Recent Transgender Articles
Definitions
Sophie talks about identity today. In the past she had defined herself according the various roles she played in her life. She was a loner, a Penn Stater, a frat guy, a husband, a drunk, and none of those roles really reflected her core identity. Then in 2008 her hidden inner identity burst out. For awhile the word “transgender” was what defined her. Read today’s blog and see how Sophie identifies today.
The Occasional Woman — Accentuate the Positive!
Lorraine Anderson offers advice on how to make the most of your best feature. Everyone has something going for them and the trick is to identify it and highlight it. Do you have sexy, curvaceous legs? Then always be sure to showcase them with shorter length skirts and short shorts. Is you derriere ample? Tight, light colored skirts will draw the eye. Take it from The Occasional Woman, it’s time to Accentuate the Positive.
Drag in the Cinema, The Early Years of Sound
In the 1990s TGForum had an expert on drag in movies who wrote a series of articles for us. Laurie Sheril was her name and she covered the instances of movie crossdressing through the different historical periods of film-making. We’re bringing her series out of the archives as a Retro Rerun beginning with her article on drag in the early years of the talkies.
When Anxiety Attacks — Again
Every since Amanda moved to northern California she has had problems. Finding affordable housing, having to put up with crazy landladies, and enduring the trials and tribulations of a job in retail. All of that and perhaps a longing for the east coast gave her anxiety. Medication for anxiety had side effects and withdrawing from medication proved to be harder than it should be. Today Amanda blogs about where she’s at, what she has to deal with, and what may happen this summer.
Princesas de la Noche — “ El Piropo”
Catcalling is a cross cultural thing. Whether it’s from construction workers in New York City or from men lounging on the street corners in Bogota there are always those “gentlemen” who will indulge in making loud comments on the attractive qualities of women walking by. In Bogota it is called El Piropo which translates as “the flattery.” Very few of the ladies so addressed appreciate the “compliments.” Our correspondent in Bogota writes about her experience with El Piropo and includes a newvideo.
The Week In Trans 5/7/18
Step right up! It’s time for all the trans news that’s fit to print. We call it The Week In Trans. Today we learn that the trans woman responsible for writing the code letting us send email attachments was profiled in an online publication. The Senate of New Hampshire has passed a non-discrimination bill to protect trans people in that state. The woman running for mayor in Texas will not be the first trans elected official there. Ada Vox was eliminated from America Idol and some believe it’s because she sang in drag. The Teacher of the Year trolled Donald Trump with a trans equality button as he handed her the award. Results from some studies of trans people. All that and much more plus a few TWIT Awards are waiting for you to read your TWIT!
Dina’s Diner, May 7, 2018
What’s cooking down at Dina’s Diner this week? Dina has several special items on the menu. Learn about the Japanese reliving the ’80s with tiara wearing “Princess Parties.” Then she stirs in a soupçon of the the phenomenon of androgynous models and wonders aloud if the thrill is gone, or if the models are still there but no longer shocking. Then she blends equal portions of the appeal of large hoop earrings and the “first pitch girls” of South Korea. She rounds it all off with the attraction of beautiful, professional, and intelligent television presenters. It’s all ready to be served up hot and spicy down at Dina’s Diner.
Book Review: “On the Couch with Dr. Angello,” Book on Trans Youth Issues
This month’s book is one I read a few years back. I re-read it for this review. The author is Dr. Michele Angello, who is a Philadelphia area Gender therapist specializing in Gender variant youth. She is also a friend of mine, but that won’t stop me from giving an Honest review. (Got that, Michele?) […]
Girl About to Be Born
In around twenty nine days Claire will “go public” with her new gender presentation. She is excited to cast off the persona that was holding her down and anxious to enter the waters of women world. She has already come out to a few select people in her life and they are for the most part either supportive or indifferent. One of her female friends remarked that as much as Claire enjoyed the trappings of femininity that wasn’t what makes a woman a woman. Claire thought it over and shares her opinion on that in today’s blog post.
Making Friends While Agender
For some people making friends is easy. They just fall into place in their lives and are often friends for life. For others, such as transgender or agender people, things may not be so simple. Our agender contributor M didn’t have any friends till they were in third grade. Now they are getting better at making friends but there are still problems to overcome. Give M’s blog post a read and see what being different forces them to deal with.
If Only I Had Been Wearing Heels
There is a saying that “the devil is in the details.” Sometimes no matter how much work you’ve put in some little detail will get overlooked and major problems will occur. For one trans woman just one lapse into inappropriate body language was enough to cause her a big hassle. Former TGF contributor Cassie Ann Sanders returns to TGForum with a new short fiction piece that illustrates how it’s the little things.
The Week In Trans 4/30/18
The controversy over trans soldiers rages on. A 20-year-old trans student is the new treasurer of Oklahoma’s Libertarian Party. The Trump administration wants to overturn the rule forbidding doctors from denying services to trans people. The San Francisco Sheriff’s rules about treatment of trans inmates survive a court challenge. Trans actors work harder to get acting jobs. Iranian trans women are harassed while the police just watch. Hoboken makes all restrooms gender neutral. The problems of getting pregnant while trans. A prom king wore a dress to the dance. A trans girl is crowned prom queen at her school in Wisconsin. Long term estrogen use may make a woman more prone to bone fractures. Documentary filmmakers want video comments about David de Alba for their upcoming feature on the famed female impersonator. There are also more stories and numerous TWIT Awards handed out in this edition of TWIT!
How To Wear Black and White
Tired of all black, well there’s nothing chicer—or easier—than styling an outfit that’s purely black and white. Both bold and classic, black-and-white combinations are understated enough to work for any event on your calendar. Coco Chanel once said that black and white’s beauty was “the perfect harmony,” that women “think of all colors except the […]
A Sabrina Symington Cartoon — 4/30/18
Our cartoonist, Sabrina Symington, had an unfortunate occurrence. Some creep stole her laptop and all her cartoons in progress. But Sabrina would not miss a deadline! She got out some old school paper and crayons and drew today’s cartoon by hand! Then took a picture of her work with her cell phone camera. Deadline made! See what Dykey Dinosaur has to say about the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.
Trans Media Arts — Trans people in entertainment
Trans Media Arts covers trans people in the arts and entertainment world. Today Amanda F. Steele covers the documentary about trans man body builder, “Man Made.” Gives you info on the controversial film Anything which premieres soon, and then she gives you the skinny on the new show about the house ball scene of the ’80s that comes to television in June, “Pose.” She wraps it all up with a trailer for the film about Tongan trans folks, called leitis. It’s all in Trans Media Arts.
The Transgender Drive-Up Window
On behalf of a trans friend who wanted to begin transition The Artist D! began to make inquiries in her town about where to go for hormone therapy and eventual gender confirmation surgery. Believing that her city was one of the bigger, more progressive areas in the USA D expected things to proceed fairly quickly in the search for information. Apparently their expectations were too high. It seems The Artist D!’s “big city” is not as well informed about transgender issues as they thought. Which leaves D wondering what trans people in really remote small towns do for medical care.
Transman Hosts Ghost Hunting Show on Amazon
Sherman, Tx: Friday, April 27 – May 27, Jake and Rave Productions, LLC, will be releasing the concept episode for Spirit Quest, a transgender owned and starred paranormal investigation show on Amazon for one month. The show follows Braxton Roane, a transgender man, as he travels the United States, with each episode exploring different historical […]
The Week In Trans 4/23/18
Time once again for that little news compilation we called The Week In Trans. Today we learn A trans woman is suing her employer and insurance company for refusal to pay for her GRS. A trans professor who was discriminated against wins $1.2 million in a settlement but sues to get her job back. Lots of stories about the lawsuits against the trans military ban. The Commandant of the Coast Guard says he won’t ban trans people from his command without a specific policy. The trans women of Tonga want recognition. A nominee for U. S. Marshall is accused of abusing his trans daughter. Ada Vox has progressed to the Top 14 on American Idol. Jazz Jennings will be designing a bra for a company aiming at the teen market. More prosperous countries show greater acceptance of trans people. Conchita Wurst is HIV+. There’s all that and whole lot more, plus many TWIT Awards waiting for you in TWIT.
Autogynephilia Revisited
Autogynephilia is a term created by Dr. Ray Blanchard. It purports to be a motivation for males to go to great lengths, even gender reassignment surgery, so they can see themselves as women. Blanchard claims that this is sexually driven. That rather than seeing another human or some object as a sexual fetish the male who has autogynephilia becomes his own sexual fetish. Many in the transgender community vehemently object to this idea as it reduces their need to express themselves in their true gender to nothing more than a paraphilia. Dr. Dana Bevan is one who has scoffed at the theory. Today she scoffs again while revisiting the subject.
Goodbye W.M.P., Hello Wonder Woman!
When you’re used to being treated a certain way it’s easy to forget that you are being given credit for you Caucasian maleness. Doors open for you and regard for your knowledge and skill in all areas is taken for granted. But what happens when you go from male to female? Doors may open for you but that’s because you’re a lady and gentlemen will grant you the favor of holding the door. But suddenly all the knowledge and skill you have in areas such as home repair, automobiles, and other stereo typically male interests is no longer acknowledged. The “little lady” must need help. See how Cate O’Malley handles patronizing men.
Crime Investigator Finds a Supportive Workplace
Linda Jensen lives in Canada but often winters in Florida during the coldest months. While vacationing there several years ago she met a fellow Canadian name Stephanie and they would get together with mutual friends for en femme lunches. They did this for several years and then, abruptly, the luncheon invitations stopped coming. Imagine Linda’s surprise when she turned on the television and there was her old friend Stephanie.
Kim’s California Adventures Begin
Kimberly writes about a time when she moved from the east coast to California. She was only dressing en femme part of the time and that time tended to be very early in the morning. Or late at night if you look at it from another view point. Everyday she would get up and get fully dressed in lady’s business attire. Then off she would go, out into the world. What did she do on these excursions? What adventures did she have? Read her blog post today and learn what she did and to what lengths she went to avoid discovery by her neighbors.
Metamorphosis Chapter 20
Raquel and Mark, seemingly two parts of one person that became separated after drinking a strange potion, have been transported to another land. They trek to the north to confront “the Magistrate” who is apparently responsible for their condition. In a house that is a duplicate of their childhood home Raquel meets her “mother” and then her “father.” Then she finds herself cast into darkness only to awaken in a horrid swamp confronted by a hideous creature with one eye. It tells her “Guug not eat you. Wolves eat you.” The wolves attack and Guug is injured. Raquel is in serious peril! What will happen next? Read Chapter 20 of Metamorphosis.
Me, Mona, and Leo
Every few years the theory pops up again that the subject of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Mona Lisa was actually da Vinci in drag. If not actually da Vinci some claim it was one of his male models decked out in feminine attire. Either way the only supporting evidence is thin. Susan Grant thinks that she may have a deeper insight on the subject. Today she explores it thoroughly and all she asks is that you pay attention to the hands, not that mysterious smile.
The Occasional Woman — Springtime!
Spring is in the air and spring fashions have wandered off of the runway and into many women’s closets. How do you determine which of the many springtime looks is right for you? With help and advice from Lorraine Anderson, the woman in the know when it comes to fashion! Lorraine is the owner of The Occasional Woman custom clothing and alterations service. Now, let’s leap into spring fashion!
