The march from summer into fall and eventually to winter has a tendency to bring some people down. The falling leaves and the colder temperatures don’t evoke the pleasures that can be found in fall. For some it brings on depression. Sophie Lynne sees the world sliding into the autumn and she feels like this year we should seize the change and turn it positive by working to educate, agitate and make the world better for trans people.
The grill down at Dina’s Diner is heated up and ready to cook up some new dishes with ingredients gleaned from the press. Today Dina brings us Caitlyn costumes, gender-nuetral clothing, and a McDonald’s worker who is becoming a star. She also throws in some lightly sautéed musings on whether greater visibility for trans folk means CDs have more trouble passing. And some breast reduction for a TV star rounds out the menu. Where? Down at Dina’s Diner.
During a chance encounter with a feminist lesbian on a train The Artist D learns that feminist lesbians, at least this one, believe that trans women have no right to call themselves women. In their world if it has a penis, or ever did, it just can’t be a woman. And The Artist D knows that is not true.
Chanelle Nirok reminisces about the first time she went out for a night on the town as Chanelle. Like all beginning crossdressers she made some mistakes. One of them was to overdress. She found herself to center of attention when she had hoped to just be another woman in the crowd. See what it was like Turning Heads in Tampa.
A opinion piece in the Sunday edition of The New York Times has sparked an opinion piece by our editor, Angela Gardner. The Times piece talked about the large number of suicides in the post surgery trans community. The writer wondered why these suicides should occur. Angela thinks there are many reasons.
Amanda F. has been on the transition road, living her gender journey and getting near the point when she will need to take the surgical step. Today she examines where she’s been, how far she has come, and muses on what she has learned along the way. But today, rather than seeing transition as a journey down a road she likens it to jumping into the rabbit hole from Alice in Wonderland. Tag along with Amanda today while she patiently makes her way down.
Get ready! Dina Amberle has gotten all fresh ingredients, only the finest herbs and spices and whipped up another taste pleasing treat for this edition of Dina’s Diner. She stirs in some women athletes with too much testosterone. Then she adds some womanless beauty pageant info, a Japanese artist and the Herkie Jump. What’s the Herkie Jump? You’ll have to read this edition of Dina’s Diner to find out! (Unless you have some pompons in your closet.)
Despite it being possible to have any and all necessary surgery in the US or one of the European countries, many trans women opt to come to Thailand–but why? Christine Burr has a number of reasons why people make the trek to Thailand to complete their transition.
Chanelle Nirok, our young crossdresser, admits today that she is a poser. Oh! How could she? But who among the crossdressing community isn’t? And her admission is only so she can pass on some of her tips from how to work with the camera to get a photo you can be proud of years later. She has five suggestions she feels will make you look sexy and desirable as a female in your photos. See if you agree.
There has been a lot of bitching about Caitlyn Jenner and the way she is living her transition so publicly. Many in the trans community have this, that, or the other thing to say about how she has “come out” and how she is doing it as a celebrity with a reality TV show. The Artist D has a different take on Caitlyn’s life and she shares it with you today.
We get closer every day to the time when trans people can serve openly in the military. The Defense Department has now authorized conducting a study to determine the affect openly trans soldiers will have on the various branches of the service. Today Babs Casbar Seperstein runs through some of the important steps that lead to the start of the study and mentions some of the trans advocated who played a large role in moving open trans service along.
Dana Bevan was in the military for a long time. She served as a a stealth trans soldier and devoted much effort to keeping her gender status secret. Today she writes about what it was like to hide for all that time and how she did it. She then discusses what the changes will be with trans people serving openly.
Cate was feeling the need for a spiritual dimension in her life. The “old time” religion just wouldn’t do since all attempts to engage with it resulted in no reply. She looked around a bit and investigated other faith communities. Learn what she found in today’s blog.
I got an email from Senator Al Franken the other day. I often open his emails since he used to be a comedy writer and he tends to add a bit of humor to his pleas for campaign donations. This email wasn’t one of those perpetual fundraising messages though. It was a call to fight […]
Much of the U.S. is blanketed in high temperatures and while fun in the sun is what many call it to those of us who prefer to present ourselves in ladylike attire it can be a trial and tribulation to look good and not be coated in a layer of “dew.” Lorraine Anderson has some hints on how to look cool in the heat.
As Amanda nears the time when she will be ready to go for GRS she encounters articles by so-called experts who liken reassignment surgery to mutilation. While she realizes that the articles are from the conservative right and are coming from a viewpoint that denies trans people are sane and able to make decisions about their bodies the articles do give her pause.
Time for Dina’s Diner! Dina Amberle has mixed and blended several news items into a fine puree and she serves it up for your taste test. Included are bits of blow-back caused by Caitlyn Jenner’s view of what makes a woman. Then Dina blends in some “high heels are bad but they’re so good” and adds a pinch of Irish drag performer Panti Bliss. She tops it off with the trend that has women shaving their faces. Find out how well it all goes down and give Dina’s Diner a read.
Chanell Nirok has been crossdressing for three years. To some of our readers that is sure to sound as if she is a complete novice. Sometimes the new kid on the block can bring a different perspective and by seeing things from that other angle add insight. Today Chanelle has a video where she outlines the top 5 things she has learned in the past three years.
Christine Burr, our corespondent in Thailand, has filed another dispatch concerning the plight of trans people in Asia. While advances in acceptance of trans people move forward in progressive western countries many of the Asian countries continue to oppress their trans citizens due to transphobia. Christine has five ideas to counter that transphobia.
Today Tasi Zuriack takes a look at skirts. Why women don’t seem to like wearing them and why the majority of crossdressers can’t get enough, and the shorter the better. What keeps women from wearing skirts all the time and why do they spend so much time in pants of some kind? Tasi fills you in today.
Linda reports meeting with a longtime friend. They talk about the current trend of crossdressers to get involved in political action for transgender rights and to out themselves as a way of freeing themselves from the fear of exposure. Mary explains to Linda that while she admires the activists, outing herself is not an option she wants to pursue.
The Artist D is not a big fan of church weddings. In fact, while she wholeheartedly supports the right of same sex couples to marry if they choose she wonders why anyone would want to walk down the aisle of a church that rejects them as people.
Babs Casbar Siperstein wrote a response to an op-ed by Elinor Burkett titled “What Makes a Woman?” that ran in The New York Times on June 6. Burkett stated that trans women could be undermining women’s identities. The Times did not choose to run Babs’ response so we bring it to you on TGF.
Our young CD Chanelle Nirok was going to do a video for us but her air conditioning is just not up to cooling her abode in the Florida summer heat. So, with a cool drink and an electric fan blowing in her face she has written down what she meant to impart on video. Here are Chanelle’s tips for beginning crossdressers. First tip? Have a plan!
Today Amanda F. blogs about work. For trans people finding work, let alone good paying work, can be very difficult. Amanda has a job working in retail and it pays less than she really needs, plus she has stress added because her fellow employees aren’t aware of her gender status. For some having a job they can work in their preferred gender would be a dream. See what it’s like from Amanda’s point of view.
Former regular contributor Graham Holmes was prompted by Dallas Denny’s piece on Caitlyn Jenner “haters” last week to express his thoughts on the matter by provided an essay published on a site called Morning Star Online. The essay is by Miranda Yardley, a trans woman and publisher of Terrorize magazine. Graham and Miranda find problems with Caitlyn as a trans role model.
