The Week In Transgenderism 5/21/12

Polis

Chrissy Polis, the victim in the McDonald’s attack in Maryland, has told the press that she is afraid to leave her house, and she never wanted to be a transgender a cause célèbre. The incident embarrassed her and she didn’t want to talk about it at all. She recently spoke to The New York Daily News. See what she has to say.

The ruling has been announced! Back in February we told you about an ad, or as they say in England, an advert, that ran on British television advertising a bookmaker called Paddy Power. The ad showed transgender ladies at the racetrack and warned “blokes” that there were “stallions” mixed in with the “mares.” (Just typing that makes me feel unclean.) The ad got pulled when TGs complained that it was offensive. Now the people who are supposed to rule on stuff like this, the Advertising Standards Authority, says yep, it’s offensive. Read the details at the BBC website.

The Dallas transwoman who was ticketed for using the women’s restroom at a local hospital is at the center of Internet controversy. It seems that Paula Witherspoon is a convicted sex offender. She was jailed for sexually assaulting two teenage girls. She’s done her time and found herself as a woman. Does her record have anything to do with her right to use the women’s room? Get the details in The Huffington Post.

Roussel

We too often find ourselves presenting TWIT stories about transgender prisoners and how they are treated in prison. Now, thanks to Linda Jensen and her pal  Stephanie (who found the story) we proudly present a prison guard who transitioned on the job —  and her story may be a perfect example of a TG trying to cover up their feminine longings with a macho career. Meet Andrea Roussel in the Toronto Star.

After winning her historic battle to participate in the Miss Universe Canada pageant Jenna Talackova did not win the title. The contest was last Saturday and Talachova was beaten by Sahar Biniaz who goes on to the Miss Universe pageant in December. Talchova was one of four contestants who were awarded Miss Congeniality. Read all about it at Fox News. See photos of Talachova in the pageant at chron.com.

Dirty Dixie Normous

Meanwhile, though Jenna didn’t win her contest a former firefighter and male stripper is winning in a new career at the age of 52. When Mark Rohrig concluded that no one wanted to stick money in a 52 year old stripper’s thong he changed gears and created a drag persona  named Dirty Dixie Normous. Now he’s having a ball lip syncing to Patsy Cline and making dirty jokes in Connecticut clubs. Do ya think he may have been dressing up before he decided to become a drag queen? Just askin’. Get the story in The New Haven Register.

So it’s a good thing that it has become more acceptable for transgender youth to come out and express the gender they feel like rather than stay hidden and suffer. Of course it is  — but — coming out and being who you want to be also opens the door to things like body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. A study by a Washington State University researcher has the details and you can read them in the Washington State University News.

Black Madam

We reported previously that Black Madam, the silicone pumper who is suspected of killing a British woman with her crude surgical technique and materials, was arrested for the crime but the police couldn’t get a solid case until they got test results. In the meantime Black Madam struck again and injected an exotic dancer with silicone, sending her to the hospital and leaving her with a life long condition — silicone infused lungs. The evidence is clear in this case since the victim is alive to testify. Read about it in The Edge Boston.

An FtM who is now a life coach, trainer and speaker, was the subject of a video entered in the White House LGBT Pride Month Champions of Change Video Challenge. If the video about him wins Tony Ferraiolo will be invited to the White House to share his ideas on how to make the world better for TGs. The story is in Virtual-Strategy Magazine.

The victim.

The murderer of a transgendered lingerie model in 2010 is now on trial in Newark, New Jersey. Justice is not swift in this case but we hope it is harsh. Alrashim Chambers met Victoria Carmen White at a nightclub, went back to her cousin’s apartment with her and her cousin, and shot and killed her when he found out she had been born male. Read about the case at NJ.com.

What do you do when your 2-year old child, a little girl, insists that she is a boy? How do you cope if every day as you try to make her adhere to feminine gender norms and she totally rejected that? Thanks to TGF reader Jamie Roberts for pointing us to an article about a TG boy who is now five. The story is in The Washington Post.

On the runway.

Trans-model Lea T. announced on the Oprah show back in February that she was going to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Being pre-op never kept her from working the catwalks in major fashion shows and photo shoots. Will her career slow down after her surgery or will it soar to new heights? Read about her first runway appearance since SRS at fashionista.com.

Ke$ha, the singer and performer who has made her reputation on being sleazy, has written a song that praises drag queens. It’s called Pretty Lady and it celebrates the illusion aspects of drag — from the fake boobs to the painted on faces. The song hasn’t been released yet but it leaked out, sort of like silicone jell from an old prosthesis, and there is a review on newnownext.com.

If you’ve been a TGF reader for awhile then you are aware of the early 20th century drag super star, Julian Eltinge. He was so famous they named a theater after him. (One he never performed in, though.) That theater is still in New York City and part of it is now the AMC Empire movie theater where you can see a restored mural of Eltinge in drag above the box office decorating the ceiling. Next time you go to the movies there look up while you’re buying your tickets. There’s also an off Broadway show about Eltinge opening at the Laurie Beechman Theater. Get the details on that and lots of Eltinge bio in The Huffington Post.

Suspended student.

A male high school student has been suspended for wearing a skirt. At least that’s what the headline says. If you view the video the student is wearing not just a skirt (mini length) but high heels, a wig, girl’s top and pleather jacket. (Plus fashion accessories.) The skirt seems to be excuse the school used but his supporters maintain that girls attending the school routinely wear skirts that length and they don’t get suspended. What will the student, Warren Evans, wear to the upcoming prom? Get the story and the video on The Huffington Post site.

It’s not just a small world after all, it’s a strange world after all. Those of us who love to get feminine and paint, be-wig, and wear women’s clothing for our own satisfaction may have trouble understanding a woman in Utah who shaves her head several times a year so she can go out as a dumpy man with a bad comb over hairdo. How can she abandon the femininity we work so hard to achieve? We can’t condemn her though. She sounds like she might be fun to hang out with. Read about her dual personalities at cityweekly.net.

TWIT

The TG club goer who was allegedly pushed outside a nightclub in Hollywood by reality TV star Khloe Kardashian is willing to drop her lawsuit against the atypical Kardashian — if Khloe coughs up $150,000 for “mental and emotional anxiety.” Wow. What a TWIT. The TWIT Award is yours Chantal Spears and it’s free. Check it out at tmz.com.

This one looks like it could be a TWIT Award. An openly gay student at the Hanover Area High School in Pennsylvania took a transgendered girl to the prom. While they were dancing the teacher chaperone asked if she could video the couple to show her daughter about diversity. The next week the teacher played the video for her science class who all had a hearty hetero-centric laugh at the couple’s expense. Is the teacher a TWIT? Get the story and a video in The Huffington Post.

And there’s more TWITTERY. A karaoke bar in Times Square turned away a drag queen. She was trying to attend a friend’s birthday party in the bar and the bouncer told her that they didn’t want her kind in the place. For shame Pulse karaoke bar on West 41st Street in New York City. That get’s you a TWIT Award. Read the whole story on Michael Musto’s blog at The Village Voice website.

Tags: featured, news, TWIT

Category: Transgender Community News