They call it Shark Tank meets RuPaul’s Drag Race. What follows is a press release from a new investment fund and business accelerator for transgender and non-binary entrepreneurs called HiR Transcenders. On 30th October, HiR Transcenders launched a $250,000 investment fund and business accelerator for transgender and non-binary people. Nadia McCullough is a transgender woman and co-founder […]
What follows is a press release from the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund. Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) Board of Directors today announced the appointment of Andrea “Andy” Hong Marra as its new executive director. Marra is a nationally revered social justice advocate with a strong track record of service to the […]
Amanda F. Steele covers the arts, media and entertainment beats. Today she has news about Caitlyn Jenner’s house, the one seen in her reality show, I Am Cait. She also fills us in on the transgender film star, whose film Rani, bagged an international award. Then she has the scoop on the cast of Season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, and info on Laura Jane Grace’s side project with The Devouring Mothers. There’s all that and a bit more waiting for your perusal in Trans Media Arts.
Planning for PTWC19 is underway and it’s expected to be bigger and more exciting than ever! The conference is looking for workshop proposals on a diverse range of topics that appeal to a wide spectrum of transgender individuals, their families and friends, including workshops for parents and children. In addition to lecture style workshops, they […]
Mazzoni Center will host a series of events for Trans Awareness Week through the OUR Way program to continue bringing visibility and awareness to transgender and gender nonconforming people. Community Engagement Coordinator of the OUR Way program, Tatyana Woodard, says that the week of events is designed to advance the momentum started at the Philadelphia […]
Our contributor Susan “Suzzie” Grant is 83 and has been crossdressing for around 71 years. This grants her some amount of wisdom concerning the crossdressing “hobby.” Today she muses about why she goes on sojourns to the Dress Barn to gaze upon the outfits on display. It is a pleasure but still, at 83, it is a guilty pleasure. How much guilt depends on the depth of her reaction to the outfits she sees. There’s guilt if she refrains from a purchase — and guilt if she gives in and takes that dress home. How does “camouflage” enter into it? Read on.
Lorraine Anderson, the woman behind The Occasional Woman seamstress and costume creation service, has some hard and fast rules for Looking Real Good. There are nine rules in all and if you manage to follow at least a few of them you will improve your feminine image and be a happier lady. Keep in mind, rules are made to be broken — but if you choose to do something in violation of Lorraine’s rules make sure she doesn’t find out about it. Read on for tips on looking your best.
Years ago on TGForum Laurie Sheril did a series of articles on drag in the cinema. She started back in the days of silent film and worked her way forward in time. Today we dip into the TGForum Archives and pull out her article on characters dressing in drag in the early day of the “talkies.” Many times the character donning drag was a crook trying to disguise himself but it wasn’t always the case. Sometimes the good guys slipped into a frock to get the goods on the crooks. Return with us now to those early days in this Retro Rerun from the Archives.
Today Tasi Zuriack, our Fashion Maven, is on the dot. The polka dot that is. She looks at how polka dots are a fashion trend and lets you know the best way to add them to your style. Large dots? Small dots? Different colors? What about metallic polka dots? Tasi takes you through the land of polka dots and tells you how to wear them well.
M is our gender nonconforming, non-binary teen correspondent. They are also on the autism spectrum and this month is Autism Awareness Month. Today they post on the subject and how it has affected them. They were only diagnosed with autism a year ago and after looking into the subject online they have determined that there seem to be a number of trans and non-conforming people who are also on the spectrum.
M inhabits a zone somewhere between genders. They identify as “agender” which means they don’t get along well with the binary gender world we live in. While for male crossdressers having a big gender divide is fun since they can dress like the that opposite gender, for M there is no opposite. So people M meets will assign a gender to M and use whichever pronoun they believe is appropriate. M writes about the difficulty of fitting in.
Babs Casbar Siperstein is our political correspondent and until recently she was a member of the Democratic National Committee. She was unceremoniously dumped in an email just a day before the DNC By-laws mandated deadline for informing a member that they are removed. But does she have any regrets? No. Babs looks at it as a case of one door closing and another door opening. She will continue to support the Democratic Party and work as she always has for a better future.
Linda’s friend Marie has told her that she is giving up her transgender life. Linda questions her about how, with transgender traits with her from birth or early childhood, she thinks she can do that. Her response brings in to question some of the role of nature and nurture in forming our transgender traits. See if Marie’s theories about the nature of crossdressing apply to you, or if you think they are off the mark.
It’s summertime, summertime and Lorraine Anderson, proprietor of The Occasional Woman, has some tips for your summer attire. This column was first published in 2014 but her advice remains timeless. Follow her guidelines put forth in this post and spend the remainder of your summer in fashionable comfort. Ignore her words and be prepared for the consequences. Lorraine says “If it doesn’t fit, you must toss it.” Read on for more words of fashion wisdom from The Occasional Woman.
Welcome Head Mistress Samantha as a TGForum contributor. She has been a strong woman on the trans scene for twenty years and her advice column has appeared in several publications over the years. If you have questions concerning the sissy lifestyle, becoming as mistress or a slave, or just want to chat about girly things with a woman who can give you the benefit of her experience, Samantha is ready to take your call. Today she advises a Type A male who wants to be a sexy blonde housewife.
Dina Amberle welcomes everyone down at Dina’s Diner and this week she has some new specials on the menu. First up there’s a tasty discussion of genderless danshi, and that’s not sushi. Then she mixes in some pageant gowns, adds a spicy bit of news about a dress that Rose McGowen wore, and adds in a taste of Kodo Nishimura the drag queen monk. After all of that she hopes you have room for a dessert comprised of the sweet and saucy Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. So stop in, have a seat, order a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy your time in Dina’s Diner.
We continue the story of a man named Mark who drinks a mysterious potion in a remote cabin and turns into a woman named Raquel. Running from the cabin after her transformation Raquel finds her old male-self — now miraculously a separate person. TGF contributor Raquel Swann continues her fantasy tale of transformation with Chapter 6. Mark and Raquel have providentially found a small rowboat in the nearby lake and they must get to the warmer weather on the other side — before they freeze.
All the photos in Jan Brown’s Fantasia Fair report, and several that weren’t published in that reprot, are here in a photo gallery for your viewing pleasure.
It’s all the trans news from around the world in our news feature, The Week In Trans! RuPaul wins an Emmy. The NBA and the NCAA abandon North Carolina over HB2. California has a program to hire trans restaurant staff. A trans immigrant is suing Mike Pence to change his name. A Dominican woman was arrested and housed with male prisoners after she was misgendered. A trans woman soldier is on the front-lines. A German drag queen sues a right wing group for hate speech. Trans actor Jen Richards has been cast in “Nashville.” Chaz Bono is scary on “AHS.” Chelsea Manning ends her hunger strike with the promise of GRS. All that plus more stories from around the world and a boatload of TWIT Awards are waiting for you in TWIT!
Sometimes it seems like trans folk are held to a different standard than everyone else. Today Sabrina Symington uses her cartoon art to comment on other people who can be just as “selfish” when it comes to their lives.
Many trans folk have gone through the experience of purging their femme clothing in an attempt to deny their true nature. Of course this never works as the urge does not go away and you have to hit the stores again to rebuild. Often after crossdressers learn their lesson and realize they should keep their wardrobe intact they don’t take the time for a “controlled purge.” They accumulate, just like GG ladies, too many clothes that they will never, ever wear. Today Lorraine Anderson tells you more on clearing the closet. Shoes and lingerie!
Help GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) inform education policymakers and the public about what’s really going on in our nation’s schools by completing the 2015 National School Climate Survey, GLSEN’s ninth national survey about the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth in school. If you attended high school or middle […]
Take a break and trot on over to Dina’s Diner. Dina Amberle, your hostess, short order cook and waitress has some delectable tidbits of things she’s extracted from the news. She marinates them, spices them up and serves them hot and tasty. Whether you choose to sit at the counter or slid into a booth Dina has nutritious fare. Today she mixes in Caitlyn, Alexis, Holly, Jayne and more.
Dallas Denny, like many in the trans community, had her own reaction to Caitlyn Jenner’s “Vanity Fair” cover story. Everyone has an opinion about Caitlyn and the feeling range from total approval and “hurrah, way to go girl” to “she certainly doesn’t represent me.” Dallas sums it all up for us in a short, sweet piece that talks to the haters.
Our young CD Chanelle Nirok has a theory about why people crossdress. Actually why men crossdress. She believes it has to do with the “invisibility factor.” All people want to be seen and when we don’t put our inner desires on the outside we remain invisible. Give her latest post a read and see if you agree with her theory.
