The Week In Transgenderism 4/2/12

Charles Barkley, the (former) Round Mound of Rebound, has been on a weight loss regimen with Weight Watchers. He has dropped over 40 pounds since he started the program and became a spokesperson for the company. He  looks so good that he is quit fetching in the little black dress he sports in the newest Weight Watchers television ad. Of course Charles is no stranger to wearing women’s clothing. He has appeared in drag several times on Saturday Night Live and seemed quite comfortable. Check out the Weight Watchers spot at USA Today.

There’s a kerfufle swirling around RuPaul’s Drag Race. It seems that one of the contestants, Willam Belli, (mentioned in TWIT last week with the Chick-fil-A parody video) was tossed off the show for breaking the rules. No specific infraction was given so the gay blogosphere has been buzzing with drama over exactly what Miss Willam did that broke the rules. Could it have been taking E? And is that estrogen or Ecstasy? Read an article about the dismissal in The Huffington Post.

A New York City transman wanted to have his birth certificate changed after his gender reassignment and the city made it very difficult. They required a psychiatric report and the details of the surgery. The city will have to treat transsexuals better from now on as a judge has ruled that the Health Department must make these things more simple — and get a greater understanding of transgender people. The story is at the CBS News website.

Lea T

So who are the top ten transgendered and androgynous models who grace the world’s high fashion runways and magazine covers? Well, we all know Andrej Pejic and Lea T but an Australian website has come up with eight others. They did include a couple of models who are no longer working but we guess it was necessary to make it an even ten. Check out the TG ladies of fashion at thevine.com.au.

As transgendered people we tend to always look at stories of gender change from the TG’s point of view. But, consider what’s it’s like to be the child of a mother who becomes a man. What’s it like to say “Yes sir, mom”?That’s the story of Sabine Bartlett, a young woman who was 13 when her mother transitioned. Read her story at the ABC News website.

So you’ve always felt like a woman. But you’ve never felt like a petite, shrinking violet who is all froo froo and delicate. If being demure and wearing satin and lace isn’t your thing you can get out there and mix it up with other women who like a bit of rough housing — if you live is Windsor, Ontario. The Border City Brawlers Roller Derby Club will welcome you with open arms. They are developing a transgender policy in order to be all inclusive in their membership. Read about it at the CBC website.

Roller derby may have it worked out but all-female universities are finding it difficult to to cope with students who arrive as freshmen women and change gender before they reach their senior year. It’s not a case of the administration and their fellow students not accepting them becoming men. In the case of at least one school there is a policy that says if you go all the way you have to leave. Even if that means not graduating. Read about the confusion and controversy at roanoke.com.

Cracrafts

A drag queen (or transsexual depending on which report you read) in New Mexico was forced out of her day job because she did drag shows. Christina Cracrafts was put on leave from her teaching job after parents saw her performance videos on YouTube. Were they shocked by her drag show performance or by her transsexuality? There’s a petition to have her reinstated. Get the story from care2.com.

Transgender rights activist Alexis Rivera, one of the California TG community’s revered leaders, passed away on March 28 of complications related to HIV. Rivera was a policy advocate at the Trangender Law Center in San Francisco. Her obituary and a video are on The Huffington Post website.

If you’re going out and molesting children then you should be called a sex offender. If you’re providing a sexual service to willing patrons does that make you a sex offender? It seems the state of Louisiana has not been prosecuting TG hookers under their regular prostitution law. They’ve been tried under a much harsher law called Crimes Against Nature by Solicitation. When found guilty the sex worker has been required to become a registered sex offender. That puts them in the same category as men who rape little boys or girls. Not quite the same thing. They’ve made a move to change the way they charge TG sex workers but there is the question of all the past convictions who are still in the sex offender category. Read about it at care2.com.

Wallace

If you were sent to prison for five years after being arrested and convicted of drug related offenses what would you do about your TG desires? Would you stop being feminine? Or would you do what a TG in Scotland did and manage to have a secret life behind bars. How the heck did she pull that off? Read all about it in The Scottish Sun.

Transgender people in Pakistan have been an oppressed minority for over six decades. Marginalized as hijra they were without basic human rights like education, employment and healthcare. Things started to change for them in 2009 when they were given an official identity and the right to vote. Now, in 2012 hijra are entering politics. To learn more about the life of TGs in Pakistan check out the story at foreignpolicy.com.

An Indian hijra.

Meanwhile the hijra in India are getting more attention than usual due to a Supreme Court case there that seeks to decriminalize homosexuality. While here in the U.S. many MtF TGs seek female partners in India the hijra are viewed as effeminate males who seek sex with men. They have been a part of Indian culture since the time of the Kama Sutra but have existed as an invisible caste. Read about them in The Wall Street Journal India.

There’s a crossdressing bank robber on the loose in Las Vegas. At least that’s what the media there is saying. But how can they know if the person is a crossdresser, a transsexual, a straight man attempting a disguise or a GG who’s into weight lifting? It’s obvious from the surveillance camera photos that she has some big guns in the biceps department but she used a demand note and no hardware other than her cell phone when she pulled the job. Does the perp look familiar? Maybe you’ve seen her at a support group meeting. Read the story and see more photos on the KTNV website. It is refreshing to see a crossdressed bank robber smiling. Normally they’re pretty grim.

TWITS

The crazy German court has decided that the transgender eleven-year old we’ve reported on before in TWIT will be sent to an institution for masculine reprogramming. Smooth move Germany.  How very German of you. Keep on pounding that round peg into that square hole. Who cares if the peg gets damaged? The fight is still on to save her from a horrible fate. Read the grime judgement at examiner.com. Our Major TWIT Award goes to Germany.

There is a ballot initiative coming up in Anchorage, Alaska asking the citizens whether or not the city should extend existing protections based on race, religion, marital status to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Of course the opposition have gone to work pulling out all the demagogic tricks including a cartoon featuring a hairy legged crossdresser applying for work at a day care center. Heavens! Think of the children. We present our Lesser TWIT Award to the “Protect Your Rights, Vote No on Prop 5” group in Anchorage. Read about the controversy in The Republic.

Tags: featured, news, TWIT

Category: Transgender Community News