Recent Transgender Articles
The Week In Trans 3/5/18
What do you call all the trans news you need? We call it The Week In Trans! What do we learn this week? American Idol is coming back with a drag queen singer. Since the military has started accepting trans people only one has signed up. 5 advocacy groups ran an ads encouraging recruitment of trans soldiers. RuPaul doesn’t think trans women should be on Drag Race. More coverage of the four trans women who went to CPAC. What countries are the best for LGBT tourists? It’s a tie! Brazil makes positive changes for trans people. There’s was a fourfold increase in GCS between 2000 and 2014. Violence against trans women continues. A trans woman opera singer will the the first to perform Don Giovanni. Help for teens whose friends identify as non-binary. A trans woman is running for congress in North Carolina. Sarah McBride publishes a book co-written with Joe Biden. There’s all that plus more and a few TWIT Awards in TWIT!
Beauty Is More Than Skin Deep
Our Fashion Maven Tasi Zuriack veers aways, somewhat, from fashion in today’s post and takes a look at beauty and what women strive for in creating their “look.” We may see women we feel are over painted or gaudily attired but they did their makeup that way or chose those clothes for a reason. Perhaps one that they’re not even consciously aware of. Tasi writes about how makeup artist Ellen Malone approaches makeovers on folks who have a fixed idea of what is attractive when it isn’t. Tasi and Ms. Malone remind us that Beauty is More Than Skin Deep.
Metamorphosis Chapter 18
Raquel and Mark, 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 do battle with “the Magistrate” but have been told by a mysterious woman named Lydia that one of them will not survive the confrontation. 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 to be confronted by a hideous creature with one eye that tosses her over its shoulder. What will happen in Chapter 18 of Metamorphosis?
The Road Not Taken – Finale and Wrap Up
It was the 1960s. I was a young man, a very young man, torn between spending the summer on his expected path of taking accelerated post-graduate studies at the university or diverting toward testing life as a young transgender woman. In those days, unfortunately, continuing my studies and being a transgender woman was not an […]
Trans Film, TV, Music! Trans Media Arts
Our west coast correspondent Amanda F. Steele covers the arts scene. Film, books, television, music. Whatever the art form if it features transgender characters or is created by transgender people Amanda includes it in Trans Media Arts. Today she has more on the departure of Jeffrey Tambor from Transparent. The band All-American Rejects has put out an 11 minute film for their song Sweat and Amanda has the video right here. Then she has info about a graphic novel about a prince who adopts a female identity and becomes a trendsetter. There’s more in Trans Media Arts — don’t miss it!
The Week In Trans 2/26/18
Time for The Week In Trans! Today we learn that there is a nation wide organization working on a positive image for trans kids. We also learn there are Christian conservatives trying to oppress trans kids. FtM wrestler Mack Beggs just won another girl’s wrestling title. The Secretary of Defense delivered recommendations on trans soldiers to the president. San Francisco gets a new trans advisory board and their sheriff announces a trans policy for prisoners. A trans woman runs for the office of governor in Vermont. Daniela Vega will be an Oscar presenter. Australia has its first trans priest. Trans kids are joining the Boy Scouts in Pakistan. Kim Petras, the trans pop singer from Germany, is a rising star in the U. S. market. There’s all that and a lot more waiting for you in TWIT! And don’t forget the TWIT Awards!
Trans and Cisgender Women: The Science of Love
Why do fools fall in love? Who knows but as far as everyone else is concerned there is scientific evidence to show why people get together. Since such evidence exists it is only right that our science lady, Dr. Dana Bevan, be the one to present it to you. Dopamine, oxytocin and vasopressin factor are just a few of the things she will explain, and don’t worry, it will all make sense. In the end you will gain information on the signals a cisgender woman produces to invite a man to make his move. That should make it easier to avoid, or encourage, male attention.
Onward Christian Soldiers — Let’s Attack the Queers
It’s fairly certain that as the LGBTQ right movement grew there would be those in conservative circles who saw our existence as a threat to their way of life. With the Trump administration coming to Washington on a wave of evangelical support we have seen roll backs of regulations and legal interpretations that were put in place during the Obama years to guarantee everyone’s rights. The trans in the military ban was the first step in a campaign to stop the forward movement of the LGBTQ community. Beverly Anne Thomas has some insight into how the right wing’s battle plans were made.
Stepping Out En Femme — The Early Years
Kimberly takes you back to those thrilling days when she first set foot outside of her home while dressed en femme. The first year she views as a write-off but she was starting to get her act together by the second year. She was still making mistakes but she was finding acceptance. Take a trip back to those exhilarating days with Kim’s Adventure Time!
Gender Fluid or Lazy
Now that Cate O’Malley doesn’t have to go to the office every day and pretend to be a man she has the freedom to dress as she likes. You might think that she would spend her days in feminine frills and flouncy dresses. Skirts and high heels with lacy tops and the proper accessories. You would find, if you chanced to visit Cate in her Florida home, that while she is 100% woman, she is practical about her attire. A linen frock and high heel sandals would not be appropriate for cleaning out the gutters. Oh, sure. Cate and her wife could dress up for evening outing. With all the things to do around the house does she really have the energy to gussy up and go out?
Liz — A CD Inspiration and Con-Artist
It’s a story that seems like a crossdressing fantasy but it really happened. A con man who was living as a woman started a bogus automobile company in California while he was on the run from charges of counterfeiting and bail jumping. He was so confidant of his female identity that she risked the public eye to head the bogus car company and court investors. Even though she wasn’t that convincingly female. It all happened back in the 1970s. Guest contributor Susan Grant tells you all the details of this amazing story.
The Week In Trans 2/19/18
Get ready! Here comes The Week In Trans! Today we learn that Jeffrey Tambor is officially fired from Transparent. The Pentagon has issued a memo that could affect trans soldiers, while the troops don’t seem to be too concerned about trans soldiers. Daniela Vega is gaining celebrity for her role in A Fantastic Woman. Bath salts will help promote trans rights. One third of Americans believe that being trans is a sin. More info on the breast feeding trans woman. News about trans kids. South Dakota won’t be adding warning signs to restroom doors. A Japanese boy who dresses up and posts photos on the web gets caught by a male friend — who asks him out. Courtney Act talks about gender. There’s all that and more plus a few well deserved TWIT Awards waiting for you in TWIT!
Unemployed
Sophie Lynne has been putting up with a job that exposes her daily to rude comments from customers and she has had to take it with a smile or risk being fired. A job that once fulfilled her has turned into a soul sucking burden that she can’t afford to quit. She needs the money. All that changed last week when she was suddenly, without prior warning, relieved of her soul sucking job when they showed her the door. Now the question becomes, will not having to suffer in a bad job allow her to blossom into another area, or will she succumb to the soul sucking despair of depression?
Thoughts on the Boy in Girl’s Clothes on the Rosanne Reboot
Our Man in a Dress, Graham Holmes, writes about the “boy in a dress” character on the reboot of the Roseanne television show that premiers March 27 on ABC. The boy who wears girl’s clothes is played by Ames McNamara and the character’s name is Mark Conner-Healy. He is the son of one of the Connor family women. Graham has a lot to say about assumptions made about the character by the show’s producers. See if you agree, or disagree with his assessment.
Message From Walnut Creek, Ca.
Amanda has made some changes recently as her California odyssey continues. She has reason to be optimistic since her new living situation is saving her money and the stress factor of current home is vastly diminished from the level it hit in her old place. So that’s all good, but, she is having trouble weaning herself from an anti-anxiety medication and that along with longing for the east coast is making her anxious. Get the latest from her personal blog.
Princesas de la Noche – Preludio a una Noche Lluviosa
Our Columbian correspondent and Princess of the Night Katherine Diaz files another report on the trans scene in Bogotá. In today’s blog she talks about getting stuck inside on a rainy night in the city but finds that she meets interesting and stimulating people. People like the trans woman who is running for office. Read her blog and practice your Spanish and watch the accompanying video about Senorita Diaz’s rainy night.
Dina’s Diner 2/12/18
Welcome to Dina’s Diner! The coffee is always brewing. Dina has specials of the day, and there’s pie! Today’s specials include Dina’s commentary on Tasi Zuriack’s commentary on how the umbrella term “transgender” has started to push out crossdressers and only apply to those who are going to transition. Then she has thoughts on all the kids who are reporting that they are trans, musings on pre-teen drag queens, and the trials and tribulations of being a working drag performer. For dessert she offers some thoughts on the royals depicted in The Crown. Take a seat at the counter or hop into a booth. Time to eat your fill at Dina’s Diner!
Book Review: “Trans*: A Quick and Quirky Account of Gender Identity”
This month’s book is a bit of a curve ball — Trans*: A Quick and Quirky Account of Gender Variability by Jack Halberstam. I saw it in the book store, and said to myself, “Self, quick and quirky sounds perfect!” It was a mere 136 pages of text, but the 27 pages of notes, sources, […]
Another Step on the Trans Path
It’s only been a few months since Claire H. took her first steps toward living as her true self. She finds that as she moves into the future every barrier she saw ahead would dissolve away as she approached. Today she writes that while she had not been expecting to start hormone therapy till April the advocacy of her therapist got her an early appointment with a nurse practitioner and she can begin hormones this week. Will all of the obstacles be as easily overcome?
I’m Okay
When things are going badly there is so much to say about how you’re being affected and how you feel. When things are all moving along smoothly there doesn’t seem to be that much to talk about. Just, “Hey, I’m okay. All is well.” That was the dilemma of our agender youth correspondent M when they were trying to come up with a topic for today’s post. So they decided to go ahead and write about how everything is okay.
The Week In Trans 2/12/18
It’s The Week In Trans time! Today we learn that around 40 trans candidates have filed to run for office. The DOJ is switching positions in the trans military ban lawsuit. A former admiral defends keeping trans soldiers in the military. A Swedish trans girl is Sweden’s “Transgender of the Year.” The Bar Association passes a resolution urging support for Title VII. A trans woman is dancing the samba in Rio De Janeiro’s Carnival. Canadian trans women find that they earn one third less than men. Trans kids don’t get good healthcare and more kids are declaring they are trans or nonconforming. Researchers at Mt. Sinai have a way for trans women to nurse their babies. Desmond Is Amazing walked the runway for Fashion Week. There’s all that and a lot more, plus several TWIT Awards, waiting for your attention in TWIT!
The Trans You Don’t Know
How many times have you been around other people who were joking or commenting negatively on a trans person they have seen? Our guest contributor Sophia Swift gives her opinion on people who have to give their opinion when they may, without knowing it, be talking to a trans person — either someone who has transitioned, or a trans person projecting the opposite of their true self. No one should be forced to endure someone’s anti-trans statements.
Living Between the Lines
The Artist D! examines the recent controversy over the tussle between anti-sexual harassment activist and author Rose McGowen and a trans woman during an appearance by McGowen at a Barnes & Noble book event. The trans woman asked McGowen a question about remarks she made on RuPaul’s podcast. At sometime during McGowen’s response things went sideways and soon the two were shouting at each other and neither one was listening. The Artist D! has listened to the shouting and within it she finds rage and pain but she can’t locate the anti-trans statements attributed to McGowen. She includes the video of the incident in this post along with her analysis.
The Road Not Taken, Part 4
Linda Jensen has been blogging about a critical time in her life. During the summer of ’68 she took some steps in a direction that could have led her down a far different road than the one she took. She could have let it define life life and said, “That’s it I’m a drag queen” or “I’m transsexual” but at the end of that fateful summer she decided to take her life in a different direction. In today’s post she tells you more about what she did in the summer of ’68.
Trans in Entertainment News — Trans Media Arts
Trans people in entertainment, whether actors, characters, writers, musicians or dancers, are Amanda F. Steele’s beat. She keeps you up to date on who’s doing what in the trans community of arts and entertainment. Today she writes about the controversy between Rose McGowen and trans women. She fills you in on Candis Cayne’s role on Grey’s Anatomy; comments on a film featuring a trans woman that’s up for an Oscar, and has some other tasty tidbits of show biz buzz to keep you entertained and informed.
The Week In Trans February 5, 2018
Good morning campers! It’s time to roll out of your bunk and read The Week In Trans! Today’s TWIT informs us that some members of Congress escorted trans military people to the State if the Union. Ten federal judges have ruled against the trans military ban but the RNC endorses it. Coca Cola wants to sell their fluid to the gender fluid. HHS let’s doctors refuse to treat you because their religion says you’re bad. Trans mayor Jess Herbst runs for reelection. Bathroom bills are introduced but move slowly. Candis Cayne will appear on Grey’s Anatomy. April Ashley wins an award. Courtney Act wins on a reality show. All that and plenty more is waiting for you, alone with a few TWIT Awards, in this edition of TWIT!
