for lawmakers or the courts to clarify the matter."

5-26-11: Associated Press (re Malaysia): "M'sian transsexual asks court to say she is woman"

"A 25-year-old Malaysian transsexual wants a court to affirm she is a woman following sex-change surgery so she can change her name and gender on her identification documents, her lawyer said Thursday . . .

Lawyer Horley Isaacs said Ashraf Hafiz Abdul Aziz underwent a complete sex-change operation in Thailand in 2008 but that the National Registration Department refused to update her gender and name on her identity card . . .

Ashraf, the third of five children, has the support of her parents to change her name to Aleesha Farhana Abdul Aziz, Isaacs said, adding that the High Court will rule on her case July 18.

Activists have estimated there are at least 50,000 transsexuals in Malaysia, many of whom face widespread prejudice and often cannot find employment.

Ashraf recently stopped working at a pharmaceutical company after her employer barred her from wearing women's clothing to work, according to Isaacs, who said she faces a tough time trying to lead a normal life, especially since she wants to further her studies at a local university"

5-26-11: WJLA-ABC7 News: "Fredericksburg transgender attack: 1 suspect in custody, 1 plans to surrender to police"

"Saturday afternoon as the woman walked away from a neighborhood store, she was confronted by three young men and a teenage girl . . . Then, the woman tells ABC7 News, they taunted her sexuality.

"I was treated like an animal.," she says. "They were laughing about it, it was a game to them, they were taking turns," she says.Angry words turned into physical violence. She was spit on and hit with a metal broom handle. Her lip was ripped, her head and body battered."

5-25-11: Houston Chronicle: "Transgender widow accused of stealing Rolex" (more)

"It appears that Nikki Araguz could have a new plot line for the proposed new reality TV show about her increasingly turbulent life. Araguz, the transgender widow of a Wharton firefighter embroiled in a legal battle over her husband's death benefits, boasted on her Facebook page in February about getting a new Rolex watch.

It turns out Araguz is accused of stealing the Rolex, valued at $2,850, from a woman who told Houston police she was drugged shortly after meeting Araguz and another woman about 11 p.m. Feb. 24 at Eddie V's Bar . . ."

5-25-11: NY1: "New Program Attempts To Eliminate Barriers For LGBT Patients" (more, more, more)

"The city's public hospital system is launching a mandatory cultural competence training program for its entire 37,000 member workforce. Developed in partnership with the National LGBT Cancer Network, the program, the first of its kind in the nation, will work toward eliminating barriers to healthcare for LGBT patients by improving provider knowledge about their health needs.

“This is a city that has a very large population of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender individuals who come to our facilities for help, and we need to be as sensitive and respectful of their needs as everybody else's,” says Alan Aviles, president of the Health and Hospitals Corporation."

5-25-11: MSNBC: "Transgender detainees cut off from hormone drugs"

"After two decades of taking hormone replacement therapy, the 35-year-old no longer had access to the drugs that made her feel comfortable in her own skin. She begged and pleaded with jailers for months to give her the medication that made her "feel normal" but they refused.

"I just can't even look at myself in the mirror anymore," Freas said in a recent interview while in detention on suspicion of being in the country illegally. She rubbed her face and pointed to the stubble on her cheeks. "For years I tried hard to get to that point and for it all to be taken away?"

Uriel Freas, who was born male in Mexico and is now known as Monica, is one of about 40 transgender immigration detainees at the Santa Ana Jail who have tried for months to get hormone replacement therapy."

5-25-11: The Times of Malta (Malta): "I’m not inferior to other women – Joanne Cassar"

"Joanne Cassar, who underwent gender reassignment surgery seven years ago, is insisting she is a woman for all legal intents and purposes and has the right to marry a man . . .“I’m not inferior to other women . . . I want the right to marry... I am a woman and want the rights that come with it,” she told The Times.

A series of court cases that followed the Marriage Registrar’s refusal to issue the marriage banns in 2006 ended on Monday when the Constitutional Court ruled that Ms Cassar’s fundamental rights to marriage and family life had been breached. However, this was not because of the banns issue but because there was a lacuna in the law that did not allow people to enter into any form of life partnership after undergoing gender reassignment surgery . . .

Ms Cassar is insisting that since the state agreed to change her gender to female on her birth certificate, she is a woman for all legal purposes including marriage. After exhausting all her legal options in Malta, her lawyers – David Camilleri and Jose Herrera – will next week open a case in the European Court of Human Rights."

5-24-11: Las Vegas Review-Journal: "Sandoval signs transgender job discrimination bill" (more, more, more)

"Job, housing and public accommodation discrimination against transgender people will be illegal in Nevada starting Oct. 1.

Breaking ranks with all but a few legislative Republicans, Gov. Brian Sandoval on Tuesday signed into law a bill that prohibits job discrimination against transgender people.

And the bill's primary sponsor said the governor also has pledged to sign two other legislative-approved bills that will outlaw such discrimination in public accommodations, such as hotels, restaurants and stores, and in the rental or sale of housing or property."

5-24-11: Dallas Voice: "Wharton judge rules against Nikki Araguz" (more, more, more, more)

"State District Judge Randy Clapp today ruled against transsexual widow Nikki Araguz and declared her marriage invalid, meaning she cannot receive death benefits from her husband, a volunteer firefighter killed in the line of duty last year. This ruling, a copy of which has not been released, was pretty much expected coming from a state district judge in Wharton, but Nikki Araguz says she’ll appeal the decision, and some observers say the case could wind up at the U.S. Supreme Court.

“We had a completely honest marriage, a 100 percent loving, honest marriage,” she said in a press release after the ruling. “I continue to grieve the loss of my husband and best friend. I consider this case not over and we will immediately file an appeal to the high court. With this ruling I continue to be reminded of the bias that exists toward transsexual and intersex people ignoring the laws of Texas that recognize their medical and surgical transition."

5-24-11: Edmonton Journal (Canada; posted 5-08): "Transgender people deserve place in society," by Carol D. Allan, PhD student, University of Alberta, Edmonton

"Transgender people are the hidden minority who live among you, but who prefer to remain invisible so we are treated with respect.

Many of us do not want you to know, because you might not value our abilities, or even befriend us.

We teach public school, we are professors at universities, while others of us work the streets. Some of us are medical doctors.

Others work next to you in the trades. Some take low-paying retail jobs. Others of us are truck drivers, airline pilots, secretaries and in almost every other employment you can think of.

The only time you might notice us is when we transition from one gender to the other. During our transition, some of you are positive and supportive, while others see us as sinful and immoral."

5-24-11: Edmonton Journal (Canada; posted 5-24): "Transgendered denied rights: psychiatrist", by Lorne Warneke, clinical professor, psychiatry, and specialist in gender disorders, University of Alberta.
"I would like to commend Carol D. Allan for her thoughtful recent letter and also for the fact that she selfdisclosed to provide extra validation to what she was saying.

As Allan points out, individuals who are transgendered are everywhere. I am one of two psychiatrists in Alberta who deal with transgendered individuals. I have seen over 850 such individuals since 1996.

Transgendered individuals come from a cross-section of Alberta society. The rate of unemployment, level of education, long-term relationships, incidence of psychiatric illness, etc., is no different compared to the rest of Albertans. I have seen labourers, tradesmen, teachers, engineers, physicians, lawyers, architects, cooks, executives, airline pilots, businessmen, farmers and so on who are transgendered.

The prevalence rate of transgenderism is much higher than once thought. For individuals who are male to female, this may be as high as one in a 100 or one per cent. Female to male individuals are probably as prevalent . . .

As Allan points out, every year individuals who are transgendered are beaten or killed just because of who they are. Stigma, prejudice and hatred for those who are different are alive and well in Alberta, in Canada and across North America.

Protecting minority groups is usually entrusted to government, which must devise policies that guarantee equal rights and opportunities for all. Our current government has done just the opposite. Without consultation with those who work in this area or transgendered individuals themselves, the province on April 7 withdrew ongoing funding for sex reassignment surgery."

5-24-11: The Times of Malta (Malta): "Transgender to seek right to marry from European court"

"Joanne Cassar, who underwent gender reassignment surgery to become a woman, will be taking her case to the European Court of Human Rights next week after she fought in vain a four-year legal battle for the right to marry.

The Constitutional Court yesterday ruled that her fundamental rights to marriage and family life had been breached because of a legal shortcoming in Maltese law that failed to cater for her situation.

The court said its ruling did not stem from the fact that the marriage registrar had refused to issue the banns, as a previous court had found. In fact the court revoked that part of the judgment in which it was said the banns should have been issued.

Her rights had been breached because there was a lacuna in the law that did not allow transgender people to enter into any form of life partnership, according to the court presided by Mr Justice Geoffrey Valenzia, Mr Justice Giannino Caruana Demajo and Mr Justice Tonio Mallia.

“With the situation as it is today she is deprived of forming a lifetime partnership with a man or a woman."

[Sadly, the headline refers sleazily to Joanne as a "transgender". Good grief, where did this "journalist" learn English? Don't they know that "transgender" is an adjective and NOT a noun? A much less disrespectful way to refer to Joanne's status would have been to use "transgender woman". Or much better yet: "transitioned woman," which would put her trans status in the past.]

5-23-11: The Bilerico Project (posted 5-20): "Trans Visibility Sparks Right-Wing Blogosphere Explosion," Filed by: Austen Crowder

"They say that no press is bad press, and Chaz Bono's making lots of press. The good news? He's using his fifteen minutes to plant discuss the need for protection and understanding . . .

The bad news? Back at the ranch of sexual repression, the collecitve social conservative blogosphere is waking up to discover that transgender people exist - and having a coronary in the process. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the "make it illegal" offense (by Grace Vuoto):

"As a society, it is time to draw a line in the sand. The human body must be protected from those who seek to do it harm. Until the late 1960s, many doctors regarded sex reassignment surgeries as unethical and would not perform them. We need to restore that consensus. Transgender surgeries and transformations ought to be illegal altogether -- much as suicide is illegal in some states". . .

I'm speaking to the echo chamber here when I say that Gracie is misinformed and her simplified view of this issue doesn't encompass the whole biological, social, emotional, and mental mess a transgender experience can wreak on a person. The problem, as I see it, is that this "make it illegal" meme will grow in the conservative echo chambers just as easily as the "protect us" meme grows in liberal choruses. The rabbit's out of the hat on trans people and we need to be ready to have this conversation with people . . .

We're going to have to show that trans people exist, trans people are measurably happier and more stable after transition, and that trans people contribute to the fabric of society just like everybody else. In other words, we have to keep doing what we've been doing for years, only now with a slowly crescendoing chorus of dissidents trying to take our rights away.

Frankly, we're going to have to get good at justifying our existence real fast. With "It Gets Better," the media focus on gay teen suicide, and the increasing acceptance of sexual orientation as a normal human variance we are seeing a changing of the guard at the social conservative whipping post. Gay people are coming off the stage as valid scapegoats for society's ills and we're next in line."

[An important, must-read essay.]

5-23-11: The Times of Malta (Malta): "Joanne Cassar loses transsexual marriage case"

"Joanne Cassar this morning lost the appeal filed by the Attorney General from a court sentence which had granted her the right to marry a man after her gender reassignment surgery . . .

In February 2007, Ms Cassar won a civil case in which the court ordered the Marriage Registrar to issue the wedding banns he had previously refused to issue. However, in May 2008, the decision was revoked on appeal. The court ruled Ms Cassar would never be considered to be a “woman” according to the Marriage Act and declared the change in her birth certificate, allowing a change of name and gender, was only intended to protect the right to privacy and to avoid embarrassment.

Determined to fight for her right to marry, she opened a case in the First Hall of the Civil Court in its constitutional jurisdiction, claiming a breach of human rights. She won the case last month. However the decision was again overturned on appeal this morning. The Court argued that the Marriage Registrar was correct in the interpretation of the law and the law did not not provide for circumstances such as those of Ms Cassar's."

[This terribly sad outcome should not be a surprise, given the ultra-Catholic, almost medieval nature of the State of Malta.]

5-22-11: The Baltimore Sun: "Transgender musician makes waves with voice, violin – Tona Brown diversifies classical scene in Baltimore, beyond" (YouTube)

"On a YouTube video, Tona Brown is first seen playing some Bach on the violin. Then she breaks into song, delivering "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" in a full-throated mezzo-soprano voice.

That Rodgers and Hammerstein classic makes a particularly fitting anthem for Brown, who has faced her share of hurdles. None of them, it seems, have fazed this transgender musician who moved to Baltimore about a year ago.

"You can't tell me I can't do something," Brown says with a broad smile, interviewed on a warm afternoon in the rowhouse she shares with a roommate half a block from Lake Montebello.

Brown has been making a name for herself in the classical music and transgender communities. Her profile is likely to increase after Monday night's appearance in New York at the seventh annual Out Music Awards, a program saluting the work of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender artists. Brown will be the violin soloist in a movement from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons.""

[An amazing talent! Please do watch the video.]

5-22-11: MSNBC (posted 5-20): "'Don't say gay' bill passes Tenn. Senate – Students protest and 'Star Trek's' George Takei offers a work-around" (more, more)

"A bill passed Friday by the Tennessee Senate would forbid public school teachers and students in grades kindergarten through eight from discussing the fact that some people are gay. Opponents deride the measure as the "don't say gay bill." They say it's unfair to the children of gay parents and could lead to more bullying. Supporters say it is intended to give teachers clear guidance for dealing with younger children on a potentially explosive topic . . .

Meanwhile, Takei has come up with a proposal for the "Don't Say Gay" bill: "Any time you need to say the word, 'gay,' you can simply say, 'Takei.'" KNBC of Los Angeles said Takei offered some examples in a YouTube video posted Thursday. "You could safely proclaim you support Takei marriage. If you're in a more festive mood, you can march in a Takei Pride Parade. Even homophobic slurs don't seem as hurtful if you say, 'That's sooo Takei.'" The suggestions go on, but Takei wraps with a few pitches for "It's OK to be Takei" merchandise".

[When a community's enemies are afraid to even say your name, you know you've got them on the run!]

5-22-11: The Mirror (UK): "Macho army tank driver ends years of torment.. by becoming a WOMAN"

"Sixteen-STONE soldier David Lamb drove 56-ton tanks and was the crack shot of his regiment. He could take out an enemy tank from three miles away - but as a macho action man he always felt he was living a lie.

And today he bravely reveals how he has transformed himself into Louise, 49, a bubbly blonde with 38DD curves."

5-21-11: Washington Post: "Gay and transgender teens find refuge at home created for them"

"In the three-story brick house in Northeast Washington, there are eight bedrooms, each filled with a young person who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. And like Sarah — a transgender woman who until February was sleeping at Reagan National Airport, washing her hair with shampoo fished from the trash — each ended up homeless or close to it.

As the District takes significant strides to advance the rights of LGBT residents — for example, recently legalizing same-sex marriage — the youths who pass through the Wanda Alston House tell of the vulnerability the community still faces. The house, named after an LGBT leader and mayoral adviser who was killed in 2005, is one of a handful of transitional houses in the nation that cater to people who experts say are more likely to become homeless and who, once in that category, pose challenges most shelter systems are unequipped to address."

5-21-11: India Today (India): "The other side of the story matters"

"HIJRAS arouse our discomfort more than any other group: We laugh nervously when they show up at weddings and births. We wish they would disappear when they accost us at traffic crossings and on the street, clapping loudly and threatening to strip if they are not given money.

They are like caricatures, a sort of scary hotch potch of male and female characteristics. And we are a regressive society when it comes to sex and sexuality. Gay sex may have been decriminalised, but this doesn't make it any easier for the average Indian to accept it. So expecting him to accept a hijra - who doesn't quite fall into any gender category - is too much.

Until last year, hijras were counted as men in the census. They won the right to be listed as " other" rather than " male" or " female" in the most recent census though. But those involved with the census say that counting the " other" isn't so easy: Census enumerators need training to be "sensitised" to overcome their distaste for the " other" and hijras need help in understanding that filling this questionnaire has no dire repercussions. The government won't round them up, nor will the police. NGOs involved with sexual minorities have assisted, but the country's deputy registrar general admits that this still doesn't ensure proper data. The respondent may be a father who identifies his transgendered son as a man even though the son may want to be identified as a woman, and so on."

5-21-11: Huffington Post (portes 5-18): "Straight Talk: When a Daughter Changes Her Gender, Does She Become a Son?
", by Steven Petrow

"Q: My friend's daughter now says she's transgender and had surgery to remove her breasts last week. I guess I should have written my friend's "son." Anyway, "he" seems thrilled with his results, but he is still a girl where it counts, so it is very confusing. And does this make him gay, or what?

A: With all the news about Chaz Bono being transgender, your question provides a timely reminder of how complex the whole topic of gender identity can be -- and how easily gender identity can be confused with questions of sexual orientation. They are in fact quite different; so let me see what I can do to help you understand what's going on with your friend's son.

And he is indeed her son -- no need for quotation marks around the word. One of the basic concepts of gender identity is that you are the gender you think and say you are. The external genitalia that make a doctor proclaim, "It's a girl!" in the delivery room are not the sum total of that individual's gender identity. Chaz, who is the new face of FTM (female to male) transgender, summed it up by saying recently that gender identity is "between your ears, not between your legs.""

5-21-11: Houston Chronicle: "Transgender widow awaits death benefits ruling - Judge will determine if marriage with firefighter was legal; meanwhile, a reality show may be in the works" (more, more)

"Given the fresh publicity this week about a proposed reality show on the life of transgender Nikki Araguz, the daylong court hearing Friday on whether she was legally married to fallen Wharton firefighter Thomas Trevino Araguz III was surprisingly sedate.

State District Judge Randy Clapp, whose courtroom rules prohibit cameras, tape recorders and cellphones, put off by a week issuing a decision on whether the August 2008 marriage was illegal because both parties were male."

5-20-11: Marie Claire Magazine (posted 5-18): "I Was Born a Boy: Janet Mock has an enviable career, a supportive man, and a fabulous head of hair. But she's also got a remarkable secret that she's kept from almost everyone she knows. Now, she breaks her silence," by Janet Mock as told to Kierna Mayo (more, more, more)

" . . . We spent the rest of the night talking. Slowly, I unpacked all the secrets and shame I'd been dragging with me all these years. He was braver than I could've dreamed. We didn't make love that night, but eventually we did, and I felt safe with him. Revealing my story to Aaron was about finally embracing my authentic self. Despite all the shit — the childhood spent fearing my father's judgments, the high school bullying, all those years mourning what I thought I could never have — here I was, in a blossoming relationship with a gorgeous, astute, caring man. After 10 months of dating, we moved in together, and I've never been more fulfilled.

Aaron is among just a handful of people who know about my unbelievable adventure. I have a thriving career as a Web editor for a very popular magazine. My coworkers don't know about my past, mostly because I never wanted to be the poster child for transsexuals — pre-op, post-op, or no op. But the recent stories about kids who have killed themselves because of the secrets they were forced to keep has shifted something in me.

That's why I decided to come out in the pages of Marie Claire, why I'm writing a memoir about my journey. It used to pain me to hear my birth name, a heartbreaking insult classroom bullies would shout to get a rise out of me. But talking and writing about my experiences have helped me finally accept the past and celebrate the fact that I was once a big dreamer who happened to be born a boy named Charles. I hope my story resonates with other big dreamers, lets them know that no matter how huge, how insane, how unreasonable or unreachable your goals may seem, nothing — not even your own body — can hold you back if you are certain and fearless and, yes, even a little ballsy in your quest."

[An amazing story, told by an wonderful woman. A must-read.]

5-20-11: Sky News (Australia re Cuba): "Cuba's transsexual receives surgery" (with video)

"After 40 years of waiting, 61-year-old metalworker Juani Santos finally underwent a sex reassignment surgery as part of the Cuban government's revolutionary program to fund sex-change operations. According to Reuters, Santos was clinically diagnosed as the first transsexual man on the island in 1972, when he still struggled with a lot prejudice even from his family and friends.

In 2008, when authorities approved a program to allow free sex changes, Santos was one of the first inline and managed to be among some 30 patients approved for the operation. He said he identified as a man at a very young age and began using male clothes since childhood. 'I have always felt like a man. During my whole life, I've felt like a man. So, I behaved like one and I also began to dress as a man."

5-20-11: Washington Post: Movie Review: "Beautiful Darling: A poignant walk on the wild side"

"One of the oddest Top 20 hits of all time, Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” features a sauntering bass line and these words: “Candy came from out on the Island.” Few listeners knew that Candy was a real person, a sometime laborer (like Reed) at Andy Warhol’s Factory. Director James Rasin’s “Beautiful Darling” fills in the story with grace and sensitivity.

Candy Darling did indeed come from out on Long Island — Massapequa Park, to be specific. But that’s when she was James Slattery, a boy who desperately wanted to be Kim Novak. As this moving and funny documentary shows, she came closer to that goal than might have been expected."

5-19-11: Comic Book World: "R.I.P. Fantasy & Comics Artist Jeffrey Catherine Jones" (more)

"Artist Jeffrey Catherine Jones – an acclaimed voice in the fantasy art world and a close friend and influence to a generation of comics artists – has passed away at age 67. . . .

Born Jeffrey Jones 1944, the artist celebrated a long career whose highlights included a 1970s run doing cover paintings for major fantasy novels like Fritz Leiber's "Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser" and a number of comics including "Idyl" for "National Lampoons" and "I'm Age" for "Heavy Metal."

While the world of fantasy illustration and comics proper intersect less than one might imagine, Jones was a figure whose work in both forms left an impression on her peers. Her work was notably praised by recently deceased fantasy legend Frank Frazetta as "the greatest living painter." Jones also shared space with a slew of legendary comics talent in the '70s under the name The Studio – a group which included Mike Kaluta, Bernie Wrightson and Barry Windsor-Smith.

Jones is also a rare example of a transgendered artist in the genre world. Though a string of personal and financial issues saw her fall on hard times in the early 2000s, recent years had seen stable living conditions and steady production of new work from the artist. For more on Jones' life and work, visit her official website."

5-19-11: European Commission blogs (EC re Czech Republic: posted 5-17) "International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia", by Cecilia Malmstrom (member of the European Commission)

"Today is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Even today, in 2011, homosexuality is considered a crime in many countries around the world. In as many as seven countries, Iran, Sudan and Nigeria for example, it is even punished by the death penalty. This is also one of the many different reasons that people seek asylum in the EU – in order to be protected from persecution due to their sexual orientation. But not even in the EU, despite the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, these rights are fully respected.

We know that Pride Festivals are cancelled in some countries and that homosexuals are victims of hate crime, discrimination and other forms of intolerance. A serious example can be found in the Czech Republic where “phallometric testing” is used in the asylum procedure, as reported by the EU agency for Fundamental Rights last year. This practice consists in testing the physical reaction to heterosexual pornographic material of gay men who have filed a claim for asylum on the basis of their homosexual orientation. This is a pure medieval method and a huge violation of the individual’s right to privacy. We contacted the Czech authorities as soon as we were informed of the existence of this practie. We have not yet received enough information and will further investigate this case. But there is no question that this is politically unacceptable."

5-19-11: The Chippewa Herald: "Speaker reveals journey in transition to being a woman"

"In the language of the transgender community, Jessica Janiuk “passes.” She never liked the term, though, because it seems to suggest that she is “passing” herself off as something she’s not, when she is only being exactly who she is.

Jessica Janiuk is a 29-year-old woman who shares her story as a transgender. On Tuesday, she told the story to the Chippewa Falls Rotary Club of her transition from Matthew Janiuk to Jessica Janiuk, in what was one of the most unique presentations in the history of the club.

“Passing” in the transgender sense refers to a person’s ability to be regarded as a member of the gender with which they physically present themselves. Had Janiuk been speaking on any unrelated subject . . . it is highly doubtful anyone would have given a second thought to the fact that she is a woman.

And that was one of the goals of Janiuk’s presentation, along with the openness with which she lives her life: To work toward acceptance and understanding of transgendered people as members of the gender they now belong."

5-19-11: New York Times: "Stuck at the Border Between the Sexes", by Elliott DeLine

"Some people assume transgender men are lesbians who couldn’t handle being gay. They really think a female would go through all the hassles of transitioning to male just so she could trick other women into sleeping with her.

That just isn’t the case at all, and as a transgender man, I find it highly offensive and presumptuous. They know nothing about me. I haven’t gone through this to trick women. I much prefer tricking men."

[A really cool essay!]

5-19-11: On Top Magazine: "Fox News Removes Chaz Bono Hit Piece" (more, more)

"In the article, titled Inside the Mind of Chaz Bono, Bono . . . is accused of suffering from a “psychotic delusion” by Fox News psychiatrist and contributor Dr. Keith Ablow.

“First, Chaz Bono is not a man,” Ablow wrote. “Second, while Chaz Bono may feel that her journey toward self-acceptance has ended, I am not convinced. I say this because, absent the gender politics involved, I was taught to consider Chaz Bono's contention that she is male as a psychotic delusion – a fixed and false belief.”

Ablow compares transitioning to “bending reality to conform to a person's psychosis,” and adds that it's not a good idea. “I think Chaz Bono, who is, in fact, a woman, will not escape, through surgery or manipulation of hormones, suffering that is far more than skin deep.”

The article published on Tuesday was removed the following day after several blogs, including Think Progress and Equality Matters, criticized the article."

[Ablow is well-known for his recent "transphobic pink nail polish rant." Here's a link to a cached version of the original article about Chaz; it is even worse than you might imagine. This guy has some serious issues. Could he be an imploding closet-wannabee?]

5-19-11: Houston Press: "Wanna Date Nikki Araguz? AND Be on a Reality Show?" (more, more)

"If you've been dying for the chance to date Nikki Araguz, transgender widow of a fallen Wharton firefighter, wait no longer: Local filmmaker Cressandra Thibodeaux is working on a reality series called Being Nikki that will include Araguz's quest for a new man.

"We are in search of single men willing to date the beautiful, dynamic, smart and driven woman -- Nikki Araguz," Thibodeaux stated in a press release. "We are looking for college-educated, physically fit, handsome men -- a sense of humor is must."

Here's how Thibodeaux described the show in the press release: "This uniquely innovative, intriguing and inspiring reality show follows Nikki, through her grief a year after the sudden death of her husband, the daunting pressures of a major league battle regarding her late husband's estate, lobbying for marriage equality, participating in a documentary about her life, writing her autobiography, and her quest to find peace again, as a single transsexual woman." The pilot episode will premiere at 14 Pews, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. "

5-19-11: Las Vegas Review-Journal (posted 5-17): "Bill outlawing transgender discrimination goes to Sandoval"

"A bill that would outlaw job discrimination against transgender people in Nevada was sent to Gov. Brian Sandoval on Tuesday. The Assembly on a voice vote agreed to a Senate amendment and passed the bill. The amended bill was approved by the Senate last week.

The bill's sponsor, Assemblyman Paul Aizley, D-Las Vegas, said he has spoken to two sources who told him the governor will sign Assembly Bill 211. Sandoval's staff members have refused to say what position the governor will take. Only four of the 26 Republicans in the Legislature backed the bill, which was supported by 35 of the 36 Democrats.

Thirteen states have laws prohibiting employers from discriminating against transgender men and women. During hearings, transgender people testified their unemployment rate is two to three times higher than the overall rate. "They are just people," said Aizley, adding that many have good educations and deserve a chance to succeed."

5-19-11: ESPN: "Transgender player's career cut short" (more)

"His first season as a transgender male was hampered by two early-season concussions that caused him to miss all but eight games. Wednesday, the school announced what may have been a foregone conclusion: Because of the injuries, Allums has decided it was "in his best interest to no longer participate in intercollegiate athletics."

It's sad to see any player's career cut short by injuries. But I'd argue it's even sadder to see Allums -- whose public bravery no doubt served as inspiration to even a (presumably) small number of athletes with transgender identities -- unable to live out his"

5-18-11: The Guardian (UK): "A transgender journey: Clinical details: The hormone dose has been doubled, the verbal abuse has dwindled and surgery has been discussed - is the end finally in sight for Juliet Jacques? (Latest in the Series: "LW鼒ᘙ

"I knew after my second visit to the Gender Identity Clinic that my appointments with West London Mental Health Trust (or 'Charing Cross', as it's still colloquially known) would feel different now that I had addressed most of the social challenges of the 'Real Life Experience' (RLE) – and been prescribed female hormones . . .

My third and fourth appointments were with my main clinician, Dr Davies. With no questions remaining about my past, the focus shifted entirely to the present, discussing how I felt about the slow physical changes induced by the oestrogen, and whether or not any new social challenges had arisen as a direct consequence of my living as female.

I tell him not, as we quickly assess the main spheres of my life – family, friends, physical and mental health, housing and employment. Over varying periods of time, all have settled back into normality, without coming out causing me to lose or leave my job, become more uncomfortable in my living space or be estranged from close friends or family members. I appreciate that this is not necessarily usual for transsexual people – these are the kind of things that problematise transition for some people, resulting in them staying on the pathway for months or years longer than they perhaps imagined, and my clinician agrees that I've been very fortunate."

5-18-11: Windy City Times: "ACLU suing IDPH over criteria for trans individuals"

"The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) for requiring transgender people to prove they have undergone a series of sex-reassignment surgeries before they can change the gender marker on their birth certificates.

The ACLU released a statement May 10, claiming that the State Registrar of Vital Records had failed to uphold a promise it made two years ago to amend outdated policies that blocked most transgender men and many transgender women from updating their birth certificates.

"Illinois is the only state that requires genital surgery," said John Knight, who directs the ACLU's LBGT and AIDS Project. Knight said that other states that allow transgender people to amend their birth certificates typically require a doctor's letter stating that a person has changed their sex in some way, even if they haven't undergone genital surgery."

5-17-11: The Commercial Appeal: "Former Memphis officer sentenced to two years in prison for beating transgender prisoner, tax evasion"

"He pleaded guilty to violation of civil rights resulting in bodily injury of transgender prisoner Dwayne "Duanna" Johnson, who was being booked into the Shelby County Jail in February 2008 after being arrested by McRae for prostitution. A surveillance tape showed McRae wrapping his handcuffs around his fist and punching Johnson in the head and then using a chemical spray . . .

Federal prosecutor Steve Parker said McRae deserved prison time, rather than probation, because his defense attacked and tried to discredit other officers who provided information against him. "(The officers) did the right thing," Parker said. "They tried to stop this. The defendant disgraced his badge and his fellow officers."

Said Johnson's mother, Hazel Johnson Skinner: "She was very saddened by the way she was treated in this case. She got no respect because she was different in society." Skinner told U.S. Dist. Judge S. Thomas Anderson she approved of the plea agreement and two-year sentence."

5-17-11: Kickstarter.com (posted 3-15): "Becoming Visible, portraits of homeless transgender teens", a project by Josh Lehrer (more)

"There are 30,000 homeless teenagers on the streets of New York, 35% are transgender - - - "

[Art as a means of social change. Stunning platinum and palladium prints ennobling NYC's fastest growing homeless population. A reminder of how far we yet have to go.]

5-17-11: WBALTV: “Woman Indicted On Hate Crime Charge In McDonald's Attack – Cell Phone Video Posted Online After Incident” (more, more, more)

“A woman involved in an assault that was captured on a cell phone and went viral online has been indicted on hate crime charges.

The office of the Baltimore County State's Attorney said Teonna Monae Brown, 18, was indicted Monday on charges that included hate crime and first- and second-degree assault.

A female juvenile faces the same charges, the office said.”

5-16-11: Metro.us: "Federal red tape snags sex change"

"For many transgender New Yorkers, changing their gender is only the first step on the path to living a new life.

Then comes the difficulty of showing accurate identification. Although it can be a hassle to change one’s sex on a driver’s license or passport, the real obstacle comes with updating Social Security registration, according to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, a transgender advocacy group.

Not being accurately registered in the Social Security database can result in the denial of public services or medical care. It can also cause complications in the workplace: The federal government may alert employers that a transgender employee has conflicting identification, effectively “outing” the employee to his or her boss."

5-16-11: CBS News: "Chaz Bono and Jennifer Elia are engaged"

"With his gender reassignment surgery behind him, Chaz Bono says he is ready to move forward in his relationship with longtime girlfriend, Jennifer Elia.

The couple, who have been together for nearly six years, announced they are engaged on the "Piers Morgan Tonight" show and said they are hoping to tie the knot "within a year.""

5-16-11: Las Vegas Review-Journal: "Fear of violence always on mind of transgender people"

"The video is disturbing on multiple levels. A woman and a teenage girl at a Baltimore area McDonald's beat a transgender woman while others stand by, doing nothing. The violence was captured April 18 by an employee of the fast-food giant who can be heard laughing as the woman is pulled by her hair across the restaurant and then to the ground, repeatedly kicked in the face, the back of the head, the ribs.

An epileptic, the woman went into a seizure before the violence ended. Nobody lifted a finger save for one elderly woman, who was punched in the face for her trouble . . .

Although the incident in Maryland is extreme, people who are transgender live in fear of violence as they seek acceptance. ""Discrimination is widespread against the transgender community," said Mel Goodwin of the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada . . . They face discrimination getting and keeping jobs, housing, medical care. They've even been barred from getting help at emergency shelters," Goodwin said."

5-16-11: Helsingin Sanomat (Finland): "Transvestism is no longer a disease in Finland – The Institute for Health and Welfare will remove even sexual fetishism and sadomasochism from ICD"

"Certain diagnoses relating to sexual behaviour will be removed from the Finnish version of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) next year. The number of categories to be removed from the ICD is five, including transvestism, sexual fetishism, sadomasochism, and diverse sexual target disorders."

5-15-11: The Toronto Star (Canada): "How transgender United Church minister Ruth Wood came out to her parishioners"

"The sense of womanhood that she feels is subtle and difficult to express. “I would not say I feel like a woman,” Ruth reflects. “I feel I am a woman. It’s not so much a feeling, it’s an inner sense. I am a woman. Most people have never questioned it. They have bodies that go with who they are.”

The writer and former soldier Jan Morris, a father of five who, as a journalist, accompanied the first British expedition to climb Everest, transitioned surgically in 1972. In her memoir, Conundrum, she wrote that gender is insubstantial, not physical at all. “It is soul, perhaps . . . it is more truly life and love than any combination of genitals, ovaries, and hormones. It is the essentialness of oneself, the psyche, the fragment of unity.”

“It was a mystery,” she concluded, “even to me.”

Gender dysphoria is just as inexplicable to Ruth. “How does someone get to be that way? I still don’t know, and nobody has specifically said this is how it happens. For me, it just is. Some are trans and some not. I simply am.”"

5-15-11: Essex County Standard (UK): "Colchester transsexual and friends fight ‘illegal’ ban"

"A transsexual says her human rights have been breached after she and her pals were banned from a bar.

Olivia Mulgrew, 46, of Harwich Road, Colchester, and five transgender friends, have been told by the landlady they are putting other customers off. The group had regularly enjoyed the live music and karaoke at Ronnie’s Bar, in Clacton, but were suddenly barred this week."

5-14-11: The Morning Call (Pennsylvania): "Transgendered woman sues LSI – Lawsuit alleges engineer was laid off after gender transition"

"Janis Stacy knew her transformation from a man to a woman would be difficult for some of her coworkers to understand.

That's why the former product engineer at Agere Systems met in February 2005 with colleagues who knew her as Jim to explain why she had chosen to change her appearance.

Those meetings marked the start of a pattern of discrimination by the company, Stacy alleges in a federal lawsuit. In January 2008, after she had completed her gender transition, Stacy was singled out to be laid off, the lawsuit says."

5-12-11: YouTube: "It Gets Better - Janet Mock Reveals Trans History"

"Learn more about Janet Mock and her story: http://janetmock.com/"

[A wonderful video!]

5-12-11: YouTube: "Joy Ladin on Transgender Judaism (part I)

"Professor Joy Ladin, new York Yeshiwe, on Transgender Judaism (part I)"

5-12-11: YouTube: "Joy Ladin on Transgender Judaism (part II)

"Professor Joy Ladin, new York Yeshiwe, on Transgender Judaism (part II)"

5-12-11: Chicago Tribune: "Transgender people sue Illinois to change birth certificates - State refuses unless genital surgery is done, lawsuit says" (more, more, more, more, more)

"Lauren Grey is, in all aspects of her life, a woman. Her driver's license reflects that, as do her name, her Social Security information and her appearance.

Still, her Illinois birth certificate says she's a man. She has requested that it be changed and provided a supporting affidavit from the doctor who performed breast augmentation and facial feminization surgeries on her. But, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of her and other transgender people this week by the American Civil Liberties Union, the state has denied her request, saying transgender people in Illinois must have "genital reformation surgery" to have their birth certificates changed.

"I live as a female, I feel female and everybody treats me that way, but this document doesn't reflect that," Grey said. "I know that's not me, but I can't do anything about it.""

5-12-11: CNN International (re Thailand): "Photo gallery: Thailand crowns its newest transgender beauty queen"

"There's more to Thailand's best-known annual beauty pageant than meets the eye. With around 500,000 transgenders -- known locally as ladyboys or katoeys -- Thailand has one of the highest rates of transsexualism per head in the world . . .

Ladyboys are employed in government departments, airline offices, commercial offices and retail outlets. One entrenched Bangkok adage is that there are more ladyboys in the Thai capital than there are bus stops. Another states that all the best looking girls in Thailand used to be boys.

Though reasonably well accepted as the "third sex" in Thai society, life is not easy for the nation's ladyboys. Those called up for national service in the past have had to be classified as suffering from a mental illness . . .

For the past 14 years, the owners of Tiffany's cabaret show in the eastern seaboard city of Pattaya have been a major force in promoting the cause and rights of Thailand's transgender community. The annual Miss Tiffany's Universe beauty pageant attracts a domestic television audience alone estimated at more than 10 million people."

5-12-11: Montreal Gazette (Canada): "A Transsexual Woman? - Reflections of a transitional journey to womanhood"

"I suppose it is a label I will never entirely be rid of: “a transsexual woman.” Not that I mind it all that much. And considering that I write about trans issues in two blogs, I can hardly blame anyone for referring to me that way.

Truth is, though, legally speaking, I am simply a female. There are no asterisks attached to my newly minted birth certificate or any of the other official documentation I carry around (ie. driver’s licence, medicare card). I am an F on those documents, not a *TF (transsexual female).

I’d rather be seen as just “a woman,” and there are some who see me that way. My late boyfriend saw me as a woman, though he knew of my medical background. But he never used the adjective “transsexual” once with me. Nor have other men who have come and gone in my life."

5-11-11: Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law: Press Release: "New Study Finds Employment Discrimination against Transgender Residents of Massachusetts Costs Millions Each Year"

"A new research study released today by The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy shows that employment discrimination against transgender residents of Massachusetts likely costs the Commonwealth millions of dollars each year. These costs are the result of reduced income tax revenue, expenditures on public assistance programs, and other costs. The added cost to the Commonwealth for public health insurance coverage alone is $3 million annually due to employment discrimination against transgender workers.

“When transgender people experience employment discrimination, not only can that have a substantial negative impact on people’s lives, but it also affects the Commonwealth financially so all Massachusetts residents pay a price,” said study author Jody L. Herman, the Peter J. Cooper Public Policy Fellow at the Williams Institute."

5-11-11: Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law: "The Cost of Employment Discrimination against Transgender Residents of Massachusetts", by Jody L. Herman.

"Transgender residents of Massachusetts have reported experiencing discrimination in employment. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS) found that 76 percent of respondents from Massachusetts experienced harassment, mistreatment, or discrimination in employment. NTDS respondents reported that due to anti-transgender bias, 20 percent had lost a job, 39 percent were not hired for positions they applied for, and 17 percent were denied promotions.

Loss of employment due to anti-transgender bias often means lost wages, lost health insurance coverage, and housing instability. Therefore, employment discrimination might affect the budget of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in several ways: reduced income tax revenues, higher public assistance expenditures, and other costs . . . This study estimates that the impact of discrimination is likely to cost the Commonwealth millions of dollars each year. The added cost to the Commonwealth for public health insurance coverage alone is $3 million annually due to employment discrimination."

5-11-11: Huffington Post: "The High Cost of Discrimination", by Gunner Scott

"Employment discrimination means that otherwise qualified workers are not paying income tax. It also means that these same workers are forced to seek health insurance and other assistance through publicly-subsidized programs such as rental assistance, shelters, and Section 8 housing. The Williams Institute estimates that the state is losing millions of dollars annually because of employment discrimination against transgender state residents, including $3 million that's being spent to provide health coverage to people who would otherwise be privately insured, and additional millions in lost income taxes."

5-11-11: Boston Globe: "Transgender bias in workplace costs millions, study says – State spending on insurance for jobless is cited"

"Employment discrimination against transgender Massachusetts residents is costing the state millions of dollars each year in increased payouts for public health insurance benefits and other costs, according to a report being released today.

The study, by the Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy, a think tank at the University of California Los Angeles, found that more than three-quarters of 283 transgender Massachusetts residents surveyed have experienced some form of employment discrimination, including losing a job, being denied a promotion, or not being hired at all. As a result, the state is paying out nearly $3 million for public health insurance coverage to transgender residents who have lost their jobs due to bias, according to the study."

5-11-11: Supergoodmovies.com (India): "Narthaki (Touchy tale of transgenders)"

"Call it a bold attempt. Director Vijay Padma has gathered guts to do a movie on transgender, often shown in a poor light by directors in Tamil cinema. Narthaki is an honest attempt to probe into their heart and mind.

Kalki, a transgender, plays the lead role . . . Born as Subbu, a lovable son in a village in Thanjavur, he slowly develops physical and emotional changes. Subbu decides to elope from house one day and takes refuge in Mumbai with transgender community is living. Subbu becomes Kalki. As it happens Kalki gets social condemnation. But a determined soul, she decides to make a life of her own and learns classical dance. How she emerges triumphant in the struggle for survival is what the story is all about."

5-11-11: JoonAng Daily (South Korea): "Progress is slow for Korea’s transgenders"

"Harisu, who had sex reassignment surgery in 1997, has became a symbol of overcoming prejudice among transgenders. Now on the 10th anniversary of her debut, Harisu wants to do more to help transgenders, who face widespread stigmatization and discrimination that oftentimes prevents them from educational and career advancement."

5-11-11: JoongAng Daily (South Korea): "Providing inspiration for repressed minority"

"Among the 20 transgender performers in “The Fantastic Show,” a live song and dance show launched by Harisu, the nation’s first transgender celebrity, Choi Han-bit addresses herself as one of “Harisu’s kids” . . .

The 24-year-old college senior, who is majoring in dance, said she still vividly recalls Harisu’s debut commercial a decade ago. “I was 15 at the time. I was thrilled that I could live like her,” recalled Choi . . . Harisu, Choi said, was a trailblazer for transgenders in Korea. “She made a great impact, and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her.” "

5-10-11: Daily Northwestern: "Updated: Bailey's Human Sexuality class will not be offered next academic year – Spokesman: 'Northwestern is reviewing how such a course best fits into the University’s curriculum'" (more, more, more, more, more, more, more)

"Prof. John Michael Bailey's popular Human Sexuality course, which came under national scrutiny following a controversial after-class, optional sex toy demonstration in February, will not be offered next academic year, University spokesman Al Cubbage confirmed Monday afternoon.

Statement by Alan K. Cubbage, Vice President for University Relations, May 9, 2011:

Northwestern University's Department of Psychology will not offer a course in human sexuality during the 2011-12 academic year. That course was taught previously by Professor J. Michael Bailey, who will have other teaching assignments in the coming year. Courses in human sexuality are offered in a variety of academic departments in other universities, and Northwestern is reviewing how such a course best fits into the University's curriculum. At Northwestern University, the dean of a college/school has the right and responsibility to determine course assignments. "

[Having launched one academic fiasco after another over the years, Bailey went too far in his f ucksaw demonstration. Northwestern finally figured out how to nail him: by canceling his course. Bailey is now in deep yogurt at NU because he has no research program and has never taught any other major courses except 'human sexuality'. Even with tenure, the only way he can now pay his dues to his department is to take on a heavy teaching and service load. His best bet is to go find a position at some 'Christian' university, where people will appreciate his demonization of gender variant people.]

5-10-11: My Fox Chicago: "Transgender Illinoisians Sue State Over Birth Certificates"

"A class action lawsuit was filed Tuesday claiming that the state of Illinois refuses to change the gender on birth certificates of transsexual people unless they’ve undergone genital surgery . . .

The suit claims that what is considered necessary medical and psychological treatment for transsexuals varies by individual and does not always include genital surgery, which is rarely completed for transsexual men."

5-09-11: The Stanford Daily: "The Transitive Property: Reflections on a Transgender Childhood," by Cristopher Bautista

"I never met anyone transgender until I reached college, so when I was younger, I desperately looked for somebody like me in the books I read, the movies and TV shows I watched . . .

Though I came close, I never could find myself in those brave heroines or the gallant princes that I discovered during my reading and watching excursions. As a result, I led a lonely childhood, a childhood where I thought I was completely alone, because there were no other kids like me, not in the people I met in real life or my imagination. I thought children like me did not exist, that I was a freak — it was a feeling that sat long with me and defined my childhood, and the residue of that loneliness still haunts me today."

5-09-11: China Post (re Thailand): "Student wins Miss Tiffany Universe transgender pageant in Pattaya"

"A 21-year old student from Ramkamhaeng University was crowned Miss Tiffany Universe in the resort city of Pattaya on Friday night.

The yearly pageant of the cabaret theatre Miss Tiffany Pattaya features the most beautiful transgenders and transvestites in the Kingdom. It has attracted young transgenders — from students to professionals — and has launched the career of a number of past winners.

Third year communication arts student Sirapassorn “Sammy” Auttayakorn from Bangkok's Ramkamhaeng University and Suan Dusit University bested 29 other contestants in a pageant watched by millions of Thais through a live telecast."

5-08-11: Tulsa World: "Becoming Katie"

"Part One: Katie was born at 15. Luke is just a painful memory.

Luke Hill is now just a memory in the minds of those who loved him, a blue-eyed ghost in a portrait. Katie Hill is flesh and bone, long hair and limbs, breasts and eyelashes. A happy 16-year-old who believes it's not her fault she was born into the wrong body. And by burying Luke and becoming Katie, she has righted what nature made wrong.

Part Two: After years feeling lost, Katie finds her new identity.

Katie Hill tries not to take it personally when people don't understand what transgender means. She didn't know herself for a long time. A common assumption is that it's something like a drag queen, or a person who likes to dress up in the opposite gender's clothing on occasion. Except for transgender individuals, it's not about the costume or outfit. They genuinely feel like the gender they're born into simply doesn't fit."

5-07-11: Entertainment Weekly: "Candy Darling: A haunting documentary reveals the most beautiful, and tragic, of Andy Warhol's superstars"

"Beautiful Darling, the haunting new documentary about the Andy Warhol superstar and pioneering drag-queen transsexual Candy Darling, includes a detail that may not seem to be that big a deal, but that began to astonish me the more I thought about it. It’s that Candy, by the early 1970s, after she’d already become a famous fixture on the downtown scene, was still impoverished, crashing on people’s couches, eating a can of beans for dinner, and — the movie strongly suggests — turning tricks to survive. Basically, she was living the desperate, scraping-through-each-day existence of just about any anonymous New York drag queen.

On the surface, of course, this makes total sense. Warhol, who was notoriously cheap, didn’t pay his actors very much, let alone his hangers-on. (The “pay” was the privilege of getting to sit around the Factory.) The Warhol productions that Candy appeared in, like Flesh (1968) and Women in Revolt (1971), marked the launch of Warhol’s underground-crossover phase as a tinpot hipster movie mogul, but they weren’t exactly art-house hits that played for months on the Upper East Side. They were outré curiosities, and so, in her way, was Candy. So why would I expect that she might have had a little more money?"

5-07-11: CNN (re Mexico): "Part 1: Mexico's third gender"; "Part 2: The Evolution of Mexico's third gender"; "Part 3: Muxe today in Mexico"

"CNN takes you to Juchitan, Mexico where what they consider a third gender not only exists but are integrated into society."

[An excellent video series on the Muxe of the Zapotec people of Oaxaca , Mexico.]

5-07-11: ABC2 News: "Transgender attack victim meets with woman who tried to help" (with video)

"For the first time, the victim of a brutal beating has met the woman who tried to step in and help. The story made headlines around the country and the world. Chrissy Polis, a transgender woman, was beaten inside a McDonald's in Baltimore County back on April 18th. Employees stood by and watched, and one worker recorded the attack with a cell phone.

Now, Polis says she's recovering but still trying to deal with the effects of that beating. The woman who stepped in, Vicky Thoms, says she wishes more people would have helped."

5-06-11: Canberra Times (Australia): "Transgender people face 'social isolation'"

"Transgender and intersex people living in the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) are six times more likely to be unemployed than the rest of the population and have difficulty accessing health services, a new survey shows.
The Gender Diversity in the ACT survey is the first of its kind and reveals high rates of social isolation and discrimination among the local transgender and intersex population.

Compiled by advocacy and support group A Gender Agenda, the survey reveals 78 per cent of transgender and intersex people in the ACT have had difficulty accessing medical care. A further 21 per cent of respondents travelled interstate to access general practitioner services because local doctors did not have the knowledge to treat them or refused to provide appropriate treatment.

''Various [general practitioners] I have been to have either been ignorant to non-binary gender or treat it as a psychiatric condition that needs curing,'' one respondent said.

A Gender Agenda spokesman Peter Hyndal said the report was the first documented evidence of the acute unemployment, homelessness and discrimination faced by the ACT trans and intersex community."

5-06-11: Medical News Today (UK): "Female-To-Male Transsexual People (Transmen) Have More Autistic Traits" (more, more)

"A new study from Cambridge University, funded by the Medical Research Council, has found for the first time that female-to-male transsexual people have a higher than average number of autistic traits. The study has important implications for the clinical management of biological girls with gender incongruence that persists into adulthood.
Professor Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre, interpreted the results: Girls with a higher than average number of autistic traits tend to have male-typical interests, showing a preference for systems over emotions. They prefer not to socialise with typical girls because they have different interests, and because typical girls on average have more advanced social skills. Both of these factors may lead girls with a higher number of autistic traits to socialize with boys, to believe they have a boy's mind in a girl's body, and to attribute their unhappiness to being a girl" . . .

Dr Domenico Di Ceglie, a world expert on gender incongruence in young people from the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, and a member of the research team, commented: "The awareness of the presence of autistic features may help these young people to explore the reasons behind their perceptions, and help them make more informed decisions about treatment.""

[Here we see yet another 'scientific study' being exploited to pathologize transgender children. But where are the numbers? How strong is the evidence? Given that no correlation numbers are given, we suspect they are merely minor percentages. Furthermore, there are definitional problems, such as whether to interpret boy-like behavior in girls as being autism or gender variance. As usual, however, the pathologizers jump to the conclusion that even the slightest correlation is causality.

Meanwhile, the notorious Domenico Di Ceglie of the Tavistock and Portman Clinic (the UK's version of the Clark Institute) now has a whole new "theory" for justifying his reparatist treatment of gender variant children. And the story is spreading widely in the medical establishment, where it resonates in the minds of many who wish transsexualism could be "explained away."]

5-06-11: The Christian Institute (UK): "Judge allows sex change for 10-year-old boy"

"The boy, known only as Jamie, had been dressing as a girl for the past two years, and had been allowed to use the girl’s toilets at school. Judge Linda Dessau, who has a history of approving sex change procedures for youngsters in Australia, said she had to make a quick decision so the boy could start treatment before puberty develops further.

But critics of sex change operations say that gender dysphoria is a psychiatric problem, not a physical one, and radical physical surgery does more harm than good.
Doctors from the NHS Portman Clinic – an internationally acclaimed centre – have stated in the past, “what many patients find is that they are left with a mutilated body, but the internal conflicts remain”. Many transsexuals regret their decision to live in the opposite sex. A Home Office report on transsexualism said: “Many people revert to their biological sex after living for some time in the opposite sex”."

[The Tavistock and Portman Clinic's reparatist methods for suppressing gender variance in children are widely applauded in the 'Christian' community.]

5-06-11: New York Times: "The Reluctant Transgender Role Model", by Cintra Wilson

"At the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, I wheedled a ticket to “Becoming Chaz,” a documentary about the sex change of Chastity Bono. Having long admired the Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato World of Wonder productions . . . I anticipated their usual mix of human interest, alternative lifestyle and salacious tabloid.

This unflinchingly personal film, which will have its premiere on Oprah Winfrey’s network on Tuesday, details Chastity Bono’s journey from her spangled childhood in rhinestone pantsuits on “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour” to a more recent two years in her televised life: Chastity, now Chaz, invited cameras to witness the searingly intimate experience of his gender transition.

Yet despite being a lifelong liberal from San Francisco and friendly with a number of transgender people, I found the film as unsettling as it was inspiring. I came away forced to confront a whole swag-bag full of transphobias that I didn’t know I’d had. So I went to Los Angeles to talk to the filmmakers, and to Chaz himself. "

5-06-11: LGBTQ Nation: "Hawaii Governor signs transgender workplace protections bill into law" (more)

"Hawaii’s Gov. Neil Abercrombie on Thursday signed into law House Bill 546, a bill that prohibits workplace discrimination against transgender people.The new law bars employers from discriminating on the basis of gender identity or expression, bringing Hawaii’s labor law in line with similar protections in the areas of housing and public accommodations.

Hawaii becomes the 13th state to ban employment discrimination based on gender identity or expression."

5-06-11: Huffington Post: "Sex Crimes In New Orleans, Separate And Unequal", by Trymaine Lee

"These women wear a scarlet letter -- rather, 11 letters -- spelled out on their driver’s licenses in bright orange text: SEX OFFENDER. They aren’t child molesters or pedophiles. Most are poor, hard-luck black women in New Orleans who agreed to exchange oral or anal sex for money. In doing so they violated the latest version of Louisiana’s 206-year-old Crime Against Nature law, which carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and registration as a sex offender.

Opponents of the law say it is discriminatory and targets poor women and the gay and transgendered community who engage in what they call “survival sex.” In March, the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a lawsuit on behalf of nine anonymous plaintiffs against the state, Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and a host of state agencies, calling the law unconstitutional.

“There are a number of absurd things in the Louisiana laws, and this is one of the more absurd,” said R. Judson Mitchell, a law professor at the law clinic at Loyola University in New Orleans. “There are crimes against nature happening at strip clubs on Bourbon Street every single night. The difference is we are dealing with women that didn’t have a fancy strip club to go to.”"

5-05-11: GIDReform: "APA Releases 2nd Proposal to Replace GID in the DSM-5", by Kelley Winters, Ph.D.

"The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American Psychiatric Association, is the medical and social definition of mental disorder throughout North America and strongly influences international nomenclature. There is broad recognition that some kind of diagnostic coding is necessary to facilitate access to medical and/or surgical transition care for those trans and transsexual people who need it. However, the current psychiatric classifications of Gender Identity Disorder (GID) and Transvestic Fetishism (TF) in the Fourth Edition, Text Revision of the DSM (DSM-IV-TR) fall short of meeting this need and actually contradict transition by describing transition itself as symptomatic of mental disorder.

Today, the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Workgroup of the DSM-5 Task Force released a second revision to proposed diagnostic criteria to replace the Gender Identity Disorder category in the DSM-5."

5-05-11: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia): "Transgender people most likely abused"

"The Human Rights Commissioner, Catherine Branson, has called on the federal government to introduce federal laws to protect people from discrimination on the grounds of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Ms Branson said the most distressing and egregious examples of violence came from people who were intersex or who were transitioning from male to female or the other way round.

A 2010 survey found that 92 per cent of trans women and 55 per cent of trans men reported they had been the subject of verbal abuse, and 46 per cent and 36 per cent respectively had been punched kicked or beaten; almost 40 per cent of trans women reported having been attacked with knives, bottles or rocks. The report, Addressing Sexual Orientation and Sex and/or Gender Identity Discrimination, also heard examples of discrimination in nursing homes, in the healthcare system, in sporting clubs, and in the use of toilets and change rooms."

5-04-11: Xtra! (Canada re USA): "Camille Paglia disses Chaz Bono - Says trans man is 'mutilating her body'" (video interview contains bizarre transphobic rant) (also on YouTube)

"Author and academic Camille Paglia says Chaz Bono is mutilating his body by going through a sex-change operation and fears that Bono is bringing the procedure into the mainstream. Bono is the subject of a new documentary, Becoming Chaz, which will premiere on the Oprah Winfrey Network."

[The following reader's comment says it all about Paglia's hateful rant. We wonder how many other academic transphobes have this very same problem:

"So Camille is a closet trans man: At least, per the last piece of this video statement, changing sex did cross her mind in a serious way when she was younger. This might explain why she has a life-long hate-on for Chaz and other trans people for taking agency over their bodies in a way that she did not. Not yet, at least. May she find her own peace, starting with the permanent cease-fire on trans people's sexes." Constance, Toronto ON; 05/04/11 5:43 PM EST ]

5-04-11: Stamford Advocate: "State Baptist convention gathers in Stamford"

"A Baptist organization claiming to represent over 80 black churches in Connecticut took steps Wednesday to be heard, speaking in favor of policies it says will benefit minorities, while also railing against a controversial bill designed to protect transgender people from discrimination. . .

Talk of disparities between minorities and non-minorities comprised most of the discussion. One issue, however, the men of cloth -- egged on by a supportive audience -- said they take particular objection to: the prospect of enhanced transgender protections.

The passing of an anti-discrimination bill under consideration in Hartford is something African American Baptists will simply not brook, the speakers said."

5-04-11: ABC-TV (Australia): "Australian churches can discriminate against gays" (more)

"SYDNEY (AP) -- Religious groups in Australia are allowed to discriminate against people who are gay or transgender, prompting criticism from gay rights activists who find it galling that their social service programs receive millions of dollars in government funding.

Such exemptions to anti-discrimination laws exist elsewhere, but other countries including Britain and the United States have narrowed their scope in recent years, limiting them to issues such as the appointment of church leaders."

5-03-11: New York Times: "Transgender Woman Settles Suit Against Two Organizations"

"Lana Lawless, the transgender woman who sued the L.P.G.A. and the Long Drivers of America last October challenging their rule that competitors be “female at birth,” has settled her case, her lawyer said . . .

After she filed her lawsuit, both bodies lifted their bans, bringing them in line with several other international sports bodies that permit transgender competitors, including the International Olympic Committee and the United States Golf Association. "

5-03-11: Free Malaysia Today (Malaysia): "Boot camp of discrimination"

"Until the early 1980s, transsexuals were not a condemned lot. They had the freedom to undergo the sex reassignment surgery (SRS) and amend their identity card to reflect their post-SRS identity. Quite a few did undergo the SRS, with some even tying the knot and adopting children, going on to raise a family.

But a fatwa in 1983 changed all that. Transsexuals were regarded as “persona non grata” in their own home country. The religious edict banned the SRS and cross-dressing on Malaysian Muslims . . .

With the never ending abuse on transsexuals having turned into a nightmare, the government is now targetting boys who are effeminate by nature, derogatorily called “sissies”. On April 18, the New Straits Times under its heading “Besut boot camp for sissies” reported that the government would send 66 Muslim school boys with effeminate tendencies to a boot camp."

5-03-11: France24 (re India): "Joy and pain as transgender Indians 'wed' Hindu god"

""I have been attending the festival for 15 years," said Jyoti, who lives in Mumbai, where like other transgender groups she makes money through donations collected at birth ceremonies and other family occasions.

"On my wedding day, I always wear real gold earrings, a necklace, bangles, anklets, and have jasmine flowers in my hair," she said. "I do this once a year."

The wedding date, decided according to the Tamil calendar, is the climax of an 18-day spring festival honouring Aravan. According to Hindu mythology, before he went into battle knowing he would die, Aravan asked the god Krishna for one night with a woman. Unable to find a woman willing to be widowed, Krishna transformed himself into a beautiful woman, Mohini, and spent the night with Aravan.

The tale resulted in Aravan becoming a patron god of transgender people and, for hundreds of years, they have been participating in mass weddings with the deity at the Koothandavar temple in Koovagam."

5-01-11: LGBTQ Nation: "Was it a hoax? The curious case of the transgender at the Comso hotel at 4 a.m.", by Steve Friess"

"Late Wednesday, I couldn’t get relief from a nagging feeling that there was something awry about the hullabaloo that erupted regarding a transgender woman named Stephanie who alleged she was banned for life from the Cosmopolitan after being confronted recently for using the ladies’ restroom at 4 a.m.

It was a startling account as rendered by HotelChatter.Com blogger Julia Buckley, complete with what is supposed to be the document given to Stephanie informing her that she could no longer come on the property without risking arrest for trespassing . . .

And yet, something was off. It’s dead of night, nobody around and here’s this dramatic reaction from a security staff that was on their toes to address something even though there was nobody there to complain. It all seemed so . . . disproportionate. So I dug. And you’ll never believe what I found. And after I found it, I interviewed Stephanie. Hang on tight, folks."

5-01-11: The Star (Malaysia): "Torment of being different", by Rashvinjeet. S. Bedi
"

"Erin started admiring boys when she was 13 and wearing make-up when she was 15. This might seem normal for a teenage girl, except Erin was born male. In harsh and derogatory terms, Erin would be known as a pondan, bapuk or akua. In more politically correct terms, she is a Mak Nyah or a male-to-female transsexual.

Due to her effeminate ways, Erin was teased and even humiliated. Being stripped by her classmates during physical education classes was a norm. Unable to take the abuse, she stopped going to school at 16 but she did sit for her SPM examination. Things were not good at home as well. Her father and brother would beat her up when they found her dressing as a girl. The clothes were thrown out and her hair was kept short. So when Terengganu State Education Director Razali Daud said that Mak Nyah would face problems later on in life, he did have a point.

Razali is reported to have said this to justify the department's recent boot camp for 66 secondary schoolboys with “effeminate tendencies”. The camp was meant to help them behave appropriately. “We understand that some people end up as Mak Nyah (transsexuals) or homosexuals, but we will do our best to limit the number,” Razali was reported as saying. Mak Nyah do face discrimination, humiliation and are always a butt of people's jokes. But Razali was certainly wrong about being able to change them."

April 2011

4-30-11: Baltimore Sun: "Transgender advocates see McDonald's beating as a turning point - Rosedale attack could raise support for long-stalled anti-discrimination bill in Maryland, they say,” by Jill Rosen (more)

"School kids call Catherine Hyde's teenage daughter "freak" and "pervert," or "homo." She's forced to change for gym in a closet and use the teacher's restroom.

Hyde knows her daughter, who was born male, has had it easy in a world where transgender people often lose their jobs, go homeless and suffer beatings.

Yet after a brutal assault at a Rosedale McDonald's on another young transgender woman, she sees hope. Hyde, and others in Maryland who've in the past failed to persuade lawmakers to enact a law designed to protect transgender people, believe the attack and the attention it's drawn to the state will finally spur action.

"What does it take to move the legislature?" Hyde says. "What does it take that we not discriminate against people who were made that way by God? Lawmakers won't stand up and do what's right. And it's unforgivable in my opinion.""

4-29-11: U.S. Department of Labor: "News Release: US Department of Labor announces renewed commitment
to fair treatment and equal opportunity for all of its employees - New policy statements prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and pregnancy" (more, more)

"The U.S. Department of Labor today announced its full commitment to implementing equal employment opportunity policies for all department employees and applicants. The policies ensure equal protections for all employees and applicants regardless of race; color; religion; national origin; sex, including pregnancy and gender identity; age; disability, whether physical or mental; genetic information; status as a parent; sexual orientation; or other non-merit factor. New, robust statements signed by Secretary Solis include updated policies on prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, including gender identity and pregnancy.

Secretary Solis strongly supports fair equal employment opportunity policies, and creating diversity and fairness in the workplace."

4-28-11: Dallas Voice: "Trans women talk about how to come out, when, and to whom"

"Perhaps one of the greatest fears that transgender people face is losing the love and support of family and friends when they “come out” about their gender identity. For transwoman Jamy Spradlin, honesty has definitely been the best policy."

4-27-11: Express India (Re Pakistan): "'Transgenders' sex not to be verified through medical board'"

"Pakistan's Supreme Court has directed the national database not to verify the sex of the trans-genders through a medical board and to amend its laws to declare eunuchs as she-males. The directive was issued to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

The order was issued while the bench was hearing a case filed by Muhammad Aslam Khaki, a lawyer who has been campaigning for the rights of transgender people. Khaki told the court that NADRA had set a complicated procedure for issuing identity cards to transgender people and was asking them for documentation to confirm their gender. Members of the transgender community too have expressed concern over what they described as NADRA's complicated verification process . . .

The court directed NADRA to expedite efforts to issue Computerised National Identity Cards to transgender people. The apex court also asked all provincial governments to protect the fundamental rights of transgender people and to take steps to grant them inheritance rights. "

4-27-11: Las Vegas Sun: "Cosmopolitan responds to backlash over report on banned transgender guest"

"The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is receiving backlash today after a report surfaced on a hotel and lodging blog that a transgender guest was banned for life from the hotel-casino for using the women’s restroom.

The guest, who HotelChatter.com identified as a "pre-op trans" named Stephanie, said upon leaving the women’s room she was taken out of the resort by security guards, told she was trespassing on Cosmopolitan property and she would be arrested if she didn't leave. She said she was photographed and told she was banned from returning to the hotel.

Since the blog was posted, commenters have flooded the Cosmopolitan’s Facebook page with complaints on the reported incident."

4-27-11: Hotel Chatter: "The Wrong Amount Of Wrong: Barred For Life From The Cosmopolitan For Being Transgender"

"Sin City: a town where, supposedly, everything goes. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas: the newest, coolest hotel on the block which has advertised itself as having “just the right amount of wrong.”

Ever since it unveiled its tagline before it opened, last December, people were speculating on what, exactly, is the right amount of wrong for a town that prides itself on its loucheness. And now, it appears, we have an answer. Or at least, we know what’s the wrong amount of wrong.

The wrong amount of wrong is being transgender and using the women’s restroom."

[Contains the full details of Stephanie's ordeal.]

4-26-11: Facebook: "Thoughts about McDonald's", by Chris Paige (more, more, more)

"I go to McDonald's regularly with my 5 year old child, who loves chicken mcnuggets. It will be a hardship for our family. But I don't plan on setting foot in a McDonald's again until McDonald's corporate office has instituted protections against discrimination for transgender people that are comparable to what they *already have in place* for gay and lesbian people. As trans person who is sometimes read as male and sometimes read as female and who always uses the women's room, that literally could have been me . . .

Without policy protections are in place at a corporate level, the corporate offices of McDonald's are fully complicit in this type of violence and harassment of McDonald's customers insofar as they have done nothing whatsoever to prepare their staff to serve the full diversity of their clientele. Their assurances of safety in my neighborhood McDonald's fall far short of a sensitive or appropriate response."

[Note: I fully agree with Chris. This vicious incident has finally revealed just how dangerous it is for trans people to go into McDonald's restaurants in many of our big cities, where once inside they can be humiliated, mobbed and even beaten with impunity. The responsibility for the rise of this ugly "Mac-attack"subculture lies at the very top - with McDonald's senior management - who have for years tolerated whacked-out behavior by employees and customers in their eateries.]

4-26-11: BBC News (re Pakistan): "Pakistan allows transsexuals to have own gender category" (with video)

"Pakistan has taken the landmark decision to allow transsexuals to have their own gender category on some official documents.

The country's Supreme Court has ruled that those Pakistanis who do not consider themselves to be either male or female should be allowed to choose an alternative sex when they apply for their national identity cards.

Aleem Maqbool reports from Karachi."

4-26-22: Bilerico Report: "Oklahoma English Prof Denied Tenure at Public College Based On Gender Identity", Filed by: Dr. Jillian T. Weiss (more, more)

"Dr. Rachel Tudor, Assistant Professor of English, Humanities and Literature at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Oklahoma for the past seven years, is an accomplished scholar.

According to Dr. Tudor, she has been recommended for promotion and tenure twice in the last two years by the Faculty Tenure and Promotion Committee, based on the well-known university criteria of teaching, scholarship and service. The school's rules require the Administration to grant tenure in such cases, unless there is an extraordinary circumstance requiring denial . . .

So what "extraordinary circumstance" requires denial of Dr. Tudor's tenure application by the Administration of Southeastern Oklahoma University, which according to Dr. Tudor has never before occurred at the school to her knowledge? And not only that, but rather than being allowed to apply again, as is usual, a University Vice-President took another surprising step, and notified Dr. Tudor that she is not even allowed to submit another application but must leave the school at the end of the semester?

The only thing extra-ordinary about Dr. Tudor, as far as I can tell, aside from her excellent credentials, is that she is transsexual. That leads me to suspect that Southeastern Oklahoma University might be discriminating on the basis of Dr. Tudor's gender. Let's look at the evidence."

4-26-11: Change.org Petition: "Demand that the employees on duty at McDonald's be held responsible in the beating of a trans woman"

"After an unidentified transgender woman tried to use the bathroom at a Baltimore McDonald's, two patrons started attacking her in full view of other customers and employees. These employees can be heard on the video shouting words of encouragement to the attackers. It's time we DEMAND that justice be served and that EVERY McDonald's employee involved in this brutal hate crime be held accountable.

The April 18 assault took place at a McDonald’s location in the 6300 block of Kenwood Avenue in Rosedale, Maryland, a Baltimore suburb, according to the Baltimore County Police Department. A 14-year-old girl has been charged as a juvenile in connection with the assault, charges are still pending against an 18-year-old woman. “The incident remains under investigation and the State’s Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case,” added investigators.
Not surprisingly, McDonald's lacks standard policies for protecting transgender individuals, despite a decent record of workplace discrimination protections for gays and lesbians. And while the company has pledged to “take appropriate action” against all employees involved in this heinous event, just one has been punished.

This is not enough! If McDonald's employees stood by and encouraged this attack, they should be fired. Please sign this petition in hopes that justice can and will prevail for this transgender woman."

4-26-11: Washington Post: "Community rallies around victim of McDonald’s attack” (more, more, more, more)
“The family of a transgender woman who was attacked in a Baltimore County McDonald's last week thanked the woman who stepped in and tried to help, as more than a hundred supporters gathered at the Rosedale restaurant Monday night. The rally drew together representatives of transgender, civil-rights and faith-based communities in a call to action to stop violence against all people . . .

Attempts to protect transgender people have foundered in the Maryland legislature. Earlier this month, delegates rejected an antidiscrimination measure that would have prevented employers, creditors and housing providers from discriminating against transgender people. A clause dealing with discrimination in public accommodations, which would have included places such as restaurants, was stripped out of the proposed law even before it went to a vote said Del. Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk, the sponsor of House Bill 235, known as the Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Act.

Peña-Melnyk wrote an email Monday to her colleagues in the General Assembly in which she included a link to the video of the attack, warning them that it is "disturbing and portrays a horrific hate crime" that had brought "shame to the state of Maryland for allowing such things to take place." She said that such incidents "illustrate why the transgender community in Maryland and elsewhere needs to be protected through antidiscrimination legislation."

4-26-11: NewsOK: "Oklahoma state Capitol bill updates"

"Bill updates: Sex changes:

At stake: HB 1397 allows people who get sex changes to change their birth certificates to reflect their new gender.

What's next: Takes effect Nov. 1."

[It appears that Oklahoma has quietly updated its legal code and will soon allow gender updates in birth certificates. If so, this is important news those born in Oklahoma.]

4-26-11: The Daily Mail (UK re France): "British ex-pat becomes 'France's oldest transsexual' aged 60"

"A British ex-pat and former builder who used to be called a 'man mountain' by friends has become France's oldest sex-change resident, at the age of 60 . . . The transition is the result of hormone treatment over the past five years in France, where she moved to in order to start a new life."

4-25-11: Palo Alto Patch: "Speaking the Truth About One Teen's Suicide – and how the media got it so very wrong."

"I was browsing the local news the other day when I came across this headline: “Apparent Suicide With Chemicals Forces Evacuation in Redwood City.” It seemed so innocuous. A small bit, really. Not even worthy of an obituary. But I knew better. It was what the story didn’t say and what it got so very wrong that haunts me.

The article indicated that a 17-year-old boy had committed suicide by inhaling chemicals. This part was factually true. What it didn’t say was that the boy, named Geraldo at birth, wanted to be a girl. She preferred to be called Gennie . . .

Sadly, Gennie’s situation is not rare. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths are up to six times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers. I applaud the work of the Trevor Project and celebrate the It Gets Better Campaign in support of LGBT youth. Unfortunately, it only gets better if teenagers live long enough to see that it will.

Our children—all of our children—can whither under the stress of living up to someone else’s expectations. At the very least, let’s honor them by telling their stories with respect and honesty.

“A 17-year-old transgender youth committed suicide” is Gennie’s story, and so much more."

4-25-11: ABC News: "Texas May Strip Away Transgender Marriage Rights" (more, more)

"The legislation by Williams, of Houston, and Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, of Brenham, would prohibit county and district clerks from using a court order recognizing a sex change as documentation to get married, effectively requiring the state to recognize a 1999 state appeals court decision that said in cases of marriage, gender is assigned at birth and sticks with a person throughout their life even if they have a sex change.

Most states allow transgendered people to get married using a court order that also allows them to change their driver's license, experts said. Some advocates for the transgendered say the Texas proposal would not only prevent future transgendered marriages but also open up the possibility that any current marriage could be nullified.

"It appears the goal is to try to enshrine a really horrifying ruling and making it law in the state of Texas," said John Nechman, a Houston attorney whose law firm does work for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community."

4-25-11: BBC News (re Pakistan): "Pakistan transgenders pin hopes on new rights" (with video)

"There has been little opposition to the decision by Pakistan's Supreme Court to allow a third gender category, apart from male or female, on the national identity card. The BBC's Aleem Maqbool meets transgendered people in Karachi buoyed by the ruling, but sceptical about whether it can really end the isolation they face.

Remarkably for a conservative country like this, Pakistan is about to introduce a third gender category on its national identity cards. "Previously, we were having two categories, male and female, for registration," says Brigadier Ehsan ul-Haq, who is in charge of the national database and registration authority in Karachi. "But this community agitated for a separate identity of their own. They went to the Supreme Court, the court agreed and we will implement it.""

4-24-11: Huffington Post: "A Dad Testifies for His Transgender Teen Daughter", by Joanne Herman

"It's not uncommon to see a mom speaking out for her transgender child, but April 12 saw a dad front and center. The scene was a Maine Judiciary Committee hearing about proposed bill LD 1046, would allow the operator of a restroom or shower facility in that state to decide who can use which gender's restroom based upon "biological sex."

But "biological sex" is not defined in the bill, nor is the method to be used to verify it. In my case, I am generally viewed as female wherever I go, and while I have had genital reconstruction surgery, I still have male chromosomes. Would this bill allow someone who knows my history to insist that I use the mens' room?

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Kenneth Fredette, implies that I am not the concern. "What situation do we put young children in when they go into a private place and then what they perceive to be the person of the opposite sex comes into that bathroom? That could be quite shocking." Yet this conservative dad's daughter looks and acts "all-girl" to those who know her and hardly seems out of place in the girl's room. The problem arose when an adult, who knows the girl's history, forced her school to deny her access to the girls' room.

I had the pleasure of meeting the girl and her family a couple of years ago and have stayed in touch since. After the dad spoke out for his first time publicly at the hearing, he sent me the full text of his testimony (excerpted in the Bangor Daily News article). It's worth a read:"

[Please read and pass on the dad's compelling testimony.]

4-24-11: Irish Times (Ireland): "'I was a husband. I was a father. But none of it felt right. I struggled'"

"Following her successful case at the Equality Tribunal this week, Louise Hannon tells ROSITA BOLAND about her confused life as a man and her decision to become a woman . . .

Hannon was in the headlines this week because, supported by the Equality Authority, she won a case against her former employer, First Direct Logistics, for discrimination on gender and disability grounds. She was awarded €35,422. For the media coverage, Hannon chose to relinquish her right to anonymity. Why?

“I surrendered my anonymity for a number of reasons,” she says. “I thought it would make employers take transgender people more seriously. I run the Irish Tranny Group, and I had a strong sense that other people were having the same workplace problem. I thought it would encourage transgender people to be themselves.” Hannon smiles swiftly, her eyes glinting. “And I’m also stubborn.”"

4-24-11: Baltimore Sun: "Rosedale McDonald's beating goes viral, victim speaks out" (With new VIDEO, more)

"A transgender woman beaten at a Baltimore County McDonald's spoke out on Saturday, saying that the attack was "definitely a hate crime" and that she's been afraid to go out in public ever since. "They said, 'That's a dude, that's a dude and she's in the female bathroom,' " said Chrissy Lee Polis, 22, who said she stopped at the Rosedale restaurant to use the restroom. "They spit in my face."

A worker at the restaurant taped Monday's attack and created a graphic video that went viral last week. After the video garnered hundreds of thousands of views on websites, McDonald's issued a statement condemning the incident, and on Saturday the worker who taped the incident was fired. The video shows two females — one of them a 14-year-old girl — repeatedly kicking and punching Polis in the head as an employee and a patron try to intervene. Others can be heard laughing, and men are seen standing idly by."

4-24-11: Baltimore Sun: "18-year-old charged in McDonald's beating - As charges formally filed vs. teen, transgender community plans rally at restaurant"

"Baltimore County police have named the 18-year-old charged with beating a transgender woman at Rosedale McDonald's, amid demands from some community members that the incident be investigated as a hate crime.

Teonna Monae Brown of the 2000 block of Kelbourne Road in Rosedale was charged in the attack on Chrissy Lee Polis. The incident was videotaped and went viral online late last week, with hundreds of thousands of views on various websites. The video shows Polis, 22, being kicked and punched in the head by two people until she appears to have a seizure. While one employee and a patron try to intervene, others can be seen standing and watching, and some are laughing."

4-23-11: TMR Zoo: "Arrests Made in Baltimore McDonalds’ Beating of a Transgender Woman (Video)" (more, more, more)

"An Baltimore LGBT group called Equality Maryland confirmed the victim of the Baltimore McDonalds’ beating is a transgender woman. Lisa Polyak, vice president of the board of directors for Equality Maryland commented on the video. “It does appear that the victim was a transgender woman, and she was brutalized while people stood by and watched,” “There’s no excuse for that violence under any circumstances, but we would encourage police to investigate as a hate crime.” Equality Maryland called on state Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler to investigate the case as a hate crime . . .

It seems that the fight was over “using a bathroom”. Sadly this could get messy also for the victim legally. The Baltimore Legislature recently shot down a “bathroom bill” the bill would have given transgender people the right to chose which bathroom they would like to choose.

[This report contains a deeply disturbing video of a vicious stomping attack that goes on and on as bystanders watch. It's a classic example of rage-filled mobbing of a helpless transgender woman. Be forewarned by this example of the tremendous hate out there, especially that generated by religious zealots over the "bathroom" issue. Take care where you venture, and watch your back.]

4-23-11: Bella Maddo.com: "Bella Maddo" [See also the Bella Maddo Facebook Page]

"This is an important project which should serve as an example of the talents and versatility of the "trans" community.

A pregnant sociopath compulsively values thinness over caring for her young daughter and unborn child.

The director cast the ENTIRE ensemble with transgender actors (men, woman & children) portraying NON-transgender characters; with hopes of expanding acting opportunities for trans-people. This is the first time trans-actors have played such roles.

Cast includes 9 year old transgender-girl Miss Jazz, who was featured in a Barbara Walters 20/20 special; notable Americas Top Model contestant Miss Isis King, who was discovered by Tyra Banks, and many other talented transgender actors."

4-21-11: Philadelphia Gay News: "PAC votes to subpoena Morris records"

"The Police Advisory Commission decided this week to subpoena Nizah Morris records from the District Attorney’s Office — setting the stage for an unprecedented court battle in the city . . .

Morris was a transgender woman found unconscious on a Center City street, bleeding from the head, shortly after receiving a courtesy ride from Philadelphia police. She died two days later, on Dec. 24, 2002, from complications due to a fractured skull. The homicide remains unsolved . . .

PAC secretary Chuck Volz, who is openly gay, expressed optimism that the subpoena will be successful . . . “We understand that we can’t interfere with an active homicide investigation. But that doesn’t mean we just throw up our hands and do nothing . . . We can’t do backroom deals and expect to have credibility with the community.”

Kathleen R. Padilla, an LGBT activist who has followed the case, praised the PAC’s decision. “I applaud the commissioners’ commitment to ensuring their review includes all available information in this very murky case,” Padilla said. “I’m disappointed the DA chose to force the PAC to subpoena records that are required to perform their oversight responsibilities.”

4-21-11: Malay Mail (Malaysia): "Religious department firm against cross-dressing"

"The Malacca Religious Department (JAIM) is standing by their action against cross-dressing by 28-year-old hairstylist Abdul Qawi Jamil.

"We were carrying out our duties under the State religious laws," said Jaim enforcement director Rahimin Bani. "Abdul Qawi was wearing a woman's bra and panties and we did not strip with the intention to embarrass him." Rahimin said Abdul Qawi was a Muslim and had to comply with Syariah law. "He may feel his rights as a person had been violated, but as Muslims we have the responsiblity to ensure he does not go astray" . . .
"We have to act on complaints by the public. For example, when men enter women's toilets because these men feel they are more similar with women, we have to act," he said. "There are people who are not comfortable with transsexuals. This also has to be respected.""

4-21-11: Village Voice: "Renee Richards: Transsexual Tennis Player's Sex Life"

"Renee -- the fascinating documentary by Eric Drath which is playing the Tribeca Film Festival -- recounts the story of Richard Raskin, who in his 40s, had sexual reassignment surgery and emerged as the world's most controversial tennis star, Renee Richards.

Renee's troubled son later called this an incredibly selfish act, seeing as he felt betrayed and abandoned. But Renee became a lightning rod for the public's feelings toward transsexualism and helped move society forward on that topic, while enduring all kinds of jeering opposition. In fact, she had to battle to play women's tennis, validated by a court that decreed she was indeed female and should be allowed to continue.

But in the movie, today's Renee, 76, takes a different tack. Says she: "Transsexuals have every right to play, but maybe not on a professional level because it's not a level playing field." In her 70s, she now stands for the reverse of what she represented in the '70s!"

4-21-11: New York Times: "A Warhol ‘Superstar,’ Closer to Earth"

"“Beautiful Darling,” James Rasin’s touching documentary biography of Candy Darling, the transsexual Andy Warhol “superstar,” is a sad, lyrical reflection on the foolish worship of movie stars. Jeremiah Newton, who is a producer of the film and narrates the story, was Candy Darling’s closest friend and onetime roommate who appointed himself guardian of her legacy after her death in 1974 from cancer at 29. The movie shows him arranging her burial beside Mr. Newton’s mother in Cherry Valley, N.Y. . . .

The movie’s matter-of-fact truth teller, the writer Fran Lebowitz, who spent time in the Warhol orbit, remembers the grim era when being a female impersonator on the streets of New York was against the law."

4-21-11: Downtown Devil (Phoenix, AZ): "Native American transgender woman lets identity shine"

"Soaking in the attention from the throng of thousands on the parade route, Trudie Jackson beams and waves at the crowd. She yells “Happy Pride!” and shows off her deep crimson Native American dress and her hair tied back with white ribbons. She is surrounded by several other women, all wearing bright dresses. Together they create a kaleidoscope of colors so that the Indigenous Out and Proud entry, a group of Native American transgender women, is one of the brightest at this year’s Pride Parade."

4-21-11: Pride Source (re Netherlands): "Dutch university gives transgender man new diploma"

"The president of the executive board of the University of Amsterdam, Karel van der Toorn, presented transgender activist and alumnus Justus Eisfeld with a new diploma reflecting his correct gender April 6 in New York City. Van der Toorn was in New York, where Eisfeld works for Global Action for Trans Equality, on a business trip.

Eisfeld underwent gender transition after graduation from the university. Approval to issue the revised diploma came in November via a ruling from the Dutch Equal Treatment Commission."

4-20-11: Malay Mail (Malaysia): "“He ain't heavy, he's my brother”

“My younger brother is a transsexual and his life has become so torturous that I cry with him all the time. Even our parents have disowned him and he lives with me.

Our parents, being in a cushy position in society, see him as a liability to both their jobs and the titles they hold. They were so ashamed of my brother that they dumped him in my aunt’s home at age 14. He is now 21. At an age when he should be bright and sparky, he is the reverse and his only friends are other transsexuals who have been kind and gentle towards him.

He has just started work in a beauty salon and I am happy for him. But it scares me that one day what happened to Qawi, who was asked to undress in front of religious officers in Malacca, will happen to him as well. Or he might be confronted by religious officers or the police on the streets and locked up for crossdressing.”

4-20-11: Los Angeles Times: "Lawsuit asks state to pay for inmate's sex-change operation"

"Lyralisa Stevens says she is harassed and sexually assaulted by male prisoners, and needs surgery to be assigned to a women's prison. State officials say they aren't required to provide that level of care."

4-19-11: In The Life Media: "Injustice at Every Turn (Video)" (more)

"Every day, transgender and gender non-conforming people are marginalized because of their gender identity and expression. In The Life Media features the personal stories of Ja'briel and Michelle, two trans women whose experiences highlight the findings of the first comprehensive transgender discrimination study completed by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force.

This study brings to light what is both patently obvious and far too often dismissed from the human rights agenda. Transgender and gender non-conforming people face injustice at every turn: in childhood homes, in school systems that promise to shelter and educate, in harsh and exclusionary workplaces, at the grocery store, the hotel front desk, in doctors' offices and emergency rooms, before judges and at the hands of landlords, police officers, health care workers and other service providers."

[An important new video. Please distribute widely.]

4-19-11: Global Edmonton (Canada): "Watch part one of transgendered series "Transformation"

"Lynn (Collier)’s series focuses on what 'transgender' means, and the important of sexual reassignment surgery (SRS) in helping transgendered individuals define themselves.

Lynn speaks with Dr. Cameron Bowman, the only trained sexual reassignment surgeon in Western Canada, currently residing in B.C. Once a budding rock musician, Dr. Bowman instead turned to plastic surgery, with 25% of his patients being transgendered. In B.C, MSP pays for SRS bottom surgery for male-to-female transgendered people done in Montreal. Dr. Bowman does "top" surgery here . . .

Lynn also speaks with Cadence Matthews, a male–to-female (MTF) woman in her twenties who told her parents when she was five that she was a girl. Cadence has had recent SRS surgery, and has more booked this month, and shares her story."

4-19-11: Pink News (UK): "London transgender conference cancelled after trans complaints" (more, more)

"A conference on transgender issues has been cancelled by the Royal College of Psychiatrists after a leading gender identity clinic pulled out.

The May 20th event in London, titled ‘Transgender: time to change’, angered trans campaigners who said it was one-sided and questioned speakers’ credentials. They argued that some of the speakers, who included feminist writer Julie Bindel, held “offensive” and “outdated” views on trans issues.

This morning, Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic pulled out of the event, citing concerns about other speakers and “disquiet” in the trans community. The RCPsych has now cancelled the event . . .

Trans campaigners objected to the conference for a number of reasons, including the fact that lesbian activist Julie Bindel was listed as a speaker. Ms Bindel once called gender reassignment surgery “modern-day aversion therapy for gays and lesbians”. They also complained about the fact that the conference was organised by the RCPsych’s Lesbian and Gay Special Interest Group, which they said had no expertise on trans issues. Another speaker, Dr Az Hakeem, has been accused of “pathologising” trans people."

4-19-11: Trouble in High Heels (UK; posted 3-18): "Cis people telling trans people how they should feel, be, think, act", by Natacha Kennedy

"The Conference of the Lesbian and Gay Special Interest Group of the Royal College of Psychatrists entitled “Transgender: time to change” is another example of cisgender people telling trans people how they should feel. We all know Julie Bindel’s views about trans people, “Gender Benders Beware”, and her Standpoint article are available for all to see on the internet. She has repeatedly been asked to apologise for these and repudiate her views. This she has failed to do consistently. It can only be assumed that she continues to hold these views.

Far more dangerous is Az Hakeem, a psychiatrist whose “academic” writing effectively returns to pathologising and problematising trans individuals rather than placing the responsibility for the maintainance of an immutable gender binary on societal processes. In particular his 2010 article appears to me to be an exceptionally dishonest piece of transphobic research. It continues a long tradition of dishonesty and disingenuousness in transphobic “academic” publications stretching back to the appalling and mendacious and manipulative Janice Raymond and ignorant and misogynistic Germaine Greer . . .

Far from trans people being the objects of study and problematised, it is transphobes such as Bindel, Hakeem, Greer and others who should be the subject of study."

[This earlier posting by Natacha Kennedy provides valuable background on the bizarrely pretentious and now-cancelled Royal College of Psychiatrists' trans conference.]

4-19-11: Irish Times (Ireland): "Transsexual hails equality ruling" (more, more)

"A transsexual who was awarded more than €35,000 compensation for workplace discrimination has spoken of her relief that the case ended successfully. Louise Hannon (50) from Arbour Hill in Dublin, brought a case against First Direct Logistics in which she alleged she had been constructively dismissed when she revealed her gender identity to her employer and sought to live according to it in her workplace. It was revealed yesterday that Ms Hannon has been awarded a total of €35,422.71 from her former employer after the Equality Tribunal ruled she had been unfairly discriminated against on gender and disability grounds."

4-19-11” Pink News (UK re Malaysia): “Malaysia sends 66 boys to gay cure camp”

“Malaysian authorities have admitted sending 66 teenage boys thought to be gay to a camp to learn “masculine behaviour”. An official from Terengganu state said the boys, aged between 13 and 17, were identified by teachers as having effeminate mannerisms. This week, they are being sent on a four-day “self-development course” in the hope of dissuading them from being gay or transgender. State education director Razali Daud told The Associated Press that the camp was designed “to guide them back to the right path in life before they reach a point of no return. Such effeminate behavior is unnatural and will affect their studies and their future.””

4-18-11: Malay Mail (Malaysia): “Being Frank: Off with your panties and bra”
“A male-to-female hairstylist transsexual was allegedly ordered to remove his panties and bra in full view of Malacca Islamic religious department officials, mostly male, soon after he was handcuffed and arrested for cross-dressing . . .
He is seeking relief in the Malacca High Court, arguing that although provisions in Syariah laws forbid his transsexual character, these are inconsistent with the rights of citizens enshrined in the Federal Constitution. In his affidavit, he claimed the Islamic department had infringed on his rights as a citizen to live with dignity and privacy, to livelihood and to express through dressing.

4-18-11: Religion Dispatches: “Vatican: Gay Rights Opponents are Real Victims - Catholic bishop says the real victims are those who oppose the rights of LGBT people”

“Last month the Catholic Church voiced strong opposition to a UN Human Rights Council resolution naming the protection of LGBT persons against discrimination and violence an official human right. The reason, according to Vatican representative Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, is that ending discrimination against gays, lesbians, and transgender persons would make those who oppose such human rights the real victims . . .

Tomasi then likened homosexual behavior to pedophilia and incest: “But states can, and must, regulate behaviors, including various sexual behaviors. Throughout the world, there is a consensus between societies that certain kinds of sexual behaviors must be forbidden by law. Pedophilia and incest are two examples.”

To add fuel to the fire, he turned the debate away from violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity to “a disturbing trend in some of these social debates: People are being attacked for taking positions that do not support sexual behavior between people of the same sex… they are stigmatized, and worse—they are vilified, and prosecuted.” He never addressed the reality of actual violence (killings, torture, rape, criminal sanctions, violence, bullying) against gays, lesbians, and transgender persons taking place around the world.

Given that Tomasi is the leading spokesperson for the Catholic Church in international bodies, his words take on significant weight regarding the Church’s refusal to accept sexual orientation and gender identity as human rights categories.”

4-18-11: Hurriyet Daily News (Turkey): "Transsexual activist attempts suicide in Turkey's Bursa"

"A transsexual activist and would-be parliamentary candidate in the northwestern province of Bursa attempted suicide Sunday but was talked out of jumping from the fifth floor of her association’s building.

Gökkuşağı Derneği (Rainbow Association) head Öykü Özen previously sent a text message to her friends and the press, blaming her husband for her decision to kill herself. While standing at the window of the association’s building, she reportedly said she had had enough and did not want to live anymore . . .

She married Mehmet Özen in 2007, following a sex-change operation. The pair had been fighting due to jealousy issues, the Doğan news agency, or DHA, reported."

4-17-11: Huffington Post: "A New Tool for Treating Transgender People", by Joanne Herman

"Last week saw the release of a very important new resource for medical providers serving transsexual and gender-variant patients. The Primary Care Protocol for Transgender Patient Care is a web-based resource that goes beyond hormone treatment and surgery options to cover important topics such as sexual health and fertility, cancer and cardiovascular disease, patient intake and insurance issues, and harm reduction.

The Protocol is the creation of The Center of Excellence for Transgender Health at the University of California, San Francisco. The Center's aim is to increase access to comprehensive, effective and affirming health care services for trans and gender-variant communities.

Since 1979 we have had guidelines to qualify transsexual people for treatment, but little to help medical providers care for those who qualify. The Standards of Care document (SoC), published by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, articulates the qualifications for hormone treatment and surgery and the steps along the way of a gender transition, but is not a clinical practice guide.

This has left medical providers somewhat on their own to learn how to treat those who qualify. And, because of this, transsexual people have come to expect that their medical provider will know less about transsexualism than the patient . . .

The issuance of the new Primary Care Protocol is another big step forward. It gives medical professionals easy access to the consensus of eight physicians with extensive experience treating transsexual patients. The Protocol also gives doctors a credible source which can be helpful in responding to inaccurate information patients may receive through community grapevines or other non-medical sources."

[Finally we see guidelines emerge for transgender health care that go beyond WPATH's old-time gatekeeping protocols, which date all the way back to 2001. It's about time!]

4-17-11: Univ. of California, San Francisco: "Primary Care Protocol for Transgender Patient Care, Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, University of California, San Francisco, Department of Family and Community Medicine, April 2011"

"The mission of the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health is to increase access to comprehensive, effective, and affirming health care services for trans and gender-variant communities . . .

The ultimate CoE goal is to improve the overall health and well-being of transgender individuals by developing and implementing programs in response to community-identified needs. We include community perspectives by actively engaging a national advisory body (NAB) of 14 transgender identified leaders from throughout the country. The collective experience of our diverse and talented NAB assures that our programs address issues that are timely and relevant to the community."

4-17-11: Metro Philadelphia: "Gender stickers cause situation for SEPTA"

"Councilman Bill Greenlee is among those who question the need for gender policing. “It just seems to me it’s causing problems for people I’m sure are already having enough problems,” he said. “Unless they can really show or prove they’d lose [millions of dollars], why do this?”
SEPTA’s other response is that the stickers will be eliminated when the new fare system is implemented in three years.

But that’s not good enough for Arcila, a transgender woman who has used tokens ever since the incident. “I feel like they’re trying to sweep it under the rug,” she said. “Once they put the smart card [system] into effect that would close the door on this case.”"

4-17-11: The Jakarta Post (Indonesia): "LBGT group seeks justice for murdered transsexual"

"LBGT rights group Arus Pelangi is pursuing justice for Faizal “Shakira” Harahap, a transsexual shot dead in a robbery last month, saying transgender groups were frequently targets of violence. Arus Pelangi program coordinator Widodo Budidarmo said the coalition had brought the case to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Friday. “We hope the murderer will be apprehended soon,” he said . . .

Shakira was killed on March 10 at Taman Lawang in Central Jakarta, a well known transgender red light district, when two assailants fired shots at a group of transsexuals gathered there. She was hit in the chest while two friends, Agus “Venus” Yuliaman and Tantan “Astrid” Setianugraha, sustained injuries."

4-16-11: On Top Magazine: "California Senate Approves Mark Leno's Gay History Bill" (more, more)

"The California Senate on Thursday approved a bill that seeks to include the historical contributions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans in the state's textbooks, the AP reported. Voting along party lines, the Democrat-controlled Senate voted 23 to 14 in favor of Senator Mark Leno's FAIR Education Act . . .

The measure is expected to be approved by the Assembly and signed into law by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, an ally on gay rights."

4-16-11: Gothamist (posted 3-25): "Doctor Must Pay Back $4 Million In Federal Grant Money Spent On Sex Changes" (more, more, more)

"A scientist who was previously convicted for misappropriating government funds to pay for his sex change has been slapped with a $4 million dollar bill from the government to go along with the time she served in a women's prison.

Daniel "DB" Karron was convicted in 2008 for misappropriating funds from four different government contracts at his company Computer Aided Surgery, Inc. (CASI) to pay for everything from food to sex-change operation for himself and three other employees, according to the woman herself."

4-16-11: The Telegraph (UK): "Case study: 'My son was six when he first demanded a sex change'"

"By four, Nicki was telling her mother Sharon, an IT manager, that "God made a mistake by making me a boy". Two years later, she was already asking for a sex change operation. It was at this point that Sharon, now 42, decided to attend the Gender Identity Development (GID) service at the Tavistock and Portman mental health trust in North London. Shortly after, Sharon also decided it was time to allow Nicki to attend primary school in female clothes . . . "As soon as I did that she was so much happier and the other kids understood it because she looked like a girl now."

But matters took a turn for the worse when Nicki moved on to secondary school, where she became suicidal because of bullying . . . With the abuse expected to get worse as Nicki got closer to puberty, her mother began to look into the possibility of her daughter being prescribed hormone blockers. She went back to the Tavistock clinic but was told they were unable to prescribe the treatment because it was against their guidelines to do any interventions before 16.

Fearing that her daughter may take her own life if forced to go through puberty, she went to an American expert Dr Norman Spack in Boston. To her relief, Dr Spack, who runs a Gender Identity Disorder clinic in Boston, agreed to prescribe the 13-year-old Nicki the blockers.

Now 17, she has had a sex change operation and works as a care assistant. "She holds down a full time and has been with her boyfriend for 18 months and she is gorgeous," said Sharon. "I am absolutely positive she would not be here without the treatment.""

4-16-11: The Telegraph (Australia): "Jamie to become a Janie as boy allowed hormone replacement therapy" (more)

"A boy, 10, has been allowed to begin hormone treatment to halt male puberty so he can live life as a girl.

The boy, named only as Jamie in a Family Court judgment, began identifying as female when he was a toddler, insisting on wearing girls' clothes and refusing to use boys toilets when he started school. His mother told the court she tried to encourage Jamie to act male but her son would become upset and say, "Mummy, it's hard trying to be a boy."

Jamie was diagnosed with gender identity disorder when he was seven. He began dressing as a girl at home and being treated as a girl by his family in 2008. His parents moved him to a school that would accept him as a girl in 2009.

The court heard it was urgent that Jamie be allowed to begin hormone treatment before elements of male puberty such as a deep voice, an Adam's apple and facial hair developed."

4-16-11: Star Observer (Australia): “WA trans men head to High Court”

“Normally a state matter wouldn’t be dealt with at a federal court. “It’s a really important step because if we hadn’t been granted leave that would have been it, all over.”

The saga began in 2008 when the WA Gender Reassignment Board denied the pair gender recognition. Following an appeal, the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) overturned the decision and granted both men their certificates. Last September, the Supreme Court of Western Australia denied the two men their gender recognition certificates after the state Attorney-General appealed a decision by the SAT.

AH said the decision didn’t guarantee that the pair would or would not win — it meant that the court believed it was worth looking at.”

4-15-11: Pink News (UK; posted 4-14): "Transgender group furious at BBC for ‘offensive’ Russell Howard sketch"

"BBC Three comedy Russell Howard’s Good News is under fire from transgender campaigners who say a recent sketch ridicules a “vulnerable minority”. Trans Media Watch said that the sketch, based on the story of a Thai airline hiring trans women, shows trans people as “objects of ridicule [and] physical disgust.”

The April 1st sketch shows two airline attendants in makeup and women’s clothes showing their male genitals to passengers. One passenger vomits at the sight.

Paris Lees, a spokeswoman for Trans Media Watch, said: “Content like this is the reason why I ditched my TV three years ago. Watching trans people being constantly ridiculed as objects of physical disgust for ‘comedy’ is a uniquely depressing experience. I genuinely fear what effect this can have on the very high proportion of trans people who consider – and in some cases commit – suicide.”"

4-15-11: KTVU: "Transgender Woman Beaten In SF" (more)

"San Francisco police and prosecutors said a transgender youth was the victim of a hate crime in a city known for tolerance and diversity . . . The 20-year-old transgender woman said she was attacked by two men near a food truck at the BART Plaza at 16th Street and Mission. She asked KTVU to conceal her identity and call her Mia. She said it was 10 p.m. on a busy Friday night and she was verbally harassed by two men as she walked by. She said one grabbed her smartphone, then beat her.

Alexandra Byerly witnessed the attack, "I saw the moment where she was being punched in the face, very violently and very brutally" . . . Mia says she doesn't want anyone to feel sorry for her but rather that people treat transgenders with respect. "I'm from a small town. I came to San Francisco hoping there would be more safety than I found," Mia said."

4-15-11: The Times of India (India): "An identity at last but the stigma stays, say transgenders" (more)

"CHENNAI: Friday is Transgender day'. The day extends the recognition that Tamil Nadu gave transgenders by forming a welfare board after the Madras high court accorded them the status of the "third gender". While the board has initiated several programs to provide authenticity to trangenders, the social stigma continues, trangender activists say. "There is still very little awareness about transgenders in mainstream society. Much work needs to be done," they add . . .

The welfare board also finances self-help groups, gives out individual loans and trains transgenders for small scale industries. Without access to employment and government schemes, transgenders are often forced to opt for prostitution and begging. And since, they do not have any legal protection; transgenders become easy targets for the police. "It is utmost important for the police to be sensitized on the already ostracized" says Priya Babu. "

4-14-11: Philadelphia Gay News: "Acosta Award winner takes on leadership, trans issues”

“A local young transgender woman has made it her mission to help the trans community triumph over the challenges in their lives. This weekend, the Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative will recognize her efforts. GALAEI will present its inaugural David Acosta Revolutionary Leader Award to Biancah Melanie Ortiz at its April 15 gala at City Hall, which will run from 5-7 p.m.

Ortiz spoke out about her experiences at the 2009 Trans-Health Conference while she was still incarcerated at an all-male treatment facility, marking the first time in months she was able to dress as a female.

“It was really hard because I was forced to live as something I wasn’t,” she said. “It was a hard situation, and I tried to teach people there how to deal with people in my situation because I was the first transgender person ever there. I tried to set an example and we worked and grew together, and I helped them to see how they need to treat transgender people.”

4-14-11: Philadelphia Gay Naws: "Police: Person of interest in Blahnik case"

"Monday marked the six-month anniversary of the murder of local transwoman Stacey Blahnik, and police this week announced a possible break in the case. In an interview with PGN Tuesday, Homicide Capt. James Clark said police have identified a person of interest in Blahnik’s murder. More details about the individual could not be made public, but Clark said an arrest is within sight . . .

Clark said he sympathized with Blahnik’s friends who are eager for justice, but assures them the case has not fallen off the department’s radar. “I understand people’s frustrations. But we have some of the best investigators in the country. Unfortunately, some cases take longer than others, but we’ve continued to work on this, and I believe very soon we will make an arrest on this job.”

4-14-11: The Times of India (India): "Rose votes as a female this time"

"Former TV show host and transgender activist, Rose Venkatesh, voted as a female for the first time in her life. Rose, who had voted as a male in the last two general elections, had undergone a Sex Re-assignment Surgery (SRS) two years go. She is probably the only person in the country to vote as both a male and female till date.

"Two months ago, I applied formally to change my gender in the voter's list. The government officials were very indifferent to me at first. Just a week ago, I got an acknowledgement slip saying the change has been made." The gender in all her other identity proofs like the PAN card and passport have also been changed."

4-13-11: Croatian Times (Croatia): "Danish transvestite beaten in Koprivnica" (more)

"A transvestite from Denmark with Bosnian roots has been attacked in the Croatian town of Koprivnica after attending a handball game. Adnan Buljubasic – who goes by Sandra and whose shocking story of childhood abuse has been featured in Croatian media – was walking back to his hotel after a game when a group of young men attacked him. They first insluted him verbally and then started to beat him.

A driver passing by saw what was happening and came to Buljubasic’s aid. "Who knows what would have happened had he not seen what was happening and stopped, helped me and defended me," Buljubasic said."

4-13-11: Bangor Daily News: "Bill on transgendered restroom use draws heated, emotional debate" (more, more)

"A bill concerning transgendered people’s right to choose which restroom they use generated heated debate at a public hearing Tuesday . . . According to Fredette, his bill would prevent the Maine Human Rights Commission from being able to find that public and private entities discriminate when they force transgendered people to use restrooms that correspond with their biological sex, but not gender . . .

As Sydney resident Tim Russell said, “[Current law] has created a legal access that predators can use in order to accost women and children in public restrooms.” “It is impossible for young children and women to safely determine whether or not the man — dressed as a woman — is a peeping tom, a rapist or a pedophile; and to continue to permit such a scenario to legally exist is unconscionable and inviting disaster,” Russell said."

[Why is it that religious zealots imagine some sort of 'witches' are lurking in every public restroom?]

4-13-11: ABC News: "J. Crew Ad With Boy's Pink Toenails Creates Stir - Social Conservatives Call Ad 'Propaganda;' Transgender Groups Say Reaction is 'Ridiculous'"

"It began when a photo of J. Crew's president and creative director Jenna Lyons painting the toenails of her son Beckett in an ad was sent to customers last week in a feature, "Saturday with Jenna." "Lucky for me I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink," says the caption. "Toenail painting is way more fun in neon."

Social conservatives reacted with outrage. Fox News' Dr. Keith Ablow ran an opinion piece on the issue and Erin Brown of the right-leaning Media Research Center called the ad "blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children.""

4-13-11: Fox News (posted 4-11): "J. Crew Plants the Seeds for Gender Identity", by Dr. Keith Ablow

"A recent feature in J. Crew's online catalogue portrays designer Jenna Lyons painting her son Beckett’s toe nails hot pink . . . If you have no problem with the J. Crew ad, how about one in which a little boy models a sundress? What could possibly be the problem with that?

Well, how about the fact that encouraging the choosing of gender identity, rather than suggesting our children become comfortable with the ones that they got a birth, can throw our species into real psychological turmoil - not to mention crowding operating rooms with procedures to grotesquely amputate body parts? Why not make race the next frontier? What would be so wrong with people deciding to tattoo themselves dark brown and claim African-American heritage? Why not bleach the skin of others so they can playact at Caucasians?"

[This guy must be profoundly insecure in his own masculinity. Talk about "protesting too much": check out his ridiculous public utterances on simply seeing a little boy with painted toe nails!]

4-13-11: Time Out Hong Kong (Hong Kong): "The curious case of lady Samantha"

" Edgy theatre company Metro-HoliK takes on transexuality in a new play. Hannah Slapper discovers how the margins of society can affect Hong Kong as a whole.

The ‘T’ in LGBT has always been an issue. Why is it there? Transgender men and women aren’t set apart by their sexuality, like the L, G and B in their collective defining group, and yet they are often seen in the same light. This confusion between sexuality and gender is just another rung in the ladder of ignorance and misunderstanding that lurches from the depths of poor education up to the heights of enlightened misrepresentation. Yet with theatre companies like Metro-HoliK addressing serious minority matters, there is hope that the shackles containing the topics of sexuality and gender will be released into a more free-thinking Hong Kong."

4-12-11: The Edmunton Sun (Canada): "Catholics want transgendered teach to vanish”, By Mindelle Jacobs

"You can bet that Jan Buterman, who had the audacity to inform Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools about his sex change, will never teach there again . . .

I asked Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools superintendent David Keohane Monday if the board considers it unacceptable for an employee to have a sex change . . . “It’s not acceptable to demonstrably let that be known to the community as part of your engagement within our organization,” he said . . .

Seeking further clarification, I asked Keohane if it would be OK for the board to hire someone who’d had a previous sex change but didn’t speak about it . . .If that person behaves with students in a manner that’s “being true to our Catholic faith teachings,” explained Keohane, “that would be absolutely appropriate.”
So it seems that as uncomfortable as the board is about gender switching, it’s actually more troubled by the fact that Buterman went public with his case. If you’re doing something the Catholic church disagrees with, for heaven’s sake, keep your mouth shut and perhaps it’ll get swept under the rug and no one will notice."

4-12-11: Daily Mail (UK): "'He was ignoring me, it's horrible when a man you love treats you like that': Malaysian transsexual wife hits back at why she left caretaker husband after he paid £12,000 for visa"

"A transsexual who walked out on her British husband two weeks after he helped her win the right to stay in this country has explained her decision to leave. Malaysian-born Fatine Young – who was born Mohammed Fazdil Min Bahari – spoke out after her husband Ian told yesterday how the couple split after he spent £12,000 on helping win the visa battle. Fatine, 38, has defended her actions, saying she made major sacrifices to move to the UK and live with the school caretaker, who she claims eventually pushed her away with his behaviour."

4-11-11: Philippine Star (Philippines): "'Woman Soul': A photo exhibit of Filipina transsexuals"

"French journalist Sebastien Farcis and photographer Romaine Rivierre, in a team-up with Alliance Française de Manille and the United Nations Development Program, recently launched a photo exhibit on Filipina transsexuals called “Woman Soul.“Woman Soul” is a multi-sensory exhibit that features the images and voices of transsexuals in the country. It takes the viewer and listener through the lives of the women as they affirm their sexual identity, despite the rejection and discrimination of family and society. Among them are Bemz Benedito, Rica Paras, Sass Rogando Sasot and an entertainer named Britney . . .

Co-organizer Sebastien Farcis said, “We call these transsexuals lady boys, bading, bakla and we stereotype them as dancers and entertainers. But what if we start looking at who they really are? What if we start listening to them? We would then discover that transsexual women in the Philippines are different from the usual cliché. We must listen to their stories, because only knowledge stops discrimination.”"

4-11-11: Human Resources Executive Online: "Groundswell Growing against Transgender Discrimination"

"Egregious as some discriminating behavior may be, sexual orientation and gender identity are still not protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. So how can HR leaders help their organizations navigate through the cross-hairs of social change? . . .

Even without a national law, "just as most major companies adopted policies stating they wouldn't discriminate against people with disabilities well before the ADA was enacted," Meisinger writes, "growing numbers of companies have enacted policies protecting their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees."

Speaking more recently, she says such a movement should be top-of-mind as the ENDA waits for a vote -- and not just in larger companies, many of which are starting to "get it."

Drafting, or revising, antidiscrimination policies to ensure workers and job candidates are not being discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, she says, "should be part of a broader diversity initiative; as [organizations and their HR leaders] integrate sexual-discrimination policies into their programs, transgenders should be integrated too." It's all part of an ongoing reality, she adds: "Employers are always put in the cross hairs of social change.""

4-11-11: City Paper (Philadelphia): "Students say La Salle symposium featured strippers, lap dances", by Emily Apisa (more)

"La Salle University officials acknowledged today that the university has launched "a full-scale investigation" into "reports regarding an incident which occurred on March 21" — an incident which, according to two students who witnessed the event and spoke with CP, involved a professor inviting a team of strippers to engage himself and students at an on-campus, for-credit symposium.

According to the students, the symposium, hosted at a satellite campus facility in Plymouth Meeting, was held by La Salle assistant professor of management Jack Rappaport . . . The symposium's subject, the students say, was the application of Platonic and Hegelian ethics to business.

As part of the lesson, they say, three dancers, dressed in bikinis and/or miniskirts and high heels, had already arrived when the approximately 30 students (two of whom were female) entered the classroom. During the course of the presentation, lap dances were administered to willing students — and even Rappaport — while he lectured.

The strippers were "doing their normal job," as one student put it. The mere presence of these women was not entirely surprising, apparently, to Rappaport's students, who say that he regularly reminded his classes that the strippers had been booked . . . "

[Here we see another faculty member running sex sideshows to attract large numbers of students to his classes and get high student ratings, as does J. Michael Bailey at Northwestern. Perhaps the La Salle and Northwestern investigations should compare notes about what to do about such scams.]

4-10-11: TS Roadmap: "UCLA demographic report: about 700,000 transgender Americans", by Andrea James

"Dr. Gary J. Gates, a demographic researcher at UCLA specializing in the demographic and economic characteristics of the LGBT population, has released a report estimating that there are 700,000 people in the United States who identify as transgender. Published estimates (including work by Lynn Conway) suggest prevalence between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 200 Americans. Based on this estimate, trans people have a larger population than many major cities, including Baltimore, Boston, Seattle, and our nation’s capital, Washington D.C. If we all lived in the same city, it would be one of the 20 largest in the country."

4-10-11: Washington Post (poste 4-08): "Gay people count, so why not count them correctly?", by Gary J. Gates (more)

"As a demographer who studies the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, I’ve been asked how many LGBT people there are more often than I can count. Politics may still play a role in why the answer is critically important, but there certainly is no longer a need to prove that gay people exist. Today, quantifying the population is about documenting how LGBT people live their lives. How many marry? How often do they have children? How many are serving in the military? How often do they experience discrimination?

These facts matter because legislatures, courts and voters across the country are debating how LGBT people should live their lives. All parties deserve to be informed by fresh research, not a six-decade-old study. We should be able to search the standard places where scholars and policy advocates go for information about the health and well-being of Americans — all Americans"

4-10-11: The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law (posted 4-08): "How many people are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender?", by Gary J. Gates, Williams Distinguished Scholar

"Increasing numbers of population-based surveys in the United States and across the world include questions designed to measure sexual orientation and gender identity. Understanding the size of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population is a critical first step to informing a host of public policy and research topics. Examples include assessing health and economic disparities in the LGBT community, understanding the prevalence of anti-LGBT discrimination, and considering the economic impact of marriage equality or the provision of domestic partnership benefits to same-sex couples. This research brief discusses challenges associated with collecting better information about the LGBT community and reviews findings from eleven recent US and international surveys that ask sexual orientation or gender identity questions. The brief concludes with estimates of the size of the LGBT population in the United States."

[An important research brief from the UCLA School of Law.]

4-10-11: Montreal Gazette (Canada): "Substitute teacher who says he was fired for being transgender rejects settlement" (more)

"Jan Buterman was born a woman but now lives full-time as a man. He claims he was fired in October 2008 by Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools, four months after informing the deputy superintendent he was changing gender and wished to be identified as Mr. Buterman in the future.

The superintendent’s written response informed Buterman he would be removed from the substitute teacher list because “gender change is not aligned with the teachings of the Church” and would result in “confusions and complexity with students and parents as a model and witness to Catholic faith values.” "

4-10-11: New York Times: "A Lawsuit’s Unusual Question: Who Is a Man?"

"Last June, Urban Treatment Associates in Camden hired Mr. Devoureau as a part-time urine monitor; his job was to make sure that people recovering from addiction did not substitute someone else’s urine for their own during regular drug testing. On his second day, he said, his boss said she had heard he was transgender. “I said I was male, and she asked if I had any surgeries,” he said. “I said that was private and I didn’t have to answer, and I was fired.”

In its January filing, Urban Treatment said that firing Mr. Devoureau was legitimate, “since the sex of the employee engaged in that particular job position is a bona fide occupational qualification” — implying that Mr. Devoureau was not really a man.

Mr. Devoureau’s suit, filed in Superior Court in Camden, is not the first job discrimination case brought by a transgender person, though those remain rare. But Michael D. Silverman, executive director of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, said it was the first employment case in the country to take on the question of a transgender person’s sex."

4-10-11: Sunday Mirror (UK): "Children of 12 to be allowed gender drugs to prepare for sex change"

"Children as young as 12 are to be allowed drugs to prepare them for changing sex. The controversial treatment halts puberty, stunting sex organs and preventing the growth of facial hair and sperm in boys, and breasts in girls.

The injections, previously available only to over-15s with gender identity disorder, are being made available to younger people under an NHS study after pressure from families and doctors. Doctors admit most children with the problem do not go on to have a sex change, often turning out to be gay. But blocking puberty hormones can make surgery easier if they need it."

4-10-11: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia): "'Why did our sister die in a men's jail?'"

"Two years after Veronnica Baxter died in a men's jail, her brothers are still asking why.

A coronial inquest into Ms Baxter's death last week found she committed suicide at Silverwater in 2009, sometime between her single-cell door closing on March 15 and when it was opened the next morning.

Greens MP David Shoebridge said questions remained about why Ms Baxter, a transgender Aboriginal woman, was put in an all-male facility when she identified as a woman, and why she was not given hormone medication prescribed to her.

Corrective Services policy states transgender prisoners should be put in a centre based on which gender they identify with - unless there are concerns for their safety or that of other prisoners. Mr Shoebridge will refer her death to a parliamentary inquiry with the power to call witnesses."

4-08-11: The European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights (Europe; posted 4-06): "European Parliament calls for special protection of LGBT asylum-seekers"

"Members of the European Parliament voted today to modernise the EU-wide system for examining asylum claims. Among the measures adopted today, groups of asylum-seekers with special needs were updated to include people fleeing persecution based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

In a report drafted by French centre-left MEP Sylvie Guillaume (Socialists & Democrats), the European Parliament adopted a series of amendments to guarantee that lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people seeking asylum in the EU would receive particular attention.

Measures include providing expert advice to asylum officials on sexual orientation and gender identity; protecting claimants’ privacy; guaranteeing that physical examinations fully respect human dignity and integrity, for instance in cases involving minors or transgender people; and ensuring that applications by LGBT asylum-seekers are not ‘fast-tracked’ for removal to their country of origin."

4-07-11: New York Times: Movie Review: "To Die Like a Man (2009) - The Anguish of Identity"

"“To Die Like a Man,” a ruminative exploration of gender identity, desire and aging, begins with a close-up of a young man’s face being daubed with camouflage paint by a fellow soldier in preparation for a training mission . . .The film’s unresolved paradoxes are even encapsulated by its title, suggestive of a macho war film, which “To Die Like a Man” most definitely is not . . .

Tonia’s life revolves around the care and feeding of her beloved dog and her volatile boyfriend, Rosário (Alexander David), a scrawny, much younger heroin addict for whom she is as much a mother as a lover. Although Rosário is pressuring Tonia to complete the final stage of her sexual reassignment surgery, she resists, because to do so would clash with her devout Catholicism.

Knowing that her shelf life as a drag performer is about to expire, Tonia also has a deepening awareness of the man inside the woman as the end of her career coincides with her body’s deterioration . . .

For all its melodrama “To Die Like a Man” is a not a tearjerker. Its gaze into the void is as unblinking as that of the H.I.V.-positive 60-year-old hustler in Jacques Nolot’s even more hard-headed film, “Before I Forget.” Both films refuse to soften the harsher personal truths faced by aging professional salesmen of erotic fantasy."

4-07-11: The Sun (UK re Czech Republic): "I’m the Stone Age gay in the village" (more, more, more, more)

"THE 5,000-year-old remains of a man have been unearthed by experts, who say he was GAY. The male body, dating from 2500 to 2900 BC, was buried in a way normally reserved for women of the Stone Age 'Corded Ware' culture. It was found in Prague, Czech Republic, with its head pointing eastwards and surrounded by domestic jugs - rituals only previously seen in female graves. Archaeologist Kamila Vesinova claimed he could even have been a transsexual . . .

In Corded Ware culture men were buried lying on their right side with their heads pointing west - alongside tools, weapons, food and drink. Women were buried on their left sides with jewellery and pottery. Archaeologists also found an earlier case of a female warrior buried as a man."

4-07-11: Windy City Times (Chicago; posted 4-06): "Cook County Jail using gender identity to determine housing", by Kate Sosin

"In a Windy City Times exclusive, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart announced that Cook County Jail has instituted a policy for housing transgender detainees based on their gender identity, rather than birth sex. The policy became effective on March 21. It is thought to be the first of its kind in the United States.

"Particularly with this issue, we wanted to do it right," Dart told Windy City Times, adding that "medical and sociological" concerns for transgender people "even superseded security issues."

The seven-page policy mandates that transgender detainees be allowed to consult with a "Gender Identity Panel" of physicians and therapists before being placed into male or female housing. It also directs correctional staff to allow transgender people to wear clothing/ own hygiene products consistent with their gender identity. Further, it requires that corrections staff, physicians, and therapists undergo gender-related sensitivity training administered by the sheriff's department. The policy is a far cry from old standards, which, officials said, were nonexistent."

4-07-11: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia): "Transgender inmate suicide not preventable"

"The hanging suicide of a transgender Aboriginal woman in a male jail could not have been prevented by the Department of Corrective Services, a coroner has found.

Deputy State Coroner Paul MacMahon said there was nothing to suggest any failure by the department contributed to the death of Veronica Baxter, who was found dead in her cell while on remand at Sydney's Silverwater Correctional Centre in March 2009 . . .

She was held in the cells at the Sydney Police Centre in Surry Hills for five days before being transferred to the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre, a male facility at Silverwater. Two days later, the 34-year-old pre-operative transgender male-to-female used a bed sheet to hang herself from a top bunk bed in her cell while awaiting classification."

4-07-11: Columbia Spectator: "Barnard looks to address transgender, gender non-conforming students"

"When Rey Grosz, GS, entered Barnard College as a first-year in 2007, he was already taking male pronouns and planning to begin transitioning from female to male . . . But midway through orientation week, there were already problems. “When I got there, my roommates were uncomfortable,” Grosz said. “They told the administration that they didn’t want to live with a boy” . . .

Grosz said that he asked to be moved to a single and that Barnard denied his request, saying singles were unavailable to freshmen. Barnard confirmed that Grosz’s request could not be accommodated. The college has since made two singles available to first-years, for students with disabilities or exceptional circumstances . . .

Although Grosz said he wished his situation had been handled differently three years ago, he emphasized that the responsibility for changing attitudes on campus cannot rest solely with the administration and policy reforms."

4-07-11: The Mirror (UK): "Dad's Having A Baby: A Bodyshock Special - C4, 9pm"

"In March last year, Scott Moore from California became only the world’s second man to give birth.

Not so long ago, such a feat seemed impossible – now it’s been downgraded to “rare”. So much so that in this film we also meet a midwife who specialises in transgender births. Busy, much? You wish somebody had asked her.

Scott was able to get pregnant because he was born a girl and hadn’t gone the whole hog with his sex change op. Legally he’s still a woman, which was how he was able to marry his partner, Tom, who was also born female but who did have a full sex change."

4-06-11: Sun-Sentinal: "Lake Worth city manager her own worst enemy", by Tony Plakas (more)

"Lake Worth City Manager Susan Stanton is losing another important popularity contest. Terminated from her city manager job in Largo for disclosing that she is transgender and for announcing her intent to undergo gender reassignment in 2007, Stanton failed to organize enough professional support to keep the position as a woman, despite successfully filling the role for 16 years as a man . . .

In 2009, Stanton semi-nestled into the overwhelmingly challenging but extraordinarily accepting community that is Lake Worth, a city that gambled all hopes on her leadership as a great new city manager, regardless of her sexual orientation or gender identity. We all yearned for someone who could bring together divided factions and diminish the frivolity that obscures the economic prosperity and negotiated quality of life we collectively desire in our paradise by the sea.

But where Stanton has not semi-nestled, she has thoroughly vexed. And the most unlikely of allies are making the most frantic of coordinated claims because, in the end, she is simply not well-liked. It's her style. She marginalizes herself with her own brashness, a trait she continues to defend even though it continues to offend — and her stubbornness is not gaining her any ground. Now, some are questioning her commitment to the diverse community she was hired to serve, while others are concerned the city is headed for the same sound-bite-turned-swan-song sung across the state when she was forced from her previous position."

[Is anyone surprised by these developments? ]

4-05-11: AM New York: "Some transgender youths look to black-market hormones"

"Transsexual youths are obtaining hormones on the grey and black markets to help their outsides match their insides, doctors and transgender youth told amNewYork. While numbers are elusive, for every transgender kid seeing a physician, “there are 10 we’re not seeing,” said Johanna Olson, an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Transsexual people have always faced insurance and cultural discrimination, as well as other obstacles to good medical care. But even when trans-sensitive care is available, some youth prefer to self-prescribe, amNY found . . . “The urge to live authentically is an urge that is unparalleled. It’s so powerful, people will take their own life and put it at risk,” Olson said."

4-05-11: Media Matters for America: "Wash. Times Launches Attack On Transgender People"

"In an April 4 editorial, The Washington Times attacked transgender people seeking the ability to change the gender listed on their birth certificates, writing: "It's fair to ask where all of this is heading. Could Jocelyn Wildenstein -- famously nicknamed 'Catwoman' for the feline appearance she achieved through multiple plastic surgeries -- decide after years of struggling with her identity that she is actually a cat?" The Times went on to further question the sanity of transgender people, suggesting that "perhaps these people are just messed up.""

4-04-11: Washington Times: "EDITORIAL: The latest birth certificate scandal - New York City Health Department confused by gender benders"

"Calling the accurate sex recorded at a birth “a mistake” is the misleading yet predictable result of a creeping activist agenda quietly transforming the country. There is disagreement in confused medical circles on whether believing oneself to be the gender opposite to that indicated by one’s physical characteristics and sex chromosomes is a medical condition or a psychiatric disorder . . .

Practically speaking, none of the scientific (or pseudo-scientific) mumbo-jumbo matters too much, however, because self-identified transgenders and their allies are finding success for their radical agenda by merely asserting that it’s a medical condition and going forward with counseling for “transition” (purportedly becoming the opposite gender) and radical surgery to “correct” their organs and sex characteristics. There is no more debate over the possibility that perhaps these people are just messed up.
Let’s leave alone, for the time being, the question of whether supporting and reinforcing a mixed-up patient’s desire to surgically mutilate his (or her) body to resemble a unique perception of “becoming” the opposite sex is “appropriate” treatment. No matter what, official government identification documents should not be changed to accommodate the feelings of any group. "

4-04-11: ABC News (posted 3-17): "Intersex Babies: Boy or Girl and Who Decides? Surgery on Ambiguous Genitals Is Irreversible and Doctors Can Get a Child's Sex Wrong" (more)

"An estimated 1 in 2,000 children born each year are neither boy nor girl -- they are intersex, part of a group of about 60 conditions that fall under the diagnosis of disorders of sexual development (DSD).

Once called hermaphrodites, from the handsome Greek god who had dual sexuality, they are now known as intersex. Standard medical treatment has been to look at the genitals, determine the gender and then correct it surgically.

But now, many are challenging the ethical basis of surgery, knowing that gender identity is complex, and doctors can sometimes get it wrong, not knowing how a child will feel about their gender assignment when they grow up. Advocates argue that surgery is irreversible and can have tragic consequences."

4-04-11: Israel 21c (Israel): "Dana International returns to Eurovision”
“She's the world's most famous transsexual celebrity - now Dana International is geared up to represent Israel for the fourth time in the major European song contest.

Wearing a figure-hugging sleeveless white gown adorned with feathers that would have made Lady Gaga jealous, Dana was spreading the love she had just received from Israelis across the country. TV viewers as well as the members of the Rishon audience at the annual pre-Eurovision competition had just selected the flamboyant transsexual singer and her frothy song, Ding Dong, to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest, which is expected to be watched by upwards of 600 million people during its finals on May 14. "

4-04-11: Irish Times (Ireland): "Application for annulment granted to wife of transsexual" (more)

"An application for nullity of marriage on the part of the wife of a male-to-female transsexual, which was heard as a preliminary matter before the hearing of a divorce application by the transsexual, was granted on the grounds that the wife would not have consented to the marriage had she been aware of the reality of her then husband’s sexual identity . . .

Having considered the medical evidence, Mr Justice Abbott stressed the need for previous referral letters and treating consultants reports in such cases. He accepted a diagnosis by the husband’s consultant that he was an “autogynephilic” transsexual. He also accepted that the wife was not aware of her husband’s transsexual tendencies before the marriage. “From her background and life experience and preference, I have no doubt she would not have consented to marry a person even with . . . a low level of sexual preference and tendency, much less consent to marrying a gynephilic,” he said."

4-03-11: SDLGBT Weekly (re UK): "Transgender Pilot to Attend Royal Nuptials" (more)

"Prince William and Kate Middleton have invited a transgender pilot to attend their impending nuptials on April 29, 2011. Flight Lieutenant Ayla Holdom is among the 1,000 people on the ultra exclusive guest list. Holdam is a team member with Prince William in the military on his Search and Rescue Team."

March 2011

3-31-11: Los Angeles Times: "Medical records and health studies should track sexual orientation and gender identity, report says"

"Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender patients have unique healthcare needs and concerns just as any minority does -- and those distinctions should be taken into account in studies and health records, says a new report released Thursday.

The Institute of Medicine report, meant as technical advice for the National Institutes of Health, recommended that federally funded studies ask participants about their sexual orientation and gender identity -- factors that could affect a person's medical profile and health risks just as aspects such as race and age do.

The institute also recommended that medical professionals start including data on sexuality and gender identity in people's electronic health records."

[What idiot thought up this idea? If this were implemented, your medical records would out you during every encounter with the medical system, subjecting you to lifelong abuse by the many transphobic "caregivers" out there.]

3-31-11: Salt Lake City Tribune Blogs: "Transgender woman meets with driver license director"

"The Utah Driver License Division met Wednesday with a transgender woman who allegedly faced discrimination when she visited the agency’s Fairpark Office in Salt Lake City. “We did express our apology if she felt like she had been mistreated in our office,” said Nannette Rolfe, director of the division. “We want to make sure our employes are treating everyone with respect and dignity” . . .

Rolfe said Audette understood why she was asked to remove her make-up to be photographed for her ID, which expresses a male identity, even though Audette disliked it. Rolfe said Audette, however, thought it was disrespectful when, after Anderton complained on Audette’s behalf, a Driver License supervisor loudly stated that Audette was a man, not a woman."

3-30-11: The West Australian (Australia): “WA transsexuals head to court”

“One of the transsexual men, whose identities have been suppressed, said it had been three years since he applied to the State's Gender Reassignment Board for a certificate which would legally recognise his change of gender and he was anxious for the High Court to grant leave for the case to be heard.

The Gender Reassignment Board rejected the pair's original applications for reassignment certificates, but the decisions were overturned in 2009.

Attorney-General Christian Porter then went to the Court of Appeal to clarify the law. In a decision handed down in September, the court found the transsexuals could not have their genders reassigned because they did not have the physical characteristics which would identify them as men.”

3-30-11: The Daily News Journal (posted 3-24): “MTSU student's film explores transgenderism”

“A journalism student from Middle Tennessee State University will show a film chronicling personal Journeys of identity and social struggle this weekend. "Transmen" a documentary by MTSU senior Tiffany Gibson, will be shown at 7 p.m. Friday in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU's Business and Aerospace Building. This event is free and open to the public.

The film explores the lives of three Tennesseans who are attempting the process of gender reassignment, transitioning from females to males, and the social and financial obstacles they face. According to the film's website, http://transmen.tumblr.com/, Tennessee is the only state with a law that bans gender changes on birth certificates, even after sex-change operations. Gibson, the filmmaker, is a Cookeville native slated to graduate in May 2011 with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

3-30-11: Philly.com: “NEEDLING THE MEDIA”

"WHEN "URBAN GOTH" transgender singer Black Madam was implicated in court documents as the person who gave a lethal buttocks injection to a British woman last month, she was called many hurtful things online: A man. A thief. A murderer.

But according to a video that Black Madam posted online Friday, the most hurtful thing she was called was 41. "To tell you the truth, out of all the stuff that they put out, I was so heated that - how dare they put that I'm 41!" she said, in the video. "I don't look 41. God no!"

In the video, Black Madam, whom police identified in court documents as Padge Victoria Windslowe, 42, of Lower Merion, lambastes the media and talks about how she's handled life since Feb. 7. That was the day that British tourist Claudia Seye Aderotimi, 20, and a friend received illegal injections into their buttocks of what they believed was silicone from the Black Madam at a room in the Hampton Inn near the Philadelphia International Airport, court documents said. Shortly after receiving the injections, Aderotimi was taken to Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, in Darby, where she was pronounced dead. Preliminary reports suggest that death could have been due to the injected liquid entering Aderotimi's vascular system, but police are still awaiting official autopsy findings.”

3-29-11: Afrik News (re Algeria and Lebanon): “Randa: A transsexual is above all a human being – The Memoirs of Randa the Trans”

“Randa is an Algerian transsexual. She tells her poignant story in a book, The Memoirs of Randa the Trans, which was recently published in Lebanon, where she is based. Her is the first documented story of an Transgender in Arabic. She spoke with Afrik-News.com about her decision to tell her story in a book.

"Being wholly woman" is a dream that has become reality for Randa, formerly known as Fuad. Based in Lebanon, where she is allowed to take the necessary steps to get a sex-change, Randa fled Algeria in 2009 after she was threatened by Islamists. She tells tell her story in a new book, The Memoirs of Randa the Trans (co-written by Hazem Saghieh, a celebrated Lebanese political journalist).

The book recounts, with startling brutality, the life of the thirty-something year-old Algerian: a troubled childhood, first homosexual experience, suicide attempts, a failed marriage, and, finally, the decision to become a full-fledged woman. The Memoirs of Randa the Trans has taken the Arab literary world by storm. It is the first documented story of an Transgender in Arabic.”

3-28-11: NPR: “Study: Discrimination Takes A Toll On Transgender Americans – 'Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey'“ (pdf of report)

“More than 40 percent of transgender Americans have attempted suicide. That's according to a new, first-of-its-kind survey into discrimination against people who express a gender identity different to the one with which they were born. Host Michel Martin discusses the findings and experiences within transgender communities with Jaime Grant and Michelle Enfield, a transgender woman who was born a biological male.”

3-28-11: Catholic Culture: “USCCB: sexual orientation, gender identity should not be protected categories” (more)

“The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is opposing a proposal by the Department of Housing and Urban Development that would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the list of categories to which anti-discrimination policies would apply. . . .

“Specifically, the regulations may force faith-based and other organizations, as a condition of participating in HUD programs and in contravention of their religious beliefs, to facilitate shared housing arrangements between persons who are not joined in the legal union of one man and one woman.”

“By this, we do not mean that any person should be denied housing,” Picarello and Moses continued. “Making decisions about shared housing, however, is another matter.””

[As an institution in disarray over rampant pedophilia by its priests, the Roman Catholic Church diverts the faithful by demonizing and gay and trans people.]

3-28-11: The Times of Malta (Malta): “Woman who became male wins right to be recognised as a man”

“A woman who had a sex change operation to become a man has won the right to recognised as a man by the Public Registry. Judge Joseph Azzopardi also ordered that the man to be registered as such on his birth certificate.

He heard that the said person had had masculine inclinations since he was a child and his psychological and physical behaviour was masculine. To get rid of internal conflicts this person underwent gender reassignment surgery in Serbia.”

3-25-11: Inside Higher Ed: "'An Unwanted Consequence'"

"After Ben Barres delivered a lecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, another scientist was overheard making a telling remark. "Ben Barres gave a great talk today,” the scientist reportedly said, as Barres related the story to the journal Nature in 2006. “His work is much better than his sister's."

That colleague didn’t realize it, but when he compared Barres to his sister, he was actually talking about the same person. Barres, a professor of neurobiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, had undergone a sex change operation, from female to male, not long before he gave his talk at MIT.

Though Barres’s gender has changed, he says that the quality of his work certainly has not. But the underlying assumption the comment reflected -- that women have less innate intellectual prowess or ability to conduct scholarship, both in science and in academe more broadly -- is alive and well even as women are gaining a stronger foothold in academe, according to a recent MIT report on the status of women in science and engineering . . .

Those attitudes sometimes spill out into the open, as they did in 2005 when Larry Summers, who was then the president of Harvard University, posited that "issues of intrinsic aptitude” may be a more significant factor than discrimination in explaining why women are underrepresented in the top tiers of science and engineering. But these views typically surface in more subtle ways. As recounted in the MIT study, these beliefs find expression, instead, in offhand comments, including remarks suggesting that women were hired or promoted because standards were lowered to accommodate them. And, despite the real gains made in the number of women entering the professoriate, researchers on the subject say that these biases persist and can do damage over time."

3-25-11: SF Weekly: "Bisexuals Are Neglected in San Francisco -- 'Biphobia' Is Real"

"The city's Human Rights Commission released a thick report this month that shows just how biphobic San Francisco is. Despite years of activism, bisexuals continue to be branded as invalid, by both homosexuals and heterosexuals alike, according to the report.
First, how should we define bisexuality? According to the report, anyone who has the capacity for emotional, romantic, and physical attraction to more than one sex or gender -- and would be involved with them is bisexual.

Roughly 3 percent of the nationwide population identifies as bisexual, yet over the last two years, zero grant dollars went toward programs and services specifically dedicated to assisting bisexuals. In short, the needs of bisexuals are being ignored.

"It's certainly groundbreaking," said David Miree, policy analyst for the Human Rights Commission. "This report acknowledged that bisexuality is a definite sexual orientation.""

[We hope J. Michael Bailey is proud of his role in fostering widspread biphobia, especially in the gay and lesbian communities.]

3-25-11: Connecticut Law Tribune: "Cop Says Bias Prevented Promotion To Canine Officer"

"A Hartford police officer’s claim that she was denied a position because she changed genders from male to female is before the state Appellate Court.

The judge said the referee misapplied 15-year-old Connecticut case law in determining that a transgendered person cannot claim bias based on a physical disability. The judge also said the referee did not sufficiently explain why he failed to consider past incidents of harassment before ruling Peterson was not discriminated against when passed over for a canine officer position.

In hearings spanning three months in 2008, Hartford Attorney Jamie Mills presented evidence showing that pornographic images of male genitalia and female breasts with Peterson’s name were posted in a police locker room and that a pre-operative picture of her as a male was taped to a bulletin board outside the department’s Internal Affairs office. Peterson also testified she was continually referred to as “he” post-surgery by a police academy officer and that she had difficulty being assigned to a training officer upon leaving the police academy . . .

“Lieutenant Peterson is the nicest human being and has been through hell,” Mills said. “She goes to work every day and puts up with a level of harassment that I don’t know that many of us could stand.”"

3-25-11: Connecticut Law Tribune: "In Transition: Advocates push for stronger bans on transgender bias"

"Rachel Goldberg was working as an attorney for the City of Stamford when she finally got up the courage to share the decision that had tormented her to the point of trying to take her own life. Known as “Bruce” at the time, she was worried how then-Mayor Dannel Malloy would react when he learned she planned to become the woman she always felt she was.

“Was I fearful? Absolutely,” Goldberg said. “I was at the same time trying to hide the white gauze bandages on my wrists under my crisp white shirt. I had tried to slit my wrists.”

As it turned out, Goldberg, who still works for the city, didn’t have to worry about acceptance and support from the mayor who went on to be governor. But she knew she was an exception to the rule. That’s why she testified last week in favor of a bill that would ban discrimination based on gender identity in Connecticut"

3-25-11: Mail Online (UK re US): "My son, the prom queen: Transgender student, 16, dresses in drag for big night... and mother does his make-up"

"Tom Komrowski looks pretty in pink for his school prom after teachers agreed he could dress in drag. The 16-year-old from Rhode Island, USA, donned a blonde wig and a pretty pink dress before heading to his school’s end of year party.

And the former tomboy who used to love frog fishing and Star Wars looked so convincing as a teenage girl none of his classmates even recognised him. Tom said: ‘I was nervous before I went to the prom but when I got there a lot of people didn’t even recognise me at first."

3-24-11: Jewish News Weekly (re Isreal): "Israeli LGBT youth share stories of anguish and renewal"

"Sam Rosenfeld still remembers standing near the edge of a cliff at age 12, on a trip to the mountains with his family, and considering whether he should jump.

Born female, Rosenfeld — who, at 18, identifies as a transgender man — had always felt he was trapped in a girl’s body. Growing up in a Modern Orthodox family outside of Tel Aviv, he felt depressed, confused and alienated at the girls’ yeshiva he attended.

“Obviously, I didn’t jump,” he said with a shy smile. “I’m still here.”"

3-23-11: United States Department of State (posted 3-22): Press Statement: "Human Rights Council Statement on Ending Violence Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity", by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State

"Today, 85 countries from every region of the world joined together in a historic moment to state clearly that human rights apply to everyone, no matter who they are or whom they love. The United States, along with Colombia and Slovenia, took a leading role on this statement along with over 30 cosponsors. Countries around the world participated including many that had never supported such efforts . . .

This statement is an example of America’s commitment to human rights through dialogue, open discussion and frank conversation with countries we don’t always agree with on every issue. In Geneva, our conversations about the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals with countries where sexual orientation is not only stigmatized, but criminalized, are helping to advance a broader and deeper global dialogue about these issues . . .

We will continue to promote human rights around the world for all people who are marginalized and discriminated against because of sexual orientation or gender identity. And we will not rest until every man, woman and child is able to live up to his or her potential free from persecution or discrimination of any kind."

3-23-11: Bangalore Mirror (India; posted 3-21): "The Majority of Transsexuals like to be women"

"Apparently, most transsexuals want to identify themselves as women because it gets them more respect in society. “Earlier, they had no qualms calling themselves hijras. Now transgenders, who can afford to, are going in for sex change operations and silicon implants to have some semblance to a woman. Their obvious aim is respectability and the empowerment that comes from being a woman,” explained Prakash Raj, coordinator at Sangama, a NGO that works for sexual minorities . . .

At a time when transgenders are denied vital identity proof documents — driving licence, voter ID card or a ration card — the UID has come to their rescue. It is in no small part due to the attitude of the UID authorities.

“We had issued strict instructions to registration officers at Aadhaar centres in Mysore and Tumkur not to ill-treat transgenders or show unnecessary curiosity. I don’t want to reveal the number of transgenders registered so far,’’ information technology and e-governance principal secretary M N Vidyashankar said. He was also not surprised that the majority of trangenders who enrolled opted for the feminine gender. “It is up to the transgenders to decide their gender. Majority of them wanted to be feminine,” he added."

3-23-11: RNZI (Re French Polynesia): "French Polynesia mayor sentenced for opposing sex change marriage"

"A mayor in French Polynesia has been convicted for abuse of power after he refused to marry a couple because the woman had had a sex change. Thomas Moutame, who is the mayor of Taputapuatea on Raiatea, has been declared ineligible to hold office for a year and fined 5,000 US dollars.

Moutame claimed religious and moral objections to the sex change. In 2007, he refused to officiate despite the couple presenting a document of a tribunal which showed that it recognised that the bride no longer was a man."

3-22-11: Wall Street Journal: "As Little Girls and Boys Grow, They Think Alike"

"The NIMH, as part of a 20-year-old brain-mapping project, has been doing MRI scans of young people's brains, age 9 to 22. By measuring the thickness of the brain's cortex and how it changes over time, scientists have found that boys' and girls' brains, on average, differ significantly at age 9. But by the time the participants reached age 22, the brains of the two sexes grew more alike in many areas critical for learning. In general, most parts of people's brains are fully developed by the age of 25 to 30 . . .

The findings come as education experts debate the best ways to approach gender issues in schools. Aspects of the government research appear to support a push for segregated classrooms of boys and girls, especially at younger ages when their brains are the most different. But other educators and scientists cite other parts of the data to reject the idea of single-sex classrooms . . .

Dr. Eliot cites a neuro-imaging study from last year that showed the female brain has stronger neuronal connections than the male brain in certain areas, and vice versa. But in general, the study found that the male and female brains show more commonality than difference, Dr. Eliot says. The study, which looks at about 1,100 brain scans, was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Giedd of the NIMH says his research also showed there are exceptions. In about 10% of the young people studied, boys' and girls' brains were more similar to the brains of the opposite sex than to others' of the same sex."

3-22-11: New York Daily News: "Transgendered people sue city over excessive requirements for birth certificate sex change " (more, more, more, more)

"The city is facing lawsuits from transgendered people over the hurdles they face in changing their sex on birth certificates. The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund is challenging the Health Department's requirement for proof of a sex-reassignment procedure.

"No laws have to be changed," said Noah Lewis, an attorney for the group. "All the city has to do is treat transgender people like everyone else and go by the medical documents they provide". . .

"Although we understand the concerns raised by the petitioners in the lawsuit, the Board of Health should not change its requirements without assurances that the amended certificate cannot be misused," said Gabriel Taussig, a lawyer for the city."

3-22-11: TDLEF: "TLDEF Files Lawsuit Against New York City Over Refusal to Correct Transgender Birth Certificates" [Link to PDF of filed lawsuit]

"TLDEF announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the City of New York and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene challenging the city's practice of requiring transgender people to undergo surgery before it will issue them birth certificates with corrected sex designations. This is the first lawsuit to challenge a surgical requirement for correcting whether someone is classified as "male" or "female" on a birth certificate. It alleges that the city's surgical requirement is arbitrary, and that it subjects transgender people to harassment and discrimination in violation of the New York City Human Rights Law."

3-22-11: The Sun (UK): "Transgender singer's a web hit"

"A transgender Thailand's Got Talent contestant has become an internet hit after revealing she was really a he halfway through an audition. Brunette beauty Nantita Khumpiramon wowed the judges and audience on the

Thai version of Britain's Got Talent with her stunning voice. But after captivating the crowd, Nantita dropped to her male voice - causing the show's hosts to explode into giggles. After tricking everyone to thinking he was a girl, Nantita finished the rest of Thai power ballad Unlovable with a deep manly voice."

[British tabloids often refer to transgender women as 'he' and as 'men'. To better visualize what happened, see the original Thai news story.]

3-21-11: Change.org: "PA Transit Company SEPTA Silences Debate on Gender Identity Discrimination"

"In January, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) greeted the New Year with a special resolution. The company will continue its discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming passengers for up to three more years by refusing to remove gender stickers from its monthly passes. Please kindly bear with the humiliation, expense and possible threat to your person while SEPTA makes its upgrades.

All of SEPTA’s monthly passes, including, ironically, the “transpass,” must have an “M” or an “F” sticker denoting the bearer’s gender identity. Somehow, the sticker policy is supposed to keep people from sharing passes . . .

Philadelphia now has the dubious honor of being the only major metropolitan area in the U.S. that forces monthly pass holders to pass a gender test before entering the bus, trolley or train. Anyone who doesn’t present their gender according to a driver’s worldview cannot use their monthly pass. They can even have their expensive pass confiscated."

3-20-11: Al-Masry Al-Youm (Egypt): "Authorities deny Arab transsexuals access to Egypt"

"Cairo airport authorities denied two Arab post-operative transgender passengers access to Egypt on Sunday. Eyewitnesses said a state of confusion prevailed at the airport when customs officials discovered a male passenger and a female passenger both carrying passports stating their previous genders.

Officials noticed a 22-year-old passenger of "outstanding beauty" embarking from a plane coming from the Jordanian capital Amman, holding a passport under the name Ahmed. The passenger said she had undergone a gender reassignment operation and become a female six weeks ago, but hadn’t yet been able to modify her passport data. Arriving on the same plane, a 19-year-old male passenger held a passport with the female name Israa. He said he had undergone surgery to became male, but also wasn’t able to update his passport.

The passengers were then examined, and their accounts proved to be correct. However, customs authorities banned them from entering Egypt and put them on the same plane back to Jordan."

3-20-11: Bangkok Post (Thailand): "Army renames transgender conscripts”
“Transgender army recruits won't have their feelings hurt in the coming conscription season . . . Instead of their sexuality being called a "psychological abnormality" or a "gender identity disorder", they will simply be referred to as "Type 2" or "Type 3" . . . Type 2 refers to men who have undergone breast augmentation, while Type 3 comprises people who have had a full sex change.

The army had proposed replacing the term "psychological abnormality" with "gender identity disorder" but had a rethink after fierce criticisms from human rights groups, who were opposed to any term that suggests abnormality . . . He said the main purpose of the amendment is to correct the part of the law that states transgender people are exempt from conscription because they are considered psychologically abnormal."

3-19-11: Montreal Gazette (Canada): "The Debate over Diagnosis”, By Donna Nebenzahl

“Expected to be published in May 2013, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) - the bible of the American Psychiatric Association - has created a firestorm of controversy in its suggested treatment of individuals who have gender identity issues.

According to the manual, an individual questioning gender identity and meeting certain criteria suffers from gender identity disorder, which is therefore considered a mental disorder. And the new edition, whose revisions have been in the works for more than a decade, is likely to once again disappoint the vocal community that has been arguing for years that being transgendered is not a mental illness . . .

Many medical practitioners and activists argue that the inclusion of gender identity disorder, even in its likely DSM-5 configuration as gender incongruence, "pathologizes a normal variant of human sexuality," as Fordham University researcher Sarah Kamens wrote recently in the magazine of the Society for Humanistic Psychology. "In the DSM that's currently in use, it's classified the same way homosexuality was 30 years ago," says Dr. Shuvo Ghosh, who treats children with gender identity issues at the Montreal Children's Hospital.

"The diagnosis stigmatizes trans people; it makes it look like they're mentally ill, and they're not," says Françoise Susset, psychologist and president-elect of the Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health. "Many of the people I see are very high functioning and have no mental illness whatsoever.""

3-19-11: Queerty (re Brazil, posted 3-16): "2 Trans Murders Rock Brazil: Priscila + Val Executed In The Streets" (more, YouTube)

"Priscila, a 22-year old trans woman in Brazil (born Gustavo Brandão Aguilar), was captured on surveillance camera being shot seven times, execution style, earlier this month. It is -- and I do not write this lightly, or with malice -- to be expected in a country where a LGBT person is slain every other day. After shooting her, the suspects fled in a car. Police do not appear to have any significant leads. Her killing was followed, 20 hours later, by the murder of Valdecir. She was shot in the head and neck. THIS IS WHAT INTOLERANCE LOOKS LIKE" (Caution: graphic images)

[AllOut Petition/Priscila: Help Stop LGBT murders in Brazil!]

3-19-11: Metro Weekly: "Maryland Transgender Activist Exonerated of All Ethics Charges, Seeks Apology from Montgomery County"

"“In the fall of 2008, Jacobs filed a complaint with the Montgomery County Ethics Commission against Beyer, claiming that (Dana) Beyer had disrupted the group's efforts to collect signatures at a grocery store in February . . .

The Montgomery County Ethics Commission announced on March 8, 2011 that they have exonerated Beyer of all charges . . .

While Beyer feels vindicated by the dropped charges, she says an apology from the Ethics Commission is necessary . . .

"The main problem which has not been resolved to any degree whatsoever, is that the Ethics Commission did not perform an investigation. They did not perform due diligence before they chose to charge me. And to the best of my knowledge I'm the first council staffer ever charged with an ethics violation," she said.

"I believe, and I will prove this in court if the opportunity ever rises, that this was a politically motivated attack on me because of my trans-history ... and that it was all done for the specific reason of damaging my political career and that of my boss [who] hired me.""

3-18-11: lastofthecleanbohemians (UK; posted 3-16): "For the love of Channel 4…", by Paris Lees

"Accuracy. Dignity. Respect. Three journalistic principles which should be upheld in all forms of media production. You’re not meant to mock people because they’re different, and it’s rather poor form to report inaccurate facts and figures. It’s illegal. As ascending human rights lawyer David Allen Green notes, the invasion of trans people’s lives is more than simply a trans issue: it is a human issue. If a person has an operation on a part of their body, then that is a private matter between them and their health professional – not a news story.

I feel like a broken record saying this sometimes. I mean it’s simple huh? We don’t go around discussing other people’s genitals do we? You’d never catch me doing that, not even to make a political point through allegory.

Campaign groups from around the world have contacted TMW with messages of support telling us we are a model for their own activism. Our method is to work with and not fight the media. I asked Christine Burns at the MoU launch if she shared my feeling that something momentous was taking place. She should know. She agreed it was zeitgeisty; there was electricity in the air."

[Insightful commentary on these important events!]

3-18-11: Feministing (re UK, posted 3-16): "UK’s Channel 4 signs agreement to improve coverage of transgender issues" (more, more, more, more, more, more)

"I think this is pretty freaking great. At an event on Monday Channel 4, one of the UK’s major broadcast networks, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Trans Media Watch to cover transgender issues responsibly and respectfully. The UK-based organization provides guidance for media organizations and trans folks who are thinking about engaging with the media. The MOU, which you can download from their website, focuses on four key areas:
•Eliminating transphobia in the media.
•Ending the provision of misinformation about transgender issues in the media.
•Increasing positive, well-informed representations of transgender people in the media.
•Ensuring that transgender people working in or with the media are treated with the same respect as non-transgender people in equivalent positions.
While Channel 4 is the first network to sign the MOU, the BBC has suggested they intend to sign on as well, and Trans Media Watch says ITV is also considering signing the MOU. The document was developed after the organization released research showing trans folks experienced media portrayals as overwhelmingly negative and linked to experiences of harassment."

[Please spread this important story widely as a information alert to all your contacts in media circles.]

3-18-11: Facebook Group: "Trans Media Watch" (See also TMW's YouTube Channel)

"Trans Media Watch is a campaigning organisation which aims to ensure that trans people are treated with accuracy, dignity and respect by media organisatons in the UK. The purpose of this group is to collect information about instances of transphobia in the media, and to provide information about the work of Trans Media Watch. We welcome help in identifying problems and working toward solutions."

[Trans Media Watch in the UK has just had a stunning success with their Memorandum of Understanding and other important reports. Please join and support this group and bring their work to all your media contacts; we need a branch in the U.S. too!]

3-18-11: Trans Media Watch (UK): "Memorandum of Understanding"; "Style Guide"; "How Transgender People Experience the Media"

[These reports are triggering a huge shift in media awareness of and representation of trans people in the UK.]

3-18-11: Just Plain Sense (UK, posted 3-17): "Trans Media Watch Memorandum of Understanding", Podcast by Christine Burns

"On the evening of Monday 14th March 2011 the organisation Trans Media Watch collaborated with Channel 4 TV to launch a new Memorandum of Understanding to an audience of media people, politicians and trans people. The goal of the memorandum is to help eliminate discrimination relating to trans people in all media by setting out goals that all the parties can aspire towards. Channel 4 were the first organisation to subscribe to the principles.

The MOU doesn't call for censorship but aims instead to give media organisations the tools they need to address endemic problems. Trans Media Watch say they are guided by the basic principle that we wish to see transgender people and issues treated with accuracy, dignity and respect.

We were there to capture the atmosphere of the event, including speeches by the Junior Minister for Equalities, Lynne Featherstone MP, Stuart Cosgrove from Channel 4 and reactions from the audience."

3-18-11: Pink News (UK, posted 3-15): "Channel 4 signs agreement to treat transgender issues sensitively"

"Channel 4 has signed an agreement to treat transgender issues sensitively and accurately. The broadcaster is the first media outlet to sign Trans Media Watch’s Memorandum of Understanding.

The document calls on the media to use the correct definitions for trans people, to work to eradicate transphobia and ensure that positive and realistic depictions of trans people are shown. It also asks the media to help end misinformation and ensure that trans employees are treated with the same respect given to non-trans people in the same positions."

3-16-11: Global Post (Thailand): "Thai transgender talent show shocker = YouTube gold: Thailand's Got Talent contestant steals show with a startling "remix"" (more)

"This is why humanity created YouTube. The new show "Thailand's Got Talent" -- can guess the premise? -- may have found its first break-out contestant. You'll see that singer Bell Nuntita easily wins over the crowd with her rendition of a typically sappy Thai pop tune. Then, to the crowd's amazement, she suddenly switches up her pipes and begins singing like a dude. (The switch-up happens at the 1:04 mark.)

It seems Bell was born male but has transitioned into an extremely convincing female. The odd dissonance of hearing Bell croon like a guy gets squeals from the audience. By the song's end, they're going nuts"

3-18-11: Express Buzz (India): "Seminar tells tale of transgenders’ affection "

"The seminar organised by students of the department of social work on the theme ‘Transgender- the forgotten gender” at the D G Vaishnav College on Thursday, was an eye-opener in more ways than one.

Priya Babu, writer-activist and president of the Tamil Nadu Aravanigal Association, spoke at length about the family structure prevalent within the transgender community. She said, “Once people become transgenders, they are cut off from the society. It is the transgender community which welcomes them into its fold, with a transgender from the community taking on the role of a mother to the new entrant, thus establishing a mother-daughter relationship between two persons”."

3-16-11: Reuters (re Honduras): "Slideshow: Transgender torment"

"Transvestite ('travesti') Tiffany, 19, shows a scar of a knife attack in Tegucigalpa March 10, 2011. According to leaders of LGBT organizations (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders), 34 people have been murdered in the last 18 months. The U.S. embassy and United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) have requested the government to investigate the murders and safeguard the rights of the LGBT community, local media reported."

3-15-11: Wordpress.com (posted 1-11): "The “Transsexual” Delusion”, by Dale O’Leary, Catholic Medical Association (more religious-based transbashing)

It is impossible, however, to transition from one sex to the other. The only transition possible for a person who believes that he or she is “transsexual” is from a whole person to a person with a mutilated body . . . Since there is no scientific evidence to back up the belief a person’s body can be one sex and their brain the other, transsexuality may be characterized as a delusion . . .

The transsexual delusion (TD) leads to sexual identity dysphoria – a profound unhappiness with the biological reality . . . They can become angry to the point of narcissistic rage when their delusion is challenged, as illustrated by the vicious attacks by surgically altered men on J. Michael Bailey, author of The Man Who Would Be Queen . . .

Anne Lawrence, a post-surgery autogynephile, described autogynephiles as “men trapped in men’s bodies” . . . The desire to be the other sex is a symptom of one of several mental disorders and should be treated as such, because according to Dr. Paul McHugh — who oversaw the termination of the transsexual surgical program at his hospital — notes, providing surgery is “collaborating with madness rather than trying to study, cure, and ultimately prevent it.”"

[Seems that Dale O'Leary, J. Michael Bailey, Alice Dreger, Anne Lawrence and Paul McHugh just can't give it up - and are intent on continuing their outrageously transphobic teachings to the bitter end.]

3-15-11: The Bilerico Project (posted 3-14): "Like a Virgin, Post-SRS?", Filed by: Drew Cordes

"My sex reassignment surgery is two months away, and as you might expect, I have a lot of things on my mind. Most of them I'm trying not to think about: complications, pain, infection, how much sensation I'll have, my insurance pulling a 180 and deciding not to reimburse me....

There is one aspect of this that positively tickles my brain, however. Essentially, I'm going to be a virgin again. I get another shot at my first time."

3-15-11: The Stir/Cafe Mom (posted 3-07): "Mom of Transgender Daughter Shares Big Secret to Making It Work"

"First it was parents who accepted their gay children who were shunned by society. Now parents trying to keep life as normal as possible for their transgender children are being called "crazy" ... and worse. But America, the fact is transgender kids are here. Their parents don't need criticism. They need support.

Although exact statistics on how many are slim (in 2002, it was estimated male-to-female transsexualism in the United States was in the range of 1 in 500 to 1 in 2,500; female-to-male stats are even less specific), for every child questioning their gender, there's a parent or two trying to be the best parent they can be.

So The Stir turned to Cris Beam, a mom to a (now adult) gender-variant daughter who she began fostering when the teen had nowhere else to go. Beam spent years working with transgender teens in New York City and is now author of a new young adult novel, I Am J, about a female-to-male transitioning teen. We asked her to share what she's learned being a mom to a trans teen and living in a home with a partner who has transitioned too."

3-15-11: The Stir/Cafe Mom (posted 3-02): "Crazy Mom Lets 7-Year-Old Son Become a Girl (VIDEO)"

"What if your 7-year-old son liked to wear sequined dresses, preferred to play with Barbies instead of WWE action figures, and wanted to be referred to by a girl’s name instead of a boy’s? Where would you stand? How would you feel?

Lisa Ling's new show, Our America, on the Oprah Winfrey Network, introduced the country to a first grader in "Transgender Child: A Parent's Difficult Choice." His parents named him Harry. But when Harry was 5, he decided he wanted to be called Hailey because he felt more like a girl than a boy. His mom and dad, not knowing quite what to do, indulged his request.

Now the child has completely taken on the identity of a little girl. And his parents, a conservative Christian couple who may have had some preexisting notions about what’s right and wrong from a Biblical perspective, were challenged to rethink everything they believed about gender and sexuality for the love of their baby, their second son turned their only daughter."

[This article is critical of Haley's parents, but it includes an excellent video interview with her parents that subverts that criticism.]

3-15-11: The Daily Mail (UK): "I was living a lie: The 16st bodybuilding father who is now a glamorous FEMALE model" (includes excellent video interview)

"Transgender Chrisie Edkins, 31, had spent hours in the gym - bulking up to 16stone - in an attempt to convince himself he was a typical alpha male. But in private, Chris, who is 6ft, had been dressing as a woman for years - and in 2003, bravely decided to go public with his new identity and become Chrisie.
A full-time carer to her daughter Chloe, nine, Chrisie has faced a backlash from outraged neighbours and even been physically assaulted after announcing she was going to live as a woman. But Ms Edkins, from Southampton, is adamant that being a woman doesn't stop her from being a good father. She said: 'My daughter is amazingly understanding of my new life as a woman. She's only nine but she's so mature for her age - more so than most adults."

3-15-11: Holy Moly: ""Liv Tyler mistaken for a transsexual at New York party, takes it well"

"We're not sure whether any of you out there have had your gender questioned, but we can imagine it would be pretty upsetting. Yeah, that's right, imagine . . . Anyway, it's time to tell you a story all about how Liv Tyler's life got flipped upside down. It was at the Ace Hotel in Neu Yoiyk, where she had been celebrating the Target and Opening Ceremony party recently. She went outside for a cigarette, and a gentleman followed her out, intrigued at why a man would have such long hair . . . :

"Oh my GOD, you are beautiful," the partygoer told Tyler when she stepped outside for a cigarette. After she politely thanked him, he went on: "You're not a man! I TOTALLY thought you were a man! You look like a transsexual." Tyler looked a little confused. "I look like a tranny?" she asked. "Yes, a transsexual from Dubai!" he replied. "Wow," Tyler said. "I'll take it!"

So there you have it. Apparently even Liv Tyler looks like a transsexual in the right light . . . " (see two photos)

3-14-11: Denver Post: "Church's transgender pastor grateful for life "beyond my wildest dreams"
Pastor Malcolm Himschoot leads the Parker United Church of Christ congregation in prayer during his installation ceremony Sunday in Parker. "We picked him because he was the best fit for our church. We didn't pick him specifically because he's transgendered. He's new. We could afford him. It's his first church. It's a great opportunity for all of us," said Karen Kepner, church deacon. (Photos by AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post )Rev. Malcolm Himschoot knows about profound transformation.

Born female, Himschoot chose as a young adult to become male, despite fears he would be lonely, unemployable and cast aside by other Christians. He made the decision, when 21, that he wouldn't take his own life. To Himschoot, living meant making a leap of faith into gender transition.
He is now the married father of 3-year-old twins and the new pastor of a mainline, albeit liberal, Protestant church in Douglas County. "I have a life beyond my wildest dreams," the 33-year-old Himschoot said."

3-14-11: TS Roadmap.com: "Close the CAMH Gender Identity Clinic", by Andrea James

"Quebec is leading the way in Canada for transgender youth as experts move away from "gender clinic" model . . . Quebec helps ten times more transgender clients in year after ditching harsh "gender clinic" policies."

[These events in Quebec are a dramatic turnaround from past practice there, and amount to a total repudiation of Zucker's trans-reparatist methods at CAMH for "curing" gender variant children.]

3-13-11: The Montreal Gazette (Canada; posted 3-12): "Gender identity crisis", by Donna Nebenzahl (more, more)

"They are transgendered youth, all in their 20s now, from different backgrounds but with stories that are similar: moments of childhood clarity when you realize that you're not who you appear to be turning into an aching discomfort often leading to despair . . .

Counsellors and doctors in Montreal have been seeing a steady increase over the last five years in the number of young people seeking advocacy groups, hormone therapy and finally surgery for male-to-female (MTF) or female-to-male (FTM) changes. That increase is attributed in part to greater awareness and support within the community, and the fact that fewer people need to leave the province for sex reassignment surgery.

While some professionals continue to see gender identity issues as psychological, ongoing research is moving toward the hypothesis of biological changes that take place in the womb rather than environmental influences . . .

Dr. Shuvo Ghosh is seeing an increasing number of children between the ages of 3 and 18 who are exhibiting what the professionals call "gender identity issues." They are brought to Ghosh, a developmental behavioural pediatrician at the Montreal Children's Hospital, by parents worried because their children prefer the activity normally seen with the opposite gender - little boys who love Barbies, little girls who want to play boys' games. "It's more typical to see 5-to 7-year olds, and what prompts them to come to see me is the parents feel there's something wrong," he says . . .
In order to give some children time to reflect, with the family's support and depending on how much the condition is impacting the child, the first medical step is hormone blocking drugs that will slow down the changes in the body that signal puberty . . . "

[This major story out of Canada reveals that the Province of Quebec has been openly but quietly providing supportive treatment for transgender children at several clinics there - in great contrast to Zucker's reparatist pathologization of such children at CAMH in Ontario.]

3-14-11: Czech Position (Czechoslovakia): "Boys (who once were girls) don’t cry"

"Mike Perry’s autobiographical novel, somewhat curiously titled “Klec pro majáky” (A Cage for Beacons), is the first Czech-language account of a person’s transformation from being a woman to being a man. The author, formerly known as Ivana, underwent sex reassignment surgery in his early 50s, fulfilling a lifelong wish; the book’s title is a metaphor for Perry’s life experience . . .

“A number of people have asked me, ‘If you liked women, why didn’t you go find a woman rather than undergoing these complicated operations?’” he says. “But the difference is that I felt like a man — and desired women in the way that a man would. And the thought that I could go out and find a woman in my present physical shape wasn’t satisfying because I wanted to be the male in the relationship”. . .
Perry’s intimate account of his unusual experience is available at bookstores across the Czech Republic, as well as online."

3-13-11: Sify News (India): “Two celebrity transgenders aspire to contest in TN polls” (more)

"Chennai: It will certainly be a rarity in Indian elections if two celebrity transgenders are given seats by their respective parties to contest in the April 13 Tamil Nadu assembly elections and they manage to beat their opponents. Kalki Subramanian and Rose Venkatesan are in the opposite political camps with the former a DMK party aspirant and the latter hoping for a DMDK ticket.

Their camps may be different but their goals remain one -- to work for bringing the transgender community into the mainstream and provide them a decent livelihood with suitable vocational training. 'Political representation is the best route for the welfare of minority communities like transgenders,' Rose told IANS when asked about the reason for such political aspirations."

3-12-10: The Weekly Standard: "Lower Education: Sex toys and academic freedom at Northwestern" by Joseph Epstein

"Because a subject exists in the world doesn’t mean that universities have to take it up, no matter how edgy it may seem. Let books be written about it, let research be done upon it, if the money to support it can be found, but the nature and quality and even the sociology of sexual conduct—all material available elsewhere in more than plentitude for the truly interested—does not cry out for classroom study. Students don’t need universities to learn about varying tastes in sex, or about the mechanics of human sexuality. They don’t need it because, first, epistemologically, human sexuality isn’t a body of knowledge upon which there is sufficient agreement to constitute reliable conclusions, for nearly everything on the subject is still in the flux of theorizing and speculation; and because, second, given the nature of the subject, it tends to be, as the Bailey case shows, exploitative, coarsening, demeaning, and squalid.

Difficult to understand how an expert in the field such as Professor Bailey missed the obvious analogy, but in the demonstration he arranged for his students the poor woman is little better than a prostitute, the students pathetic johns-voyeurs, and he himself, quite simply, the pimp. A curious role for a university teacher to play, but I guess it’s a living."

3-12-11: Facebook: "Transgender - Time to change" ... or falsely shouting fire in a crowded theatre?" by Sarah Lake

"Some thoughts on a proposed meeting of the 'Royal College of Psychiatrists' involving among others busybodies Julie Bindel [yawn] and Az Hakeem . . .

According to Hakeem: 'There is a long tradition of attempting to understand the trans-sexual condition at the Portman Clinic'. Apart from the rather obvious questions: Why? What business is any trans individual's experience of theirs? I'd suggest they are no closer to whatever understanding it is that they imagine they need than when they started. How could they be? Given the psychoanalytic approach which Hakeem promotes, they never will be. Is it necessary to know why somebody is gay or black or left-handed before you can agree to leave them alone to get on with their life in the same way as anybody else? . . .

Perhaps there should be a conference to debate whether it's not time for Az Hakeem and Julie Bindel to change and whether they actually have the right to make any autonomous decisions or indeed even exist in the way they imagine they do . . .

Frankly I'm beginning to see this as a freedom of speech issue exactly analogous to Oliver Wendell Holmes's example of the man who falsely shouts fire in a crowded theatre ... serving no demonstrably useful purpose and detrimental to the sense of wellbeing of many already vulnerable and marginalised individuals. "

[Julie Bindel, a notoriously transphobic lesbian in the UK, is apparently trying to revise her image in an event she is holding with folks from the Tavistock & Portman Clinic (a clinic similar to CAMH that is also apparently trying to revise their image). Sarah Lake in the UK has just commented on all this, and in the process has penned insightful thoughts that are worth very wide quoting.]

3-11-11: Pink News (UK): "Interview: Genderqueer performer CN Lester"

"Genderqueer performer CN Lester, who identifies as neither male nor female, talks to Paris Lees about sexual harassment, operatic androgyny and a mutual fear of going blind.

"Well I’m really excited, and so is everyone in the company as we all feel very strongly about how trans history has been suppressed. Rebecca and I started our academic careers writing about it and the more the others get to know me the more they see how the day to day discrimination is so affected by media issues – and they’re fucking furious about it. Being able to participate in something which is so groundbreaking – the fact that people will be signing up to this memorandum – I’m just ecstatic.

Obviously, things won’t change overnight, but it’s such a huge step forward. We hope to present a more historical perspective, to say that actually trans issues are not recent phenomena: transgenderism is not some affliction of the modern age, but just a basic human trait. People think classical music is really straight-laced and is just for white, straight, cis people but it never has been, it’s always been full of people that society marginalises and pretends don’t exist, but there we are, centre stage, to spread that message.""

3-10-11: The Times Higher Education (UK): "The week in higher education" (includes a great cartoon)

"An academic faces an investigation over his decision to stage a live sex show for students involving a sex toy called a "fucksaw". John Bailey, who teaches a popular human sexuality course at Northwestern University in the US, held an after-class event for students with a 25-year-old woman volunteer and her 45-year-old fiancé. According to reports on 3 March, the woman, who is not a student, was "repeatedly stimulated by a motorized sex toy called a 'fucksaw' on stage". In a statement explaining the session, Professor Bailey says he agreed to stage the demonstration when the volunteers suggested it because he "did not wish, and do not wish, to surrender to sex negativity and fear". In a statement, Northwestern president Morton Schapiro says he is "troubled and disappointed by what occurred". He says: "I have directed that we investigate fully the specifics of this incident, and also clarify what constitutes appropriate pedagogy, both in this instance and in the future.""

[It's interesting to observe that J. Michael Bailey shifted his name to "John Michael Bailey" as reports spread about his 'fucksaw' demonstration, and that some media now shorten it to "John Bailey". As a result, many googlers won't realize he's the same Northwestern prof who advocates homosexual eugenics, denies the existence of bisexuality and wrote a notoriously transphobic book.]

3-09-11: Gawker: "There Is a Worldwide Fucksaw Shortage"

"Alert: It is now virtually impossible to buy a fucksaw. I know; I know. JT's Stockroom, which is apparently the world's leading and perhaps only supplier of genuine fucksaws ("You hold it like a gun, and drill into the ass or vagina with powerful and steady force"), is completely sold out: "Due to high demand, this item is temporarily unavailable. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please check back soon!"

We sure will. It seems that something has triggered unusually high demand for fucksaws recently."

[Given the dramatic escalation in fuchsaw use, we're likely to see greatly increased incidence of events such as this one back in 2009: "Woman Injured In Sex Toy Mishap". I.e., uninformed people will stick dildos onto reciprocating saw blades leading to terrible injuries as they rip apart, especially since the "real" attachments are now hard to get.]

3-09-11: The Guardian (UK): "'I knew the process was going to be slow. I wasn't wrong'", by Juliet Jacques (In the series "A transgender journey")

"The journey to gender reassignment has felt like an endurance test, more so than necessary to prove my 'commitment' . . . It eventually took fifteen months to receive my prescription (for hormones), and in light of this, I don't find it too surprising that some ignore GIC guidelines and chance on buying medication online. Remaining within the approved services, it is possible to mix NHS and private treatment – often by going abroad for surgery – thus bypassing some of the waits. Transsexual people can also speed up hormone therapy by paying to see private clinicians on a one-off basis for a blood test and prescription, without prejudicing their path through the NHS services: if I'd realised how just long it would take, I might have made the outlay."

3-09-11: News OK: "Oklahoma House rejects measure to change birth certificates for transgendered"

"The House sent a clear message Tuesday it didn't like the idea that people getting sex-change operations could have their birth certificates changed to reflect the new gender. The House of Representatives rejected House Bill 1397 by a vote of 71-23 . . .

Cox said in an interview that the change would help those who had sex-change operations and must produce a birth certificate to get a driver's license or a passport or in some cases in job interviews. “It should reflect their present status,” he said. Cox said he was surprised by the large opposition."

[A sad reflection of the effects of long-term religious-based demonization in this bible-belt state. For some historical background, see this news article in the Oklahoman & Times from 1977, about "Sex Change Surgery Banned at Baptist" Hospital (cont.) ]

3-09-11: BBC News (UK re Israel): "Dana International to represent Israel at Eurovision again" (with video, more, more, more)
"Israel's transgender pop diva, Dana International, has been selected to represent the country at this year's Eurovision Song Contest, with a Hebrew-English song titled Ding Dong. The flamboyant singer, who was known as Yaron Cohen before a sex change operation near two decades ago, famously won the contest in 1998 with the song Diva. This year's Eurovision Song Contest will take place in May in Dusseldorf, Germany"

3-09-11: AFP re South Africa): "Sports sex test overhaul urged after Semenya case"

"The use of genetics in sports to test the gender of athletes must be revisited in the wake of the controversial case of South African champion runner Caster Semenya, an expert said on Wednesday. "In the Caster case, everything went wrong from the beginning," University of Cape Town academic Ambroise Wonkam said at a conference of African societies of human genetics . . .

"The number of genetic abnormalities and their complexity... make this policy of gender testing, at least using genetics, inadequate and the revision is totally long overdue if not stopped," Wonkam said . . . "It's not just a medical or scientific issue," said Wonkam. "It's also a legal, a social, a psychological and a functional issue that is not totally solved in some cases. Becaues of the variables, because we don't know how to interpret them.""

3-09-11: The Republic: "NYC apologizes to transgender couple over snub"

"A transgender couple has received an apology from a New York City clerk's office for being snubbed when they tried to get a marriage license. The incident occurred in 2009 at the city's clerk office in the Bronx.

The New York Post reports that city Clerk Michael McSweeney send a letter to Jalea Lamont and her transgender partner, LaShawn Peterson, apologizing for the embarrassment and inconvenience the incident caused them. The two have been together for 14 years. According to legal documents, they were told they couldn't get a marriage license unless they presented birth certificates. State law requires only a valid government-issued identification."

3-09-11: The Stanford Daily: "The Transitive Property: Epiphanies", By Cristopher Bautista

"I went through a huge life realization this past week. Maybe it’s because I’m a senior, and it’s about time I made big life realizations or else I’d be a bit screwed. Or maybe it’s because of this column, which has made me really think about my life. Or maybe it was because this past week was Transgender Awareness Week, where I met so many big figures in the transgender rights movement, and I thought about my own role in the trans community and what I can do for a movement that’s 30 years behind the LGB movement."

3-08-11: Rune Mirror (India): "Trans-cending borders of beauty"

"Pune gets it’s first beauty salon exclusively for transgenders in Budhwar Peth, where community members will be trained too. The ‘Purple Lotus Beauty Salon and Training Academy’ was inaugurated on Monday afternoon at the Rameshwar Market in Budhwar Peth, in it’s own unique style. The USP? It will dole out beauty treatments to transgenders! This is the first beauty treatment centre run exclusively for transgenders in and around the city.

By the appearance of things, this unique facility will give transsexuals not only beauty solutions but also their own free space and mean of livelihood — much more respectful than begging and prostitution . . . They expected to start out with just a few clients — but within a few hours Swapnil, a transgender himself, and his two lady staff members had their hands full."

3-08-11: News3.com: "Transgender Woman Shot & Dragged In Arkansas" (more)

"Investigators with Forrest City, Arkansas Police and the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department, are searching for clues in a brutal murder. Tuesday morning, the body of 25-year-old Marcal Camero Tye was discovered along a stretch of Highway 334. Sheriff Bobby May, "We're going to be, of course, waiting for the lab results, the pathology reports, but it appeared to be that he did have a head wound and also that he had been drug by a car."

May says Tye was wearing female clothing when found, "The victim was well known in this area as a "cross dresser." Tye was a transgender female, born male but lived as a woman."

3-08-11: Chicago Sun-Times: "Northwestern chief: Live sex demonstration doesn’t define school"

"Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro said Monday he believes that “guided by the light of reason” the university community will work through recent controversy over an in-classroom live sex demonstration.

Schapiro’s latest statement, posted at the university’s website, highlighted several recent events more in keeping with the school’s reputation as an academic powerhouse, such as a breakthrough in Alzheimer’s research at the Feinberg School of Medicine and a visit by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to the law school.

“Those activities, and the many other wonderful things that occur each and every day at Northwestern, aren’t likely to attract the same amount of media coverage that the recent incident has,” Schapiro’s statement said. “But they define who we are.” "

3-07-11: Northwestern University Newscenter: "Proud to Wear Purple - President Schapiro's message to the Northwestern community regarding the recent controversy"

"On Saturday at Dance Marathon I got to watch more than a thousand sweaty, happy and very tired students raise nearly a million dollars to benefit the Children's Heart Foundation and the Evanston Community Foundation. I had the honor of speaking to them and pointed out that they personify some of the finest values of our University -- dedication, perseverance and service.

I met Friday with a recent graduate, Samir Mayekar, who just received a prestigious Soros Fellowship, making him the latest of our students to win a highly competitive national scholarship. I also learned of the significant research breakthrough by Jack Kessler, the Davee Professor of Stem Cell Biology, that transforms stem cells into a type of neuron that dies early in Alzheimer's, one of the most horrific diseases of our time . . .

Those activities, and the many other wonderful things that occur each and every day at Northwestern, aren't likely to attract the same amount of media coverage that the recent incident has. But they define who we are."

[One can only imagine the pain President Shapiro has experienced as he watched J. Michael Bailey forever link Northwestern's name with a live "fuck saw" demonstration.]

3-07-11: Gender and Education Association (UK; posted 2-16): "Supporting Transgender Children in the Primary Classroom: A Reflection"

"Regardless of whether a child is known to be transgendered or is not open about their identity, their experience of school is still likely to be improved by curriculum inclusion. This approach could mean other children – and other adults – become more aware of what it is to be transgendered and how it might feel to be subjected to negative attitudes. In turn, this hopefully would lead to a more positive and accepting classroom community, where all children are aware that different people identify their gender differently, and these choices should be celebrated.

If teachers cannot – or will not – explicitly include transgendered identities in their classrooms, curriculae and communities then they will never be able to adequately support transgendered children in developing their gender identity. It is ridiculous to argue that teachers can effectively support transgendered children in this way without first ensuring they are providing a positive and safe space for their children. It is equally absurd to state that a teacher could empathise with such children in order to support their development without challenging the dominant discourse surrounding gender and transgender identities. The implications are clear – teachers must look inwards towards their own attitudes to transgender identities and how these attitudes may affect their practise. Only by doing so are they likely to be able to move forwards in helping transgendered children developing their gender identity."

[An important essay.]

3-06-11: Chicago Sun-Times: "Northwestern will be hearing sex show talk for a long time "

"Two words: Kent State. What comes immediately to mind?

"Shooting, right? “Four dead in O-hi-o.” The National Guard firing at protesters. That photograph of a teenage girl spreading her arms in horror over a lifeless body . . . It doesn’t matter the shootings were 41 years ago, doesn’t matter the school wasn’t responsible. Life isn’t fair, and once your reputation is tarnished, it’s tarnished for a long, long time. Trust me on that one.

I’m not saying that a sex show is the Kent State shootings, nor that as the decades unfold, the word “Northwestern” will automatically draw a bleat of . . . of . . . well, I still can’t say it*, which is frustrating. The risk is there, however. Northwestern toils under a perpetual sense of inferiority as it is, and as an alumnus (Class of ’82, hail to purple, hail to white . . .) I can attest to that sense being not entirely unwarranted.

But I also know the school is home to some outstanding professors and diligent students, working like plow horses to master their various fields. Were I advancing nano-technology at NU, or sitting in my carrel preparing my thesis on Old Church Slavonic, I might look at Professor Bailey with not a little resentment. Northwestern just made strides fighting Alzheimer’s, but the news was eclipsed by an unmentionable sex toy."

[*Two words: Northwestern University. What immediately comes to mind? "Fuck saw".]

3-06-11: Chicago Daily Herald: “Classroom sex demo just the latest trouble for NU professor”, by Chuck Goudie

“The show-and-tell that has landed Northwestern University in hot, steamy water really shouldn’t surprise anyone in the administration office. NU President Morton Schapiro must be feigning outrage that one of his professors allowed a motorized sex toy to be used on a naked woman as part of a class demonstration.

Schapiro claimed to be “troubled and disappointed” that Professor J. Michael Bailey arranged a live sex show for about 100 students in Bailey’s human sexuality class. Notice that the university president didn’t say he was surprised by the professor’s behavior, which has resulted in an official Northwestern investigation (although I’m not sure what there is to investigate – Professor Bailey admits and witnesses corroborate what happened.)

No one at NU should be shocked and awed by Professor Bailey’s controversy because Bailey has been in the middle of earlier storms and has previously been under investigation by both the university and state regulators after allegations of questionable “research.”"

3-06-11: The Advocate: "Sex-Toy Prof Sorry — Sort Of "

"Controversial Northwestern University professor J. Michael Bailey has issued an apology over the uproar caused by a sex-toy demonstration for students, but he thinks his critics have not made a convincing case against it . . .

In the past Bailey has aroused controversy with a book he wrote on transgender people, which some observers thought offered a stereotypical portrait of that population; also, some trans people who had shared their stories with Bailey said they had not given permission to publish them. He also has come under fire for his claims that bisexuality does not exist and that it would be morally permissible for prospective parents to choose heterosexuality over homosexuality in their children if science made it possible to do so."

3-06-11: Statesman Journal: "Transgender patient alleges discrimination at Oregon State Hospital - Court case draws federal interest about supervision and care of patients dealing with status as 'outcasts'" (more, more)

"Her stay at Oregon's main mental hospital raises questions about care and supervision provided for a still-evolving, transgender patient. Behind-the-scenes, the unique case is drawing attention from federal investigators, who are in the midst of an ongoing four-year-old investigation of patient care at the Salem psychiatric facility. In another development, a Marion County judge soon will hear conflicting evidence about the quality of care provided for Brewis . . . who bitterly complains about near-constant surveillance.

This story, drawing on hospital records and interviews with Brewis, retraces her harrowing path to the state hospital. It also looks at the crux of the legal controversy. Born in Grants Pass, Brewis was abused, neglected and shuttled in and out of foster homes during a chaotic childhood, according to reports in her hospital file.

Gender confusion emerged when Brewis was in grade school, reports show. "Rebekah describes multiple instances growing up as a child where she did not fit in with her assigned gender," wrote a hospital therapist in one report. "She did not get along with other children and started becoming socially more isolated. Fear, shame and anger deepened with a barrage of insults and bullying Brewis experienced at school.

As a teenager, Brewis repeatedly ran away from school and foster homes. "Frequently she would run away while she was in high school and spend time in the woods crying," the report says. Misery morphed into a cycle of drug abuse, homelessness, suicide attempts, hospitalizations, crime and incarceration. Brewis spent time in Oregon's juvenile corrections system for stealing a car and fleeing from police."

3-06-11: Daily Northwestern (published 2-03): "Profile: Campus sex symbol J. Michael Bailey"

"Since his first introduction into the world of Freudian psychology, Bailey has tried to adhere to more scientific standards, noting that he is "first of all a scientist."

Bailey worked on numerous studies dealing with sexual orientation in the past two decades and is most noted — and most reviled — for his book The Man Who Would Be Queen about male femininity . . Though eight years have passed since the initial brunt of criticism fell upon Bailey, he still hasn't fully recovered . . . Yet Bailey has found ways to move on. He is researching again, looking at nerves in the brain and attempting to spread his truth to students — even if they don't want to hear it — one class at a time . . .

Bailey once again lifts his eyes from his fixed gaze on the table. "I teach the truth — as I understand it," he repeats. "And the truth — as I understand it — sometimes conflicts with people's common, everyday assumptions. That is controversial … but necessary.""

[Published just prior to J. Michael Bailey's recent notoriety-seeking, this article provides insights into his psyche and his need for attention - in which he sees himself as a beleaguered scientist having special access to the "truth".]

[Why doesn't the media ask Bailey whether he has published any scientific journal articles in recent years? Does he have any sponsored research funding these days? Does he do any journal-publishable research, or is he merely teaching Psych 337 as master-of-ceremonies of a sex-sideshow? And if so, how did he become a full-professor at a major research university?]

3-05-11: NBC Chicago: "NU Professor Apologizes for Sex Demo - John Michael Bailey says he's not been convinced by arguments that it was wrong"

"Bailey noted that no laws were broken and was viewed by students of the university and by adults "legally capable of voting, enlisting in the military, and consuming pornography." He charged those averse to the demonstration to explain their argument.

"Those who believe that there was, in fact, a serious problem have had considerable opportunity to explain why: in the numerous media stories on the controversy, or in their various correspondences with me. But they have failed to do so. Saying that the demonstration "crossed the line," "went too far," "was inappropriate," or "was troubling" convey disapproval but do not illuminate reasoning. If I were grading the argument I have seen against what occurred, most would earn an "F." Offense and anger are not arguments. But I remain open to hearing and reading good arguments.""

[Bailey taunts the NU Administration by publishing a faux apology]

3-05-11: Northwestern University Psychology Department: J. Michael Bailey statement.

"There are real, important issues here, including optimal limits on academic freedom, the effect of sexual attitudes on education, and sexual rights and responsibilities, among others. A great university, such as Northwestern University, should be a place where people are not only free, but encouraged, to debate our most contentious issues. These include, apparently, the issues raised by the February 21st demonstration.

I am working with undergraduate students to arrange an event that includes high--level discussion and debate about the February 21st demonstration and the issues it has raised. I invite President Schapiro to work with us to help ensure that this event is as intellectually valuable as it should be."

[Bailey further taunts the NU Administration by scheduling a media-spectacle to defend his 'fucksaw' demonstration as an exercise in academic freedom.]

3-05-11: Daily Northwestern: ""Morty to dancers: “This is the Northwestern that makes us proud"

“This is what the media should see,” President Morton Schapiro said, referring to the recent media outbreak over Prof. J. Michael Bailey’s sex toy demonstration. “This is the Northwestern that makes us proud.”

He expressed his gratitude for students’ support, saying “I just want to say that students of NU inspire me every day . . . ” By the end of the speech the crowd was chanting Morty’s name . . . ""

[ The Daily NU spears President Shapiro, by framing the "this" (that the media should see) as if it were a reference to the media coverage of the Bailey (as if such media coverage were great PR). What readers miss is the gesture he made with his hands to refer to the crowded event instead. In that false context, "gratitude for students' support" appears to be gratitude for support of Bailey.]

3-05-11: The New York Times: "The Transition to My Real Self", by Brittany Lynn Roche

"Brittany Lynn Roche, 50, a cartographer, had sex-change surgery in December. She has found kind, though incomplete, acceptance in her workplace . . . "I’m transsexual. I was born male but knew from an early age that I was different. I’ve always felt like a female. In 2008, I started living as a woman in my personal life, and the next year I started going to work as a woman. It’s been a sea change both for me and for my colleagues, some of whom knew me for more than 23 years as a man."

3-04-11: The Northwestern Chronicle: "Amid Sex Toy Controversy, Bailey Invites Students to Drag Show"

"Professor John Michael Bailey invited the students of his Human Sexuality course to “Hydrag Revue” at the Hydrate Nightclub. Hydrate is billed as “Chicago’s Premier Gay Night Club” on their website. A call to Hydrate revealed that this is not a strip show, but a “female impersonation” dance exhibition."

[Providing opportunities for further media interviews and for generating further notoriety.]

3-04-11: Jezebel.com: Higher Education: Professor Fucksaw: “The Storied Past Of Northwestern’s Sex Professor", by Anna North (more)

Northwestern prof J. Michael Bailey drew fire this week for treating students to a live demonstration of a "fucksaw."

But that little how-to wasn't Bailey's first brush with infamy. As The Daily Beast pointed out, his 2003 book The Man Who Would Be Queen drew criticism for its assertion that being transgender was often a sexual fetish rather than a true gender identification. His notoriety faded somewhat in the interim, but a 2003 profile in the Chronicle of Higher Education yields up some pretty bizarre tidbits. Here's Chronicle writer Robin Wilson's precis of Bailey's theory on trans women . . . (see article) . . .

So basically, trans women don't actually have female gender identity — in Wilson's words, they "are either extremely gay or are sexual fetishists." Bailey knew this might piss people off, but he didn't care . . .

Interestingly, Bailey also made headlines in 2005, when he was the lead author on a study measuring men's physical arousal in response to images of men and women. The study made it to the Times, which described its findings thus: "The psychologists found that men who identified themselves as bisexual were in fact exclusively aroused by either one sex or the other, usually by other men." The headline: "Straight, Gay or Lying? Bisexuality Revisited." In fact, "lying" appears to be something of a theme for Bailey. "

3-04-11: Now In Gay Chicago: "Controversial NU sex researcher back in hot water", by Matt Simonette

"A Northwestern University professor whose research on human sexuality ignited controversy in the LGBT community has come under fire from university officials for including a live sex demonstration as part of an after-class lecture. John Michael Bailey’s course in human sexuality included an optional demonstration of a sex toy that he referred to as “The Fucksaw" . . . Morton Schapiro, president of the university, released a statement March 3 condemning the event . . .
Bailey’s research into male sexuality has also sparked controversy. In 2005, he attempted to recruit gay men and lesbians for a study that would utilize home movies from their childhood. Campus LGBT organizations, as well as others in the community, urged respondents to ignore the study, citing the 2001 paper “Parental Selection of Children’s Sexual Orientation,” which Bailey co-authored. The paper argues that allowing parents to select their child’s sexual orientation would be “morally acceptable.” . . .

University of Illinois–Chicago professor Deirdre McCloskey, one of the activists who leveled the charges against Bailey in 2004, told the Chicago Tribune March 3 that Bailey enjoys that shock value that often emanates from his academics. “He is prepared to use people in any way to show how cool he is," said McCloskey."

3-04-11: The Baltimore Sun: "Vigil remembers transgender murder victim - Tyra Trent's body found in vacant home in Northwest Baltimore last month"

"There was Jana, and then Chrissie and others. And then there was Tyra. The names were among those on a long list of local transgender people who succumbed to violence or drug abuse or homelessness, said Robyn Webb, who rattled them off at a candlelight vigil Friday for the latest victim, Tyra Trent. While Webb, 54, never knew Trent, she understood her struggles and knew of her death. The 25-year-old, born Anthony Trent and known as Tyra, was killed last month. Her body was found Feb. 19 in a vacant, city-owned home in the 3300 block of Virginia Ave. in Northwest Baltimore."

3-04-11: The Baltimore Sun: "Howard family pushes for transgender acceptance - Will Gullucci and his mother want police, schools to be more sensitive"

"When a photo of a guy dressed in women's clothing suddenly flashed on the screen near the end of an intense slide show on teenage drunken driving, Will Gullucci felt humiliated. Gullucci, a Marriotts Ridge High School senior who had "come out" as a transgender person just two years ago and is leading her life as a girl, listened as her fellow seniors laughed loudly. After all the serious shots of drunken teens and car accidents, the larger-than-life photo seemed gratuitous to Gullucci.

"I said, 'Someone better get that photo off the screen, like now,'" Gullucci recalled. She thought the image was inserted for comic relief. She approached the county police officer who'd given the presentation to tell him what she thought of it, Gullucci said, but soon realized she "may as well have been talking to a brick wall.""

3-04-11: Los Angeles Times: "Not Just For Kids: 'I Am J' by Cris Beam - Biologically, J is female. But J, a transsexual, feels male."
"Although transsexualism is often confused with homosexuality, it is really about being born with body parts that don't match an individual's gender perspective. It is a situation that sometimes leads to gender reassignment surgery. Invariably, it's fraught with conflict, as transsexual individuals wrestle with their self identity and struggle to fit into a society that prefers clear-cut gender roles.

The new young adult novel "I Am J" by Cris Beam is a wonderful addition to the few novels that have dared to tackle a subject that has long lived in the cultural margins. Transsexualism is a natural if unusual subject for young-adult literature, geared as it is to teen readers whose bodies are already forcing them to think about budding sexuality. "I Am J" is a tender, surprisingly relatable story that is at its core about a girl who is struggling to figure out who she is."

3-04-11: Windy City Media Group (posted 3-02): "Transgender derby player discusses new league policy"

"The Chicago Outfit Roller Derby League has taken a bold step off the track that will have a huge impact when it competes within the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). The Outfit formally voted in a policy to allow transgender women skaters to join the league, the Windy City Times has learned exclusively.

"We've yet to send out a formal press release regarding this, but we are very proud of the diversity represented by our league and we're glad that our league can be one of the leagues to formally create a policy allowing transwomen skaters," said Bethany Johnson, who skates as Meg Gyver and is the league's marketing manager. Meg Gyver also is the league's lone transgender skater."

3-04-11: Daily Northwestern: "Updated: Northwestern copes with fallout, attention from sex toy demo - Schapiro announces investigations; ethics claim to be field by fellow scholar" (more, more, more)

"As Northwestern begins an investigation into an optional, after-class sex toy demonstration held last week, an award-winning scholar and clinician announced Thursday evening she will file a formal complaint against psychology Prof. John Michael Bailey for what she calls "a gross violation" of the American Psychological Association Code of Ethics.

The accusations come in the wake of a statement released Thursday morning by University President Morton Schapiro that said he is troubled, disappointed and disturbed about the demonstration in Bailey's popular Human Sexuality course. In an interview Thursday, University spokesman Al Cubbage said the impending investigation has been spawned by the "strong reaction from within and outside the Northwestern community.""

3-03-11: Chicago Tribune exclusive interview: "J. Michael Bailey talks with Tribune columnist Mary Schmich"

[A tired and apparently stressed Bailey attempts to defend his live-demonstration and promulgation of 'fucksaw' use in this meandering video interview.]

3-03-11: Chicago Tribune: "Northwestern president ‘troubled’ over live sex demonstration" (more, more, more, more, more, more)
"Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro said today he is "troubled and disappointed" by the live sex toy demonstration on campus last week and has launched an investigation. He released a statement saying the university is looking into the appropriateness of the demonstration, where about 100 students in a psychology class witnessed a naked woman being penetrated by a sex toy.

Schapiro called the decision by Professor J. Michael Bailey "extremely poor judgment." "Although the incident took place in an after-class session that students were not required to attend, and students were advised in advance, several times, of the explicit nature of the activity, I feel it represented extremely poor judgment on the part of our faculty member. I simply do not believe this was appropriate, necessary or in keeping with Northwestern University’s academic mission," Schapiro said.

"Northwestern faculty members engage in teaching and research on a wide variety of topics, some of them controversial. That is the nature of a university. However, in this instance, I have directed that we investigate fully the specifics of this incident, and also clarify what constitutes appropriate pedagogy, both in this instance and in the future," he said. "Many members of the Northwestern community are disturbed by what took place on our campus. So am I.""

[Bailey's 'fucksaw' fiasco goes viral.]

3-03-11: Now Public (posted 3-02): "Fucksaw: John Michael Bailey Demos Sex Toy in NU Class"

"Northwestern University Psychology professor John Michael Bailey demonstrated a sex toy he called a "fucksaw", which was essentially a phallus attached to a reciprocating saw . . . In a presentation to over 100 students, a female non-student was brought to orgasm by Chicago tour guide Ken Melvoin-Berg, who was operating the fucksaw . . . Inevitably, word of the fucksaw demonstration spread beyond the walls of the classroom, and beyond the Northwestern University Campus."

[Here we go again: Notoriety-seeking Bailey launches yet another bizarre controversy, and sticks it to the Northwestern administration again.]

3-03-11: Los Angeles Times: "Not Just For Kids: 'I Am J' by Cris Beam"

"The new young adult novel "I Am J" by Cris Beam is a wonderful addition to the few novels that have dared to tackle a subject that has long lived in the cultural margins. Transsexualism is a natural if unusual subject for young-adult literature, geared as it is to teen readers whose bodies are already forcing them to think about budding sexuality. "I Am J" is a tender, surprisingly relatable story that is at its core about a girl who is struggling to figure out who she is.

Her life is just more complicated than it is for most 17-year-old New Yorkers. The only daughter of a Jewish father and Puerto Rican mom whose dreams for her include college, "a white dress and a three-tiered cake," J was named Jenifer by her parents, but she knew from age 3 that she was really a "he.""

3-03-11: PrideSource (re Portugal): "Portugal approves pro-trans policiesby Rex Wockner"

"Portugal's Parliament on Feb. 17 approved a law making life easier for transsexuals. Within a couple of weeks, those who want to change their name or legal sex can go to a civil registry office with medical proof of "gender identity disorder" and officials must process the changes within eight days. There is no requirement of sex-reassignment surgery as a prerequisite to making the changes."

3-03-11: Q Salt Lake "Utah police to undergo transgender training"

"A normal traffic stop lasts no more than 10 or 15 minutes. Especially a routine stop because of a faulty taillight. However, that was not the experience for John Smith (name has been changed). “Everything was going fine and normal until the officer took my information back to his car, where he pulled my records,” Smith said about the incident, which occurred in 2003.

The officer would have seen on his records that Smith used to have a different first name. And a different gender. He was not born a biological man and his old name was obviously female. “That’s where the mistreatment began,” Smith said. “He grilled me. I was polite and courteous. He was rude and abrasive. But the mistreatment didn’t start until he had found my records.” Smith said he was delayed more than hour for a faulty taillight. He did not have any reason to be detained. There were no warrants for arrest or any other reason for the officer to suspect him of wrongdoing."

3-02-11: The Times of India (India): "April 15 to be observed as Transgenders Day in state"

"The Tamil Nadu government's decision to observe April 15, the formation day of transgenders welfare board in 2008, as transgenders' day brings cheer on the faces of many in the community, as this is the first time in the country a state has taken a major initiative to find space for the community that has been denied its basic right in the society for long."

3-02-11: German Herald (Germany): "Kims New Album: A Piece Of Tape"

"Sex change German teenager Kim Petras has unveiled her first EP with four new songs that she wrote and sung herself in between finishing her A levels at school. The EP - that goes on release on 11 March but is now available as a pre-order - was previewed on German breakfast TV today (Wednesday) with a live performance and followed on from a rave review about her in German national tabloid Bild at the weekend . . .

Kim, from Bonn in Germany, faced an uphill struggle first to convince her parents and then to convince a sceptical medical profession - but eventually she was allowed to start hormone treatment at 12 and by the age of 16 had completed surgery to make her physically a girl. Her parents Lutz and Konni Petras admitted they had hoped it would be a phase but realised eventually that Kim was "a special child" and had supported her throughout. Kim had even started saving at the age of four to have the operation.

She is currently still at school promising her architect dad and dance instructor mum that she would finish her studies before launching her pop career full time. She says Lady GaGa, Gwen Stefani and Beyoncé are her inspirations - and Red Bull that helped her stay awake during the long sessions to writing her music - recording and finishing her studies."

3-02-11: The Calcutta Telegraph (India): "Betwixt and between - The absence of legal recognition stands in the way of the social acceptance of the transgender community."

"According to experts the primary reason for the social discrimination faced by transsexuals is the lack of legal recognition and the ambiguity related to their gender identity. “It is a key barrier that often prevents the transgender from exercising their rights related to marriage, adoption, and inheritance,” says Alka Narang, assistant country director, HIV & development unit, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). “They have little access to public and private health services, use of social welfare and health insurance schemes, and employment opportunities,” she adds . . .

“We have no access to public places like movie halls and shopping malls, public toilets, social welfare and health insurance schemes,” says Kalki Subramaniam, director, Sahodari Foundation, an organisation working for the social and economic empowerment of transsexuals in Tamil Nadu. Pushed to the periphery of society as outcasts, most resort to begging, dancing at social functions or become sex workers."

3-02-11: Arab Times (Kuwait): "Rising number of youths undergoing sex change ops"

"The rising number of youths, who want to undergo or have undergone sex change operations, is one of the most difficult problems that the Juvenile Care Administration in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor is currently facing, reports Al-Dar daily quoting director of the administration Abdullatif Al-Sinan.
Al-Sinan said the parents of these youths resorted to the administration after losing control of their children. He admitted it is very hard to deal with this group of youths and they need special facilities due to the different types of hormonal change medicines that they have taken, most of the time in large doses."

3-01-11: The Advocate: "Houston Man Linked to Transgender Strangulations"

"A homeless man from Houston has been linked by DNA to five strangulation deaths, including the murders of two transgender women.Lucky Ward, a.k.a. Lawayne Jackson, 46, has been formally charged in the deaths of Carlos T. Rogriguez, a 40-year-old transgender woman who went by the name of “Gypsy,” and Reita L. Long, a 52-year-old homeless woman. Houston police say Ward, who has worked as a day laborer and spent time in jail for solicitation, is a serial killer who preys on homeless women, women in shelters, and transgender women."

February 2011

2-28-11: Philly.com: "Transgender riders seek justice from SEPTA"

"The opponent is SEPTA and the issue is the transit agency's use of M for male and F for female stickers on weekly and monthly passes. The stickers, in use since 1981, are meant to prevent riders from sharing passes, said spokeswoman Jerri Williams.

But transgender activist Kathy Padilla said that doesn't make sense because "any two women or two men can share passes." Other major transit agencies, including those in New York, New Jersey, Washington, and Los Angeles, do not issue gender-specific passes. But here, each SEPTA employee who sells a pass judges whether the rider looks M or F, and if a bus driver or train conductor disagrees, the pass could be confiscated.

Adamor and fellow organizers at Riders Against Gender Exclusion (RAGE), a grassroots group formed two years ago, say the stickers make life difficult, degrading, and dangerous for anyone whose appearance is nonconforming. And a growing number of young transgender people are intent on identifying as androgynous, he said, to emphasize that gender distinctions are unnecessary.

Consider the case of Charlene Moore-Arcila. In 2006, when Moore-Arcila was transitioning from male to female, she boarded a SEPTA bus at the end of a long day and was confronted by a driver who said her appearance did not jibe with the sticker on her pass. He ordered her to pay an additional $2, and Moore-Arcila, too exhausted to argue, complied. She complained later, though, and her case is pending before the city's Commission on Human Relations. SEPTA contends that as a state agency, it is not bound by the city's Fair Practices Act."

2-28-11: The Stanford Daily: "The Transitive Property: Why Transgender Awareness Week Is Important", by Cristopher Bautista

"For me, Transgender Awareness Week is important because it’s a reminder to me that yes, my life has been unconventional, but that doesn’t mean it’s not legitimate, or that it’s not valid — my humanity and masculinity are simply a bit different than the standard deviation. A week like Transgender Awareness Week gives me the opportunity to reflect on myself, to embrace my own identity. It’s a reminder that the transgender community — a community that I am proud to be part of — contributes to the richness and diversity of both the queer and general populations . . .

But how is Transgender Awareness Week important for you, my reader? It’s an opportunity to be educated, to learn about a marginalized and often silenced small but potent slice of the general population. This week isn’t just a week to become aware of transgender people. To be aware is not enough. If we’re going to change things, we need to do something about it. We need to take action and get people’s attention. I have several propositions for you: go to at least one event (they’re going on all week, so you have no excuse). Get educated. Start a conversation with a friend. Forward this column to someone you know."

2-28-11: Leona's Blog (Singapore re Philippines): "The Brave Hender Gercio challenges Religious Fundamentalism in the Classroom", by Sass Rogando Sasot (more re Sass)

"Some may say that Ms Gercio has a penis and therefore should still be treated as male. The question is, in which part of the body gender identity is located? Is it in your genitalia? Or is it in your brain? As what Dr. William Reiner of John Hopkins Hospital wrote in “To Be Male or Female — that is the Question,”the organ that appears to be critical to psychosexual development and adaptation is not the external genitalia, but the brain.”

Indeed, the University of the Philippines has no policy on how to deal with transgender students, but as an academic institution, it should go beyond the limitation of its rules regarding this matter . . . Waiting for a court to change Ms Gercio’s gender before Ms Gercio can be treated as female is inhumane. As Ms Gercio has said, and as what psychologists can prove, doing so would harm the psychological well-being of Ms Gercio."

2-28-11: GMA News (Philippines): "Transsexual coed tells UP prof: I am not a ‘he’"

"A transsexual student at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City has complained against a professor for allegedly acting with religious prejudice toward the coed's identity. European Languages student Hender Gercio, a self-described “transsexual woman" who had “undergone a gender transition," filed the complaint against French language professor Dominique del Corro on February 7 . . .

According to an incident report, the professor allegedly ignored Gercio's requests to be addressed as a female in class. Gercio alleged that the professor said: “I am a Christian, and this is against my religious beliefs."

“She also told me that she cannot separate being a Christian from who she was as a teacher. She then continued that she believed that homosexuality was a sin, and it was due to this reason that she cannot allow herself to address and accept me as female," Gercio said."

2-27-11: The Times of India (India): "`Others' column left unfilled by many transgernders"

"Though elated at the government's recognition of this section of society, some local transgenders already counted in the 2011 Census confessed that they were forced to tick the `female' box because of parents and friends. "Our families are not comfortable disclosing to Census officials that they have a transgender in the house as they fear that the word will spread and bring shame to them. So we had to opt for the `female' option," said Sarita (name changed), a transgender from Secunderabad . . .

But while some like Sarita succumbed to family pressures, many others deliberately chose the `female' option on the Census sheet, claiming that it was their real identity. They said, "For the last 15-20 years, we have been living like women and that is what we want to be known as and not `hijras'". . .

However, this has disheartened local NGOs that have been for long crusading for the cause of transgenders in Hyderabad . . . Representatives of the NGO Suraksha, that works with transgenders, said that the numbers are important as it would help in building a case for this section of population to seek benefits from the government"

2-27-11: Wales Online (Wales): "Wrexham FC's hopeful owner is transexual ex-jailbird"

"Stephanie . . . said the Court of Appeal overturned her one-year sentence and she instead served 12 weeks community work with the physically and mentally disabled during her spell at the Askham Grange women’s open prison, in Yorkshire. She said the experience shaped her attitudes as a businesswoman and she now employs people with learning difficulties and physical disabilities.

Stephanie, who is mounting the bid for the Blue Square Premier club with 67-year-old husband David, added: “When I came away from there (prison) I volunteered for Riding for the Disabled and worked there one day per week. Since that experience I have never stopped helping the physically and mentally disabled.” Stephanie also spoke of her pride over her sex-change website transformation.co.uk, which she says guides and helps transsexuals through ops."

[For less lurid and more relevant reporting on this story, see Wales Online, Daily Post and BBC ]

2-26-11: The Express Tribune (re India): "Bringing India’s transgenders into the mainstream"

"The process of decriminalising hijras, transgenders and people who want to live in same-sex relationships has begun. But recognition is one thing, amalgamation into ‘normal’ or ‘mainstream’ society is quite another. Hijras may now be counted in the Census, or be able to cast their votes, but will they get jobs?

Things have begun to move on this front too — on paper, at least. A recent suggestion by the chief justice of the Madras High Court that there should be reservations for the third sex in government jobs and education has been the catalyst for a discussion on the rights and entitlements of people on the margins of society. Tamil Nadu is the one state that has pursued an open policy towards transgender people . . . setting in place a number of supportive measures, including the setting up of a special state welfare board."

2-25-11: The Journal (Ireland re UK): "The Sun’s transgender quiz criticised as “offensive” and unacceptable"

"The publication of what The Sun newspaper calls “a fun quiz on gender” has been strongly criticised for reinforcing stereotypes about transgender people. The quiz carries the headline ‘Tran or woman?’ and features 14 pictures of “ambiguous beauties”, as Sun writer Dulcie Pearce describes them . . .

The piece tells readers that “believe it or not some of these lovely ladies are actually LADDIES“. It says that the pictures feature “ambiguous beauties, some who were born male and others who are 100 per cent female”.

It then invites readers to “guess the genders” and give themselves a “Ladyshave Rating for your girl-spotting skills”."

2-25-11: The Sun (UK): "Tran or Woman"

"This bevy of beauties are all blessed with good looks, style and figures to die for.

Well, most of them... but believe it or not some of these lovely ladies are actually LADDIES."

2-25-22: My Fox Houston: "Craigslist Transgender Scandal for Ex-Lawmaker" (more, more, more)

"Chris Lee, the married New York congressman who resigned after allegedly seeking dates with women on Craigslist, also sought the company of transgender women, Gawker reported Friday.

Following Lee's resignation on Feb. 9, two Washington, D.C.-area transgender women contacted the media gossip website separately, alleging that they had exchanged emails with the two-term congressman."

2-25-11: Bangkok Post (Thailand): "Transgenders offered free sex changes"

"A transgender association is offering a free sex change for cash-strapped transgender people to fulfil their dream of becoming a woman. More than 100 transgender people have applied for free sex-change surgery under the Sister's Hand project initiated by the TransFemale Association of Thailand. But only five will be chosen to undergo operations. The project, which is sponsored by the Preecha Aesthetic Institute, Yanhee Hospital and Discovery Channel, is in its second year."

2-23-11: Associated Press: "Gov't drops defense of anti-gay marriage law" (more, more)

"In a major policy reversal, the Obama administration said Wednesday it will no longer defend the constitutionality of a federal law banning recognition of same-sex marriage.

Attorney General Eric Holder said President Barack Obama has concluded that the administration cannot defend the federal law that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman. He noted that the congressional debate during passage of the Defense of Marriage Act "contains numerous expressions reflecting moral disapproval of gays and lesbians and their intimate and family relationships — precisely the kind of stereotype-based thinking and animus" the Constitution is designed to guard against . . .

At the White House, spokesman Jay Carney said Obama himself is still "grappling" with his personal view of gay marriage but has always personally opposed the Defense of Marriage Act as "unnecessary and unfair."

Holder wrote to Boehner that Obama has concluded the Defense of Marriage Act fails to meet a rigorous standard under which courts view with suspicion any laws targeting minority groups who have suffered a history of discrimination."

2-23-11: CBS News: "Transgender surgery: should your company pay for it?"

"While millions of Americans are grappling with employer-provided health insurance that covers less and costs more, one surprising group is benefiting as of late - transgendered people. That's according to an Associated Press report which found that big name companies like Coca-Cola, Campbell Soup and Walt Disney have expanded their insurance coverage to meet the needs of transgender workers.

All told, there are 85 large businesses and law firms that cover the cost of at least one surgery, according to a 2010 survey by the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights group."

2-23-11: The Guardian (UK): "'Is this the right thing to do? The surgical conclusion to the gender reassignment pathway is irrevocable. But what alternative is there - and do any regret it?" (Another in the series "A transgender journey", by Juliet Jacques)

"Throughout transition, one question has stood out for me above the others: is this the right thing to do? For good reason, of course: any transsexual person, as well as the attendant medical personnel and friends, family and colleagues, understands the surgical conclusion to the pathway to be irrevocable . . .

Since the early 50s, when Roberta Cowell and Christine Jorgensen hit the headlines, media coverage of gender variance has focused on transsexual people, emphasising (if not sensationalising) the medical aspects of transition. The social implications of coming out as transsexual (or otherwise transgender) have received far less attention, but the question of possible regret is just as pertinent at this point as at any other: telling people that you want to transition is as difficult to reverse as any of the consequent physical interventions.

It's hard to find any definitive study on how many transsexual people regret surgery (who is asked, and why?), but this report from 2009 quotes more than one survey which found satisfaction rates to be over 95%, and points out that some of that small minority regretted poor outcomes rather than the surgery per se. It's worth remembering that people who regret transition are more likely to speak publicly about this than those who do not. They present more of a story to media outlets looking for 'unusual' subjects - especially if those outlets have their own agenda - than either satisfied transsexual people, or those who did not pursue transition and wish they had."

2-22-11: UA News (Univ. of Arizona): "Inaugural Lecturer to Address Transsexualism in Iran"

"Today, Iran carries out more sex reassignment surgeries than any other country except Thailand, and transsexuals are increasingly recognized and tolerated by the Iranian government. Yet the tolerance of transsexuality comes with the price of vigorously condemning homosexuality. To discuss this and a range of other contemporary legal, psychological and religious issues facing transsexuals in Iran, Harvard University professor Afsaneh Najmabadi will speak during a March 4 lecture at the University of Arizona. During her talk, Najmabadi will discuss the current visibility of transsexuals in Iran – how such individuals are perceived and discussed.

"The increasing acceptability of the category of 'trans' has provided precarious spaces within which people with non-normative sexual or gender desires and practices craft their lives and subjectivities, beyond and around the intentions of the state and the dictates of law," she said. What becomes problematic are conceptions and practices in Iran that serve to frame transsexualism as acceptable and homosexuality as "wholly unacceptable," said Najmabadi . . . "

2-22-11: Baltimmore Sun: "Transgender victim struggled for acceptance" (more)

"Life as a transgender woman wasn’t easy for Anthony Trent. Known as “Tyra,” the 25-year-old told family she would sometimes be attacked on the street just because of the way she looked.

“He was a very bold person – he wasn’t scared to show or flaunt his lifestyle,” said cousin and close friend Correll Trent, 18. “People told him all the time, if this is the way you want to live, we can’t stop you. But be careful, watch yourself.” Recently, she had been jumped on the street and beaten up, losing a tooth in the attack. “He came home and cried that day,” Correll said.

On Saturday, someone wandering into a vacant, city-owned home in the 3300 block of Virginia Ave. in Northwest Baltimore found Trent’s body in the basement. She had no identification and no cell phone, but an autopsy had shown that she had been asphyxiated. City homicide detectives are investigating the case. It took two days to confirm Trent’s identity and notify family. Trent had been reported missing two weeks earlier, after leaving late at night on a Sunday and never returning."

2-22-11: The Jakarta Post (Indonesia): "Transgender group wants end to violent raids"

"A group of transgendered individuals is asking the Jakarta Public Order Agency not to use violence during their frequent raids. The Communication Forum for Indonesian Transgendered Persons met with agency head Effendi Anas on Tuesday. The group said public order officers often violated human rights during their raids.

“There have been, for example, beatings and coercion during raids. This mostly happens in Taman Lawang,” group member Yuli said, referring to an area in Menteng, Central Jakarta, that is notorious for transgendered prostitution. Yuli said not all transgendered persons walking in Taman Lawang at night are sex workers"

2-21-11: The Times of India (India): "A census first for third gender"

Name: Rekha Mukherjee. Religion: Hindu. Age: No idea. Occupation: Stoic silence. The team of officials led by Purnendu Banerjee, deputy registrar general (census), prompt the person shifting self-consciously on the plastic chair. "Go on, tell us what you do for a living. We have to fill up the column." . . .
Days of counseling by the local South Dum Dum Municipality had made the small community living at Gorai and Manashipara agree to these "tedious" sessions. But the transgenders, used to being shunned by society, were very suspicious indeed when D-day came on Sunday. Hated being asked "personal" questions, they wondering if these visits would be followed by police harassment . . .
"Sir, shall we call them entertainers, then?" wondered Keka Ghosh, assistant director, census. Rekha lapped up the classification. "Yes, call us dancers," she said, pointing at the various poses struck in expensive frames that hung all over the cramped walls, one of which sports a huge LCD television. Rekha has left her lucrative career as a bar dancer in Delhi to become a professional eunuch, but still manages to live comfortably. Every day, she takes a bus to report to her "head office" at Shyambazar, before moving on to her Baranagar "work area". "

2-21-11: Associated Press: "More US companies covering transgender surgery"

"When Gina Duncan decided to undergo the medical treatment that would make her a woman, she had plenty to fear. The reactions of her children, her professional colleagues and friends. How her body would respond to hours on the operating table. If, at the end of it, she would look female enough so strangers wouldn't gawk. What the Orlando mortgage banker didn't have to be anxious about was how she would pay for two of her surgeries. Her employer of 10 years, Wells Fargo, included breast augmentation and genital reconstruction as coverable expenses under its employee health plan. Duncan was told the San Francisco-based bank already had had 16 other employees transition to new genders and assigned a benefits specialist to walk her through the process.

Joanne Herman, the author of "Transgender Explained For Those Who Are Not," said both corporate America and insurers need to understand that genital surgery is not the be-all and end-all in making a person's appearance match the way he or she feels inside. For men becoming women, undergoing facial reconstruction may be even more important because it will affect how they are perceived and treated in public, Herman said. The same is true for female-to-male transsexuals and breast surgery. Yet standard insurance plans typically dismiss both as cosmetic, even though people with untreated Gender Identity Disorder are at high risk of suicide and those who get treatment become better workers."

2-20-11: Womens E-News (re India): "Indian Video Activist Puts Transgender in Focus"

"[Kalki] Subramaniam runs the video-making Project Kalki as part of the Chennai-based Sahodari Foundation, which she founded in 2005 to provide transgender advocacy. The foundation runs on the help of a few private donors and Subramaniam's proceeds from her speaking engagements and awareness programs. "The ultimate aim is to make sure these girls get jobs as journalists or filmmakers. It will help them break out their cycle of poverty and abuse," said Subramaniam, who met with Women's eNews in her combined office and residence . . .

"As the first openly transgender person in my college, my life was a lot about sneering teachers and classmates who thought jokes about gender identity were funny," she said recently in a phone interview. "But the course taught me to appreciate the power of the media. Mainstream media has usually depicted us as depraved creatures to be mocked for our gestures and orientation."

The Sahodari Foundation serves transgender people from all backgrounds in Chennai . . . Anyone who needs counseling can walk in or call the foundation. Non-transgender people who want to learn more or participate in ongoing projects are also welcome."

2-20-11: Now In Gay Chicago: "New initiative highlights T-friendly businesses", by Gary Barlow

"A new project organized by Genderqueer Chicago and other groups is giving businesses a chance to show their commitment to respecting gender identity by signing a pledge that commits them to allowing gender-variant customers to use the bathroom of their choice. Businesses that sign up – and already there at least seven on Chicago's North Side – receive a decal for their door or window that allows gender-variant people to easily identify trans-friendly businesses. “We expect this will dramatically improve the way transgender people experience our city and state,” said Kate Sosin, co-founder of Genderqueer Chicago and a project organizer. “We want business owners to understand that under the Illinois Human Rights Act, it is not just their right to protect transgender people in bathrooms, it is their duty.”"

2-19-11: New Zealand Herald (New Zealand): "TV show happily gender neutral"

"A reality fashion show that launches the careers of models is making room for transgender hopefuls to get a start in the industry. TV 3 publicity manager Nicole Wood confirmed to the Weekend Herald that transgender people are invited to audition for the third season of New Zealand's Next Top Model - as they have been for the first two seasons - provided they are at least 170cm tall and aged between 16 and 25 as at April 15. "We are not actively looking for transgender models, but everyone is more than welcome to audition," she said."

2-18-11: Boston Globe: "Transgender state workers get aid from governor - Activists see order as step toward new law" (more)

"Governor Deval Patrick quietly issued an executive order yesterday banning discrimination against transgender workers in state government, a move that advocates view as a first step toward passing statewide legislation . . . The order expands the state’s current civil rights policy by forbidding state government and its contractors from discriminating on the basis of “gender identity or expression.’’ The state already forbids discrimination based on a host of other characteristics, including race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and religion."

2-17-11: Huffington Post: "Lea T., Transsexual Model, Sits Down With Oprah (VIDEO)" (more, more, more)

"Transsexual model Lea T. sat down with Oprah for her show on Thursday, and fashion's rising star talked about her childhood, her newfound fame and the struggles she's dealt with in between. Lea said she believes in gender identity disorder and dispelled any rumors that her father, Brazilian soccer player Toninho Cerezo had disowned her -- in fact, after seeing her walk in Alexandre Herchcovitch's Fall/Winter 2011/2012 show at Sao Paulo Fashion Week last month, her dad said, "Now I can die happy." . . .

Check out part of their interview . . . Lea reveals to Oprah, "I was hoping I was gay. I was like, ok, I'm gay, because for my family it's less painful....I wish I could accept my body as a man....I would be a straight guy, having a girlfriend and a family, daughters, married, a normal life, but it's something in your brain.""

[Sadly, Oprah makes continual prurient references to penises, and incorrectly refers to SRS as removing the penis rather than creating a vagina. Furthermore, Lea T describes her gender dysphoria as a "disorder" and a "pathology", and is clearly unaware of the large international movement towards the depathologization of gender variance.]

2-17-11: Philadelphia Gay News: "Police release duplicate Morris homicide file"

"More than eight years after her death, police have released the homicide file for Nizah Morris. The file, lost since about 2003, was recently discovered in the city’s archives unit. The case has never been solved.

Morris was a transgender woman found on a Center City street with a fatal head wound during the early-morning hours of Dec. 22, 2002, shortly after receiving a courtesy ride from Philadelphia police. She died two days later, on Dec. 24, from the blunt-force trauma to her head. The crime remains unsolved, and the police and District Attorney."

2-16-11: Swazi Observer (Swaziland): "‘Sex change teacher was a gentle boy’"

"The parents of sex-change teacher Patricia Dludlu have spoken out for the first time about the birth, growing up and the ultimate sexual disorientation of their fourth born child.
Dludlu has been hogging the headlines after being arrested for indecently assaulting at least one pupil and another adult, and being arrested for both incidences, in a crime that could easily qualify as a first in the country. He, up until last Friday, was out on bail after appearing in court for indecently assaulting a male pupil at the school he taught at. He was again arrested on Friday after he allegedly lured a 25-year-old male into his residence for a sleep-over, where he allegedly indecently assaulted the man who then reported the matter to the police."

“The police now are taking seriously anything said by his accusers just because he now has a stigma. This is very unfair and I do not like it,” the father said . . . All this shows that there are some people who are scheming against him and want to bring him down,” the father said.

[Note: The 'assualt' apparently consisted of an attempt to kiss a male pupil; the subsequent story has reached near hysteria levels in Swaziland.]

2-15-11: Calgary Herald (Canada): "Transgender people are just like the rest of us"

"The bill, brought in by NDP MP Bill Siksay, passed the House of Commons recently, but is predicted to be killed in the Conservative-stacked Senate. It seeks to make gender expression and identity part of the Human Rights Act, and to categorize crimes against transgender people as hate crimes under the Criminal Code. Sadly, this bill has become known as the Bathroom Bill because its detractors believe it's all about allowing transgendered men into women's washrooms. Apparently, these men have been salivating to get into the ladies' rooms of the nation to sate their voyeuristic desires. If the bill passes, supposedly they will have the blessings of the Canadian government to do just that.

Blake Richards, MP for Wild Rose, told the media: "It really is a bit of a slippery slope.... We talk about someone with their gender identity, and I guess what it boils down to, my take on the matter is we open the door to pedophiles or peeping toms to use the washroom of the opposite gender and claim gender identity."

It's sad that the level of public discourse has to dip so low when a minority group stands to be offered equal rights."

2-15-11: Archives if Pedatrics and Adolescent Medicine, "Management of the Transgender Adolescent", Johanna Olson, MD; Catherine Forbes, PhD; Marvin Belzer, MD, Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2011;165(2):171-176.
"Transgender individuals are people whose self-identification as male, female, both, or neither (gender identity) does not match their assigned gender (identification by others as male or female based on natal sex). The phenomenon of transgender is uncommon, but as more media attention is directed toward the subject, more adolescents and young adults are "coming out" at an earlier age. Transgender adolescents are an underserved and poorly researched population that has very specific medical and mental health needs. Primary care physicians are in a unique and powerful position to promote health and positive outcomes for transgender youth. While not all transgender adolescents desire phenotypic transition to match their gender and physical body, most do. The process of transitioning is complex and requires the involvement of both a mental health therapist specializing in gender and a physician. Finding comprehensive medical and mental health services is extremely difficult for these youth, who are at risk for multiple psychosocial problems including family and peer rejection, harassment, trauma, abuse, inadequate housing, legal problems, lack of financial support, and educational problems. This review supports and describes timely medical intervention to achieve gender/body congruence paired with affirmative mental health therapy as an appropriate approach to minimize negative health outcomes and maximize positive futures for transgender adolescents."

[An important report - please pass on widely.]

2-15-11: Medscape Medical News: "Addressing the Needs of Transgender Youth in Primary Care", by Laurie Barclay, MD

"To minimize negative health outcomes and maximize positive futures for transgender adolescents, timely medical intervention to achieve gender/body congruence paired with affirmative mental health therapy is appropriate, according to a review in the February issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. . . .

Transgender youth are at increased risk for multiple psychosocial problems, including family and peer rejection, harassment and bullying, trauma, abuse, insufficient housing, legal problems, lack of financial support, and educational problems. "It is very important for primary care physicians to examine their own feelings, attitudes, and beliefs about gender-variant persons and consider how these affect their work with youth," the review authors write. "Using supportive, affirming language with gender-variant youth, such as using the patient's preferred name and pronouns, can make all the difference between a trustworthy physician and one that makes a youth feel misunderstood, rejected, and unwelcome. In addition, medical professionals can be effective advocates for their transgender patients' needs and rights in settings outside of the home, such as clinics and schools.""

[An important article - please pass on widely.]

2-15-11: The Copenhagen Post (Denmark): "Kidman to shoot ‘Danish’ film in Copenhagen – Gender-bender film based on Dane’s life story brings big stars to city this summer"

"World-renowned Australian actress Nicole Kidman will be in Copenhagen this summer to film scenes from the upcoming feature film “The Danish Girl”. The film, based on the true story of Lili Elbe, a Dane and the first known person in the world to undergo male-to-female sexual reassignment, will be partly filmed in Denmark . . . According to Hallström Kidman is perfect for the role of Lili/Einer: “Nicole looks great as a man.”"

2-15-11: Sydney Star Observer (Australia): "Busy year for Intersex"

"Intersex has a busy year ahead. We encourage all intersex to participate in the Private Lives survey at www.privatelivessurvey.org.au. Intersex inclusion will enable us to argue for health resources and fill in information gaps . . . OII will once again argue against the pathologising of intersex by medicine which since 2006 has described it as a disorder. We will continue to seek wider understandings of intersex as natural differences of sex anatomy and to argue for broader interpretations of sex so intersex people may have access to medicine depending on their circumstances without needing to conform to stereotypical binary roles to qualify."

2-13-11: Sacramento Bee: "Pianist Buechner's career is back after a major life decision"

""I was startled at how many people go through their lives with masks on. When you take yours off and show people your real face, they're really challenged by that." . . .

Buechner had gender- reassignment surgery in 1998. She never anticipated how going public as a transgender musician would affect her career. "I made the incorrect assumption that the classical music world would be strongly supportive," she said. It was not. Many who had warmly welcomed or booked David Buechner turned a cold shoulder on Sara Davis Buechner.

And so a robust concert schedule of 50-plus performances over five years shrunk to less than 10. Giving up, however, was never an option for the Baltimore native who had first taken piano lessons at age 3. She took on a new manager and moved to Canada, and her career experienced a resurgence . . .

"Canadians are more accepting than Americans," said Buechner. She soon started performing with major orchestras in Canada and performing in a steady schedule of recitals. "I feel people here really love me," she said.

And now her career in the United States is on the uptick, with Buechner due to perform with the San Francisco Symphony in July. Buechner does not regret her decision to live as the person she feels she is, despite the difficulties.

"Most people go to the grave with their music still inside of them," said Buechner. "I didn't want to do that.""

2-13-11: Know Thy Neighbor (blog): "MA Transgender Rights Bill Exposed"

"Here We Are In February of 2011 And The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Which Was the First in the Nation to Legalize Same Gender Marriage, Which Defeated Attempts to Take Away These Marriage Rights Through a Ballot Initiative Process and Which Has an Attorney General Who is Suing the United States to End DOMA on Behalf of Its Citizens, Still Has Not Been Able to Pass Legislation Protecting Transgender/Transsexual People Against Workplace, Housing, and Public Accomodations Discrimination. So what is going on in Massachusetts, "The Land of Marriage Equality" with the Transgender Rights Bill which was re-filed last month with the same language it has had for nearly 3 years?"

2-13-11: Houston Chronicle: "Entrepreneur was open about transgender life - McGuire, who ran for Houston City Council, is dead at 68"

"In a city with more than its share of true characters, Charles/Kathryn Leigh McGuire may have been in a larger-than-life league of his own. And hers. Born Charles R. McGuire Jr. on Nov. 26, 1942, McGuire started a successful Houston construction materials company, bought a home on the edge of River Oaks, married and raised two children before longstanding issues of sexual identity led her first to life as a transvestite and ultimately to sexual reassignment surgery in 1992, after which she adopted the name Kathryn.

McGuire, who died on Feb. 2 in Palm Springs, Calif., at 68, was active in Houston society and never self-conscious about her gender-bending ways as she moved from hyper-masculine entrepreneur who liked to go hunting to an oversize figure in pumps who prowled the couture racks at Neiman Marcus, friends said. If there is a common refrain among those describing McGuire, it is unforgettable."

2-12-11: Hindustan Times (India): "Time to walk the talk"

"Hijras, whose traditional profession is badhai — to sing songs of congratulation at weddings, births — are often forced into begging and sex work. Often at the receiving end of the State and persecuted by the police, an estimated 10-lakh transgender population in India have almost always been socially ostracised. Forced to live in ghettos due to social, economic and political exclusion, many take to petty crimes . . .

According to A Sirajudeen, author of Transgenders-Social and Legal Dilemmas, hijras have been acknowledged in Hinduism for thousands of years. Ancient texts such as Manusmriti and Sushrutasamhita assert that some people are born third gendered as a matter of natural biology. The Ramayana, Mahabharata, Gita and Kamasutra — all talk of all talk of transgender characters.

The third sex traditionally enjoyed privileged position in Indian society. Matters took a different turn under the British who declared hijras a ‘criminal tribe’ under Criminal Tribes Act 1871;” their behaviour was considered opposed to “public decency”. It mandated their compulsory registration and strict monitoring. It was undone in 1952 but unfortunately, the stigma continues even today."

2-12-11: Deccan Chronicle (India): "Transgenders seek new marriage law "

"Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, transgenders expressed their gratitute to the Tamil Nadu government and chief minister M. Karunanidhi for having implemented welfare programmes like creating a welfare board for transgenders and ensuring that they received ration and voters ID cards. “However these welfare measures are not enough to ensure that transgenders can lead a decent life in a society that still refuses us basic human rights,” noted activist Kalki Subramaniam.

Subramaniam said a special marriage law is needed for transgenders, who number around 60,000 in the state and more than 25 lakh across the country. “With more feminine qualities, transgenders too have aspirations of women,” she said. “We would like to have husbands and children.”"

2-12-11: Daily News and Analysis (India): "Boys will be girls"

"When told about the recent national seminar on ‘Transgenders and the Law’, Rose Venkatesan, speaking over the telephone from Chennai, says she’s heartened at the development. Then, she pauses to reflect.“It’s not as easy as it may look, you know, social inclusion of transgenders… I know how it ‘should’ be. But what is my reality, in spite of being a celebrity hosting a TV show?”

Rose, 31, tries to answer her own question, with instances from her life, beginning with the trauma of being thrown out of her home, rather matter-of-factly, six years ago. In front of 50 relatives, Rose had come out as a transgender at a family function after her parents announced her engagement to a girl. She was Ramesh then, and became Rose just a year ago after undergoing a sex change operation. Rose speaks with feeling about the years, a few of them spent denying her sexuality and trying to be ‘man enough’, a few more dreading the ‘hijra’ tag, and the rest trying to convince her parents that marriage wouldn’t ‘cure’ her. All her experiences, she says, points to only one reality for transgenders — that education, with a blind stubbornness to make it, is the only way out for them in Indian society. Rather, the only way in."

2-12-11: AsiaOne News (Malaysia): "Transsexuals: Cosmetic surgery first, then studies"

"Siva was thrown out of the house when he was 17. He got a job as an administration clerk and started calling himself "Varsha". Varsha then pursued a foundation course at a private college.

At 18, Varsha had a sex-change operation in Thailand for RM10,000 (S$4,195). She removed her male organs and took hormone tablets. Varsha also started a relationship with a man and depended on him for money, food, clothes and accommodation. She also stopped her education.

When they broke up, Varsha turned to the vice trade to earn a living. "I didn't know what to do. I was so desperate for money and a roof over my head that I was willing to do anything."

Varsha wants to continue her studies in information technology but she said her cosmetic surgery would have to be done first as she believed that she would be respected if she had good looks."

2-12-11: AsiaOne News (Malaysia): "Transsexuals: Decent jobs hard to come by"

"Now, Raman is a "she", having had a sex-change operation three months ago in Thailand. The 20-year-old became a sex worker because she couldn't find a proper job. "I applied to eight companies and they all told me that they did not want me because I dressed up as a woman. They told me they would face problems if they hired me." Tamana said she would like to have a normal job.

"I don't want to be a sex worker forever. I hope I will be given the opportunity as I want to move on.""

2-12-11: AsiaOne News (Malaysia): "Transsexuals: The price they pay to be a woman" (more)

"Lorong Gopeng, off Jalan Nanas in Klang is where about 100 Mak Nyah crowd almost every night waiting for customers. They are sex workers, mostly forced into the trade because of difficulties in obtaining jobs and rejection from their families.

It is the easiest and fastest way for them to make money for sex-change operations and to live comfortably. Representatives from the Malaysian AIDS Council and the Women and Health Association Kuala Lumpur (Wake) as well as several reporters visited the area recently to find out how the Mak Nyah operate."

2-12-11: AsiaOne News (Malaysia): "Is transsexualism a medical condition?"

"Many studies have been carried out on the subject of transsexuals (TS), but one question remains - is transsexualism a biological occurrence or is it just a matter of cross-dressing? Professor Dr Teh Yik Koon of National Defence University of Malaysia, who has been studying transsexual issues for more than a decade, believes it is much more than individuals entertaining their alter egos.She says various research findings have shown that transsexualism is a medical condition."

2-12-11: Daily Mail (UK): "A VERY modern wedding: Sex-swap ex-fireman weds a lesbian Jamaican 30 years younger than her (and it's the fourth time she's tied the knot)"

"In this day and age, when a thrice-married former fireman who has become a woman meets a Jamaican lesbian chef online there can only be one outcome – wedding bells! Or, rather, civil partnership bells. This is 66-year-old Kerry Whybrow, dressed in a full-length custom-made lilac dress, tying the knot for the first time as a woman three years after undergoing a sex change on the NHS."

2-11-11: The Bilerico Project (posted 2-09): "What Should Gays and Lesbians Do to Help Trans People?", filed by: Joe Mirabella

"What can gays and lesbians do to help their transgender loved ones live in a more just society?

I have several suggestions, but I want to hear from transgender people. I want you to tell me what I and others can do today, tomorrow, and over the next year to help create a more just society with you. Let this small list get the ball rolling. I want to hear from you. What can we do to help you change the world?"

[This rreport generated tons of comments. See especially those of Kathy Padilla and Kelley Winters on Feb 9 -11.]

2-11-11: Washington Post/AP (re Thailand): "Thai airline trains transsexual flight attendants" (more, with video)

"Four Thai "ladyboys" have been recruited as flight attendants for a start-up charter airline that says it will be Thailand's first to include transsexuals among its cabin crew. P.C. Air, which will fly to several Asian destinations starting in April, had its first training session this week for 30 recruits, including four from "the third sex."

Thailand is known for its tolerance for transvestites and transsexuals, known locally as "katoeys" or "ladyboys." An annual transsexual beauty pageant is broadcast nationally, and Thai doctors' well-honed skills at the snipping and reassembling needed to switch genders - not to mention bargain prices - have made Bangkok a sex-change capital. But while katoeys are prominent in entertainment, frequently appearing on television series and in cabaret shows, other job opportunities are limited."

2-11-11: Urlesque.com: "Reddit Community Shows Overwhelming Support For a Suicidal Transgender Woman"

"The Internet often gets a bad rap for being a breeding ground for hate, but this popular Reddit post proves that, at least for some people, it's the best support system available.

Reddit user UsagiMimi posted the photos seen after the jump of her two-year weight loss and sex transformation with the title, "Two years, some hormones, and 170 lbs later."

The post garnered nearly 1000 comments in just one day from various supportive sources calling UsagiMimi "gorgeous" and "inspirational.""

2-11-11: Daily Mail (UK re US): "Detectives hunt for transgender 'doctor' over death of British student who had illegal bottom injection" (includes photos and video, more)

"Detectives are hunting a transgender 'doctor; in connection with the death of a British student who died after a botched 'butt enhancement' operation.

Claudia Aderotimi, 20, is believed to have had the illegal procedure carried out by an unlicensed medical practioner in a hotel room in Philadelphia after meeting her in a plastic surgery chat room.

The unnamed transgender woman, in her 30s, had a similar procedure herself as part of a sex change operation to become a woman."

2-11-11: MyFoxPhilly: "Butt Implant Suspect May Be Transgender" (more)

"Police cleared one person on Thursday in the death of a British woman after a butt injection, but they may be looking for a fake transgender doctor in the case. Detectives are looking for the person who administered the injections that led to the death of 20-year-old Claudia Aderotimi.

The Sun also said that the fake doctor is possibly a transgender, a man living as a woman - who injected silicone into Aderotimi. Aderotimi, 20, was on her second trip to Philadelphia for the procedure."

2-11-11: The Local (Sweden): "Swedish boy, 6, stabbed 'for wearing pink'"

"The newspaper names the boy as Oskar and reports how his liking for pink clothing, ballet and nail polish left him exposed to regular bullying from other boys in his playgroup. The newspaper reported that he had also complained to his parents that he had been subjected to taunts that he was "gay" and "a girl". He had furthermore complained of being excluded from the group, and having been dragged from a climbing-frame."

2-10-11: Isle of Wight County Press (Isle of Wight, UK): "Support for transgendered"

"A new support group has been launched on the Isle of Wight for people undergoing gender transition and sex change. WightConnect seeks to create an informal support network for those who have changed, are changing or are questioning aspects of their gender. The group has a website at www.wightconnect.org.uk which contains more information about the group’s ethos and some useful links."

2-10-11: All Africa (Africa): "Transgender Rights Not Simply Gay Rights", by Audrey Mbugua

"In the aim of strengthening their cause, gay rights activism often compromises the identity and struggle of transgender people by lumping the two communities' issues together, writes Audrey Mbugua . . .

But, should we compromise the transsexuals' right to identity, self-determination and their autonomy for the gays to support their activism? Any gay or lesbian worth his or her salt would ridicule this idea because it is simply oppressive. Would it be okay if heterosexuals told gays that they had to cease being gay for them to accept them and support their activism for non-discrimination?"

2-10-11: The Sun (UK): "Cindy and Natalie like shopping and doing their hair together. Nothing odd in that... except that they are BOYS"

"Teen Natalie Brammer is tall and striking, while best pal Cindy Jackson is a fraction shorter but just as distinctive. There is just one thing out of the ordinary about these giggly young women - and that becomes startlingly clear with a glance at their old photos. For six years ago, pictured with cropped hair and the first hint of facial stubble, the 12-year-olds were very obviously BOYS."

Thai airline trains transsexual flight attendants

2-10-11: Bay Area Reporter: "The groundhog surveyTransmissions", by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

"At this year's Creating Change conference, a new report came out from the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, which hosted the confab. The report, titled "Injustice at Every Turn," includes responses from nearly 6,500 people . . .

It's pretty big stuff – but I have to admit, I felt an extreme sense of deja vu as I read this report. You see, in February 2010, at the Creating Change conference, a report came out from NCTE and the Task Force . . . It, too, was a groundbreaking study, uncovering just how bad discrimination was for transgender people . . . So this year's groundbreaking study is last year's groundbreaking study. Just, you know, with the final numbers. Which also seem to be pretty close to the preliminary numbers . . .

. . . perhaps these numbers make good PR, and have now gotten two boosts here at the beginning of the year, allowing for an influx in media coverage and fundraising dollars for the organizations that funded it? Certainly it gives them the ability to say, "we're doing something for you," even if that something is simply number crunching a survey for a year or so.
Rather, I want to see these numbers . . . turn into something useful . . . We don't need to waste our time and money on next year's groundbreaking survey results at Creating Change 2012. Enough discussion: it's action time."

2-10-11: SVT (Sweden): Ångrarna: Mikael och Orlando är två svenska män i 60-årsåldern som bytt kön och opererat om sig till kvinnor. Men det nya livet i den nya kroppen blev inte alls så lyckligt som de hade hoppats. Båda två inser att könsbytet var deras livs största misstag."

Translation of title-lines: "Regret: Michael and Orlando are two Swedish men in their 60s who have changed gender and operated on at women. But the new life in the new body was not as fortunate as they had hoped. Both of them realize that sex change was their life's biggest mistake."

[This Sveriges Television program note about about Regretters reveals why these two men made such terrible mistakes. Here's a translation of the fifth paragraph of the article:

"Orlando is homosexual and made the change because he thought it would be easier to live with men if he were a woman. Michael is heterosexual but has never been able to find any woman who wants him. It was one of the reasons for his transformation. He thought he could fill the longing for a woman by becoming one himself."

These are classical reasons to NOT undergo SRS, and almost always lead to regrets. Unfortunately, reactionary psychiatrists and religious zealots are exploiting such "regrets" stories to defame and stigmatize transsexual women who transition for the right, and deeply felt, reasons.]

2-09-11: (Canada re Sweden, orig. posted 2-08): "There, and back again: Regretters reveals the aftermath of sex reassignment surgery" (more, more)

"In a black room, dimly lit and fit with only two chairs and a projector, Orlando Fagin and Mikael Johansson sit down to discuss their journeys through a gauntlet of gender bending operations.

"Do you have to be either a man or a woman? Can't you just be you?" asks Fagin. He and Johansson are the two subjects of the Swedish documentary film Regretters. Both are transsexual, and have either completed, or are in the process of completing a male to female, and back to male transformation. "I don't know who I am," says Fagin. "Sounds complicated," responds Johansson. Fagin replies, "No, it isn't, believe me."

"Identity, and the search for identity, is far more complex than you might think," explained Marcus Lindeen, playwright, journalist and director of the film. "It is certainly not so black and white." Regretters is Lindeen's debut documentary film, an adaptation of his play of the same name. The film is a conversation through which we are told the story of two people and their journey through their lives, questioning gender, identity, and attempting to come to terms with who they are, and what has brought them to where they are now."

2-09-11: News1130 (Canada): "Transgender protection bill approved by Commons - The Senate could be a roadblock"

"A bill protecting transgender people from discrimination has been passed by the House of Commons, but it still has to pass through the Conservative dominated Senate. The bill C-389 seeks to add protection to Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code for those who've changed gender or are in transition.

Burnaby-Douglas MP Bill Siksay has been fighting for it for six years. He says it's been tough to get it through the House, and he's hopeful it will get through the Senate. Critics bashed what they called the "Bathroom Bill," claiming it would allow sexual predators to dress up as women to use the ladies washroom."

2-09-11: CNN (posted 2-07): "Transsexual golfers prove drivers for change"

"Lana Lawless and Mianne Bagger are both professional golfers. Both are legally female, but they started their lives as men. And both, from their own very different standpoint, have battled what they see as discrimination and prejudice in their chosen field.

Lawless is a 57-year-old former SWAT team Californian policeman, who had sexual re-assignment surgery in 2005. Meanwhile, the 44-year-old Bagger -- a Dane who grew up in Australia -- eventually joined the golfing paid ranks after, in her words, "becoming a transitioned woman" in 1995 . . .

Both fell foul of the American Ladies' Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour's "female at birth" rule which would have prevented them playing on the most lucrative circuit in women's golf. And both have played a part -- Bagger by raising awareness, Lawless by reason of a lawsuit -- in the landmark decision on November 30, 2010 of the LPGA to dispense with that ruling."

2-09-11: The Guardian (UK): "'What sort of woman do I want to be? 'Learning how to live and 'present' as a woman can be like learning a new language, only without the concrete rules, says Juliet Jacques" (Another essay in the series "A transgender journey")

"Living 'as a woman' was just a starting point. As soon as I entered the NHS pathway and began the real life experience I had to ask myself: "What sort of woman?"

Establishing this involved rethinking my relationship with the vague social construct of 'masculinity', and separating those traits which had been a facade to help me 'pass' as male before transition, from those integral to my character. Simultaneously, whilst I knew that changing my body carried no obligation to adopt any socially gendered behaviours, presenting as female made it prudent to at least consider my ideas of 'femininity', and how 'feminine' I wished to be."

2-09-11: Philly.com: "Murder trial set for transgender hooker" (more)

"Herman Burton, a transgender prostitute, was ordered yesterday to stand trial on murder, arson and related charges in the slaying of a Chester County businessman in a Center City hotel room in October. Burton, who identifies as a woman and goes by the name Peaches, walked into the preliminary hearing wearing a quizzical expression, a gray sweat suit under which enlarged breasts were visible, and tightly braided hair with tiny pigtails on either side.

So violent and brutal are the facts involving the defendant's alleged beating and strangulation of Patrick Michael Brady, 49, that the attorneys on both sides agreed that Burton's police statement would not be read in open court and that the city medical examiner was not called to testify - both of which normally happen in murder hearings. Burton, 23, who has been arrested 36 times, was arrested Nov. 4 and charged with killing Brady on Oct. 30 and setting a fire to cover up the crime inside the victim's eighth-floor room at the Omni Hotel, 4th and Chestnut streets."

2-08-11: Seattle Post Intelligencer: "ACLU: Transgender woman, ejected from Lynnwood store, spurs policy change"

"After a transgender woman was kicked out of a Ross Dress for Less store while trying on clothes, a civil-rights group said the clothing chain has taken "positive steps" to strengthen its anti-discrimination policy. The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington said the company has clarified to employees that gender discrimination includes discriminating against someone on the basis of gender identity and expression . . . .

Last November, "Christy_M" wrote on a cross-dressing forum that she was trying on a "beautiful sweater dress" in the company's Lynnwood store when a manager suddenly pounded on the dressing-room door. "You need to get out of the dressing room now!" the manager is alleged to have yelled. She ordered her customer to leave the store.

Startled, Christy_M quickly put on her own clothes and lost an earring clasp in the process. She heard the manager tell some onlookers, "There's a situation going on right now, but it is almost over." She then threw up and cried in the parking lot. "I felt so embarrassed and disgusted with myself," Christy_M wrote. "I have so much shame wearing on me that I can hardly move.""

2-08-11: The Star (Canada): "Will ‘bathroom bill’ get flushed by Conservatives?"

"Critics call it the “bathroom bill.” They say that if passed Wednesday, Bill C-389, an act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code (gender identity and gender expression), will allow sexual predators to dress up like women and invade ladies’ rooms.

“Imagine a young girl — your daughter or granddaughter — goes into a washroom and finds a man there,” warns Campaign Life Coalition national president Jim Hughes. “How is the young girl to determine whether or not the man in the bathroom is a ‘peeping tom,’ a rapist or a pedophile?”"

2-08-11: Darlington Echo (UK): "Dress as a man to get a job"

"An inquiry has been launched at a Jobcentre after a sex-change patient was allegedly told she should dress as a man to improve her chances of finding work. Andrew Cook, 54, who worked in the construction industry all his adult life, felt he was trapped in the wrong body from the age of six. Last February, after decades of cross-dressing, he began gender realignment treatment and is now in the process of becoming Tina Cook.

As part of the treatment, Ms Cook, from Darlington, must live and dress as a woman or face being withdrawn from the realignment programme. After being made redundant from her construction job 18 months ago, Ms Cook began to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance. When she was at the Jobcentre in Darlington last week, she says she was advised to go back to dressing like a man for interviews if she wanted to improve her chances of securing a job.

“I have been living in the wrong body for 53 years and have only recently summoned up the courage to be the way I want,” said Ms Cook. “I have given up so much for this. My family don’t really talk to me and I have no friends. “How can they expect me to give it up to get a job? I think it is really insensitive.” "

2-08-11: ABC (Australia): "Artscape: Anatomy: Mind, 10:05pm Tuesday, February 08 2011"

"Directed by Emma Crimmings, one of Australia's new talented filmmakers Mind is the captivating story of Tom Cho, a 36-year-old Chinese-Australian man. From an early age, Tom thought he was different and knew he didn't match his mother's expectations of a good daughter. From the innocently playful gestures of a tomboy to the irrevocable impact of transitioning his gender, Mind charts Tom's escalating desire for personal transformation. Using writing and fantasy as a way of exploring the nature of identity, Tom's wild imaginings, including images of Godzilla rampaging through Melbourne suburbia, resulted in a widely-praised collection of short stories, Look Who's Morphing."

2-07-11: SX: "Walk Like A Man: Through a deeply personal blog, local actor Andy Guy is sharing his unique experiences as he becomes a man. Inside one person’s journey through gender transition"

"Through his blog The Andy Transformation Project, upcoming stage performer Andy Guy is hoping to not only raise awareness on the experience of gender transition but to also keep his friends and family up-to-date with his personal journey in becoming a man. Until recently, Andy was known as Anna.

“I’m trying to make people more aware of what exactly transgender is and isn’t,” Andy tells SX.

“This is part of my life journey and I really want to offer that up for people to listen and learn from.”"

2-07-11: Typically Spanish (Spain): "Spanish transsexual added to the Socialist candidate list in Madrid"

The Socialist Party leader in Madrid, Tomás Gómez, has announced the signing of the transsexual Carla Antonelli to stand for the party. It’s understood she is likely to be given a high place on the lists for the regional elections to be held on May 22, meaning in all likelihood she will be elected.

Famous in Spain as an actress it means a return to politics for Carla who left politics and gay activism in 2007 when the Ley de Identitad de Género was approved, for which she campaigned by even going on hunger strike. She was also the first person in Spain to ask for a change of name and sex on her DNI identity document."

2-07-11: Bay Windows (re Germany): "German court blocks trans sterilization requirement"

"Germany’s Constitutional Court ruled Jan. 28 that it is unconstitutional to require transgender people to undergo sterilization or gender-reassignment surgery before they can be legally recognized as a member of the other sex."

2-06-11: Houston Chronicle: "Obituary: Kathryn McGuire" (Guestbook)
"Kathryn Leigh McGuire, also known as the socialite, "Charles/Kathryn" died last week in her home in Palm Springs, CA. She was sixty-eight years old. Kathryn made a splash on the social scene in the late eighties and nineties as Houston's own transvestite millionaire socialite.

Charles/Kathryn underwent sexual reassignment surgery in 1992 and became simply known as Kathryn. As a woman, she talked about the trials of a post-operative transsexual in a stand-up comedy routine she performed around New York City and on her website zwamp.com. She lived out the rest of her life, happily, as a full-time woman, a long childhood wish. "

2-06-11: Indian Express (India): "‘Uplift transgendered to integrate them in mainstream society’"

"Recommending effective legal intervention to end ostracism of transgendered persons, the legal fraternity on Saturday advocated granting them greater “social and political” acceptance to integrate them into mainstream society.

Speaking at the ‘National Seminar on Transgenders and the Law’, the Supreme Court’s second senior-most judge, Justice Altmas Kabir, pointed out that the Constitution provides for the fundamental right to equality, and tolerates no discrimination on the grounds of sex, caste, creed or religion. “The Constitution also guarantees political rights and other benefits to every citizen. But the third community (transgenders) continues to be ostracised,”"

2-05-11: Styleite: "WATCH: Lea T Dishes On Being Givenchy’s Transsexual Muse" (with video interview, more)

"We’ve known this for a while, but Lea T’s interview with Models.com confirms it: she’s really, really awesome. We can’t wait for the transgender model’s appearance on Oprah, and Lea’s most recent interview gives some amazing insight into her life. She talks about how hard it is to be a transgender woman in Italy, where people openly taunt her on the street, in contrast to the more accepting attitudes she’s encountered in the U.S. and in her native Brazil.

Lea also dishes on her naked French Vogue photos. She says Carine Roitfeld encouraged her to pose nude, saying: “Why not be naked like the other girls? You have a penis, but that’s what you are. For me, you are beautiful like the other girls.” . . . Suffice to say, you really need to watch the entire interview below."

2-05-11: Metro Weekly: "CBS's Craig Ferguson Sketch Mocks Trans "Character""

"Tonight, the night after the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and National Center for Transgender Equality released a report about the widespread prevalence of anti-transgender discrimination, The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS presented a sketch portraying anti-trans stereotypes and playing off of them for humor at every turn.

The sketch featured Ferguson's "half-sister" -- played by a man -- coming out in a skirt and female's shirt, with an oddly painted face appearing to suggest significant facial hair. The first "gag" was her apparently showing male genitalia as she sat down -- to "eww" gasps from the audience.

Ferguson continued forward, mocking at several points that his "half-sister" was sexually unappealing, saying, for example, that no one wanted her in a date auction. There also were repeated negative references to Ferguson's "half-sister" masturbating. Ferguson also went so far as to include a "he-she" reference at one point."

[Oh my, if you thought that NBC's SNL Skit was transphobic, wait till you see this one from CBS.]

2-04-11: Colombia Reports (Colombia): "Transsexual to grace cover of men's magazine" (video, video, video)

"Colombia's Soho magazine, which is targeted at the male market with photos of scantily-clad women, is demonstrating its open-mindedness by featuring transsexual Colombian TV and film star Endry Cardeño on the cover of the next issue, radiostation La F.M. reported Friday. Cardeño, who underwent a sex change when she was 17 years old, shot to fame as a popular star of the soap opera "Los Reyes" ("The Kings") and has since acted in several films. The transsexual actress from Cucuta, Colombia, is an icon for LBGT (lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender) rights, although she says that love is more important to her than the legal right to marry. She initially faced criticism from conservative sectors of society upon first assuming her role in the soap opera but now enjoys a large following. Soho magazine is considered the Colombian equivalent of Playboy or Maxim, making Cardeño an intriguing choice to front the next issue."

2-04-11" Pink News (UK): "US transgender survey finds ‘discrimination and ridicule at every turn’" (more, more)

"A large-scale study of trans people in America says that almost every part of social and legal convention ridicules, abuses and discriminates against transgender people."

2-04-11: PR Web: "Groundbreaking Study Finds Pervasive Discrimination Against Transgender People"

"A new study reveals pervasive discrimination against transgender and gender-nonconforming people in a variety of fields, including education, employment, housing, health care, and more.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) today released a comprehensive new report, “Injustice at Every Turn,” revealing the depth of discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming people in a wide range of areas, including education, health care, employment, and housing. The study, based on the results from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS), was based on responses from over 6,450 participants. The NTDS is the first large-scale national study of discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming Americans, and paints a more complete picture than any prior research to date. . .

Said Mara Keisling, Executive Director of NCTE: “Reading these results is heartbreaking on a personal level—each of these facts and figures represents pain and hardship endured by real people, every single day. "

2-04-11: Hollywood Life (posted 2-02): "Kristen Stewart Swaps Genders And Murders A Molester In Rumored New Movie K-11!" (more, more, more)
"We have the first look at the newest script for K-Stew’s upcoming movie K11 that was co-written by her mom! It’s racy, controversial, and downright raunchy . . .This movie is about one of Hollywood’s music magnates ending up in the K-11 unit of LA’s male prison. K-11 is a unit sanctioned for gay men and transgendered who wouldn’t be able to survive in normal lock-up. He is inducted into this strange family unit that’s full of love, but tainted with rape, drug trafficking, and abuse. Kristen Stewart is rumored to play Birdy (originally Butterfly), a 19-year-old sweet, red-headed girl (naturally a boy) who befriends the new member and takes care of him . . . She is raped by a convicted child molester named Detroit who likes Birdy because she is little and young, and to retaliate against the abuse she murders him!"

2-04-11: Indian Express (India): "Nighttime Showstoppers"

"The stunning set of Ladyboys, a dancing troupe from Thailand, is here to bedazzle the city with all the right moves. They are called Thailand’s ‘women of the second kind’, the third sex — transgenders — who have strapped on their stilettos and danced their way to success for the past 25 years. Known for their foot-tapping and sensual performances, the troupe comes to India for the first time. And they are here to entertain. With nine shows slated over the weekend and a grand finale on Sunday at the Tagore theatre, they are all set to regale the city audience today onwards with “a mix of music, pomp and show”."

2-03-11: The Bay Area Reporter: “Castro history project selects first 20 honorees”
“Fourteen men and six women have been chosen to be the first group of 20 LGBT luminaries to be honored with plaques along the sidewalks of the Castro, San Francisco's gay neighborhood, the Bay Area Reporter has learned.

The list includes the famous, such as the poet Allen Ginsberg and pop artist Keith Haring, to unsung heroes few people may know, such as Jane Addams, the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, and Japanese playwright Yukio Mishima.

Known as the Rainbow Honor Walk, the project is aimed at showcasing the extraordinary achievements LGBT people have made toward human society despite the hatred and lack of rights they faced due to their sexual orientation or gender identity . . .

Rounding out the group are Christine Jorgensen, who in 1952 became the first person to receive widespread media coverage of her sexual reassignment surgery, and Alan Turing, who cracked the German's coded messages in World War II but was later prosecuted for being homosexual and opted to be chemically castrated to avoid a prison sentence."

2-03-11: Bleeding Cool: "Kristen Stewart’s Sex-Change Prisoner Film To Shoot In The Summer?" (more)

"Kristen Stewart has long been attached to K-11, a prison drama that was co-written by her mother Jules Stewart, and which would see her playing a transgendered prisoner called Birdy. According to Hollywood Life, the film now has a shoot date of June 6th . . .

The film’s lead role is apparently that of an LA music magnate who gets sent to the K-11 unit of the local clink. This is the wing for gay men and the transgendered, created ostensibly for their safety. Just reading the script appears to have titillated Hollywood Life somewhat. They say it is filled to the brim with sex, violence, drug use and “vulgarity”, and walk the typical tabloid line between excitement and disdain."

2-02-11: The Guardian (UK; posted 1-09): "The extraordinary life and death of David Burgess", by Elizabeth Day

"Last October, detectives were called to investigate the death of a woman under a London tube train. But as they traced her final moments, they discovered that she was, in fact, David Burgess, one of the most brilliant immigration lawyers of his generation. Here, Burgess's family and friends tell, for the first time, the complicated story of the loving father, brilliant colleague, sensitive woman and courageous person they knew. "

[A wonderful story; am posted it now having missed it earlier.]

2-02-11: Vogue (re Brazil): "Catwalk Star"

"TRANSSEXUAL Brazilian model Lea T made her catwalk modelling debut in her home country's Sao Paulo Fashion Week. The 28-year-old model, formerly known as Leo, walked in Brazilian designer Alexandre Herchcovitch's show amongst an army of models dressed in long black and neon yellow gowns with lace sleeves.

Lea is no stranger to being in the spotlight: after rising to fame in Ricardo Tisci's advertising campaign for Givenchy autumn/winter 2010, she soon went on to conquer the fashion world's toughest critics. Hailed as a muse by Katie Grand, she stars on the cover of Love magazine kissing Kate Moss this month."

2-01-11: SDGLN: "Transgender woman fired by Georgia General Assembly is back in court"

"ATLANTA — Late Monday, Lambda Legal filed papers in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit defending a lower court ruling that the Georgia General Assembly discriminated against Vandy Beth Glenn, a transgender woman who was fired from her job as Legislative Editor after she told her supervisor that she planned to transition from male to female . . .

In July 2010, the District Court ruled that Georgia General Assembly officials violated the Constitution and discriminated against Glenn by terminating her for failing to conform to sex stereotypes. Using a lower standard of review, the court rejected the second Equal Protection claim that Glenn was discriminated against on the basis of her medical condition. The state appealed the case to the Eleventh Circuit.

In the brief filed yesterday, Lambda Legal argues that the Eleventh Circuit Court should affirm the District Court’s ruling that Brumby discriminated against Glenn based on her sex because Brumby testified that he fired Glenn specifically because he viewed her intended feminine presentation as unacceptable. "I am resolved to see this case to the end. No one should be fired for no good reason like I was," Glenn said."

2-01-11: Time News Feed (re Thailand): "Thai Airline Actively Recruits Transsexual Flight Attendents"
""PC Air President Peter Chan, describes himself a pioneer. He believes his recruitment techniques are opening doors long closed for all transsexuals hoping to serve in the air. "I think these people can have many careers, not just in the entertainment business, and many of them have a dream to be an air hostess," he told AFP. "I just made their dream come true." . . . Chan hired six transsexuals from over one hundred applicants. Among the recent transsexual hires is Thanyarat "Film" Jiraphatpakorn, winner of Miss Tiffany 2007, a Thai beauty pageant for transsexuals."

January 2011

1-31-11: Human Rights Watch (re Honduras): "Appeal to President Porfirio Lobo Sosa to Investigate Recent Murders of Transgender Women in Honduras"

"In May 2009, Human Rights Watch published a report that documented a range of violence faced by transgender people in Honduras because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, as well as police inaction and failure to investigate such cases. Since then, there have been 34 reported homicides of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, particularly of transgender women; the latter have been termed transimicidios (transimicides) by the LGBT community, for the frequency with which transgender women are being killed.

While these are not isolated incidents, I want to draw your attention specifically to the murders of six transgender women in the last two months. In almost all the incidents, the women had been tortured before being killed-they were strangled, stoned, stabbed, and burned to death, suggesting that these crimes were motivated by bias against the individuals. The police have yet to make a single arrest in any of the cases."

1-31-11: BBC (re Honduras): "Honduras urged to investigate transgender killings"

"The pressure group Human Rights Watch has called on the government of Honduras to investigate the murders of six transgender women. The women were killed over the past two months.

The government has condemned the killings, but Human Rights Watch says it is failing to prosecute attacks on transgender people . . . The director of the lesbian campaign group Red Lesbica, Indyra Mendoza, says the murders have shaken the entire lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in Honduras."

1-31-11: MAGNET: "Anti-defamation Group MAGNET Demands Apology from NBC/Comcast for Dehumanizing SNL "Trans-Face" Skit" (more, more, more, more, more, more)

"On Saturday night, Saturday Night Live (SNL) aired the most horrifying and dehumanizing mocking of women who are born with a transsexual medical condition. The segment, called ‘Estro-Maxxx’, ridiculed the medical transition that women with a transsexual/and or intersex birth challenge go through. NBC/Comcast has yet to reply to the human rights advocates who are outraged that they would allow the writers of SNL to create and air this hateful propaganda towards such an alienated minority group."

1-31-11: The Advocate: "SNL Slammed for Transphobic Skit", By Advocate.com Editors"

"Advocates want an apology for a Saturday Night Live skit that mocks the transition of transgender women. The piece, which aired over the weekend, represented a fake ad for "Estro-Maxxx," a hormone replacement therapy. It featured men with facial hair wearing dresses . . .

“The attempted comedy of the skit hinges solely on degrading the lives and experiences of transgender women,” said GLAAD. “Dehumanizing holding people up for ridicule simply on the basis of their identity fuels a dangerous and hurtful climate and puts people in danger, especially given how infrequently the media shines a fair and accurate light on the lives of transgender people.”"

1-31-11: HRC: "HRC Condemns SNL’s Anti-Transgender Segment, Calls on NBC to Remove Skit from NBC Platforms "

"The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest civil rights organization dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality, is calling on NBC to apologize after an anti-transgender skit aired on Saturday Night Live. The skit, titled ‘Estro-Maxxx’, blatantly mocked transgender people, minimizing the challenges they face. SNL’s degrading sense of humor also supports many of the false stereotypes that could be used as fuel for anti-transgender sentiment, including discrimination and potentially even violence . . . HRC calls on NBC to remove the skit from NBC.com, all future broadcasts of the show, and all other NBC platforms such as Hulu.com. "

1-30-11: GLAAD: "GLAAD Demands Action from NBC/Comcast for Transphobic SNL Skit"

"This Saturday, on an airing of Saturday Night Live, NBC (a subsidiary of Comcast) broadcast a dangerous and blatantly transphobic segment which they called ‘Estro-Maxxx’ - the punchline of which was the lives of countless transgender people across the country.
The piece was a mock commercial for estrogen replacement therapy and featured men with facial hair wearing dresses, meant to represent transgender women. This segment cannot be defended as “just a joke” because there was no “joke” to speak of. The attempted comedy of the skit hinges solely on degrading the lives and experiences of transgender women. Holding people up for ridicule simply on the basis of their identity fuels a dangerous and hurtful climate and puts people in danger, especially given how infrequently the media shines a fair and accurate light on the lives of transgender people . . . The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation calls upon Comcast and NBC to apologize and remove the segment from Hulu and all future airings of the show."

1-30-11: Huffington Post (re Brazil): "Lea T., Transsexual Model, Takes First Turn On The Runway (Photos)"

"Transsexual model Lea T. has taken her first turn on the runway and -- surprise! It wasn't for Givenchy. She walked in a long, black dress with ornate sleeves for designer Alexandre Herchcovitch's Fall/Winter 2011/2012 show at Sao Paulo Fashion Week, in her native Brazil."

1-29-11: The Times of India (India): "Fashion’s going transsexual"

"International ramps are celebrating acceptance toward transsexual models - Andrej Pejic and Lea T. The world's watching... Fashion is all about real people, isn't it? And so, when firang designers showed growing acceptance toward transsexual models, everyone around the world slowly and steadily came to terms with it. Most asked - If the person has the looks, then why not? "

1-28-11: TLDEF: "Important New Information About Obtaining A Passport" (more, more)

"On January 28, 2011, in response to feedback from TLDEF and other organizations and individuals, the U.S. Department of State amended its policy for changing the sex designation on passports. Transgender people can get a new or corrected passport by presenting a letter from a doctor stating that they have had “appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition.” Sex reassignment surgery is not required to change the sex on a U.S. passport. What constitutes “appropriate clinical treatment” is left to individuals and their doctors — it is not dictated by the State Department.

Not only is this welcome news for those traveling internationally, but it also offers an alternative for showing an official ID domestically. Most notably, when starting a new job, a passport alone is sufficient to establish your identity and eligibility to work. In many states, sex reassignment surgery is required before the sex designation can be corrected on a birth certificate or driver’s license (two pieces of documentation commonly used to prove identity when starting a job). However, these federal guidelines mean that sex reassignment surgery is no longer a prerequisite to obtaining up-to-date and accurate photo identification."

1-27-11: NPR: "Berkeley's Latest Liberal Cause: Sex Changes"

"Berkeley, Calif., is famous for taking on bold, liberal causes, which is why officials there may not have expected the controversy over a proposal to help city workers afford sex change operations.

The amount of cash at stake in Berkeley is fairly small. But it has still stirred up a debate over how much compassion the city can afford in these tough economic times."

1-26-11: New Scientist: "Transsexual differences caught on brain scan"

"Differences in the brain's white matter that clash with a person's genetic sex may hold the key to identifying transsexual people before puberty. Doctors could use this information to make a case for delaying puberty to improve the success of a sex change later."

1-25-11: Sify News (re Thailand): "Thai airline recruits transsexuals as flight attendants" (more, more)

"A newly launched Thai airline has adopted a policy of recruiting transsexuals as flight attendants in an effort to offer equal opportunities to the 'third sex,' company sources said Tuesday. PC Air hired three transsexuals, 17 women, and 10 men in its initial recruitment drive Monday.

'Our initial quota was set at three transsexuals, but we will consider taking more in the future depending on their qualifications,' a PC Air spokeswoman said . . . Thanyarat Jiraphatpakorn, winner of the 2007 Miss Tiffany transsexual beauty pageant, was among the successful candidates to land a job on the new airline, which plans to launch flights on March 1."

1-24-11: Radio Taiwan International (Taiwan; posted 1-20): "Intersex: Hiker Chiu’s story"

"Hiker Chiu is a Ph.D student in human sexuality at Shute University. At a gay rights parade in Taipei last year, Chiu held a placard that read “free hugs with intersex.” On Chiu’s ID card, the word “female” was written in the column for gender. However, Chiu also has male sexual characteristics such as adam’s apple. In an interview with RTI, Chiu gave a detailed account of a long and harrowing experience that was often filled with helplessness, solitude, confusion, sadness and sometimes even shame. Chiu’s parents were very supportive, but they knew very little about intersex. Doctors are not helpful at all because they are reluctant to discuss the issue with their patient. The social stigma attached to intersex people is so strong in Taiwan that Chiu had virtually no one to talk to when growing up. In September of last year, Chiu visited Organization Intersex International (OII), the trip later helped pave the way for the establishment of a Chinese-language website for intersex people."

1-24-11: Los Angeles Times: "Chaz Bono: 'Becoming Chaz' has its premiere at Sundance Film Festival" (more)

"The film, which had its premiere Sunday night at the Sundance Film Festival ahead of its television airing on Oprah Winfrey's OWN Network later this year, depicts Bono, the child of Sonny Bono and Cher, as a someone for whom a sex change was the necessary remedy for a life of depression. And unlike the same decisions by others that end in disappointment or tragedy, this one seems to have been a wise one: Chaz Bono says he's now infinitely happier and more fulfilled, even as his transition has created a fresh set of challenges.
"It's the greatest thing I've ever done in my life. It's the only time I've felt like a complete person," he says in the film, before acknowledging that "it's kind of a weird time for me.... I definitely feel like I'm in the oven now.""

1-24-11: The Washington Post: "Housing policy and the gay community"

"HUD has unveiled a series of proposed rule changes that would prohibit lenders from using sexual orientation or gender identity as a way of determining a borrower's eligibility. The rule change would state that eligible families have the opportunity to participate in HUD-based programs regardless of marital status or sexual orientation.

The new rules, if adopted, also would prohibit owners and operators of HUD-funded housing from asking applicants or household occupants about sexual orientation or gender identity. The proposals must undergo a 60-day public comment period before formal implementation."

1-23-11: The Guardian/The Observer (UK): "The readers' editor on... reporting transgender issues: The strong response to our feature about the death of human rights lawyer Sonia Burgess highlights the need for sensitivity and respect"

"Earlier this month, the New Review devoted four pages to a 4,600-word account of the life and death of this extraordinary person. Last October, Sonia Burgess, first identified by her railcard, died beneath a tube train at King's Cross station. It was later discovered that Sonia was biologically male – a man called David Burgess, an immigration lawyer of international reputation. (A murder trial begins next month.

The Observer piece included this sentence: "Many of Sonia's friends found the media interest difficult to stomach, especially as some newspapers used the male pronoun to refer to Burgess in spite of the fact that he had chosen to live as a woman." This enraged several transgender readers who felt the Observer had done just that, ignoring Sonia's chosen identity and referring to her using the male pronoun and identifying her both as David and Sonia.

I wrote to that reader after I had spoken to the author of the piece, Elizabeth Day, who, in my view, had gone to great lengths to approach the subject as sensitively as possible. I felt that this passage from the piece summed up her dilemma as a writer: "On the day that Burgess was killed, he was living as a woman and yet working as a man. He was open about his lifestyle to anyone who asked, but he also had separate groups of friends: those who knew him as David and those who knew him exclusively as Sonia. "He allowed only his closest confidants to see him in both guises." This, I felt, was a simple fact and one that could not be ignored by adhering to the female pronoun."

1-21-11: Minneapolis Star-Tribune: "Vigil for Minneapolis victim: 'The killing of one of our own' – More than 200 honored Krissy Bates, hours after a Blaine man was charged in her killing."

"Friends say Krissy Bates was gregarious and kind, someone who would chat up a stranger at the bus stop. A transgender woman, she never tried to hide who she was, they said. And when she told her good friend Scottie Thornton about the new man in her life, she said things were going so great that she thought he might be "The One."There was even talk of him moving in with her, Thornton said.

That man, Arnold Darwin Waukazo, 40, of Blaine, was charged Friday with killing Christopher (Krissy) Bates, 45, whose body was discovered stabbed and strangled last week in her first-floor apartment on the edge of downtown . . .

On Wednesday, police confronted Waukazo at his workplace. He allegedly said he began dating Bates early this month, and he admitted he bought the bottle of liquor and went to her apartment. He said they had an argument and he "dispatched" Bates by strangling her with his hands, the criminal complaint said. He allegedly moved her body to the floor and saw it "jump." He told police he did not want her to "come back," so he took a folding knife from a hutch and stabbed Bates several times, according to the charges."

1-21-11: Gay City News: "Victory for NYC Gender Identity Protections - Judge finds transit authority not exempt; no First Amendment shield for transphobic employee comments"

"A New York State trial judge in Brooklyn rejected the New York City Transit Authority’s argument that city law banning gender identity discrimination in places of public accommodation is unconstitutional as applied to a claim that a transit worker directed transphobic language at a member of the public seeking assistance in using a Metrocard . . .

“The prohibition of bigoted behavior in the public accommodation context contained in [the law] does not violate the constitutional guarantee of free speech,” he wrote, finding that the city has a “compelling interest in combating invidious discrimination,” and that Supreme Court precedents suggest that the city law as applied in this case “would survive the most exacting scrutiny.”

1-21-11: Weekend Observer (Swaziland): "Sex-change teacher causes drama in court" (more)

"Patricia Dludlu, otherwise known as the sex-change teacher, yesterday caused drama at the Manzini Magistrate’s court when he asked it to adjourn owing to what he termed post stress disorder and that he needed counselling. This was just before Detective Constable Bongani Mbuyisa delivered his evidence in chief at the court before Magistrate Sindi Zwane as a fifth witness in his case of sexually molesting a pupil.

Dludlu went public about a sex-change that never was. He claimed he changed his male organs for female ones. Previously he was known as Patrick and later changed to Patricia after the imaginary sex-change.

On his arrest for sexually molesting the pupil police were also confused how to deal with him as regards booking him in a holding cell. He was exposed when a female officer was detailed to inspect his private parts. To the shock of the female officer, she found that Patricia was actually male. He had all what males should have."

1-20-11: Philadelphia Gay News: "Oversight agency seeks Morris records from DA"

"Once again, members of the Police Advisory Commission are seeking information from the District Attorney’s Office about the killing of a transgender woman, and they’re willing to go to court this time. Gathered at the William Way LGBT Community Center this week, the first time the commission has held a meeting in the LGBT community, the PAC distributed copies of letters sent to District Attorney R. Seth Williams and Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, seeking more information on the incident.

Nizah Morris, 47, was found on a Center City street with a fatal head wound shortly after she received a courtesy ride from Philadelphia police. She died two days later, on Dec. 24, 2002, from complications due to a fractured skull. The Medical Examiner ruled the case a homicide, and it remains unsolved . . .

Trans activist Kathleen R. Padilla praised the new PAC. She’s a former PAC member, but didn’t serve on the board when the non-disclosure agreement went into effect. “As a former PAC member, I’m very encouraged to see a revitalized commission taking a serious look at the Nizah Morris case, and making sure they have the entire record before issuing another report,” Padilla told PGN."

1-20-11: The Copenhagen Post (Denmark): "Transsexual “freak show” comments lands journalist in trouble"

"A TV2 journalist is in trouble after referring to a transsexual woman as a man and using the word “freak show” about people who have had sex change operations. The Danish National Organisation for Gay Men, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgendered Persons (LGBT) has filed an official complaint to TV2’s Eastern Jutland affiliate, which broadcast the comments on January 7. . .

As part of a report about a new magazine for gays titled Proud Magazine, TV2 Eastern Jutland reporter Søren Ø. Jensen repeatedly refers to a transgender woman (a woman who used to be a man) as a “man”. During the report, he asked the magazine’s owner and editor: “When can you stop describing such person as an affectionate 'woman-man' and start describing them as an outright freak show with perverted urges?”"

1-19-11: KTVU.com: "Berkeley City Council Postpones Vote On Sex-Change Surgery Funding" (more)

"The Berkeley City Council Tuesday night postponed a vote on a staff proposal to appropriate $20,000 a year to pay for sex-change operations for city employees. Council members on Tuesday decided to delay a final decision on the issue until Feb. 15.

The proposal calls for the city to maintain an annual $20,000 fund for gender-reassignment surgery, which can cost up to $50,000. In a memo to the council, City Manager Phil Kamlarz said the city is offering to pay for the operations, also known as "sex reassignment surgery," because they aren't covered by its two health insurance providers, Kaiser and Health Net. The proposed resolution that the council will vote on says funding sex-change operations is consistent with the city's equal employment opportunity policy."

1-19-11: Digital Spy: "GaGa casts transsexuals for new video"

Lady GaGa is casting transsexuals for her new music video, reports suggest. The singer, who is gearing up for the release of her new single 'Born This Way' next month, is said to have hired a number of transsexual women for the clip.

Perez Hilton reports that GaGa's management were spotted at a party in New York hosted by trans model and porn star Allanah Starr last weekend, where they asked a number of guests to star in the promo, due to be filmed next week. The star is expected to unveil 'Born This Way' with a live performance at this year's Grammy Awards on February 13.

1-19-11: Stage News (UK): "Broadcasters urged to increase on screen portrayal of transgender people"

"Broadcasters are being encouraged to sign an agreement to increase the positive portrayal of transgender people on television. The memorandum of understanding has been drawn up by Trans Media Watch, a voluntary group set up to combat prejudiced and inaccurate depictions of transgender people. It is aimed at all media outlets - including newspapers and broadcasters - and follows a conference held last year, at which both the BBC and Channel 4 admitted that transgender people were missing from television programmes because of commissioners’ lack of confidence and understanding about the issue."

1-19-11: Watermark (Florida): "Dr. Ferrell honored for years of service to T community"

In her 25 years as a gender therapist, Dr. Kathleen Ferrell has seen a lot of changes in the way the world views transgender individuals. But one thing she may not have seen is the direct and powerful impact she’s had on the T-community.

But in December, during a special celebration honoring the career of Ferrell, she heard first-hand how influential she has been during her quarter-century of service. Patients spoke about their experiences with Farrell—including her creation of a free group therapy session that was recently passed onto Dr. Tristan Byrnes . . .

“I was quite emotional,” Ferrell said. “I was very grateful that I could be present when I was eulogized—most people don’t get that opportunity. The individuals I’ve worked with over the years are amazing people because of course gender change is the Everest of human change. I think that they are just incredible people and in the face of a lot of obstacles in society, careers, in their families, they have persevered and they are just incredible.”

1-19-11: Minneapolis Star-Tribune: "Blaine man arrested in transgender killing"

"A Blaine man has been arrested in the murder of a transgender woman found dead last week in her Minneapolis apartment, police said . . . Police spokesman Sgt. William Palmer said he could not speak about a possible motive in the slaying or about the relationship between the man and the victim, Christopher P. Bates, 45, whom friends and neighbors knew as Krissy . . .

Friends said last week that Bates had moved to Minneapolis from Kentucky recently and that while living at the apartment building, Bates had expressed concerns about safety and had offered to pay for protection. A phone number listed for Bates matched advertisements on Backpage.com for transsexual escorts in Minneapolis and St. Paul"

1-19-11: Style Bistro: "Kate Moss Kisses Lea T On Love Magazine Cover Of ‘This Is Hardcore’ Issue"

"Love Magazine unveiled their forthcoming 5th issue, called 'This is hardcore', with a bang. Out of a total of three covers photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot, the first one revealed is a butch Kate Moss kissing the transsexual model Lea T. The other two covers will be single shots of Kate Moss and Lea T. The issue, as you might have figured out by now, will be themed around androgyny."

1-18-11: Tahiti Presse (Tahiti): "Controversial marriage: Thomas Moutame set March 22"

"Thomas Moutame Mayor Taputapuatea, appeared Tuesday before the Criminal Court for "abuse of authority by the person vested with public authority and discrimination because of sexual orientation." In 2007, he had refused to marry a couple of men, while one of them was officially became a woman after the civil court decision. Délibéré le 22 mars prochain. Deliberated on March 22.

Mayor Taputapuatea (Raiatea, Leeward Islands) was at the helm of the court on Tuesday morning because he refused to marry Claude Simon and Pero Mareva, a transsexual, while in 2007, the civil court had formally recognized that Mareva was now female and not male. "

1-18-11: Just Out: "Sexual Orientation- and Gender Identity-Inclusive Hospital Visitation Regulations Effective Today"

"More than a half-year after President Obama directed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to initiate rulemaking to ensure that Medicare and Medicaid-participating hospitals respect the rights of patients to designate visitors — and that participating hospitals do not deny visitation privileges based on factors including sexual orientation or gender identity — the new regulations went into effect today."

1-18-11: The Telegraph (Calcutta, India): "Plan panel to hear out transgenders"

"For the first time in the history of the country’s planning process, the transgender community will be heard before the next five-year plan is firmed up. The Planning Commission is holding consultations with all segments of civil society groups, including those who work for the rights of Dalits, minorities, gays and lesbians, in an attempt to make the next plan an inclusive one."

1-17-11: Bay Windows (re Honduras): "Transgender people killed in Honduras" (more)

"Several transgender people have been killed in Honduras within the past month, with two of them being set on fire, according to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. The victims include Alexis Alvarado Hernández, 23, who was stoned and set alight in the city of Comayagüela; Oscar Martínez Salgado, 45, who was stabbed and set on fire in her Tegucigalpa home; and "Cheo," who was found stabbed to death on a Tegucigalpa street.

IGLHRC said that since the 2009 coup d’état, there have been at least 31 murders of Honduran LGBT people."

1-16-11: St. Louis Today: “Missouri dad's story of transgender love wins award” (more)

“A small-town Missouri dad wins the second Stonewall children's book award with an edgy tale of transgender love, and what's the reaction? Cheerful "attaboys." . . .

Brian Katcher, 35, a Fort Zumwalt South alum and a librarian in Moberly, jokes that a little national controversy — like last year's uproar in southern Missouri over several titles for teens — wouldn't hurt his reputation: "What's a guy got to do to get his book burned in this town?

Moberly, about 30 miles north of Columbia, is a politically conservative area, he says. But folks are congratulating him on "Almost Perfect," which won the American Library Association's Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award."

1-16-11: Daily Mail (UK): "“Kelly Osbourne's ex Luke Worrall 'cheated on her with a pre-op transsexual'”

“Kelly Osbourne dumped fiancé Luke Worrall when she found out he was having a secret affair - and it has emerged that the woman in question used to be a man.

Heartbroken Kelly, 26 - who recently confessed to still being in love with 21-year-old model Worrall - called off her engagement in July when she discovered he was cheating with Elle Schneider. However, the reality TV star didn't know at the time that Elle, 21, was born a man and is a pre-op transsexual.

Elle, 21, from Miami, told the Sunday Mirror that she started life as Reynaldo Gonzalez. She told the paper: 'I was open with Luke that I was born a boy. He didn't mind - in fact it turned him on more."

[The British tabloids can't seem to get enough of this stuff. Must sell papers, eh?]

1-16-11: Daily Record (UK): "Stunned ex-lover of jail bird transsexual says prison changed her man"

"The ex-lover of Scotland's first transsexual prisoner yesterday blamed jail life for turning him gay. Heartbroken Karyanne Fraser, 35, claims her world was turned upside down last summer when convicted drugs dealer William Wallace told her he was homosexual. She was then hit with a double whammy when the cocaine and heroin peddler said he wanted to become a woman and change his name to Cassie.

And Karyanne, who stood by Wallace when he served previous jail sentences, was horrified when he sent her a vile letter detailing his sex exploits behind bars. She said: " . . . I was so upset I was physically sick on my living room carpet." She now claims being banged up with other males has led to his shock sex-swap decision."

1-15-11: On Top Magazine: "Oprah Winfrey's OWN Acquires Chaz Bono Doc 'Becoming Chaz' "

"Oprah Winfrey's nascent cabler OWN has acquired the Chaz Bono documentary Becoming Chaz, DeadlineHollywood.com first reported. The film focuses on Bono's gender reassignment and will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Sunday, January 23.

The 41-year-old Bono, who was born Chastity Bono to gay idol Cher and the late entertainer-politician Sonny Bono, announced last June that he was eight months into gender reassignment.

Writing at his blog ChazBono.net, Bono called on people to “Do what is right for you.” “I wasted years worried about what other people would think if I transitioned, and now I wish I had those years back,” he wrote."

1-15-11: News Online (Portugal): "President vetoes bill simplifying post-op bureaucracy for transsexuals" (more)

"President Cavaco Silva has vetoed a bill simplifying the bureaucratic procedure for transsexuals to change their names and gender at civil registries, sending it back to the Portuguese parliament.

The conservative president announced his veto last Thursday in the Algarve, where he was campaigning for a second term in the 23 January election."

1-14-11: Just Out: “Transgender Student’s Request To Live In Dorm Denied”
“A transgender student at a Texas junior college had her request to live on-campus denied — and has been restricted to only one bathroom on the campus . . .
Gellar is taking the denial in stride, telling KSAT that “the dorm decision doesn’t bother me.” However, the bathroom restriction is (rightly) rubbing her the wrong way; “that may be a violation of my rights,” she explains. The 51-year-old student plans to circulate a petition to override the bathroom restriction and allow her the same rights as her fellow STJC students."

1-13-11: Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Neighbor: Victim worried about safety - Authorities said the transgender woman died of "complex homicidal violence."

"A transgender woman who was found slain in Minneapolis on Tuesday was concerned about her safety in the weeks leading up to the homicide, a friend and a neighbor said.The Hennepin County medical examiner's office identified the victim on Thursday as Christopher P. Bates, 45, whom friends and neighbors knew as Krissy."

1-13-11: News & Star (UK): "Carlisle woman has spent her life with the mind of a female but body of a man"

"For 30 painful years, Kim Oakland lived a lie. As a five-year-old boy, growing up on a working class Carlisle estate, she spent hours playing soccer with her mates, but even then she knew there was something fundamentally wrong in her life.

1-13-11: Pink News (UK): "Transgender drug dealer spared prison" (more)

"A transgender drug dealer was spared prison after a judge said placing her in a men’s facility would prolong her “sexual nightmare”. . .

At Bristol crown court, Judge Mark Horton said that going to prison would damage Morris’ transition to become a woman but warned her she would be jailed if convicted of any more offences . . . “You have received government funding and if I send you to prison I would be sentencing you to a continuation of your sexual nightmare, possibly forever.”"

1-13-11: Fox59 News: "Ohio Univ. to try letting men and women room together, plan said to help transgender students"

"It's an idea that was pushed on behalf of the school's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Center. Center Director Mickey Hart tells the student-run newspaper The Post the gender-neutral housing will be of particular benefit to students who identify as transgender."

1-12-11: SDLGN: "First GLBT History Museum in U.S. opens in San Francisco’s Castro District"

"Internationally renowned as a center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture, San Francisco soon will welcome yet another groundbreaking queer institution: The GLBT History Museum.

A project of the GLBT Historical Society, an archives and research center established in 1985, the new museum will be the first of its kind in the United States—and only the second in the world. The grand opening is set for the evening of Jan. 13, 2011 . . .

Located at 4127 18th St., just a few doors from Castro Street, the space includes two galleries, a reception area and a museum store."

1-12-11: The Times of India (India): "Transgenders enraged with Censor Board" (more)

"Debutante director Vijayapadma's Narthagi has been given an 'A' certificate by the Regional censor board and this has upset the members of the Tamil Nadu Transgender Association. Explaining the association's stand, Vijayapadma says, "In an ad placed in a Tamil newspaper, we'd mentioned that the film has been given an 'A' certificate. Members of the association, Priya Babu and Kripa, who have also acted in the film, were upset and called me to find out the reason for which we were given an 'A' certificate. I told them that the censor board officials had asked me to mute dialogues in three scenes. These dialogues have featured in many Tamil films, but I agreed to mute them anyway. I told the officials that apart from the dialogues, there is no vulgarity in the film. But the officials felt that they won't be able to explain to their children why a guy is wearing a girl's costume. They said that 'oru thirunangain vaazhkaye adults only thaan' (the life of a transgender itself is 'adults only'). "

1-11-11: Riverfront Times (St. Louis): "Missouri Author Wins Award For Transgender Teen"

"Brian Katcher's 2009 novel, Almost Perfect, has been grabbing attention and awards -- it just snagged the 2011 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award, for which he'll be recognized at June's American Library Association Annual Conference. The book, Katcher's second novel, delves into the experience of Sage, a closeted transgender girl in high school; and the emotional roller-coaster she goes through with Logan, her new friend in school, after the pair kiss and Sage reveals she was born male.

The book is set in rural Missouri, where Katcher lives with his wife and young child and teaches school. The Daily RFT chatted with Katcher, home for a snow day, about improvements in young adult fiction, edgy topics and the beauty of the internet."

1-11-10: AfterElton (posted 1-10): "Have the Lambda Book Awards Made Themselves Irrelevant?", by Brent Hartinger

"The Stonewall Books Awards, given annually to the year's best in children's and teen literature involving the GLBT experience, were announced today at the closing of the American Library Association's annual conference. Brian Katcher's Almost Perfect, the story of a straight boy's relationship with a transgender girl, was named the winner.

But the most interesting development may be this year's decision by the American Library Association’s Stonewall Book Awards Committee of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Round Table, which gives the award, to announce it at the same time as the ALA's other prominent awards . . .

This decision has greatly increased the visibility of the Stonewall Awards (and, perhaps, their clout), and some are saying this is a direct response to last year's decision by the Lambda Awards to restrict nominations only to books whose authors identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. At the time, I argued that this was very ill-conceived — that the sexual orientation of an author was irrelevant to the quality of a book or the "truthfulness" of its voice, and that, for various reasons, this decision, however well-intentioned, was an unnecessary slap in the face of our strongly supportive straight-author allies."

[Yet another bizarre blunder by the Lambda Literary Foundation. You'll recall that the LLF nominated J. Michael Bailey's infamous book The Man Who Would Be Queen for a Lambda Literary Award back in 2004 – later withdrawing the nomination and pronouncing the book "transphobic"after actually reading it .]

1-11-10: The Washington Post: "Transgender vets want military access for own" (more)

"Before handcuffing herself to the White House fence, former Petty Officer First Class Autumn Sandeen carefully pinned three rows of Navy ribbons to her chest. Her regulation dress blue skirt, fitted jacket, hat and black pumps were new - fitting for a woman who spent two decades serving her country as a man.

Sandeen was the only transgender person among the six veterans arrested in April while protesting the military's ban on openly gay troops. But when she watched President Barack Obama last month sign the hard-fought bill allowing for the ban's repeal, melancholy tinged her satisfaction.

"This is another bridesmaid moment for the transgender community," the 51-year-old San Diego resident said. The "don't ask, don't tell" policy now heading toward history does not apply to transgender recruits, who are automatically disqualified as unfit for service."

1-11-11: The Times of Malta (Malta): "Transsexual to resume fight for right to marry"

"On Valentine’s Day Joanne Cassar will kick off another phase in her battle to secure her right to marry a man following her gender reassignment surgery seven years ago. On the day dedicated to lovers, the 29-year-old will start making her case in anticipation of meeting the man of her dreams. The submissions will be made in appeal proceedings initiated by the Attorney General and the Marriage Registrar, who asked the Constitutional Court to revoke Ms Cassar’s right to marry after a judge ruled in November that her gender reassignment surgery should not prejudice her right to have a husband."

1-10-11: Huffington Post: "Should We Introduce Children to the Concept of Transgender People?", by Joanne Herman

"Should we introduce children to the concept of transgender people? The answer is yes according to an article published in the December 2010 issue of the peer-reviewed Graduate Journal of Social Science. The article by Natacha Kennedy and Mark Hellen, entitled "Transgender Children: More Than a Theoretical Challenge," was developed from a paper presented at the November 2009 conference "Transgender Studies & Theories: Building Up the Field in a Nordic Context" held at Linkoping University in Sweden . . .

Most studies have been based on direct observations of transgender children. In this case, the researchers instead surveyed transgender adults about their childhoods and then correlated their results with other research. One of the interesting results is a conclusion that there are many more children who conceal their non-conforming gender identities through childhood -- so-called "non-apparent" children -- than those who clearly identify as transgender as children . . .

The authors found that roughly three-quarters of transgender people were aware of being transgender before leaving elementary school, and there was "an average delay of 7.5 years between becoming aware of one's transgender or gender variant nature, and learning any words with which to describe it." This means "many transgender children go through most, if not all, of their time in compulsory education knowing their gender identity is different from that expected of them." On the strength of this finding, the authors argue:

"If a school system tried to coerce any other group of individuals to become people they are not, to regard an inner core of their identities as illegitimate, and prevent them from expressing their identities freely, particularly from a very young age, it would be characterized as barbaric. ... The [resulting] internalization of self-hatred, guilt, self-doubt and low self-esteem in childhood affects transgender people throughout their lives. Any education system, or indeed society, which allows this state of affairs to continue is neither fully inclusive nor fully humane." - Natacha Kennedy and Mark Hellen"

[The groundbreaking study by Kennedy and Hellen is a must read for all those interested in helping trans children and their families, and a stunning rebuke to the pathologization and trans-reparatistism foist upon such children by Kenneth Zucker at CAMH.]

[See also Natasha Kennedy's report "My Encounter with Prof K Zucker at the BPS conference in Salford" in which she exposes Zucker's rather stunned reaction to her research]

1-10-11: Transadvocate: "Senator Casey Asks Social Security Administration to Provide Gender Change Publication"

" . . . As you already know, the SSA has no informational publication on its policy regarding gender data change for Social Security staff to share with inquiring beneficiaries or the public to access online. The language used by Social Security employees in the Programs Operations Manual System (POMS) is technical and is not written for a public audience. Additionally, POMS does not provide Social Security staff the training necessary to discuss the sensitive personal and medical information required to update one’s gender data.

To enhance the Social Security Administration’s current public communication l encourage the Administration to create an easily accessible publication that provides a plain-English explanation of your gender data change policy, and that you make this publication available to beneficiaries in your field offices and to the public online . . . "

1-09-11: San Francisco Examiner: "Patrol Special officer accused of soliciting prostitute"

"The SFPD is accusing a member of the Patrol Special Police force of picking up a transgender prostitute and frequenting a Tenderloin bar it says is known for connecting transgender prostitutes with johns — behavior the department calls unbecoming of his position.

Although Assistant Patrol Officer Roberto Ortega has not been charged with any crime, former police Chief George Gascón filed a complaint with the Police Commission recommending that he be disciplined and forced to resign."

1-09-11: Deccan Herald (India re Nepal): "Transgender category introduced in Nepal census"

"Nepal government, for the first time, has decided to create a new category for transgender people in its latest census which is expected to begin in May . . .

This is a good beginning and a positive gesture for the rights of the third sex, said transgender activist Sunil Babu Panta, who is also the country's first gay Parliament member. This will certainly help in ensuring rights of the sexual minorities, he said, adding but we don't have enough preparations to carry out the census.

Due to lack of awareness and fear of social exclusion many gays and lesbians may not express their real sexual identity, he pointed out. The number of sexual minorities is estimated to be more than two million, said Panta, who heads Blue Diamond Society dedicated to the cause of lesbian and gay he said adding but the correct picture may not come out due to the conservative nature of the society.

But only 350,000 third sex people including 50,000 gays and lesbians have so far been identified, according to Panta."

[Please join the Friends of Blue Diamond Society on Facebook]

1-09-11: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia re Tiwi Islands): "At home on the Tiwi Islands but doing it tough: meet Crystal Love and her Sistagirls"

"Love says she believed she was a woman despite being born male: ''It's like I'm trapped in something I'm not. And it's hard. It's hard. It's hard, y'know.'' . . . 'That's what I want in my life, y'know, I want to have my sex change,'' she says, before breaking into song, ''have a husband and some children.''

Love was one of 12 Sistagirls, or transgender Tiwi Islanders, photographed by artist Bindi Cole during a five-week expedition in 2009 . . .

Despite their close-knit community, Cole said the 50-odd Sistagirls were outcasts among the 2500 inhabitants of Tiwi Islands.

'The girls aren't wholly accepted,'' she said. ''It's not something some Tiwi people want to promote. Not everyone was happy I was there. It's really tough for them yet they just love the place … and will probably never leave.''

The difficulties faced by the Sistagirls is illustrated in Eye by Laura, who describes how her father told her he was going to shoot her dead, as well as three Sistagirls who committed suicide yet were denied traditional death rites.

The Sistagirls of the Tiwi Islands are by no means unique. A similar community exists on Palm Island, off the coast of Townsville, says Cole."

1-09-11: The Straights Times (Singapore re Malaysia): "Malaysian transsexual fights for rights" (more, more)

"A MALAYSIAN transsexual vowed to fight for her rights after a court refused to change the gender on her identification documents to female following sex-change surgery, her lawyer said on Sunday. Lawyer Wong Kah Woh said the High Court ruled on Friday it was sympathetic but couldn't declare his 35-year-old client - who isn't identified for safety reasons - a woman because it has no jurisdiction to deal with the issue.

Sex-change surgery is legal in mainly Muslim Malaysia, but transsexuals often cannot legally change their gender status. Activists have estimated there are at least 50,000 transsexuals in Malaysia, many who face widespread prejudice and often cannot find employment."

1-08-11: On Top Magazine: "Transgender Actress Alexandra Billings Urges Troubled Gay Teens To 'Hang Around'"

"In a new PSA, transgender actress, teacher and activist Alexandra Billings urges troubled gay teens to reach out to the Trevor Project, the California-based non-profit that runs the nation's only 24-hour, toll free confidential suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth.

The 48-year-old Billings first confides that anti-gay bullying drove her to attempt suicide at 16, before urging gay teens to “hang around.” “There is something you can do, find an LGBT group in your high school or your junior high,” she says. “Talk to a couple of friends of yours, talk to your parents – I know that it's frightening. If that's too hard, write them a letter and read it to them.”

“You can also call the people at the Trevor Project. There is someone waiting right now to talk to you. And to listen. And who understands.”"

1-08-11: Echo (UK): "Gang called me ‘freak’ and started to attack"

"A TRANSSEXUAL believes she has been the victim of a hate crime after being attacked by a gang. Miranda Lee, whose story about her sex change and battle for breast surgery has featured in the Echo and national press, was on her way home from a friend’s house in Southend, when she was pushed off her mobility scooter and punched in the stomach.

She said: “I was assaulted by five lads. They said ‘there’s that tranny freak from the papers’. They bashed up my mobility scooter and gave me a few quick digs.” Miss Lee, 40, from Southend, said she uses the scooter to get about, after gender change surgery in 2009 left her with nerve damage around her groin, making it difficult to walk more than a few yards without being in agony. The group ran off from the scene in Rochford."

1-08-11: Sydney Morning Herald (Australis re India): "Modern world plays havoc with age-old livelihood"

"Members of India's transgender community are turning to sex work to survive as their traditional way of life is eroded, writes Matt Wade in Delhi . . .

For thousands of years, hijras such as Suman have been part of the subcontinent's complex civilisation. But her implants and her sex work are indicators of how this unique community is under pressure amid rapid social and economic change in India . . .
''The traditional function that hijras had in earlier times was singing, dancing and blessings at auspicious occasions, like births and marriages,'' says Rahul Singh, a community worker and activist who has been involved with hijra communities for more than a decade.

''But with changing times it has become more and more difficult for hijras to earn their livelihood through this source of income.'' In big cities, where hijras tend to live, the advent of high-rise flats and gated neighbourhoods has reduced their opportunities to collect money. ''People's attitudes have also been changing; they have become much more indifferent to them,'' says Singh. ''All this has really hurt the community and they are … opting for sex work and sometimes begging as well.''"

1-01-11: Gothamist: "Artist Refutes Transsexual Adult Film Star's Bad Date Story" (more)

"It seems that there are two sides to every transsexual porn star date-gone-awry story. Kayla Coxx, a "sultry transsexual porn star from LA" best known for hocking a video of her hanging with Charlie Sheen, had called the cops on artist Allan D. Hasty just before New Years, alleging that he stiffed her on her "date" fee, and that he had live grenades, guns, and drugs all over his apartment. But Hasty spoke with Scallywag and Vagabond, and gave his own rundown of the evening in question, which paints a slightly different picture of Coxx as an "extortionist meth head tranny porn star.""

1-07-11: The Star (Malaysia): "Man fails to change status to woman in MyKad"

"The High Court here has rejected an application to compel the National Registration Department (NRD) to alter on the identity card the gender of a man who had undergone a sex change operation.

Judicial Commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim, in rejecting the application, said the court was not ready to make a declaration on the matter as it was not vested with such powers. The plaintiff, a male, now had artificial female organ.

Ridwan, who delivered his decision in chamber, said the best way to resolve the matter was to have a law passed in Parliament to deal with matters on gender change."

1-08-11: QSaltLake: "Center hosts playgroup for gender-variant kids"

"Life is often hard on children who don’t fit neatly into the category of ‘boy’ or ‘girl,’ especially when it comes to making friends. But thanks to a group at the Utah Pride Center, this aspect of growing up gender variant may be a little less difficult.

Kids Like Me is a playgroup for children that the Center calls “gender exceptional,” and for children whose parents identify as transgender, genderqueer, gender variant or any gender identity that falls outside of mainstream definitions of masculinity and femininity. Its purpose, the Center said, is not to shoehorn children into any particular gender label or identity, but to help them find friendship and feel less alone."

1-05-11: New York Times: "A Son Confronts Gender Identity and a Mother Grieves"

"Sharon Weir may not be happy that her son is openly gay and identifies himself as transgender, but she will fight for his right to exist in peace."

1-05-11: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: "Expert Panel Assembled by AFSP Publishes Review and Recommendations on LGBT Suicide and Suicide Risk - Calls for Action to Address Knowledge and Prevention Gaps"

"A panel of 26 leading researchers, clinicians, educators and policy experts have released a comprehensive report on the prevalence and underlying causes of suicidal behavior in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adolescents and adults. The report will be published as the lead article in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of Homosexuality. The article is currently available online and will appear in print on Jan. 19.

Titled “Suicide and Suicide Risk in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Populations: Review and Recommendations,” the report makes sweeping recommendations for closing knowledge gaps about suicidal behavior in LGBT people, and calls for making LGBT suicide prevention a national priority . . .

The consensus panel called for revision of diagnoses pertaining to transgender people in the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (due out in 2013) to affirm that gender identity, expression and behavior that differ from birth sex is not indicative of a mental disorder.

Other recommendations focus on improving information about LGBT people by measuring sexual orientation and gender identity in all national health surveys in which respondents’ privacy can be adequately protected, and encouraging researchers to include such measures in general population studies related to suicide and mental health."

1-05-11: Huffington Post (re Brazil): "Lea T., Transsexual Model, Talks About Her Love Life"

"Transsexual model Lea T. recently spoke with "Veja" magazine about her personal life, Brazilian site Quem reports (and we translate): "I've never had a girlfriend or a boyfriend....Sex for me was zero," she explained, saying that she only became sexually active after 20 years old and claims to have not liked it. "It was quick, uncomfortable. I was and am still very ashamed of my body," she said."

1-04-11: Huffington Post: "More Employers To Cover Transgender Surgery, But New Hurdles Expected", by Joanne Herman

"One year from now, more employers than ever before will cover transgender surgery as part of their health insurance plan. While this is much-needed progress for transgender people, implementation issues will unfortunately create new hurdles to living in one's true gender . . .

Even with the most WPATH-compliant coverage, a significant hurdle will be that few of the current transgender surgery specialists accept insurance. In fact, most require prepayment of the full cost. Many employees are just not going to be able to come up with that kind of cash, and it's going to be a while before the market forces providers to accept insurance.

For those who can pay in advance, the insurance company's inexperience with transgender coverage could leave the employee hanging. "

1-04-11: QNotes: "Trans hospital protections go into effect"

"Equality North Carolina, a statewide LGBT advocacy organization, is praising new changes in North Carolina’s Hospital Patient’s Bill of Rights. The change, which took effect Jan. 1, prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity. The group had previously won changes to secure anti-discrimination measures on the basis of sexual orientation and visitation for same-sex couples"

1-04-11: AFP (re Czech Republic): "It's in the genes, suggests Czech transsexual 'family'" (more)

"Dominik was a woman, Andrea was a man, and now after switching their genders they are a couple watching the son Dominik gave birth to, turn into a woman."

1-02-11: Buffalo News: "Transgender writer returns to childhood home"

"Jennifer Finney Boylan is at ease now in the living room of the Devon, Pa., home where she spent her boyhood.

She has not always been comfortable in this place. When she lived here as 13-year-old James Richard Boylan Jr. and had the whole top floor to herself, she did her homework with the dead bolt on the bedroom door, wearing the bra and sweater she kept hidden behind the room's faux wooden paneling, and trusting she'd hear the stairs creak if anyone approached.

Now a professor of creative writing at Maine's Colby College since 1988, Boylan, 52, was a visiting prof for the fall semester at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. Staying in Devon allowed Boylan cherished time with her mother . . .

Her groundbreaking memoir, "She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders" (Broadway Books, 2003), was the first best-seller by a transgender American. It landed her on "Larry King Live" twice, a Barbara Walters special, the "Today" show, the History Channel, CBS's "48 Hours" and "Oprah" (four times) . . . "

Last month, Boylan spoke to students at the Haverford School, "my allegedly all-male alma mater," for the first time. "I've spoken at boys' schools all over the country, but for the longest time [Haverford] didn't know what to do with me."

"I am the most visible transgender person in the country," she says. "But Philadelphia, which is my home, has never claimed me. Just once, I'd like to be a hometown hero.""

Click here to access the currrent Trans News Updates

Click here to access the Trans News Updates for 2010 (2nd half)

Click here to access the Trans News Updates for 2010 (1st half)

Click here to access the Trans News Updates for 2009 (2nd half)

Click here to access the Trans News Updates for 2009 (1st half)

Click here to access the Trans News Updates for 2008 (2nd half)

Click here to access the Trans News Updates for 2008 (1st half)

Click here to access the Trans News Updates for 2007

Click here to access the Trans News Updates for 2006

Click here to access the Trans News Updates for 2005

LynnConway.com > TS Information > Trans News Updates > News of 2011(1st half)