Marc Mitnick,MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech pathologist practicing in the South Florida areas of Broward and Palm Beach Counties. He is blogging with TGForum to provide information on how to successfully, without damage to the vocal cords, achieve the voice that matches your gender identity. He works with both FtM and MtF trans people. Today he provides an overview of how speech therapy can work for you and how to find a therapist in your area.
It’s The Week In Trans! Today we learn many things. “Beauty boys” are gaining greater acceptance from cosmetic companies. Johns Hopkins will start doing GRS again next year. Many legal rulings in the restroom wars have occurred. A 16-year-old trans girl gets an award in Australia. A school newspaper says we should avoid Halloween costumes that offend. A trans woman in the U.K. went on a reality TV dating show. A film maker has done a video documentary on trans life in Iceland. Was “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” re-make worth it? There’s all that and a whole lot more, not to mention a sizable selection of TWIT Awards, in this edition of TWIT!
Men in female masks. Young men in makeup. Models being put out of work by drag queens and female basketball players. Baseball players in stockings. What’s it all mean? It’s all part of the ingredient list for the Special of the Day in today’s edition of Dina’s Diner. Dina mixes it all together, adds some of her special spices and let’s it simmer into a tasty dish that’s sure to please the most discerning palate. Don’t miss out on your serving of today’s special! It’s yummy!
Today Pamela DeGroff reviews the new CD from trans man singer songwriter Ryan Cassata. It’s titled Shine. Then Pamela dives into to some music news from her favorite artists like Rev. Yolanda, Georgie Jessup, and Calpernia Addams. She also has Hedwig tour news and a note about the new Lady Gaga album, Joanne. She rounds out the column with a mini review of a new EP by a Norwegian rocker names Dagny. You’ll find it all in Perpetual Change, TGF’s longest running column.
Last month we began the story of a young man who likes pretty things, and feminine expression who was faced with a choice. An old crone’s potion may transform him into a woman. Is it really what he desires in his heart of hearts? New TGF contributor Raquel Swann has crafted a fantasy tale that starts with that choice. Today we bring you Chapter 2 of “Metamorphosis – A Transgender Odyssey.” The young man has made his choice. What will happen now?
Julie Freeman is a significant other has been active in the gender community for over 20 years, particularly with significant others and couples groups. She has written articles for many publications including the Diablo Valley Girls newsletter among others. The following piece appeared on TGForum in 1996 and was first published in the Diablo Valley Girls […]
It’s The Week In Trans! What’s happening in the world of trans and trans related news? CoverGirl makeup has picked a 17-year-old boy as their face of So Lashly mascara. A job fair in L.A. is aimed at trans people seeking work. France has made it easier for trans people to get legal recognition. Singer Sade has a trans child. Hispanic trans TV star Cachita has passed away. An intersex person in Austria is stuck in legal limbo. A trans network in Britain has a new chair. Bob the Drag Queen’s mother was shot in the head, and lived. An American Ballet Theater male dancer has a drag persona. Trans man Kourt Frame is homecoming prince at his school. Gwen Araujo’s mother is interviewed 14 years after her daughter’s murder. There’s all that and even more, along with a large selection of TWIT Awards in this edition of TWIT!
Today Tasi sings the praises of the pencil skirt. It’s called that because it is a slim silhouette that fits tight at the waist, tight at the hips and tight at the knees. Okay, it’s a tight, sexy skirt and wearing it right can make you feel at your most attractive, sexy best. Tasi outlines the many types of pencil skirts that are available and gives you hints and tips on how to work one, or many more, into your wardrobe. There are also video demos and links to other articles on this versatile wardrobe piece.
Being forced to live in the wrong gender can make problems in a person’s life. Sometimes they don’t even realize that their problems are related to their gender issues. Sabrina Symington presents the story of one person who made a realization about their pre-transition behavior after they started to live as their true self.
Linda has a deal with her wife that allows her to take off for an entire week, go to some resort she finds interesting and spend the whole week en femme, 24 hours a day. She calls these times her “Wonderful Weeks.” After recently spending a week at a resort in Massachusetts’s famous Berkshire Mountains Linda looks back on the feeling of relaxed acceptance she experienced from the people encountered.
Today Chanelle shows you how to bi-directionally lace a steel boned corset. That means you use two laces rather than just one. Why would you need this skill? Chanelle suggests that you may wish to, at some point, change the color of your corset’s lacing. How sexy would it be if the laces matched some other color in your outfit? You will only learn the answer if you watch Part 1 of Chanelle’s video on how to properly lace your corset.
It’s The Week In Trans! All the top stories featuring trans people from around the world and down your street. Today we learn that a D.C. police woman is the only trans person on the force. The candidate in Cali who used queens singing to a Katy Perry song in TV ad has been threatened with a lawsuit. A trans man in Canada is the first trans person to play on a professional team. A reporter in England left his job to return to the air as a woman. A trans actress has been nominated for a BAFTA. A 6-year-old in New Zealand has transitioned before she starts first grade. Justice Roy Moore is suspended and his supporters say it’s the fault of a drag queen. College professor by day, drag artiste by night. Pope Francis has conflicting thoughts on LGBT people. All that and more plus a lot of TWIT Awards is waiting for you in TWIT!
Dr. Dana Bevan has been unpacking and refuting the “report” by McHugh/Mayer in The New Atlantis that right wing media sites are now using as proof that being transgender is not real. Dr. Bevan has pointed out the errors in the author’s thinking, whether they are (as they seem to be) intentional, or result from poor research. Whatever the author’s intent we must conclude that their “report” is a political document meant to dismiss the reality of our lives. Even the staff at Paul McHugh’s former employer, Johns Hopkins, have issues a statement saying the “report” is full of errors and is unscientific. Read what Dr. Bevan has to say in her final blog on the McHugh/Mayer report.
There are all sorts of words for it; getting read; being clocked; being made. They all mean that while we are out in public someone has looked at one of us and said, “That’s a man.” Most of the time they try to be discreet as they nudge a companion to point us out. Sometimes they proclaim their discovery in a loud voice. Whenever it happens it’s painful. You try to do your best to fit in as just another lady but there is something that is giving your gender status away. Sometimes you just want to run home and hide in the closet. Today Cate O’Malley has another idea. Give her a read and see what you think of her response when she gets read.
A tweet that I saw posted on Facebook this Sunday afternoon hours before the Second Presidential debate: “Make no mistake, Ladies. Trump may be the face of your rapist, but Pence is every judge who made sure he got away with it”. These words remind us as LGBTQ people, as transgender people, what is at […]
This is a TGF Retro Rerun from Diane Hutchinson. It originally ran back in the late ’90s. See if you can find some of the 1990s references. Diane wrote about passing tips for doing so. Cate O’Malley’s post today gives her 21st century take on passing so we decided to run Diane’s post from the 20th century. They differ, of course. Diane’s advice is still good for those who want to blend in with the other women in a store, or restaurant. And she and Cate both agree that in case you don’t pass it’s best to not let it bother you. It’s not your problem. So return with us now to those days in the late 20th century and give Diane’s Retro Rerun a read.
Today we learn that Norway allows legal gender change with an online form. South Africa has so few GRS surgeons it can take 25 years to get an appointment. A documentary show about trans people in the U.K. wins BAFTAs. Boy Meets Girl has been canceled by the Beeb. A list of the 10 most banned books is led by trans themed books. Military medical insurance now covers trans health needs. A candidate for senate in California used drag queens in his TV ad. Lots of legal decisions and lawsuits about restrooms. The Texas Association of Business is against anti-LGBT legislation. A trans rights activist has been paired with Watson to answer questions about trans issues. The staff of Johns Hopkins rebuke Dr. Paul McHugh’s bogus report on trans science. There’s all that and a lot more, plus a handful of TWIT Awards in this edition of TWIT!
To some people a car is just a method of transportation. They don’t name it, or give it a gender identity. They just keep it running and trade it in after a couple of years. Other folks look at their cars as more like a friend who is with them on the journey of life through all its twists and turns. Along with sudden stops. Amanda has had Maxx in her life for many years. He moved her from Pittsburgh to South Carolina and then all the way across the country to the Bay Area. But Maxx is no longer young. His calipers tend to squeal and his gaskets aren’t as tight as they used to be. Maybe it’s time for Amanda to consider getting a new friend.
What do you do when the path you have chosen, the path you must follow, takes you to territory that hurts? Takes you to a place where abuse and disrespect are common treatment and there is no, or very little relief. Our dear Sophie Lynne took the path she had to follow and it lead her to that place. A place where her family stepped away from her. A place where crying herself to sleep was the norm. She tried and tried but there was pain. So, she made a plan. A plan for a solemn morning in the peace of Valley Forge Park. But, when that morning came and she was there, alone with the pre-dawn wildlife and her thoughts — she let go of her plan.
Some people feel that with the fall season comes a return to darker colors. They see black tights with brown and gray skirts and tops as appropriate for the season as the weather turns cold and damp. Lorraine Anderson, the woman behind The Occasional Woman custom clothing and alteration service says “Pshaw!” There’s no need, in her view, that fall clothes need to be drab clothes. A colorful top paired with a dark skirt and hose can lighten your mood as the chill winds of autumn blow. Give her fashion post a read and pick up some tips on how to stay bright in this darker season.
Falecia keeps her totally en femme self indoors but goes out and about to run errands in an androgynous mode. She and her wife have an understanding about the extent of Falecia’s crossdressing. It only goes so far and it doesn’t go out the door in a dress and high heels. Today Falecia muses on what might happen if she did begin to present herself to the world as a woman. Would she be drawn toward bigger changes in her life? Would she want to be a woman 24/7? See what she decides about that question in this post.
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.” In the last chapter of her story she graduated from Wharton and went to Hollywood to work in the film industry. Then she found herself romantically involved with a Hungarian woman while Julie collected more women’s clothes in secret. At the end of Chapter 3 she was working for a home improvement chain in Canada and logging many miles on the lonely road.
It’s the number one compilation of all the trans news we can find! It’s The Week In Trans! What do we learn this Monday? Jeffrey Tambor won an Emmy for Transparent and hopes he’s the last cis male to play a trans character. A new documentary looks at a marriage when the husband transitions. International pageant news from Spain and Thailand. Gavin Grimm’s case “might” not get taken up by the Supreme Court. An Ecuadorian trans couple are parents. A trans boy in Wisconsin is allowed into the proper facility. A NYC drag artiste transforms in Times Square. Tracey Norman is back in the modeling biz. New guidelines for trans people in shelters. Lots of info on the TV show Strut. There’s all that plus some more and a whole load of TWIT Awards! Don’t miss your TWIT!
Slide into a booth at Dina’s Diner. Order a cup of coffee and settle in for some tasty treats from your hostess. Today Dina Amberle comments on the current movement toward “no makeup.” Oh the horror! Bare faces in public?! But Alicia Keys is one of those who is going without makeup and it’s stirred up quite a controversy. Then Dina comments on people who commented on photos of a teacher that had people saying she shouldn’t dress like that in class. Add in a dash of Disney princesses — all from one young man — and then round it all out with an observation about tattooed crossdressers. It’s all part of today’s special served up at Dina’s Diner.
Shawna Virago, the San Francisco based singer/songwriter, was last interviewed on TGForum when her Objectified album came out. Today Pamela DeGroff checks in with Ms. Virago and learns that she is now working on a new album. The interview covers touring, her work with a dance troupe, and her politics and musical influences. If you haven’t met her before give Perpetual Change a read and learn all about Shawna Virago. Then Pamela gives you a mini review of a new album from a group called Tritonal. Listen to one of their new tracks right here.
