TGF Contributor Christine Zee travels a lot and in the course of her travels she visits events around the country. Her first report for 2016 is about her time at First Event 2016, the thirty sixth occurrence of this annual event in Boston. Find out how it went and view a slideshow of photos in our Event Correspondent’s report.
Babs writes about the differences between the two main political parties when it comes to how they view the trans community. One party works diligently to add protections for the rights of LGBT people and the other party puts even more effort into trying to suppress LBGT rights. Even when that party tries to be more inclusive they just can’t seem to go all the way. Babs has all the info on where they stand.
If blending in and passing is what you strive for when you’re out and about in public then this column is not aimed at you. Cate O’Malley has made a decision to not adhere to the dictates of fashion or to just blend in. She has firm likes and dislikes and when she dresses to go out for the day she dresses the way she likes. She also urges others to do fashion their way. Will that approach work for you?
What’s in the transgender news? A six-episode web series called Her Story has debuted online. A big name check printing company writes a large settlement check over trans discrimination. Pre-op trans athletes are cleared to compete in the Olympics. Kate Bornstein is on the road. An all-girls school features two former students on their alumni mag cover — they’re trans men. The costume designer for The Danish Girl is nominated for an Oscar. Lypsinka performs as a man. The benefactor behind the U of V trans studies chair. A trans modeling agency opens in India. Rebecca Root’s TV series is renewed. The Montana governor signs an anti-discrimination executive order. Caitlyn Jenner is writing a book. Edinburg University bans offensive Halloween costumes. All that plus a whole raft of TWIT Awards is waiting for you in TWIT!
Sophie Lynne has been wondering whether people who tell her they know how it feels to be treated differently because she is transgender means can really have an understanding of what it’s like. As a trans person she admits that she doesn’t know what it’s like to have been born with a female body. How can cisgender people have a clue about what it’s like to be trans? Sophie has one idea.
Today the head seamstress of The Occasional Woman, Lorraine Anderson, drops the subject of clothing to discuss something many of us could use help and advice about: makeup. It’s not that she’s an expert in the area of face decoration and enhancement. Far from it. Her usual makeup routine is basic and, routine. When she was a teen her paint was extreme. Now it’s minimal and she wants to learn how to do more, but not too much. Dip into cosmetics with her in this first of a two-parter on makeup.
Amanda is full of questions. Since November she has been dealing with excessive anxiety. She wonders if there is something missing in her life, and she asks if she’s in the right place, and whether or not she is doing the right thing pursuing gender reassignment. Making her anxiety worse is the grey gloom of San Francisco in the winter, a winter that has El Nino bringing rain many times a week. Amanda longs for spring sunshine and wonders when it will come.
Christine-Jane has been commenting on the crossdressing lifestyle for years. First appearing in trans-magazines and newsletters before there was an Internet, she now comes to TGForum to skewer crossdresser foibles and fears with her pens and pencils. Today she shows that gentle sea breezes may not be your friend.
Mandi Camille Hauwert has been a correctional officer since 2007 at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, California. In 2012 she came out at work, identifying as transgender. Thanks to our friends at Your True Gender Radio we present a conversation with Mandi in which she discusses being a transgender guard in a maximum security prison, as well […]
A trans woman appears on “Say Yes to the Dress.” A trans activist is running for office in Ireland. Antony Hegarty is the second trans person ever nominated for an Oscar in the music category. The drag performer on “The Voice if Ireland” is in the competition. First impressions can be lasting. Professor Aaron Devor heads a trans studies program. Atlanta launches a private school for LGBT kids. Lebanon has allowed a legal name change for a trans man. Hey, did ya hear the one about the trans jokes? The Miss World Music Tiffany pageant is getting popular. Plans to erect a monument to Divine. All that plus more news and many TWIT Awards is waiting for you in TWIT!
Decisions, decisions, decisions. For trans people there are decisions to be made at every step of their life journey. Should they start to experiment with crossdressing? Should they tell people close to them that they have these feelings? Would it be a good idea to go to a trans support group? Should transition be a goal? In order to make any of these weighty decisions Dr. Dana Bevan urges you to get information from different sources and make the best decision from an informed position.
Today Pamela DeGroff devotes the majority of her column to David Bowie. His androgynous stage looks, and the lyrics to his song “Rebel, Rebel” provided inspiration to many in the trans community. His legacy of music, his influence on fashion and his flaunting of traditional gender roles make him one of the greats. Pam looks back at Bowie, and then rounds out her column with some music news and a review of Peaches new “Rub” album.
Today Dina Amberle invites you to partake of many specials down at Dina’s Diner. She dishes up hot and nutritious commentary on many things. Would crossdressing be fun without an element of danger? Is it okay to let an 8-year-old boy wear drag queen makeup but not okay for little girls to be in beauty pageants? How about a subversive drag production of Rapunzel? Of course she stirs in a good helping of David Bowie and adds a dash of a deceased ’60s fashion designer. Her concoction has been simmering all day and it’s ready for you to grab a heaping helping of Dina’s Diner.
Dallas Denny has written a piece on the confusion that can arise when gender specific pronouns are avoided. She feels that the world needs new pronouns to replace the old ones because when people start referring to other people as “they” or “them” instead of “her’s” or “his” the potential for increased misunderstanding grows greater. She likens it to the old Abbot &* Costello routine Who’s On First?
Some of the groups participating in the Philadelphia Mummers Parade on New Year’s Day found making fun of Caitlyn Jenner to be funny. They make signs that had Bruce Jenner on a a Wheaties box on one side and a Froot Loops box with Caitlyn on the other side. TGF contributor Diane Hutchinson was not amused. Today she comments on why it’s not just good, clean fun.
This is an opinion piece from the TGF Archives. It was published in April of 1999 by Roberta Angela Dee, a writer and activist in the trans community who published several books and wrote for TGForum and other publications. Ms. Dee passed away in 2003. In this piece she discusses whether gender reassignment surgery is […]
It’s The Week In Transgenderism! All the news assembled in one place for your infotainment convenience! Today we learn that Andreja Pejic speaks out about trans rights. Caitlyn Jenner says she never meant to be a TG spokesperson. A closer look at why Jaden Smith is modeling womenswear. A Philadelphia legend has left photos of every outfit she ever wore. Lana Wachowski is one of the models for Marc Jacobs. Non-binary people want their own checkbox. There’s a hijra musical group called 6 Pack Band. A Brazilian drag performer appears on The Voice of Holland. Changing treatment of trans people in Cuba. One of Thailand’s top kick boxers is trans. An 8-year-old boy asks mom for a MAC makeover. All that and a few TWIT Awards are waiting for you in TWIT!
They say clothes make the man but so often it’s accessories that define the woman. A basic outfit can be upscaled, cooled down or made sizzling hot with the proper accessories. Jewelry, scarves, shoes, hats, hair clips and pins are just some of the things you can do to take a basic outfit, like a little black dress, into new territory. Today Tasi Zuriack takes you on an exploratory journey into the land of accessories.
The Artist D is stricken with “year end wrap up fever.” If afflicts many at the end of an old year and the start of a new one. For The Artist D wrapping up means looking back at the columns she contributed to TGForum over the past year and identifying the ones that expressed her hopes for a better year in 2016.
Linda starts her seventh straight year (and eleventh overall) sending articles to TGForum by telling the story of a friend of hers who years ago visited the Queen Mary nightclub in Los Angeles and ended up having an adventure that was simply made for Hollywood. Return with Linda now to the glory days of the Queen Mary when a girl could meet someone and. . . .
Josy is proud of the way that transgenderism has been brought out of the shadows and made visible to the general public. She thanks trans icons like Jazz Jennings and Caitlyn Jenner for their work in making people aware that trans people are here and we aren’t going away. But she has concerns that some in the community don’t wish to do their part to further acceptance of trans people.
Internet technology has made communication around the globe less expensive and faster. Now applications like Skype, FactTime, and WhatApp are being used in innovative ways that could only be imagined a few decades ago. Now a gender reassignment candidate in Dubai can consult with Dr. Sherman Leis in the U.S. without traveling across the ocean. Learn how Dr. Leis is using modern technology to help patients around that world.
Fresh from the Internet, tons of trans news in the column we call The Week In Transgenderism. Today we learn that a trans woman has won Holland’s Next Top Model. Amiyah Scott has dropped out of Real Housewives of Atlanta. Hari Nef had a bit of help starting her acting career. 2015 in review in several publications. Sushi ties the knot then drops in the shoe. A trans woman runs for office in the Philippines. The one year anniversary of the death of Leelah Alcorn passed this past Monday. Jaden Smith models womenswear for Louis Vuitton. There’s all that plus a lot more and a whole page of TWIT Awards!
Babs is a bit upset that a convicted traitor to the United States is getting her thoughts on trans matters featured in the media. Babs feels that Chelsea Manning is not the person who should be representing the trans community and she has a number of far better suited people who deserve recognition for all they have done on behalf of the community. Let the media print what they have to say.
Our co-ed crossdresser, Chanelle Nirok, has some ideas on dating. In her opinion the important thing is how you get along with a person. Some, like the old Paula Abdul song, thing that opposites attract. Others feel that you need to find a partner who is just like you. Chanelle feels that it’s important to find someone who is your equal.
Here it is, the beginning of 2016 and I, like so many of us, make resolutions and polish up my crystal ball to try to determine what awaits us in the New Year. My resolutions usually contain lose weight and exercise. This year, however, instead of setting hopeless goals, I’m throwing out the resolutions, setting […]
