Dallas Denny met Alison Laing at a gender conference in 1991. That meeting turned into the decades long friendship of two transgender activists. In this post Dallas brings you some photos of Alison at work and play and she writes about her memories of those times.
Robert was just exploring his sister’s closet looking in wonder at the variety of colors and fabrics. Just as he was zipping up one of her skirts which he had paired with a white short sleeved blouse he was startled by a shriek from the doorway of her room. What would she do to him to for trying on her clothes without permission? Maybe let him try on some other outfits? Today we present Emily, a story by Ashli Kleier. The first chapter is How It All Started.
All right class! Prepare to take notes on the latest happenings involving transgender people. It’s a lecture we call The Week In Trans! Today we learn that a German politician has come out as a trans woman. Elections have consequences and the 2018 election has brought changes in the laws regarding trans people in several states. A transgender publication from 1930s Germany was almost erased by the Nazis. Trans Visibility Day is March 31. An openly trans woman runs for Philadelphia city council. Nicole Maines finally gets her super hero suit on Supergirl. Studies show that children know what gender they are. Do Nhat Ha has won the Miss Tiffany pageant in Vietnam. There’s a lot more so do your reading assignment and get all the news from TWIT!
The play’s the thing! At least is has been for a few weeks while Sophie Lynne has trod the boards in a local production of Dracula. Sophie portrayed a maid onstage, made some props for the show, and pitched in to move the scenery between scenes. While she was at it she also acted as an ambassador for the trans community — with the audience as well as her fellow performers.
Our former California correspondent is now safe and sound at the end of her journey in Baltimore. Today she blogs about the last half of the trip and picks up the story in Denver. From there it’s on to Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Then Chicago at Christmas time before heading onward to visit her family in Pittsburgh and finally to “Charm City.” And she has a gallery of photos to document the trip.
Christmas 2018 has come and gone and our contributor Linda Jensen comes out as a bit of a Scrooge. Why? Who doesn’t love the holiday season? Well, Christmas with all its dress up parties, gift buying and then more dress up parties should be a ‘happy time of the year.’ But for Linda but often it is not. What could stifle her holiday spirit? It has something to do with ‘when friends come to call.’
Lynda Martini has been getting out and about a lot in the past several months. From Halloween parties to out of town visits, and going to a football game, Lynda likes to have fun. But another event is looming. One that she longs for but won’t necessarily be fun. In just a few days Lynda will be going into the hospital for her gender confirmation surgery. All the while she has been having fun she has also been preparing for surgery and recovery. And while she had things all planned out and the date set, there was a glitch.
Our Correspondent in Columbia, Katherine Diaz, has filed a report in text and video about her experience at a professional photo session. She had a makeup artist and professional photographer working to make her look her best. Read about her experience and view the video in Princesas de la Noche.
Laurie Sheril’s look at Drag in the Cinema looks at drag in more serious films in the 1970s. From George Sanders in drag in The Kremlin Letter to a miscast John Hanson playing the title role in The Christine Jorgensen Story, This column from TGForum in the 1990s covers drag in films of the ’70s.
Time for the news! What do we learn today in The Week In Trans? A trans woman is the new president of a New York state lawyer’s association. Two women assaulted a trans woman in a nightclub ladies room. A trans woman is Texas was denied competing in a rodeo barrel race. More trans women have been victims of violence in the new year. North Carolina is still losing business because of their stance on trans people. The state of Idaho was told by a judge to provide GRS to a prisoner. The governor is appealing the ruling. Marvel Comics has introduced a drag queen mutant hero. Our Lady J is labeled one of the worst dressed at The Golden Globe Awards. Former TGF contributor Bobbi Swan has passed away. Safiey Illias has turned down tea with the mufti. Jennifer Pritzger is a transgender Republican who condemns her party’s stance on trans issues. There’s all that and a lot more, plus a few well deserved TWIT Awards waiting for you in TWIT!
It’s been four weeks and we just know you are hungry for some takeout from Dina’s Diner. Dina has added some low fat items to the menu and you can get a healthy salad, but her speciality the comfort food. Today she mixes up some Valentina, a RuPaul’s Drag Race girl, then adds in a touch of a British trans ballerina, a pinch of award show gender bending and finishes the dish off with a sprinkle of cleavage. Then for desert she brings out a serving of the pretty Brolitas “girls.” Don’t miss this edition of Dina’s Diner.
In the past few years a lot has been said about “missing emails.” Today we have a Page Pundit Review by Sophie Lynn about a book that has been made out of the decidedly not missing emails of Merissa Cheryl Lynn. Ms. Lynn was one of the pioneers in the trans movement back in the late ’80s and ’90s. She passed away in 2017. She founded the “Tiffany Club” near Boston, and eventually formed the International Foundation for Gender Education. Around 2008 and 2009 she wrote a lot of emails to a friend about her history in the movement. That friend has compiled those emails into the book Sophie reviews today.
When you reach the point in your life that demands a decision on how you need to spend the rest of your life. When you have to come out in the open and claim your true gender identity, that’s when the thing many fear is sure to happen. People who don’t know you, don’t understand why you must change gender, they will attack you. This is more true than ever in the social media years. Today Claire Hall writes about her experience with Facebook haters.
Former TGForum contributor Bobbi Swan passed away last month. During her time as a contributor she wrote a column titled Maidhood. Her first foray into the world of maid dressing wasn’t about maids per se. Bobbi extolled the charms of the Car Hop. Those were the young women who took orders and delivered food and drinks to patrons of the drive-in restaurants that got popular after WW II. We suspect it was the Car Hop costume that drew Bobbi’s praise. Take a step back, both in the TGF Archives and into the post war world, with Bobbi Swan.
In 1996 JoAnn Roberts, one of our founders, reviewed a book titled The Man in The Red Velvet Dress. It was written by Justine Sahnjay under the name J.J. Allen. The book stirred controversy for a few things. Prime among the complaints was a broad definition of what made a crossdresser: “. . .any person who wears clothing of the opposite sex.” JoAnn found that objectionable along with a couple of other points but overall she felt. . . well, you’ll have to read her review and see.
Time again for all the trans related news we could find! It’s The Week In Trans! Today we learn that a trans pioneer whose story was featured in a BBC documentary in the 1970s has passed away. The trans military ban staggers on in the courts. A trans man soldier is running for local office while he serves overseas. A representative from Virginia has hung a transgender pride flag outside her new office. New laws allowing a non-binary gender marker on ID go into effect. What is a British trans woman ballerina doing in Montana? The new president of Brazil has clamped down on LGBTI rights. In England people approved for procedures such as hair removal are waiting for months to get the actual procedure. Wisconsin public employees have transgender medical care covered again. Franklin Graham was put in Facebook jail for remarks he made about trans people. A trans cosmetics millionaire in Malaysia has been invited to tea with a Muslim mufti. This could signal a relaxation of Islam’s attitudes about transgender people. That’s just a taste of what’s in store in this edition of The Week In Trans! Dive in and enjoy the news!
Trans Media Arts brings you the cream of the crop about transgender people in the entertainment and the arts. Today Amanda F. Steele, newly relocated to the East Coast, has such items as the controversy around the film “Girl,” the story or recently deceased trans woman pioneer Julia Grant who appeared in a BBC documentary about transition back in the ’70s, the idea that it might be time for a trans gender 007, and more. Keep up with trans people in arts and entertainment with Trans Media Arts!
Many trans people are also people of faith. They often find that their transgender nature keeps them from worshipping as part of the church they were raised in. While the Catholic Pope has made positive statements about how the clergy should deal with transgender people, he has also made statements that indicate the Catholic Church is not a friend to transgender people. On November 29 our contributor Christine Zuba was invited to dinner with Cardinal Joseph Tobin in Newark, New Jersey. This invitation was extended to members of the LGBT community and was an effort by the Cardinal to get advice about how to move the conversation about the Church and LGBT people forward. Christine reports on how that dinner went.
Bria made a New Year’s resolution and it seems as if she’s already broken it. Could it be? She said she was done talking to that bearded weirdo who seems to either hate her for who she is, or maybe is so attracted to who she is that his 4th grade brain wants to pull her hair to get her attention. But what’s this? It turns out that she hasn’t broken any of her resolutions.
In a future which has gone wrong Zealots seek to purge the nation of trans people. Trans women who don’t “pass” turn to black market meds in order to fully transition and blend in with the population of cisgender women. Spying, paranoia and secrecy are the norms for trans women and being “outed” means more than just mockery and verbal abuse. Raquel Swann is back with a science fiction tale of a future world that could be all to real. Read episode 1.4 of Transmute, if you dare.
Happy New Year! Welcome to the last TWIT of 2018! Today we learn that a drag performer is a judge of Philadelphia’s Mummers Parade. 2018 saw much legislation around the country that affects transgender people. A trans woman football player won a settlement from the team that wouldn’t let her play. A trans man in New Zealand says they will nurse their new baby — but they’ve had a double mastectomy. Trans people often get misgendered after they die due to the way death certificates are issued. A team of scientists in Australia have looked into “junk DNA” to see if it can explain why trans people exist. Pakistan has had it’s first trans pride march. Trans people over 60 will get a 40% discount on train tickets in India. A civilization 3000 years ago in Persia recognized a third gender. There’s all that and a few TWIT Awards waiting for you in the last TWIT of 2018!
Aunt Dana wants you! To participate in research on why transgender people are transgender. She feels that more and more researchers are looking into what makes us tick. If we don’t participate in their research studies how will the results of those studies stand up? And Dana realizes that many trans people will be reluctant to share any information about themselves with researchers. Dana shares the guideline followed by researchers and one of those guidelines is about confidentiality. She comments on all the guidelines and gives you good reasons why you should consider being a part of the research into why we are who we are.
Linda wraps up her story about her friend Claire who started and still lives a large part of her life as Calvin, the mild-mannered retired banker who in the evenings would shed his male clothes and emerge as Claire the wonder escort of the Toronto sex trade scene.
Today Pauline Estelle has TGF tips on how to create a slim looking waistline. If diet and exercise will not work for you Pauline recommends several undergarments that may do the trick and she has examples of the kinds of dresses, skirts and tops that can be worn to camouflage an unfortunately masculine figure. See if her waistline control tips work for you.
A few months ago David de Alba sat down in front of a camera and talked about his life as a female impersonator. The filmmakers sent David a link to a rough cut of all the footage that was shot that day in his home in Las Vegas. Now you can view the interview right here on TGForum. A must for David de Alba fans.
