Recent Transgender Articles
Crossdresser Memories #3
Julie Gaum is 91. She’s been crossdressing since she was 15, after an earlier incident at age 7. Now she has written a book to share her story with the world. The book is called “Never Climbed His Mountain.” Julie shares more of her crossdresser memories today with TGForum users as she takes you through her life telling about all of those years of having a secret joy.
Adventures in Androgyny
While Falecia runs her errands, walks the dog and then picks up some household items, she is subjected to compliments from people passing by. Did they mean it? Falecia dresses “androgynously” in women’s jean and booties with feminine touches in the accessories. Are people becoming more accepting of males who present themselves to the world in a more feminine look? See what compliments Falecia got and what she thinks about dressing androgynously as a substitute for going out completely en femme in her latest post.
The Week In Trans 8/29/16
Welcome to The Week in Trans! You may wonder where the ‘genderism” went, and we are happy to answer. Dropping that part made sense since it’s easier to type “trans” than “transgenderism.” Also, the term “transgenderism” is outdated and offensive to some. What do we learn in TWIT today? A trans woman performance artist is suing Chicago so women can bare their breasts in bars. A research study shows that trans people’s brain structure is different. What does the Bible really say about trans people? Samoa prepares for its annual drag pageant. The DOJ creates a training video for police interactions with trans people. HB2 news! Courtney Act interviews people at a Trump rally. Steven Colbert revives that video with Rudy Giuliani in drag. Wigstock sets sail. All that and more plus a load of TWIT Awards is waiting for you in TWIT!
Everybody is an Activist
The advanced technology world makes everyone capable of expressing their opinion about any event anywhere in record time to millions of people. Twitter and Facebook, the “social media,” make everyone able to let the world know how you feel about everything, from which movies you think suck to your grief over the latest senseless murder atrocities. All you have to do is type it up and hit Post. Then you get that satisfying feeling of having done something that “matters.” The Artist D suggests that maybe your opinion doesn’t really matter the way you think it does. See if you agree.
A Recent “Scientific” Report is Harmful to Trans People
The conservative on the right wing of our nation’s politics don’t handle difference and change very well. They look at trans people as aberrations and deny that there is such a thing as a trans identity. Certain political groups know that these people are among their constituents and they work to reinforce their constituent’s feelings that trans people, along with the rest of the LGBT people, are a threat to conservatives. They use bad science to back up their assertions that trans people are a danger. Two of the right wing anti-trans “experts” published a report last week that claims there is no scientific basis for transgender identities. We refute that today in this editorial and in an essay by Dr. Dana Bevan.
Cherry Picking is Not Science
Last week a report was published in The New Atlantis, a quarterly journal with conservative or skeptical tendencies. It was about a “study” done by two individuals, Mayer and McHugh, who oppose the idea that trans people are real. They ascribe trans behavior to mental illness or a phase of child development. Their “study” has been picked up and disseminated by right wing media outlets. Our own scientist in residence, Dr. Dana Bevan, goes through the Mayer and McHugh “study” point by point and reveals how the authors cherry picked their data.
Perpetual Change: Rev. Yolanda, Part 2
The Rev. Yolanda Mapes is a drag queen musical minister whose live show “Rev. Yolanda’s Old Time Gospel Show” mixes that old time religion with gospel music and eastern philosophy. Last month Pamela DeGroff interviewed Yolanda about her upcoming projects. Today she presents Part 2 of that interview along with some musical news concerning Cyndi Lauper and does a review of new music by female rocker Kaye. It’s all in our TGF music column, Perpetual Change.
Go Gamer Girl, Go!
Before TGF contributor Diane Hutchinson identified as a woman she identified as a nerd. She was the kind of nerd who memorized the dialogue from every Star Trek television show and carried novelizations of the series around with her. Another big part of her nerd identity was board games. Not Monopoly or Risk though. Diane was an expert in more serious games that called for tactics and strategy. When she decided to transition she stopped gaming for six months but then returned as a girl gamer. Today she tells us how that went.
Don’t Be Outed By Your Voice!
Today we’re honored to present the first post about how to express your true gender with your voice by Marc Mitnick, MS, CCC-SLP, Board certified and licensed Speech, Language and Voice Pathologist and Director at Your Speech Therapist, Inc. Marc is based in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, Florida. In this first post he discusses the differences between male and female voices and how voices can be modified. We’re happy to present his expertise to our TGF readers.
The Week In Transgenderism 8/22/16
It’s The Week In Transgenderism! All the trans related news gathered in one place for your convenience. Today we learn how actor Mark Rylance created the character of Olivia on stage. I Am Cait bites the dust. Target will spend millions to add single occupancy restrooms. A trans model from the ’60s goes back to work. Federal buildings overseen by the GSA must let people use the restroom of their choice. Tricare will start covering health needs of trans military. Is your lipstick bad for you? A new documentary show about gender change in Britain. Names in the news: Castor Semenya, Ruby Corado and Dr. Aaron Devor. All that plus a lot more news, and a few TWIT Awards, is waiting for you in TWIT!
There Is No Joy in Mudville
Tasi Zuriack, our fashion guru, laments that the United States just isn’t a world leader anymore in the attire of its citizens. The malls are filled with people in t-shirts, ripped jeans, and flip flops or plastic shoes. And don’t even get her started about the kind of things you’ll see in a Walmart. According to Tasi this descent into fashion hell began in the 1960s and ’70s and by the ’90s all was lost. She feels it may be one reason that a well dressed crossdresser gets more attention at the mall. Her stylish outfit stands out from the drab ripped jeans and graphic t-shirt crowd. See if you agree.
The 45th Birthday Surprise
Last month Linda Jensen told us about a chance encounter she had at a music festival up in Canada. She met Crystal and Mary who turned out to be old friends from at least ten to fifteen years previously. Crystal and Linda are both crossdressers. While Linda is a crossdresser who keeps her male and female lives quite separate Crystal pretty freely changes between the two genders and her friends and family know all about her dressing. How that came to be is quite an interesting story.
Film! Music! TV! Trans Media Arts
Is the world ready for a film in which a hitman is forced into sex change surgery? There’s one coming out soon and it has the trans community stirred up. Meanwhile, some in the community say “good riddance” to the cancelation of I Am Cait. Amanda F. has those stories along with info on another upcoming film that follows 6 trans people through their lives called More Than T, and she fills us in on a new show title Strut that will follow trans models as they compete to reach the top. There’s more coverage of the media, the arts and music all waiting in Trans Media Arts!
Labels
In our mainstream gender binary world there are two genders and that’s it. You can be a man or you can be a woman. Society has settled into that system over many years and though the only important difference between a man a woman is that a woman can bear children, there are vast culturally imposed differences between the two sexes. Crossdressers take advantage of the differences by emphasizing the femme characteristics to fit in as females. But what if you’re not easily labelled as one gender or the other? What if you identify as a woman but people keep labelling you wrong?
Sister house Adds a Playroom
Our fashion maven, Tasi Zuriack, runs a website called Sister House which is devoted to all things femme. Tasi tells us she has recently expanded the Sister House offerings with a new addition called the Playroom. Find out what treats await you in the Sister House Playroom. With that name you just know there will be dress up fun.
The Week In Transgenderism 8/15/16
A model was barred from entering the United Arab Emirates because she is trans. Chris Mosier is the first trans athlete to be featured in a Nike ad. Are they revising the rules about trans participation in the Olympics? There’s a trans model competition reality show. New Zealand honors Carmen Rupe. A roller derby woman comes out as trans. The Atlanta Civilian Review Board adds a trans member. France drops surgery requirements for legal gender change. Argentina is still dangerous for trans people. Could it be possible that God is two-spirit? Lawsuits against the restroom guidelines. Pennsylvania changes legal gender change rules. Baltimore police abuse and mistreat trans suspects. Tim Curry will be part of the cast for the new Rocky Horror. All that and a pile of TWIT Awards is waiting for you in TWIT!
A Transgender Client Bill of Rights
With the depathologization of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) expected in 2018, its time to tell the Mental Health and Medical practitioners that serve the transgender community what we expect of them. The rewrite of the ICD is expected to create a non-pathological section of the ICD which includes “gender incongruence for adolescents and adults.” Dana Bevan proposes a Transgender Bill of Client Rights.
Lovin’ This Ride
Accentuate the positive! That’s Cate O’Malley’s message in today’s post. After a lifetime of problems related to being trans she’s arrived at a point in her life where she has accepted who she is and is enjoying her life to the fullest. She’s doing what she wants and being who she wants to be. What about people who look at her and judge? That’s their problem. Cate is just enjoying the ride.
For TG Dems the 2016 Convention Was a Political Revolution
Babs Casbar Siperstein reports on the growing amount of trans inclusion at Democratic Party conventions. The latest DNC convention features more trans people as delegates, super delegates, alternates or committee members than ever before. And their was a trans woman on the dais every night, all night. Marisa Richmond was the official Timekeeper. Read about the rest of the trans history that was made at the DNC last month and read Bab’s report.
Shave Those Legs
Are you a fall, winter and spring crossdresser? Do you quit for the summer since you are expected to wear dude shorts when in male mode, and covering your hairy legs with several pair of hose, as you do the rest of the year is just too uncomfortable in the heat and humidity? We suggest you don’t try to hide those lovely legs in the summer. Just give them a shave and show them off in a short flouncy skirt or a pair of short shorts. But. . . what will people think? Who cares? Shave those legs, girlfriend!
Fuzzy Meanings and Transgender Politics
Jamie Fenton, a founder of TGForum, has a post today that talks about the problems created when “fuzzy” terminology is used while people are having discussions in the the trans community. Misunderstanding can be exacerbated when two parties don’t have the same definition of a word they both use. Read Jamie’s post and decide if you’ve been using “fuzzy” words and having your meaning misconstrued.
Julie’s Story Continues
Julie Gaum is 91. She’s been crossdressing since she was 15, after an earlier incident at age 7. Now she has written a book to share her story with the world. The book is called “Never Climbed His Mountain.” Julie shares her crossdresser memories today with TGForum users about all of those years of having a secret joy.
Gender Reassignment Surgeons in Short Supply
(Philadelphia, PA) – According to Dr. Sherman Leis, a transgender surgery pioneer and founder of the Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery, “There is a crisis in the transgender community in the U.S., resulting from a dramatic shortage of transgender surgeons and other specialized medical practitioners. This shortage results in an excessively long wait for those […]
The Week In Transgenderism 8/8/16
It’s The Week In Transgenderism! Talleen Abu Hanna will represent Israel in the Miss Star International pageant. 54-year-old drag performer Shana Nicole hopes to win a pageant in North Carolina. Darcelle is an 85 year old drag performer who does six shows a week. A research study confirms that social stigma is what makes trans people depressed. A YouTube personality who stood up for red head rights comes out as trans. Estrogen shots are in short supply. A trans pianist performs for The Mets’ LGBT Pride Night. Gavin Grimm is still not allowed in the boys’ room. A Drag Queen Story Hour for kids. Trans truckers are hauling freight. There’s all that and more, plus a load of TWIT Awards. Don’t forget to TWIT today!
Amanda Asks “What is Reality?”
We’ve followed Amanda as she has wrestled with living in a strange place that is wonderful at times and oppressive at times. We have read about her anxiety and how it grips her so hard early in the day and eases off later on. We’ve seen her have fun times going out to dinner and seeing a concert. Today she wonders if she made the right decision when she took the blue estrogen pill and stepped fully into a new world. After six years she has questions. So many in the trans community don’t seem to have questions. They move ahead. Should Amanda move back into the Matrix? Read her blog today to see what she thinks.
