Cate O’Malley has learned that no matter how supportive people in your life would like to be they may not be 100% on board with your gender choice. Sure, when you first tell them they be with you all the way but might that be them just wanting to not hurt your feelings with their doubts? Or maybe after some time spent with the new you negative feeling might surface. Today Cate runs through some of the “I support you but…” things she has gotten from family and friends.
When you’re contemplating gender transition it’s important to remember that there will be many challenges ahead. Even with the greater awareness of trans issues in recent years the trans road can be a bumpy one. It’s best to be aware of all the challenges that await you so you can do your best to prepare for meeting them head on.
The march from summer into fall and eventually to winter has a tendency to bring some people down. The falling leaves and the colder temperatures don’t evoke the pleasures that can be found in fall. For some it brings on depression. Sophie Lynne sees the world sliding into the autumn and she feels like this year we should seize the change and turn it positive by working to educate, agitate and make the world better for trans people.
The grill down at Dina’s Diner is heated up and ready to cook up some new dishes with ingredients gleaned from the press. Today Dina brings us Caitlyn costumes, gender-nuetral clothing, and a McDonald’s worker who is becoming a star. She also throws in some lightly sautéed musings on whether greater visibility for trans folk means CDs have more trouble passing. And some breast reduction for a TV star rounds out the menu. Where? Down at Dina’s Diner.
Is too much diversity a bad thing when the transgender community is fighting for rights? Does the umbrella of transgender confuse people when they find everyone one from Caitlyn Jenner to weekend crossdressers standing under it? Christine Burr is concerned that it could be the case that the non-trans public won’t be interested in helping us since they can’t figure our who “us” is, leaving her asking “What Next?”
Chanelle Nirok reminisces about the first time she went out for a night on the town as Chanelle. Like all beginning crossdressers she made some mistakes. One of them was to overdress. She found herself to center of attention when she had hoped to just be another woman in the crowd. See what it was like Turning Heads in Tampa.
A opinion piece in the Sunday edition of The New York Times has sparked an opinion piece by our editor, Angela Gardner. The Times piece talked about the large number of suicides in the post surgery trans community. The writer wondered why these suicides should occur. Angela thinks there are many reasons.
Get ready! Dina Amberle has gotten all fresh ingredients, only the finest herbs and spices and whipped up another taste pleasing treat for this edition of Dina’s Diner. She stirs in some women athletes with too much testosterone. Then she adds some womanless beauty pageant info, a Japanese artist and the Herkie Jump. What’s the Herkie Jump? You’ll have to read this edition of Dina’s Diner to find out! (Unless you have some pompons in your closet.)
Chanelle Nirok, our young crossdresser, admits today that she is a poser. Oh! How could she? But who among the crossdressing community isn’t? And her admission is only so she can pass on some of her tips from how to work with the camera to get a photo you can be proud of years later. She has five suggestions she feels will make you look sexy and desirable as a female in your photos. See if you agree.
Almost every parent has heard from their inquisitive child the question: ‘Where do babies come from?’ It is almost a rite of passage as the growing child questions to learn more and more about herself and the world around her. With the increased attention being given to transgender issues how long before a child asks, ‘Mommy, where do crossdressers come from?’ Linda Jensen was sure she knew the answer to that but a conversation with a long-time friend has her thinking of alternate explanations. She invites you in on her experience and asks you to weigh in with your thoughts on the making of a CD.
Dana Bevan was in the military for a long time. She served as a a stealth trans soldier and devoted much effort to keeping her gender status secret. Today she writes about what it was like to hide for all that time and how she did it. She then discusses what the changes will be with trans people serving openly.
Sophie Lynne is drawn back to Gettysburg, the scene of one of the most important engagements on the Civil War. It’s a peaceful place now but over three days in 1863 thousands of men on both sides met their deaths on those fields. Sophie goes to remember and also to learn a lesson in the pervasiveness of life.
Time for Dina’s Diner! Dina Amberle has mixed and blended several news items into a fine puree and she serves it up for your taste test. Included are bits of blow-back caused by Caitlyn Jenner’s view of what makes a woman. Then Dina blends in some “high heels are bad but they’re so good” and adds a pinch of Irish drag performer Panti Bliss. She tops it off with the trend that has women shaving their faces. Find out how well it all goes down and give Dina’s Diner a read.
Chanell Nirok has been crossdressing for three years. To some of our readers that is sure to sound as if she is a complete novice. Sometimes the new kid on the block can bring a different perspective and by seeing things from that other angle add insight. Today Chanelle has a video where she outlines the top 5 things she has learned in the past three years.
Christine Burr, our corespondent in Thailand, has filed another dispatch concerning the plight of trans people in Asia. While advances in acceptance of trans people move forward in progressive western countries many of the Asian countries continue to oppress their trans citizens due to transphobia. Christine has five ideas to counter that transphobia.
Linda reports meeting with a longtime friend. They talk about the current trend of crossdressers to get involved in political action for transgender rights and to out themselves as a way of freeing themselves from the fear of exposure. Mary explains to Linda that while she admires the activists, outing herself is not an option she wants to pursue.
Babs Casbar Siperstein wrote a response to an op-ed by Elinor Burkett titled “What Makes a Woman?” that ran in The New York Times on June 6. Burkett stated that trans women could be undermining women’s identities. The Times did not choose to run Babs’ response so we bring it to you on TGF.
Our young CD Chanelle Nirok was going to do a video for us but her air conditioning is just not up to cooling her abode in the Florida summer heat. So, with a cool drink and an electric fan blowing in her face she has written down what she meant to impart on video. Here are Chanelle’s tips for beginning crossdressers. First tip? Have a plan!
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 has an observation on one of the differences between crossdressers and women.
Former regular contributor Graham Holmes was prompted by Dallas Denny’s piece on Caitlyn Jenner “haters” last week to express his thoughts on the matter by provided an essay published on a site called Morning Star Online. The essay is by Miranda Yardley, a trans woman and publisher of Terrorize magazine. Graham and Miranda find problems with Caitlyn as a trans role model.
Take a break and trot on over to Dina’s Diner. Dina Amberle, your hostess, short order cook and waitress has some delectable tidbits of things she’s extracted from the news. She marinates them, spices them up and serves them hot and tasty. Whether you choose to sit at the counter or slid into a booth Dina has nutritious fare. Today she mixes in Caitlyn, Alexis, Holly, Jayne and more.
Dallas Denny, like many in the trans community, had her own reaction to Caitlyn Jenner’s “Vanity Fair” cover story. Everyone has an opinion about Caitlyn and the feeling range from total approval and “hurrah, way to go girl” to “she certainly doesn’t represent me.” Dallas sums it all up for us in a short, sweet piece that talks to the haters.
Our young CD Chanelle Nirok has a theory about why people crossdress. Actually why men crossdress. She believes it has to do with the “invisibility factor.” All people want to be seen and when we don’t put our inner desires on the outside we remain invisible. Give her latest post a read and see if you agree with her theory.
The rise in interest about trans issues and trans people has caused a rise in the number of articles and reports about what you should not say to or ask a trans person. This proliferation of politically correct guides to talking to a trans person respectfully has inspired The Artist D to ask some questions of her own. Is it really wrong to ask questions of trans people if you really don’t know that answers? See what The Artist D thinks in No Comment.
Dana Bevan was contacted by a producer from ABC News and asked to critique the Diane Sawyer interview with Bruce Jenner. She did so and sent her evaluation of the show to them. She has condensed that critique down to 11 points and today she shares them with us on TGF. What did she find to be the worst error in Jenner’s interview? Read on!
So, you are a male who is very attracted to the idea of dressing as a woman. Their clothes, shoes, and hairstyles play a siren’s song at you as you go through your daily routine. “Wear me” they seem to say. Why we get these feelings is a mystery. Research into why men want to […]
