Recent Transgender Articles
Goodbye, Maura Pfefferman
As a lady coming out late in life our newest blogger Claire H. found inspiration and courage in the story of Maura Pfefferman on “Transparent.” The character resonated with her even though she was older than Claire. Thanks to Maura Claire began to move toward expressing her innate femininity. Then, in the swirl of sexual harassment charges leveled against many prominent men, she learned that the actor who so wonderfully portrayed Maura would be leaving the show. Today she expresses her reaction to that.
Princesas de la Noche – My Crossdressing Concept
Our Colombian correspondent starts her blog today in English but then returns to her native tongue to blog about her philosophy of crossdressing. And she has another video that displays her grace and beauty. For a South American take on the crossdresser’s experience give Katherine Diaz’s blog a read. Don’t read Spanish? Never fear. That’s what they created Google Translate for.
David de Alba at Finocchio’s
David de Alba is The Cuban Legend. He began his career in female impersonation in Chicago clubs after a friend noted how much he resembled Judy Garland and did his makeup for a Halloween Ball. Soon David was practicing singing in Garland’s voice and working in the clubs. Then came a move to San Francisco and his years on stage at the famous Finocchio’s club. For the whole story of David’s life in dresses and heels read this article republished with permission from the Newsletter of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society.
The Week In Trans 11/20/17
Make way for The Week In Trans! Today we learn that another trans woman has tossed her hat into the ring to run for the Massachusetts’s House seat. Today is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Flawless Sabrina has passed away. The U.S. military is paying for one soldier’s GCS. A trans woman has been ordained in the Methodist Church. California has joined the lawsuit against the military ban. The DOJ will no longer issue guidance memos. Violet Chachki is modeling lingerie for a major company. Another allegation of sexual misconduct against Jeffrey Tambor. The governor of Montana wants to make it easier for people to change their legal gender. The Church of England affirms trans kids. There’s all that and much more waiting for you in TWIT! And also a few TWIT Awards!
Dina’s Diner, November 20, 2017
With the cooler weather things are heating up down at Dina’s Diner. Dina always has some hot dish on the stove and you can always get a hot cup of coffee or some soothing tea. Today’s specials include an art exhibit titled “Trigger: Gender as a Tool and a Weapon.” Then Dina adds the story of ’60s trans soul singer Jackie Shane. She seasons with some spice about Cindy Sherman, the selfie goddess. Stirs in the story of trans contestants on Jeopardy! and rounds it all out with praise for ladies with zaftig figures. You can get a full helping of fun down at Dina’s Diner.
Review: Trans Bodies Trans Selves
Today Sophie Lynne, our Page Pundit, takes a look at 2014’s “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves.” The book is meant to be a handbook and reference for trans people and features different chapter written by people who have various identities within the trans community.
Spiritually Speaking
We experience life in our own unique way as an expression of our values, beliefs and aspirations. I participate in a religious faith, and I attend an inclusive church, but I’m not a religious person. When I found something deeper than religion during a crisis many years ago, I found myself. I found that a […]
To Gender or Not to Gender? That is the Question
Life is, for some, a constant reevaluation of self. For others it is a set-in-stone path that leads straight from birth to death. Our contributor M is one of those evaluating types. They had been identifying as “gender queer” or “gender fluid” and accepting feminine or masculine pronouns. After coming to an epiphany about themselves M has realized they are “agender.” What does that mean? Is it another step on their journey or have they reached a final position in their relationship to gender? In a world that demands that people pick a gender and start playing will an agender identity work? Read on and see how M came to identify as agender and what it means to them.
Hello, World
Our newest contributor has come on board at the very last moment. We just got her first blog today. Her name is Claire H. and she is just beginning to explore the world of femininity after hiding her true nature for over fifty years. Today she writes about how she decided that she couldn’t put it off any longer and had to move into creating the identity she had always wanted to express.
The Week In Trans 11/13/17
Time for The Week In Trans! What’s going on in the wide world trans news? Big wins for transgender candidates in the recent election! Danica, Tyler, Andrea, Lisa, and several others won their races. Who was the first trans candidate in a state legislature? Not Danica. People’s feeling about trans issues follows political party affiliation. Louie C.K.’s behavior has lost a trans woman an acting job. British doctors will be taught the basics of caring for trans patients. Former Hasidic rabbi Abby Stein spreads the word about trans issues to the Jewish community. A cartoonist explains that it’s just not nice to ask personal questions to trans people about their private parts. TWIT Awards are also handed out to several well deserving people and publications. It’s all waiting for you right now in TWIT!
Trans News from the world of entertainment: Trans Media Arts
Today Amanda F. Steele’s Trans Media Arts features news about trans actors, and trans characters in film and television. Also drag queens on Instagram and the Top 25 Songs about gender identity. There are more than just Take a Walk on the Wild Side and Lola. There’s sexual harassment, disappointment, and word of a new TV show about the drag scene in New York City in the 1980s. Check it out!
Tranny Queer: Hiding within Innocence
The Artist D! sees our society as one in which predators exist with submissive types. The predators keep moving like sharks and the submissives in their innocence wonder why they keep getting hurt. At times it seems that everyone has been a victim. The amount of surprise expressed over the number of people who responded to the “MeToo” campaign proves that bad behavior is more prevalent than people imagined. But should we equate having your butt grabbed by a drunk in a bar with a celebrity raping a 13-year-old? The Artist D! thinks we have to pick the battles that need to be fought. See if you agree.
Wear Velvet For That Luxurious, Elegant Look
What’s the biggest fashion trend of the moment? It’s velvet and Tasi Zuriack explains the many ways you can tap into this trend and use it to show the world how elegant you can be. Everything from the velvet little black dress, to velvet accessories and velvet shoes are now out there for you to experiment with. Tasi tells you how to pair things so that the overall effect is fabulous. One of her warning — don’t go overboard on the velvet. If your dress is velvet your shoes should not be. Learn all the ways to rock the velvet trend this fall and winter from our Fashion Maven!
What If I Had Taken That Other Road?
Linda is musing on the path she took in life. She asks herself “Would my life have been different if I had not worked that summer in Toronto, if I had not wandered into that drag bar and if I had not gone home with one of the most beautiful girls I had ever met? I wonder about those ‘roads not taken.’” Of course there is a story attached to the night she wandered into that drag bar. Today she tells you the first part of the story.
Benefit Performance for The Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive
When it opens next year the Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive (LLTA) will house an extensive and varied collection of transgender archival materials. LLTA will make hundreds of publications, thousands of photographs, theatrical programs and recordings, now in storage, available to researchers and the public. Currently the archive facility is in the “finishing touches” phase. The […]
The Week In Trans 11/6/17
Time for The Week In Trans! The murderer of Kedarie Johnson is found guilty. Colleges are supporting trans students. Drag queens are popping up on campus. A judge places an injunction on the military trans ban. More and more trans people are seeking public office. Hillary Clinton calls out Trump on his attacks on LGBT people. Like a fungus HB2 is back. A Canadian trans woman wins a YWCA award. Milo Yiannopolis crawls our from under a rock down under. Trans themed video and film projects. 700 Oregonians apply for nonbinary ID. Trans citizens of Weimar Germany could get a “transvestite pass” from the police. There’s all that and more, plus a number of TWIT Awards waiting for you in TWIT!
Legalizing Discrimination
Given the political atmosphere we find ourselves living in is it any wonder that trans people have grown fearful? The last administration worked on our behalf to make sure we were given our rights. The Justice Department went to bat for trans people who were discriminated against or attacked. The military was working on letting trans soldiers serve openly. Then with one election all protections and assistance from the federal level was snuffed out. Sophie Lynne is not optimistic that she will be able to survive the Trump administration. She does have an idea of what we all need to do. She discusses that in her blog today.
Initially Speaking: LGBTQQIAA vs. MOGII
LGBT is an “initialism.” Of course LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender. But of late the initials have been added to as more identities have been recognized. At the moment we are up to “LGBTQQIAAP” which stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual. That’s getting to be quite a mouth full and there are some in mental health and medical circles who want to chop the unwieldy initials back down to three to five letters. Dana Bevan doesn’t think that’s a good idea and today she explains why.
The Transgender Rule Book
After waiting fifty-plus years to transition Cate O’Malley wanted to get her hands on a trans rule book. She wanted some kind of guide as she set out on her gender journey. What she found did not seem adequate. There was the WPATH Standards of Care and Ethical Guidelines but that seemed long and complex. Not what she was looking for. Somehow she found the right path to her goal and in the process ended up following most of the WPATH guidelines. How does she new feel about the idea of a Transgender Rule Book? Read on!
The Henri David Halloween Ball 2017
Every year Halloween impresario Henri David, a jeweler in Philadelphia, produces his amazing Halloween Ball at a downtown Philadelphia hotel. The Ball occurs on Halloween no matter what night of the week that holiday falls on. Attendance varies with weekend Balls getting near 3000 costumed revelers to between 1500 and 2000 on weeknights. The Ball […]
One Door Closes . . .
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.
Self Centered?
There are so many identities within the trans community that now and then some folks like to stop and do some self examination. Which set of initials do they feel best describes them? As Dr. Bevan’s post today illustrates there are more initials being added every week to what was LGBT. Kimberly takes some time in her post today to look over which identity best fits her.
Metamorphosis Chapter 14
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 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.” Are these people who they seem to be? Is her father the Magistrate? Is any of this experience real? Could she be passed out on the floor inside a hut in the wood? Learn more in Chapter 14 of Metamorphosis.
The Week In Trans 10/30/17
Ready for the news? M. Butterfly has returned to Broadway. Thursday was Intersex Awareness Day. A UN treaty doesn’t recognize pregnant trans men. The Washington D.C. High Heel Race had a winner. Former Governor Pat McCrory insists that HB2 was never repealed. Sam Smith the moody singer says he feels both male and female. The man who single handedly stopped the Texas bathroom bill has decided to retire. Two trans people are running for Minneapolis City Council. A southern mayor is taking heat for lip syncing as Christina Aguilera. News about teens and gender issues from down under. All that and a lot more plus a boat load of TWIT Awards is waiting for you in this edition of TWIT!
Have a Scary but Comfortable Halloween
Lorraine Anderson, the costumer behind The Occasional Woman, is all about costumes and Halloween fun. She has been making costumes and wearing costumes for as long as we’ve known her. In this pre-Halloween post she brings up the things you need to keep in mind as you prepare to dazzle the world in that Wonder Woman outfit or Emma Peele cat suit. Will you be able to relieve yourself and get back into your costume? Will those shoes allow you to walk normally all night or will you turn into a limping disgrace before midnight? Read on for Lorraine’s guide to a sensational, trouble-free Halloween.
Isolated
It’s easy to forget just how large the United States of America is. In just a few hours you can fly from one coast to the other. Telephones and the internet put you in instant communication with people who live and work far from your locality. But try driving across the country like our Amanda F. Steele did. It took her days and she landed in the San Francisco area hoping for a better life. What she found is not what she hoped for, and she feels that in the vastness of our country she is very isolated.
