Sometimes in our lives certain memories that we haven’t visited in a long while can come to the fore of our mind when we are poked by a smell or taste associated with those memories. That’s what our newest blogger Claire H. writes about today. As you can guess from the title of her blog she has memories associated with the scent of nail polish and polish remover. Read on to learn what she revisits when she smells those things.
Our Page Pundit Sophie Lynne takes a look back at a book that was published a little over a year ago but has made a lasting impression on her. It’s Laura Jane Grace’s book “Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock’s Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout.” Sophie discusses the many levels the book hit her on and why anyone who was put off by the title’s first word should put aside their feelings about that and read Grace’s story which combines pain and joy from which she emerges triumphant.
Music is important to many people today. Trans and queer music is a sub genre in the popular music scene. What are the youth of today listening to? In particular — what are the trans/gender fluid/queer/agender youth of today listening to? We don’t know about all of them but our Youth View correspondent M introduces you to the trans and gender fluid musical artists they find appealing. And there are videos embedded in M’s blog so you can listen and view for yourself.
Today our spiritual advisor Beverly Anne Thomas (until recently know as Tommie/Tammie Smith) looks at how The Wizard of Oz delivers a message very similar to the message of all religious and spiritual conditions. She advises that you pay no attention to the man behind that curtain and if the ruby slippers fit then perhaps you should wear them.
By Kristina Mayhem A young woman is creating positive change in Michigan. She is the first transwoman to rush sororities at The University of Michigan. It’s a journey to womanhood painted from a palette of rich colors and beautiful hues. Emily Kaufman spent extra time preparing for her big day. She was representing transpeople and […]
It’s time for The Week In Trans! Today we learn that model Lea T has been incorporated into an old master’s painting. The Pentagon is hoping to allow trans recruits by January 1. A teen in Ohio has sued his parents over transitioning to male. A trans woman in DC went from the thug life to the retail life when she transitioned. A 22-year-old trans woman runs for office in Rhode Island. Jeffrey Tambor may not be leaving Transparent after all. Meanwhile trans actors are being cast more often on television shows. Tinder is swiping left on trans people. Turkish trans people can change their ID without surgery. New drag performers are going beyond the bounds of lip sync glam. There’s all that plus a lot more and a few TWIT Awards to round it all out in this edition of TWIT!
When Cate O’Malley insist she’s not gay she does admit that since she’s married to a woman there may be some lesbian tendencies. What she means is, when she started to examine her gender one of her first thoughts was if she was a gay man. It’s easy to imagine that with all the publicity the gay community has gotten that one could equate their need to be feminine with being gay. But gender identity and sexual orientation are two different things. See why Cate knows she’s not gay in her blog today.
They say that clothes make the man. Since crossdressing is mostly centered around clothes it’s reasonable to say that clothes also make the woman. How much do different styles of attire affect us? Tasi Zuriack investigates just how clothes affect the way we feel and present ourselves to the world. She has conducted some research on which of the varied styles women have available to them that are most popular among the crossdressing community. Are you classical, everyday chic, or little girl?
In Linda’s last post she reported that one night, after her restaurant shift ended, instead of heading straight home she wandered up the street and into what turned out to be a gay bar. Upstairs was a small nightclub that turned out to be ground zero for Toronto’s drag scene. Linda met a gorgeous girl who turned out to be a guy and to make a long story short they had sex. Today she continues her story of how she reached her present life and where things might have been different if she hadn’t taken the road she chose.
The Artist D! has been doing a series throughout 2017 covering all aspects of queerness. The Artist D! considers themselves to be “queer” in all areas and they embrace it. Whether it’s sexually, gender related, or just their point of view, it all has a queer cast for The Artist D! Today D wraps up the queer series. Get their final word on the word in today’s post; Tranny Queer: The Queerest of Them All.
Amanda F. Steele searches the world of entertainment and the arts to find stories featuring trans people. She presents her findings to you in her Trans Media Arts blog. Today she has a bit of a wrap up on the trans participation in arts and entertainment in 2017. Dive in and enjoy!
What do we call our condensed selection of news from the world of trans? The Week In Trans! Today we learn that India is set to legislate trans rights but the trans community is not happy. The judge who issued a stay on the military trans ban issues clarification. The Trump administration may still maneuver around the stay. Australia’s courts have stopped regulating HRT for minors. Model and student Hunter Schafer will be featured in Teen Vogue being interviewed by Hillary Clinton. Japan will begin to cover gender reconstruction surgery. A Maryland family ends a lawsuit against their school district’s trans inclusive policies due to community pressure. Advocates say it is important that trans people sign up for coverage under the ACA. There’s all that and more plus a few TWIT Awards waiting for you in TWIT!
Our resident scientist Dana Jennett Bevan has spent time studying the behavior of many different segments of our culture. Everything from BDSM players to combat pilots have been subjected to her scrutiny. Today she plunges headlong into the realm of tech lesbians. That is, she explores the subculture of lesbians who work in the Atlanta tech industry. Not to give it away but she concludes that hanging out with tech lesbians can be fun.
Our resident political maven, Babs Casbar Siperstein, feels that the Trump administration has demonstrated that while the president-elect promised to support LGBT rights the president in office is doing all he can to diminish those rights. The administration is aided and abetted in this by Republican legislatures at the state level. But, there are signs of resistance and movement by the left to make a strong stand for candidates that advocate for everyone’s rights and will support LGBT people. Babs lists those who won seats in the recent election and projects what needs to be done to win in future contests.
Kimberly lives a duel existence. She is a male at home and at work but crosses the gender border to go on outings in the real world as a female. She cherishes her time out and about en femme and she has developed methods to avoid unwanted scrutiny from the neighbors. She is an advocate of having a plan for your feminine excursions that will get you out of your house discreetly and safely home.
Amanda has a problem with anxiety. She likens it to a monkey riding on her back, getting fatter everyday and going from just weighing her down to jumping up and down on her, making loud monkey noises into her ear. It is so debilitating that she was unable to write her blog last week. She has filed it late and we bring it to you today. It’s all about her fight against the evil anxiety monkey.
Raquel and Mark, two parts of one person that became separated after drinking a strange potion, have been transported to another land. They trek to the north to do battle with “the Magistrate” but have been told by a woman named Lydia that one of them will not survive the confrontation. In a house that is a duplicate of their childhood home Raquel meets her “mother” and then her “father.” Are these people who they seem to be? In the last chapter Raquel was told she was dead. Could that be real? Or is she passed out on the floor inside a hut after drinking that strange potion? Learn more in Chapter 15 of Metamorphosis.
On November 22 Sophie was there to witness her friend Kimberly legally become Kimberly. Sophie went to Washington the night before to be with her friend for one of the most important days she would face. Her day in court. Changing the way the world sees you and addresses you is not a simple thing, even though the legal name change is accomplished in a brief encounter with a judge. Sophie went to support Kimberly because she feels that no one should have to stand before that judge alone.
As a lady coming out late in life our newest blogger Claire H. found inspiration and courage in the story of Maura Pfefferman on “Transparent.” The character resonated with her even though she was older than Claire. Thanks to Maura Claire began to move toward expressing her innate femininity. Then, in the swirl of sexual harassment charges leveled against many prominent men, she learned that the actor who so wonderfully portrayed Maura would be leaving the show. Today she expresses her reaction to that.
Our Colombian correspondent starts her blog today in English but then returns to her native tongue to blog about her philosophy of crossdressing. And she has another video that displays her grace and beauty. For a South American take on the crossdresser’s experience give Katherine Diaz’s blog a read. Don’t read Spanish? Never fear. That’s what they created Google Translate for.
David de Alba is The Cuban Legend. He began his career in female impersonation in Chicago clubs after a friend noted how much he resembled Judy Garland and did his makeup for a Halloween Ball. Soon David was practicing singing in Garland’s voice and working in the clubs. Then came a move to San Francisco and his years on stage at the famous Finocchio’s club. For the whole story of David’s life in dresses and heels read this article republished with permission from the Newsletter of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society.
Make way for The Week In Trans! Today we learn that another trans woman has tossed her hat into the ring to run for the Massachusetts’s House seat. Today is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Flawless Sabrina has passed away. The U.S. military is paying for one soldier’s GCS. A trans woman has been ordained in the Methodist Church. California has joined the lawsuit against the military ban. The DOJ will no longer issue guidance memos. Violet Chachki is modeling lingerie for a major company. Another allegation of sexual misconduct against Jeffrey Tambor. The governor of Montana wants to make it easier for people to change their legal gender. The Church of England affirms trans kids. There’s all that and much more waiting for you in TWIT! And also a few TWIT Awards!
With the cooler weather things are heating up down at Dina’s Diner. Dina always has some hot dish on the stove and you can always get a hot cup of coffee or some soothing tea. Today’s specials include an art exhibit titled “Trigger: Gender as a Tool and a Weapon.” Then Dina adds the story of ’60s trans soul singer Jackie Shane. She seasons with some spice about Cindy Sherman, the selfie goddess. Stirs in the story of trans contestants on Jeopardy! and rounds it all out with praise for ladies with zaftig figures. You can get a full helping of fun down at Dina’s Diner.
Today Sophie Lynne, our Page Pundit, takes a look at 2014’s “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves.” The book is meant to be a handbook and reference for trans people and features different chapter written by people who have various identities within the trans community.
