Today we mine the TGForum Archives for a post from 1996. At that time we had a peer advice column called Dear Rachael. TGF members would send their questions to the editor and she would pass them along to Rachael. In this post from August of ’96 Rachael offers advice to a crossdresser who wants to grow breasts. Then a trans woman who desperately wants to get out of the closet. Followed by a trans woman in the U.K. who wants to begin transition, and then she has an answer for a crossdresser who wants correspond with other girls. Keep in mind that the questions and Rachael’s replies were written in 1996.
What’s happening in the news? Danica Roem wins a third term in the Virginia House of Delegates. The Supreme Court refuses to hear an appeal from a hospital that would not give a trans man a hysterectomy. More trans people win elections. The GOP is winning elections by being anti-trans. Michigan will issue ID with an X for gender. More violence against trans women occurs. The Keystone Conference is accepting proposals for seminars and workshops. Transgender cops have problems with the cisgender members of the force. I Am Jazz is back for a 7th season with one big change. Trixie Mattel and Nikki De Jager win American Influencer Awards. Valentina Sampaio has signed as a spokesperson for Armani Beauty. Elliot Page is removed from a Wonder Woman Bingo game. China opens its first gender clinic in Shanghai. There’s all that and more, plus a number of well deserved TWIT Awards waiting for you right now on TGForum!
Today in Transgender in Film and Video we meet 19-year-old transgender actress Andrea Foret. We have the trailer from a French film is which a young man wants to become Miss France. News about I Am Jazz coming back for another season. The San Francisco Transgender Film Festival. And more!
What’s new? The U.S. State Department is said to have issued the first gender-neutral U.S. passport. The Biden administration acknowledges Intersex Awareness Day. A trans woman who worked as a mall security guard dies in the line of duty. Texas Governor Greg Abbott signs the transgender athlete bill into law. Virginia schools ignore state rules on treatment of trans students. A male identified young man has been chosen as the homecoming queen at his school. A Staten Island mother creates a line of clothing for her trans daughter and others. Baltimore Museum of Art johns are named after John Waters. Dave Chappelle won’t bend. Legislators in Quebec try to take away trans people’s right to change their official documents to their proper gender. There’s all that and a lot more plus an assortment of TWIT Award winners waiting for your perusal in TWIT!
Will we ever have a society that accepts everyone who is different? Kandi Robbins doesn’t think so. She feels that if you are looking for acceptance from the general public regarding your need to crossdress it’s not going to happen. Instead of seeking acceptance try doing what makes you feel good and don’t worry about what people think.
Angela Gardner took her Kool Pix camera to Henri David’s Live for real Halloween Ball on October 30. While turnout was lighter than past Balls held on Saturday night there were still plenty of fab costumes to view. Angela took a pile of photos and got some more from Kristen Nichols, the leader of Renaissance. Thanks also to Kalina Isato (a.k.a. Clare Din) and Lynda Martini for the photos they contributed.
Our intrepid reporter Dana Bevan traveled to Cape Cod last month to attend Fantasia Fair 2021. It’s the grand dame of transgender conferences and has been going on since 1974. First it was just for crossdressers. Over the years changes have occurred. Dana tells you all about the inclusion in this report.
Jennifer can’t believe that she has met an amazing woman who seems to want to be with her. From the afternoon when she came out to the pool and sat next to Jennifer wearing a barely there string bikini to the way she quickly agreed to go out for dinner, she was everything Jennifer thought she would never have a chance at. Then, after a perfect day that was capped with making love, suddenly Amy jumped out of bed and locked herself in the bathroom. What, why? Read on.
The following came to us from the folks at My Transgender Date. They conducted a survey of their membership base about their coming out experience. I’m Vince, Public Relations at My Transgender Date. October 11th was the annual National Coming Out Day, so I thought you’d be interested in a study we did with our […]
We got the following press release from a new organization in Saskatchewan, Canada. URPride Centre for Sexuality and Gender Diversity is a Regina based Pride organization in Saskatchewan, Canada. Although we’re based in the University of Regina, we work all over Saskatchewan! Our Mission is to set the foundation for a safer, healthier, and more […]
Dr. Rachel Levine is a four star admiral. Loudon County Virginia is back in the news over transgender issues in its schools. China’s Oprah, trans woman Jin Xing is back on television. Texas has passed its trans athletes ban. Jamie Lee Curtis brought her trans daughter Ruby to the Halloween Kills premier. The reactions to Dave Chappelle’s comedy special continue to reverberate. Mj Rodriguez will appear in a new anthology series. Margret Atwood is accused of being a TERF. A new comic book features a Black trans woman Amazon. A high school half time show is an amateur drag show. MTV is keeping its Euro Music Awards in Budapest to stand with its LGBTQ citizens. A trans woman activist in Uganda is the first to get a national ID card in the correct gender. Joe Biden endorses Danica Roem in the upcoming election. There’s all that plus a few well deserved TWIT Awards waiting for your eyes only in TWIT!
Sophie Lynne has written about how Halloween is the holiday that pushed her toward coming out as her true self. She has also written about how to have a fun femme time at various Halloween parties. Today she writes about what not to do on Halloween, particularly if you are not out to your friends and neighbors.
With her sister’s wedding very near Savannah flies home to be a part of all the wedding preparation. There is a visit to the bridal salon for the bridesmaid dress she’ll never wear again, then the rehearsal dinner and the bachelorette party. But now it’s the day after all that and the family have time to talk. What’s next for Savannah?
This Retro Rerun is from October of 2017. It’s advice from The Occasional Woman, Lorraine Anderson, on how to make sure your costume doesn’t attack you and ruin the night. Simple precautions will help you to have a safe, happy, and scary Halloween adventure if you follow her guidelines.
Guest contributor Michelle Rogers believes that transgender people need a national organization so that they have a the clout to deal with important issues that affect trans people. She envisions a membership based organization that could apply pressure where needed to change the general public’s attitudes toward us. But who would be able to join and how would the organization be led?
Now the news! The acting mayor of Palm Springs is a trans woman who’s running for state senate. President Biden recognized National Coming Out Day with a strong statement against anti-trans legislation. Gavin Newsom signs a bill to help trans college students in California. Health insurers in Colorado have to cover HRT and surgery. More violence is directed at trans women and men. LGBTQ activists meet in Florida’s capital to make a plan to fight for their rights. Lego no longer divides their toys by gender. A non-binary performer claims they were let go by Hamilton when they asked for a gender-neutral dressing room. Trans and non-binary patients report problems related to binary choices in medical records. Kim Petras stars in ads for Ugg. Dave Chappelle digs himself in deeper with his “jokes” about trans people. And that’s just the tip of trans related news we bring you today.
Big doin’s down at Dina’s Diner! It’s pumpkin spice on everything time! Nah, just pullin’ yer leg. Ms. Dina Amberle always keeps the pumpkin spice where it belongs — in the pumpkin pies. But she does have some tasty treats on the menu today. First she’s offering a return look at kids who went to a summer camp 10 years ago where they could project the gender they wanted to. Dina tells us how they’re doing today. She stirs up things with an article about Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, and adds in some Bushwig drag queens. Then it’s time to look at trans homecoming queens back in the day and now, and musing on what you’re wearing for Halloween. Don’t miss this edition of Dina’s Diner.
Sabrina Symington continues her series of voice training videos that give you the vocal tools to sound in a way that matches your look. Whether you crossdress now and then or live fulltime in your preferred gender speaking as a woman can boost your confidence when you interact with members of the general public. Sabrina has a lot to say on the subject of sounding like you look. Today Sabrina shows how to speak breathy.
Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists maintain that it is impossible for someone born with a male body to be a woman. They cite “socialization” as the reason no male could ever be truly feminine. To them males are socialized as male and that can never be changed. Claire Hall looks at their conclusion and has some comments based on personal experience.
Rabbah Rona Matlow has some thoughts on the recent National Coming Out Day. While organizations promote the idea that all LGBTQ people should emerge from hiding and proudly let everyone know who they are, it’s not that simple.
We’ve been following the adventures of Ramona, a transgender girl from Texas trying to make her way in the big city. She’s had to work the street to get by. One night she goes out just to have some fun and meets up with a few department store buyers from upstate. There was fun and some fighting. One of the buyers collapsed in his hotel room and Ramona and her female lover Nikki enjoyed some tasty baked goods. This is the final page of the first book in Ramona’s adventures. Read page 51 and then scroll down for a taste of book two, 1956: Movie Star.
What’s new in trans news, you ask? A group of U.S. senators sends a letter to Dr. Rachel Levine advocating for national guidelines on mental health for transgender people. A trans candidate of color has suspended her political campaign. Marisa Richmond is removed from the DNC as an at-large member. A trans boy was denied use of the men’s room at a Lady A concert. Research studies show that patients getting gender-affirming care are far less suicidal than those who did not get that care. Jamie Clayton plays Pinhead in remake of Hellraiser. Trans and gender-expansive people are more likely to be smokers. Rapper Youngblud pulled a trans man fan onstage to sing with him. Dave Chappelle gets in trouble again for his so called transgender “jokes”. RuPaul has a new song that throws shade at contestants on Drag Race who were disgruntled over not advancing. A Canadian court rules that misgendering in the workplace is a human rights violation. A transgender minister in Texas is fighting back against that state’s restrictive laws. There’s all that plus more news in this edition of TWIT!
Some comedians who don’t know anything about anything try to make jokes on subjects which they are not familiar with. When they do that they can cause problems. Today Sabrina Symington gives an example of just why somethings aren’t funny.
In her last post Linda wrote about how a group of her friends told her stories about the times they were nearly caught crossdressing by friends, colleagues, or family member. Today Linda continues telling their stories about how members of this group came close to having their ‘closets’ nearly blown to pieces.
