A few months ago we ran a review of the Digital Transgender Archive and we got it muddled up and reported a couple of wrong things about this effort to make information about transgender history available to the world. Jan Brown recently conducted an interview with the people behind the Archives, both physical and virtual, and she brings us an in-depth look.
Testosterone is not an Italian pasta dish. It’s a hormone most commonly associated with the development of male sex characteristics. At puberty the male body begins to produce more testosterone and with that body hair, a deeper voice, smellier sweat and larger muscles. And yes, a beard. For trans girls the advent of the changes brought about by testosterone can be a severe trial. Today Cate O’Malley talks about testosterone poisoning and how it affected her.
Most of us who crossdress regularly and go out in public work at looking the most like any other woman as we can. Today we bring you the story of a new TGF contributor who goes out and interacts with the public in what she feels is an androgynous look. She wears women’s styles but only jeans, pants and tops that she feels fit the look of an androgyne. But, do open toed wedges and floral print tank tops really fit that bill? Falecia McGuire thinks so and she tells us all about what she wears, why she wears it, and how people react to her look.
What’s been happening in the media? Andreja Pejic talks about her youth and transition. The Massachusetts governor signs the nondiscrimination bill. A lingerie company adds a trans model to its ad campaign. Lots of HB2 news and speculation. Congressional candidate Misty Snow talks about her policies. Could DES have made us trans? 20 fierce drag looks from June. The latest in the Gavin Grimm case. Canada is moving toward gender-neutral driver’s licenses. The Chi Phi frat will admit trans men. Is the Statue of Liberty a queen? Brits may be able to change their gender markers without proof of gender. Cuba has a burgeoning drag and trans scene. A bunch of TWIT Awards are handed out. All that and lot more is waiting for you in TWIT!
We all spend our lives going from one “first” to the next. When we’re little we use the potty for the first time. We take our first steps and say our first words. Trans people are often delayed in experiencing some of the “firsts” of their gender since the world believes they aren’t girls or boys. A young trans girl won’t get to wear her first bra at the same time her schoolmates are getting theirs. So the trans girl has to make her own first bra wearing experience. Sophie Lynne shares her first time wearing her mom’s bra and she invites you to leave a comment with recollections of your first time doing something typical to your gender identity.
Decisions, decisions. Amanda has been living in northern California and trying her best to fit in. At heart she is a western Pennsylvania girl, more used to the muggy summer heat and lush greenery surrounding the confluence of the Allegheny and Manongahela rivers, where the Ohio river is born, than she is with the dry desert on the outskirts of San Francisco. She has days when she is convinced she needs to pack up and head back east. On other days she feels that she should stay in the west and make things work. Today she posts a question to everyone, should she stay or should she go?
Sabrina Bria Symington has another commentary on trans life in the form of a multi-panel cartoon. Don’t be your own worst critic and decide things won’t work for you. Go ahead and give them a try. If they don’t work that’s fine. At least you aren’t limiting your own options. Don’t let yourself fall a victim to the c-word. Find out what it is in today’s cartoon.
Our Retro Rerun today is from TGF in1998. Roberta Angela Dee wrote this column for TGForum on the importance of proportion. More people are outed because their proportions are wrong than are given away by an Adam’s Apple or large hands. A typical male body is wider at the top. Male hips do not, in most men, get as wide as the shoulders, and the male butt tends to be flatter than the female behind. In this article Roberta covers the differences and suggests safe ways to create a more feminine figure. Roberta Angela Dee passed away in 2003.
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 starts sharing her memories today with TGForum users about all those years of indulging her secret joy.
Here it is, it’s come to save the day! It’s The Week In Transgenderism. First off we wish you a happy 4th of July if you are a U.S. citizen. Then, what do we learn from the news? Two trans women named Misty are running for office in Utah. The Pentagon has announced that trans soldiers can serve openly and the blowback has begun. A boy who plays with princess toys makes a well rounded adult man. Research on just how many trans people live in the U.S. The woman who spent 8 days in jail when the hotel staff thought she was a hooker gets a settlement. Pakistani clerics order people to treat trans people better. All that plus more! And of course, a batch of TWIT Awards, are waiting for you in TWIT!
Dina Amberle is back at the grill down at Dina’s Diner and she’s cooked up a patriotic repast for today as we celebrate our red, white and blue American holiday. Dina has taken a bit of Mariah Carey, added some womanly hips, a pinch of Bill Cunningham memories, some high heel hacks and The NYT’s focus on drag for Pride month to create a delicious feast for the mind. Enjoy and bon appétit!
Tona Brown is a violinist and vocalist who performs across genres, from classical to jazz to R&B. Ms. Brown is a trans woman from Baltimore and she has been interviewed in this column before, back in 2009. Pamela DeGroff interviewed her again recently and brings you that interview today. Ms. Brown has been active in music and also as a presence on social media doing a live interview show. After the interview Pamela has some music news and a mini review of the new Ariana Grande album.
Today’s Retro Rerun is from the early days of TGForum. The late Roberta Angela Dee did a series of articles on learning several feminine skills. Today we bring back her “Twenty Ways to Look More Beautiful,” first published in July of 1997. Ms. Dee passed away in 2003.
Look out! It’s The Week In Transgenderism and it’s careening down the information superhighway directly into your browser! Today we learn that Dr. Marci Bowers is feeling at home in her Bay Area practice. It looks like Gavin Grimm will be using the boy’s room in the fall. A Chicago gender clinic gets a big grant. August will be the 50th anniversary of the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot. Stonewall is a national monument. There is no StingRhonda. A trans dating site under development in the U.K. wants your suggestions. The ACA will ban discrimination against people based on their gender identity. The Pentagon will let trans soldiers serve openly by July. A trans veteran runs for Parliament in Australia. Meet 15 men who produce makeup videos on YouTube. There’s a book about Charles Pierce. All that and several TWIT Awards are waiting for you in TWIT!
Trans Media Arts is our column dedicated to trans people and trans subjects portrayed in the art and media. Today Amanda has a look at trans topics as diverse as a new drag singing sensation in San Francisco; the new season of Orange is the New Black; a trans man athlete featured in a magazine in the nude; a drag mural; a trans super hero, and much more. Don’t miss Trans Media Arts!
Linda Jensen was called upon to test wear the Underworks Body Shaper, a garment which pulls in your waist and pads out your hips and butt. Committing to the test run Linda wore the garment steadily for two weeks (practically around the clock, she says) and today she files her report. As a woman who has used padded derriere garments for years what does Linda think of the Underworks Shaper? Read her product review to find out.
Our resident cartoonist Sabrina Bria Symington has another commentary on this thing we call transgender. Today she points out that there are many, many different women in the world and they have many characteristics besides, as The Big Bopper sang, “That wiggle in the walk, and giggle in the talk.” They are all unique and some have characteristics that just might make us feel better about ourselves.
Ruffles! You may think that ruffled attire is strictly for the pre-teen set but, as Tasi Zuriack reveals, you would be wrong. More mature ladies can integrate ruffles into their wardrobe by following a few simple rules on when and where to ruffle. Find out where a ruffle is appropriate and flattering and where a ruffle can mean fashion disaster. Read on and learn the ruffle secrets from Tasi Zuriack.
In the ’80s we had Madonna, a material girl living in a material world. Today we bring you The Artist D, a non-labeled girl living in a non-binary world. And that non-binary world can be confusing. It seems to The Artist D that many people today are rejecting labels so they can sink into a bland beige background noise and give up on any of their unique qualities. Either that or they are piling on so many labels the essential person is submerged under them all. And, why would anyone want to be “just” human?
Time again for The Week In Transgenderism! Today we learn about a trans woman runner who made the cover of a women’s running mag. We get some insights into how the Orlando attack has affected members of the LGBT community. Thailand — not just ladyboys. They have trans men too! Pakistan moves to help trans women. A trans woman is running for U.S. Senate from Utah. Trans health is featured in The Lancet. RuPaul’s All-Star Drag Race is coming soon. Lucky Cheng’s has reopened in NYC. A ton of news on the Restroom Wars, several TWIT Awards and a kitty cat criminal are all waiting for you in TWIT!
Should toys be gendered? Is it okay for a boy to play with dolls or a girl to play with trains? Play is a very important factor in the development of humans. If they don’t get to play with what they want when they want children can develop differently. Learn the importance of play and both the good and bad of having toys that are marketed to specific genders in today’s post by Dana Bevan.
Babs Siperstein is a superdelegate who is pledged to Hillary Rodham Clinton. While Babs admires Bernie Sanders and gets his message of revolution she believes, from seeing it with her own eyes, that Mrs. Clinton and the Democratic Party are the best choice for trans people in November. LGBT rights are hammered into the Party platform and trans women are featured in Mrs. Clinton’s Primary Victory video. Read why Babs supports Mrs. Clinton.
For over 100 years breasts have been uplifted by a noble garment that is the foundation of a successful woman. We’re talking about the bra. The brassiere. They lift, separate, pushup and add shape to the breasts of women all across the world. But it seems, if we are to believe Cate O’Malley, that it’s a love, hate relationship.
While cruising around Facebook we came across a status post from Elizabeth Jenkins, the President of Louisiana Trans Advocates. Her topic was “passing privilege.” The idea that trans people who fit into the niche of the gender they wish to express to the world will be accepted as members of that gender. Ms. Jenkins expressed her thoughts on the issue so well that we asked her if we could share it here on TGForum.
Our crossdresser cartoonist passed away in February of this year. Relive eleven of her cartoons from the past year in a TGForum slideshow. The slides will change every 10 seconds till they reach the eleventh cartoon.
It’s The Week In transgenderism! A grand assemblage of all the trans related news we can find. Today we learn that there’s a movie about Coy Mathis and her family. People are trying to find out how many of us there are. 10 myths you can catch from trans themed films. Laverne Cox plays a lawyer on TV. Will trans models be as popular? 400 clergy call for the repeal of HN2. Grayson Perry mixes with macho men. A 21-year-old man transforms into all the Disney princesses. An arrest has been made in the torching of Dr. Brassard’s clinic. There’s all that, a ton more, and several TWIT Awards waiting for your review in TWIT!
