Fashion Trends

August 30th was Couture Week in Dehli, with fashions that might inspire you; not to copy, but with ideas to incorporate with and blend into your own style. 

TGreporter is back online

Just a quick note to let you all know that the transgender magazine TGreporter.com is now once again active.  

More Employers' Health Plans Include Benefits For Transgender People

 

In a recent article it noted that a growing number of companies are changing their health insurance plans to include benefits for transgender employees. Yet even though professional groups such as the American Medical Association recommend coverage of services for transgender people —who identify with a gender other than the one they were born as—many companies continue to hold back. One of their big worries is cost.

Indie Music Veteran Rocker

I first saw her on stage at Don Hill's. My friend Dahlia insisted we go see her and her band "You'll really dig' em."  I did. And her stage show blew me a way. No wonder Siren Magazine called them "the most visually arresting band you'll ever see."  The sound, then, was part The Cars, with a dash of Bowie, spiced up with punk and all mixed into a concoction of dark glam. I interviewed her shortly thereafter, and we have been friends ever since. Some months back, just before the release of her latest album 10 Bones, we caught up for breakfast and a chat at Yaffa Cafe in NYC's East Village.

Dana International

She shocked the world when she was chosen to represent her country (of Israel) at EuroVision.  She not only won, but did her encore in a fabulous Bob Mackie!

blogs I Follow

I added a Blogs I Follow box on the lower right, so be sure to check them out.  

He Says A Year Without Crossdrssing is the Best

In a post on a site called Healing Cross-dressing, the author states that "I am proud to announce that I have gone for 1 year now without cross-dressing or giving into cross-dressing fiction, my two main cross-dressing vices.  It feels very very good."

Much Ado About Nothing?

Much as he has denied it over the years, Kelsey Grammer has been dogged by rumor and conjecture.  His X-wife Camile has relentlessly been telling people Kelsey likes to cross-dress. 

So on Next Chapter, what Pop Watch refers to as "the new-and-improved Oprah Couch Confessional Tour," Oprah asks him flat out in an August 26th interview.

Isn't it funny how if a guy cross-dresses for laughs, or art -- like appearing in film or on stage -- all is forgiven, but should he do so simply because he likes to, well, then the world is on your heels to confirm whether its true or not. 

If it came out that he was, would it hurt his career?

Trans Member of the DNC

Jersey City native, Barbra Casbar Siperstein, is the first elected transgendered member of the Democratic National Committee, The Star-Ledger reports.  

Have you Ever Thought of Suicide?

The idea of suicide never resonated with me.  When my mother was going through a rough patch after my dad left, she often spoke of it: I always saw it as a stunt for attention. But a new study of transgender people in Virginia has found that experiencing physical or sexual violence significantly contributes to individuals’ suicidal thinking and substance abuse. The study, conducted by the Center for LGBTQ Evidence-based Applied Research, found that over 70 percent of respondents had a history of suicidal ideation, with about 28 percent having reported a past suicidal attempt.

Chicago In an About Face

It was in 2003 that I first met Mother Flawless Sabrina, a longtime downtown legend in New York City.  She was also the founder of the first national pageant for transgender girls.  Back then, in the 1960s, we could be arrested just for being dressed up and out in the street" she noted.

Should We Fund GRS?

In a recent article it was reported that State prison officials must provide taxpayer-funded sex-reassignment surgery to a transgender inmate serving life in prison for murder, because it is the only way to treat her "serious medical need," a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

"Michelle Kosilek was born male but has received hormone treatments and now lives as a woman in an all-male prison. Kosilek was named Robert when married to Cheryl Kosilek and was convicted of murdering her in 1990. U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf is believed to be the first federal judge to order prison officials to provide sex-reassignment surgery for a transgender inmate," the article stated.

While as transgender people we tend to support one another, I was curious about how any of you feel about this?  Should the state fund Cheryl's GRS?  Comment below. 

Does Trans Relate to Trans?

Generally speaking, though I have lots of gay friends -- and love them all -- they have never really understood me, often asking why I wanted to be someone else; my friend Lauren Foster -- the stunning Vogue model whom I interviewed some years back -- was revered by the gay community, though she too claims they never understood why being born male she wanted to be a woman.

My India Journey

Since I'm in Bangalore India for six months, I thought it relevant to post some things happening here from time to time. Above is a little girl I pass most everyday, and she might be the youngest mediator, what do you think?

In a Bad Economy Some Good News

In a recent letter hailed by advocates in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, the Department of Health and Human Services clarified that provisions in the Affordable Care Act prohibiting sex discrimination in health insurance apply to transgender people.

One of The Girls, or a Third Gender?

Would American transsexual woman endorse a third gender designation? In Pakistan, transgender women have long been considered good luck for both newborns and newlyweds — and perform both at baby showers and weddings. Despite this, they continue to face discrimination in this otherwise conservative Muslim country. 

Do You Know About Gender Reel?

The second annual Gender Reel is just around the corner, September 7-9 in Philadelphia.  

The first of its kind on the east coast, Gender Reel is the only multi-media festival dedicated to enhancing the visibility of gender non-conforming and transgender artists in film, photography, art and performance.

Learn more here

How To Spot 6 Lies

In Paris Lees notebook she notes that "As Julia Serano notes in the eminently sensible Whipping Girl, traditional media have set stories to tell." It’s true, she says, "I was due to appear on morning TV last month but was dropped after I declined to share “before” photos. Must I be reduced to shock, surgery and before-and-after shots? Trans people won various legal rights in 2004, including the right to marry, but, unlike the gay marriage debate, this received scant press. That same year the tabloids were saturated with “jokes” about Big Brother contestant Nadia Almada. There is public appetite for stories about trans people after all: point-and-stare ones."

According to Paris there are six lies that journalists use that can be easily spotted.  Read her blop here to read them.

Do You Show Support for Trans Positive Vendors

We all talk about wanting more access to the mainstream products, services, and venues. We all seek general acceptance  to be judged for who we are and not what we are.  But do you go out of your way to support those are offer you that acceptance.