Otherside of the Rainbow

There are many of you that dream of transition.  To follow is a heart-warming story as Juliet Jacques recounts the lead up to final preparations, the surgery itself and the aftermath.

Times They Are A Changing

That's right, a new police station will feature a transgender change room in the gymnasium – a suggestion that came from a public consultation hosted by the Saskatoon Police Advisory Committee on Diversity during the buildings initial planning.

Kids Get To meet First Transgender Teacher

It just goes to show that the world is changing, and when it comes to transgender rights, its not always the 1st world countries leading the way. 

Toyota Continues to Use Transgender in Yet Another New Ad

I'm not really sure what marketing genius was used for the new ad campaign for the Toyota Auris Coup GT,  but it now appears that the transgender theme is planned for a series of ads. See the new one. 

When The Road Is Rough

Since the 1980s I've listened to transgender girls from the U.S. -- mostly cross-dressers that I knew --  talk about the pain caused by their gender conflict, and the difficulties that it created in their lives in general.

The Truth Will ...

When it comes to ones gender dysphoria, I've always advocated truth -- much to the dismay of many cross-dressers. But it was only after my gender dysphoria created havoc on my previous marriage that I took that position. I was then engaged for months with married cross-dressers in a forum [years ago] on the topic, and was all but crucified for suggesting that they be 100% open and honest with their significant others.

Transgender Books, a Plus or Minus?

There is a new book, a collection of stories about transgender people that share a geographic connection.  Does their experiences and stories reflect truth about you?

Financing Transition

While transition is hard enough due to social commentary on every aspect of your life, financing it is sometimes just as -- or more so -- challenging. 

Transgender Rapper Mykki Blanco Premieres 'Wavvy' Video

I came across this little diddy, but didn't get it.I watched the entire video and while Blanco has a scene in a wig and some female mannerisms, is this really a transgender performer? 

The Prescila Queen

It's the sixth night of Lautoka, Fiji's annual Sugar Festival, and they're crowning the queen. Not the Sugar Queen -- that's tomorrow night -- but the Priscilla Queen, the winner of a series of competitions by transgender contestants to raise awareness about the transgender and gay community, at what is known widely in Fiji as Priscilla Night.

Making A List, For All The Girly Bois

It’s not even Labor Day but the toy industry is already laying the groundwork for a brisk holiday season. And this year, it’s making a play for all the little gay boys and girls—well, mostly boys—with some pretty queertastic dolls. Just invite Magic Earring Ken over and you’ll be ready to kiki in the Dream House!

Manila Luzon Doll

This mini-Luzon (actually a pimped-out Barbie) sports an adorable pineapple dress with Swarovski crystals, metallic sequins, an emerald mermaid flounce—and a hefty $700 price tag. We hear the limited edition Imelda Marcos version comes with 40 pairs of shoes.

See all the other dolls for the holiday season here

March Honors 46th Anniversary of Compton's Cafeteria Riots

In the 1960s, Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco's gritty Tenderloin neighborhood was virtually the only place in the city where transgender folks could congregate publicly, as they weren't allowed in gay bars at the time. Cross-dressing was still illegal in the city, and the local police often used the presence of trans women as a pretext for raiding and closing gay bars.(continue reading in The Advocate).

In the history section of TGreporter.com  there is a full account of this -- the nation's first transgender protest -- which occurred three years before the legendary Stonewall Riots in New York city that spawned the gay rights movement.  Read about people in transgender history. 

XY That Girl, New Transgender TV Show

A representative of KBS Joy stated on August 23rd, “Shin Dong Yup and Hong Suk Chun have been chosen as the MCs for a new transgender talk show on KBS Joy called ‘XY That Girl‘.”

‘XY That Girl’ will be about those living out their lives as a transgender and the struggles they face as they live as one who is familiar with both the lives of men and the hearts of women. The fact that a show like this will be airing in Korea has already brought much attention.

Trans Girl Used in Car Ads: Good thing or same 'ol typecsasting?

19-year-old Ukrainian-born male model Stav Strashko – who identifies as transgender – struts in front of the camera, long hair flowing, and with a girlish demeanor turns to reveal her flat-chested maleness.  

The tagline for the new Toyota Auris is  ''not in trend, not casual, not for everyone.'' 

Why its great that trans-models are getting work, it is troubling when they get it to portray something off, something different.  

Or is it? After all, we are different.  Stav has a Tumblr page here, and with the incredible good looks and lean frame, seems to be following in Andrej's wake.

Take a look and see what you think of the ad.

Trans Girls in Female Attire for Grad

Aug 30 is going to be a big day for Baramee "Denjan" Phanich, and for the transgender community in Thailand. Denjan, 23, is among five transsexual students who have been granted permission to wear female attire during the graduation ceremony at Thammasat University.

APA Issues Position Statements Supporting Transgender Care And Civil Rights

Following up on guidelines generated by a report on transgender healthcare last month, the American Psychiatric Association has issued official position statements on the care and civil rights of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. The new statements reflect this year’s editions to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM-V) that will identify being transgender as “Gender Dysphoria,” removing the classification of “Gender Identity Disorder.” The APA explained the importance of standing up for the trans community, citing the “significant discrimination, prejudice, and the potential for victimization from violent hate crimes, as well as denial of many basic civil rights, protections, and access to health care, to the severe detriment of their mental health. Here are the new position statements: Read the position statements here

Transsexual Moves Under the Regime of Chavez

An Interview with Maria Gabriela Blanco, Alianza sexo-género diversa revolucionaria (Revolutionary Alliance of Sex-Gender, and Diversity, ASGDRe)

Under Hugo Chávez, there have been many gains in the struggle for liberation, including for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people (LGBT). Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was outlawed in the 1999 Labour Organic Law but anti-discrimination proposals were dropped from the 1999 Constitution due to pressure from the Catholic Church; same-sex couples cannot marry or adopt children and several proposals that would have advanced such struggles were defeated in the Constitutional referendum of 2007. There have always been diverse political currents within the LGBT community, but three years ago, the first revolutionary LGBT collective was formed. 

We caught up with one of its founding members, activist María Gabriela Blanco, at a meeting of the Alianza Popular Revolucionaria (Revolutionary Popular Alliance, APR) in Caracas. Source: The Bullet 

Some Girls Just Want To Have Fun ... and be Pretty

 

Trans performers have been around for as long as we research back in time, or so it seems.  The 50s however were a huge leap forward with the use of hormones and gender reassignment surgeries being used for the transsexuals, like Coccinelle, Christine Jorgensen, April Ashley, and later Bibi Anderson, , Harisu and others.  France, the USA, Germany, and Spain all had their famous girls.  Thailand too has some of the most beautiful Lady Boys on the planet.

Transgender Votes? Some Yes, Some No

Voting for transgender people varies depending where you are in the world.  In America, new voter ID laws could prevent more than 25,000 transgender citizens from voting, while in India,Transsexual persons can now enroll as voters in a hassle-free manner, thanks to the modified guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India.

Rick Skye & Tomy Femmia in NYC

 

Winner of the 2012 "MAC" AWARD as BEST DUO
Rick Skye and Tommy Femia
in

"JUDY AND LIZA TOGETHER AGAIN!"
Extended through the Fall Season

Happening in the U.K.

WayOut Club last week held there LAST event at 2AD.  The next event will happen on August 25th at Abbey 33 Minories EC3N 1DD, and Vickie has a bunch of new announcements to tickle your fancies!

Cyrsti's Transgender Condo: Mentally Ill

My friend Cyrsti says she feel much better since "illness" has been downgraded to "dysphoria" by the medical community.

Cyrsti's Transgender Condo: Mentally Ill

Transgender Models -- Talent or Hype?

Isis King was the first model to step out on America's Next Top Model, even though there were many transgender models in the world of fashion before her.  GLADD announced that "

America’s Next Top Model kicks off its 19th cycle next Friday with an all-new set of judges after Nigel Barker, Jay Manuel and Miss J. Alexander were given the boot.

But it’s an international version of the show—there have been more than two dozen to date—making waves right now: Season Three of Korea’s Next Top Model features among its cast of aspiring fashionistas Choi Han-bit, who is transgender."

Is allowing transgender models on the show an open door policy that anyone who can pull it off can compete, or merely a new TV hype for ratings?  And does it matter? I've noted my thoughts on sensationalism before.  

Two beginnings of Trans Experience

In an article where the author looks at the origins of transsexualism from both a political and medical point of view, she notes in closing that "I see no difficulty in the concept of blending the medical treatment schemas for transsexual individuals and antidiscrimination and equality goals of transgender community activism into trans identity. But that said, not every person of transsexual history would agree with me – some see these two points of origin as being so separate as to be in conflict with the other point of view. It’s in this view of inherent conflict one can find the lack of solidarity in what it means to be trans, or of trans history."

While I would agree with her that there should not be a conflict, there is, and many transwomen I've known had a huge problem with living as out transwomen.  To them they were trans while in the wrong body, but post surgery were no longer trans -- they were now just women.  

Yet in an interview I did some years ago with the Vogue model Lauren Foster, she noted that "I think that being TS shouldn’t be one’s defining statement, it should just be part of our life’s journey, our experience.," but she also later in the interview talked about owning her past, because without it, then she had no past.  

So in my view, in this day and age, one should come out as trans: when you are open and honest there is less to remember later.   

What do you think?

Will Trans Be Welcomed To Congregation?

Holland. Micigan  —

Scot Miller, adult ministries director at Georgetown United Methodist Church, will speak about accepting transgender people into the community at a 7 p.m. meeting of PFLAG on Friday.
Miller will describe an experience during Quaker worship that caused a shift in his own attitude. He will also discuss what steps the Christian community can take to be welcoming to all people.
The meeting will be at Grace Episcopal Church, 555 Michigan Ave.

Kids Know Who They Are

I've said many times that kids are the best equipped to know who they are, long before society has the opportunity to whip them into the shape they expect of them.  And yesterday's story goes a long way to supporting that statement.

The mother of a transgender kid went through all the meetings with doctors, psychiatrists, searched the web, and ultimately came to understand -- at least in theory -- what her child was expressing.  At the close of the article she states:

 "I think parents of trans kids are the best parents ever. They unconditionally love their children, even when they don’t completely understand what their child is going through. So, my advice to other parents is really just to love their child, no matter what, and to stay strong. This is not about you or your religion and beliefs; it’s about your child. And get a great therapist, and an even better lawyer. Never let anyone question you. If your child is happy and a nice person, then you are doing the right thing."

Well said!

Trans Actors Spells Trouble for Meteor

METEOR’S NEW television advertisement has lost it a few friends in Ireland’s transgender community, with Transgender Equality Network Ireland claiming the ad “negatively depicts transgender people by promoting stereotypes and encouraging a cheap laugh”. View it below and leave a comment with your thoughts.

Presidential support, FAA Advancement, and yet Negative Stories Too.

The news is always chock full of transgender stories in the news.  And it seems to flow in epps and tides.  In the past two weeks we've seen several cases both positive and negative ...

And The March Goes On

For all the trials and tribulations that American cross-dressers think they've endured, the LGBT in other parts of the world -- most notably Asia and India -- have a much different ordeal: there are no part-time accomodations; they live it 24/7.

A New Era for Trans Health

While the economy is -- and certainly will remain -- the main issue discussion of the nation, transgender people got a long-awaited step up in health care equality through the new universal health care law (Affordable Health Care Act) authored by the Obama administration.

Traveling En Femme?

If you're among a growing list of transfolks that travel in your prefered gender id., good news. There is a hotel for you! TAgapproved.com boasts a list of 2,000+ LGB-friendly accomodations.

A Trip in Exotic India

So I arrived in India on July 29th, and have been getting settled in for will be a six month stay.  If you'd like to follow along on my adventures, I have an India Travel Log section on my (guy persona) website where I'll be posting regularly. 

A Little Nostalgia

No matter what I do in life or where it takes me, I will hold dear the days of my social group The Girls Club.  We were out and proud at clubs, restaurants, events, and shows -- in the mainstream, gay and transgender circles -- before it was trending with cross-dressers. 

Especially satisfying for me was the fun party atmosphere I helped establish at our one-a-month parties at East of Eighth in NYC.  Of those, my favorite was the Moulin Rouge party, closely followed by our Tropical Nights and Halloween 2001.

As a reporter I also had a chance to attend some great events like Invasion of The Pines, Screaming Queens 10th Anniversary Party, and Night of a Thousand Gowns, and review so many great shows. 

Trans Rockers

When Tom Gabel of Against Me! came out as transgender and announced his transition to become Laura Jane Grace the press was on fire.  But she is not the first trans-rocker. 

Once of the first enduring trans-rockers was Jayne County with her debut Man Enough To Be a Woman, Venus Demars of All The Pretty Horses, and from 2000-2003 Lisa Jackson (photo below) was all the rage (all three performed together at the legendary CBGBs in NYC back in 2003 -- see story and photos here).