Katherine Diaz is our correspondent in Columbia. She is a resident of Bogotá and she enjoys dressing up and walking out through the city as a Princessa de la Noche. Today she writes about the experience of being a long time crossdresser.
Tasi Zuriack joins us today in departure from her normal fashion beat. Today she is blogging about her attempt to join a Facebook support group for transgender women over the age of 39. Tasi considers herself to be a transgender woman and she admits to being well over 39. But after she was initially approved for membership the group’s leader rejected her. Read her blog today and decide for yourself if it was a case of not being “trans enough” or if she wasn’t allowed in for some other reason.
Years ago on TGForum Laurie Sheril did a series of articles on drag in the cinema. She started back in the days of silent film and worked her way forward in time. Today we dip into the TGForum Archives and pull out her article on characters dressing in drag during World War II. From college boys in chorus girl outfits to Jimmy Durante doing a French Apache dance in drag, Laurie covers the plentiful drag to be found in those films. Learn more in this Retro Rerun from the Archives.
New Content Monday brings us another edition of our hard hitting news feature — The Week In Trans! What do we learn today? The 14-year-old whose drag act was banned from his school talent show gets support from the drag community. It’s been a year since President Trump proposed his trans military ban. The lawsuits are almost set to get underway. The State Dept. is not renewing trans women’s passports without proof of surgery. The Gay Queen of Veracruz 2018 has been murdered. Courts are ruling that trans students in school restrooms of their preferred gender do not infringe cisgender student’s privacy rights. A trans teen was denied communion. Was it because she was chewing gum, or because she was trans? Luxembourg will stop requiring surgery to change gender markers on documents. There are not only those stories but more! And a list of TWIT Awards waiting for you in TWIT!
Dina’s Diner is always loaded with tasty treats. On the Specials menu today we find a large helping of four young boys in the Philippines who dress in drag and sell peanuts. Then Dina gives us a soupçon of the Chinese talent show contestant Wang Ju, followed by a hefty helping of Serena Williams in fishnets and a tennis dress. Then she spices things up with a search for Russian crossdressers, and brings it all together with the strategies used by Takoyaki vendors in Japan to move more octopus balls. It all adds up to a satisfactory feast that we call Dina’s Diner.
Today our Youth View contributor M writes about how their dysphoria has changed during the past few years. The word dysphoria means an extreme discomfort or a feeling of unease. It has manifested differently for M over the years. For example when M was 14 their Adams Apple and chest caused deep feeling of discomfort for them. Now they sometimes feel the dysphoria centered on the chest but because, due to hormones, their chest is getting more feminine. Read all about M’s dysphoria in today’s Youth View.
Sophie Lynne is our Page Pundit and today she reviews a 2004 young adult novel title “Luna” by Julie Anne Peters. The story of trans teen Luna is told through the eyes of her younger sister. While Luna is the reason things happen the way they do the sister is a bit preoccupied with how Luna’s transgender nature effects her life. See what else Sophie has to say about the book in today’s Page Pundit review.
As Claire moves forward into her new life as a woman she is buoyed by support from friends and associates. For the most part her circle has approved of the move she made. But she is also a public official and that means she is open to a wider range of criticism than a private citizen. Her friends said she shouldn’t read the comments on her Facebook page but she did. Was that a good idea? Give her newest blog entry a look.
Cheryl Ann “Cassie” Sanders had been a contributor to TGForum for several years in our previous incarnation and she has cleaned up some of her old contributions and is sharing them again with a new generation of TGF users. Today she writes about how there is a difference in the way she thinks about men from the way she thought about men before she became Cassie. You might say she has been of two minds on the subject of the attitudes and habits of men. See what she thinks, in both cases, in today’s column, Thinking “Softer” about Men . . . and Love.
Now and then you may hear someone disparage leopard print in fashion as an “old lady” look. Why is that? Because leopard print has been adorning women since the time of the pharaohs. It is found in art work from centuries ago and was very popular in the mid twentieth century. Always coming back into fashion, leopard print is associated with strength, sexiness and feline poise. Today Tasi Zuriack, our Fashion Maven, takes you on a journey to the land of leopard print clothes, gives you some history and shows you how to style if for the most flattering effect.
Today, as always, Sabrina Symington uses her cartooning talent to highlight some aspect of trans life. This time she tells a short tail that makes you wonder why those who believe that trans women aren’t “real” women need to be so angry and aggressive about it. They seem to take their objections and lack of tolerance to new heights. In the case of the TERF portrayed in this cartoon they do so literally.
Amanda F. Steele cover the arts and entertainment scene that features trans actors, characters, writers or musicians. Today she has news about the Scarlett Johanssen casting controversy; a transgender character being added to General Hospital being portrayed by a trans actress; news about Laura Jane Grace’s band Against Me! and more. Stay up to date on transgender people in the arts and check out Trans Media Arts!
Linda Jensen is on her summer vacation so this month we’re bringing you a Retro Rerun from back in the day. This article first appeared on TGForum in 1997. Linda has always been a traveler and when she visited other cities in the US and Canada she always brought her femme finery along so she could enjoy the local trans scene. Back in 1982 she found herself in New York City and for the first time learned about the existence of heterosexual crossdressers. She attended the meeting of a group there and met Kay. That’s when the real excitement began.
Some crossdressers are fascinated by what many find to represent femininity at it’s height — the wedding gown. The white lace, satin and crepe creations are meant to make ordinary girls into something special for their big day. Crossdressers want to also experience the joy of stepping into a beautiful wedding gown and seeing their reflections in a mirror showing them in all their feminine glory. Most are only willing to buy a used gown at a thrift store and try it on at home. Back in the 1990s TGForum contributor Jennifer Blake wanted more than a thrift shop gown. She and a friend went to the bridal salon where Jennifer tried on a gown, bought it, and took it home. Her story is today’s Retro Rerun.
Back in 2014 Dana’s transition was about to take off. She had been on hormone therapy for a few years and the rest of her plan was set to implement. Then, because life is not predictable, she had to put the brakes on transition. What Dana calls “transitionus interruptus.” When something else in life keeps you from moving ahead with transition it is called a “flight.” It can be a family obligation, military service, getting that advanced degree, or any other thing that keeps one from moving forward with their gender transition. Read on and learn how various “flights” kept Dana trapped between genders.
The late Roberta Angela Dee wrote many articles for TGForum back in the 1990s. From time to time we reach back into the archives and pull out content that is still relevant. Today’s Retro Rerun is Ms. Dee’s how-to article on creating a workable feminine voice.
Pauline Estelle is part of a group of trans ladies who get together over the summer at each other’s homes for weekends of femme fun including cooking on the deck, swimming when someone’s home has a pool, and just mingling and chatting about a variety of issues, not the least of which is transgenderism and how it interacts with society. While the get together is fun it can also be a learning experience.
Today Susan Grant shares her advice, gained through years of experience. Don’t bother trying to “pass” as a woman. It is very hard for some males to do given the physical equipment they have. A wide face, large hands, big Adam’s Apple, all our burdens to camouflage or cover up while seeking feminine perfection. Suzzie advocates that it’s better to perfect your feminine “illusion” rather than trying to “pass” in public. Read on and see if you agree.
It’s The Week In Trans! Today we learn about a chart topping songwriter and producer who has come out as a trans woman. The BBC has learned that 400 of its employees identify as transgender. While trans troops are doing fine the Pentagon is not bringing in new recruits in a timely manner. A transgender athletics expert left a Fox News host speechless. Buzzfeed has a list of thirteen things the Trump Administration has done against LGBT people. New Jersey has three new laws that benefit trans people. The Episcopal Church wants to make their prayers gender neutral. Pakistan will have trans people working as election monitors. Scarlett Johansson wants to play a trans man gangster in a bio pic. Courtney Act gets her own show on British TV. There’s all this plus more and a raft of TWIT Awards waiting for you in TWIT!
Lorraine Anderson, the proprietor of seamstress service called The Occasional Woman, has some tips for beating the heat by choosing the proper fabrics for summertime attire. She also offers advice on important steps to take before wearing sandals, and even goes so far as to suggest what perfumes and body spray scents will help you achieve a cooler state of mind when the humidity is high and the unforgiving sun beats down.
Looking around at the things she sees going on in our country, particularly the separation of children from their families that was happening at the southern border, Sophie Lynne decided she had to do something. The question though was “What?” She decided to organize a local protest in her town. Today she blogs about how it went.
Years ago on TGForum Laurie Sheril did a series of articles on drag in the cinema. She started back in the days of silent film and worked her way forward in time. Today we dip into the TGForum Archives and pull out her article on characters dressing in drag in the early day of the “talkies.” Many times the character donning drag was a crook trying to disguise himself but it wasn’t always the case. Sometimes the good guys slipped into a frock to get the goods on the crooks. Return with us now to those early days in this Retro Rerun from the Archives.
The drug Amanda was taking to ease her anxiety started to seem as if it was giving her anxiety. To try and feel like herself again she stopped taking it and then the intense anxiety she that had made her go on the drug returned with a vengeance. She had been making plans to pack up and return to the east coast but this renewed anxiety made it hard to just get through a day, let alone plan a big move across the country. She started taking Lexapro but it’s been 17 days and she is not getting any relief from the anxious, debilitated-feeling that has her in its grip.
