This Week in Transgenderism 6/15/09

Gay Prom

Chastity Bono is transitioning and will be known as Chaz. Critics compare a gay prom to Sodom, Gommorah, Fire Island and Las Vegas. Around the country, TG’s are showing their pride during Pride Month. The death of a California TS baffles investigators. Remembering Danny LaRue. A new baby for Thomas Beatie. A basketball league for the transgendered. New photos of Adam Lambert in drag. And men dress up for a good cause in the Show Me State. And naturally, there’s always a TWIT of the Week. All this and more inside this edition of TWIT Notes.

An apology from the morning show DJ’s we told you about last week. Of course, Mercury News fails to point out they lost a lot of sponsors after disparaging transgender kids.

Last year, 1,500 people signed up for the Trans-Health Conference in Philadelphia. This year? They expected even more. The Philadelphia Gay News has more.

Ruby Molina

Was the death of Ruby Molina a suicide, or something more sinister. The Bay Area Reporter says police and the coroner still aren’t sure, eight months later.

Just reading the names and accounts of those murdered by trans-phobes can be numbing after a while. So, one artist has a fresh perspective on bringing that horror home. See his work at the Advocate.

The Seattle Times reports one suspect is in custody after an attack on a TG at a bus stop. The shocking part? The attacker is 13.

On the other end of the spectrum, and the country, a program in Vermont is teaching kids to think about gender in more than binary terms. The Associated Press has more.

Gay Prom

Arch-conservatives sent a spy into Boston’s Gay Prom, and were shocked, shocked! to find gays, lesbians and transsexuals. Read about the depravity and see the photos at Mass Resistance, and regret you weren’t there.

Isn’t this kind of surprising? The Edge reports a number of religious groups have banded together to lobby for gender identity protections in Massachusetts.

A wrap up of the Pride events in Boston at Bay Windows, including more discussion on why they chose to focus on the TG community.

At Cincinnati’s Pride Festival, R&B duo God-des and She performed. They’ve been hitting Pride stages across the country this year, and have a few thoughts on Pride and the state of the world. Meet them in an interview at the Ronnie Rho Show.

Danny LaRue

Danny LaRue may be dead, but he’s not forgotten. A close friend remembers the late performer in the pages of the Romford Recorder.

Not every journalist and media outlet can be trusted. That’s the feeling from a Brit who told her story to a womens magazine, and found that the only thing they got right was the spelling of her name. She talks to PinkNewsUK about it.

It looks more like rugby than basketball, what with all the traveling and all. But that’s not the biggest difference between a league in the Philippines and the NBA. FanIQ says the Filipino league is for transsexuals. If you speak Tagalog, you’ll appreciate the accompanying video.

Irish Documentary

A human rights award for a documentary about an Irish trans-woman. The Irish Times has more.

And a filmmaker has made a documentary about the FtM experience in South Korea. The Korea Times has the story, with much discussion about Harisu, that country’s glamor queen.

A British network has been cleared of charges of hate speech over how a TG character was treated on a comedy show. Chortle has more.

Meet the TS

This week’s “Meet the Transsexual” story comes from the Australian Broadcast Company.

A Canadian Member of Parliament has introduced legislation to grant legal protections to TGs. The measure would also fund GRS. The Hook has more.

Shanghai‘s first Pride festival went on, with a few cancellations. Channel News Asia says it was the drag queens who opened things up.

Speaking of human rights around the world, what part does IDAHO play? Not the state, but the movement. Confused? Check out Gay City News for clarification.

Gender Identity Center

A columnist at the Examiner takes a look at one of the nation’s oldest gender centers. Hint: it’s in Colorado.

Matt Kailey at the Examiner also says he’s not a fraud, and he’s not being deceitful when he doesn’t reveal his trans-status upon first introductions. A good argument from a smart FtM.

An FtM in college in Vermont was outed in class despite his best efforts, but now, thanks to the University of Vermont‘s new software, future TG students won’t have to worry about the same inadvertent mistakes.

A new baby for Thomas Beatie. He and his wife delivered their second child last week, according to On Top Magazine.

Sad news for a Spanish FtM who was pregnant with twins: miscarriage. Latina has more.

Cher and Chastity

Another high-profile FtM: Sonny and Cher’s daughter, Chastity Bono was an out lesbian, but now is headed for SRS. His announcement should have far-reaching implications across the gendersphere, mostly positive. ABC News has the story.

With the news of Chastity’s transition, lots of people will be asking lots of questions about transgenderism, as they try to get their heads out of the sand and wrapped around what we already know. And those questions are getting asked in places like MomLogic, and CNN. So, Chastity’s coming out is a great educational opportunity.

Womanless Beauty Pageant

A crossdressing fundraiser over the weekend in Hannibal, Missouri. If Mark Twain were alive today, he’d probably scrap that story about the jumping frog contest, in favor of this. The Courier-Post has the nitty gritty.

Move along, nothing to see here: The NYPD is cracking down on unruliness along the gay quarter known as Christopher Street. The Villager says part of the problem is transgender prostitutes.

The bathroom debate has reached the University of York. One editorial at Nouse thinks gender-neutral potties are good for everyone, but still advocates better understanding of transgender issues.

Chloe Kardashian

She’s famous for being the sister of someone who’s famous for being a friend of Paris Hilton. Who cares? She’s using her fame to do something good, and is having fun at the same time. Who are we talking about? Answers at Celebuzz.

Apparently, being a transsexual on a reality show doesn’t get you the publicity it once did. There’s one on TV Land‘s beauty pageant for cougars, and absolutely no buzz. The Hub barely mentions her, which leads us to believe she didn’t get past the first round.

Adam Lambert

And let me get this straight, er, clarified: A flamboyant American Idol contestant comes out of the closet, and everyone’s surprised? Yes, Adam Lambert is no stranger to drag either, and Right TV has some photos.

SX talks with the author of the Danish Girl, a book about the first transsexual, which is being turned into a movie.

A Missouri congressman warns that American homosexuals are using SRS to get around the same-sex marriage ban. Not really, but it not really all that far off the mark, is it? See the video report at the Onion.

TWITs of the Week

Swimsuit Man

Stay classy, Ohio. Police caught the guy who was allegedly harrassing people while wearing a green one-piece. WHIO-TV has video of the perp walk.

A rapist who says he’s a she has been placed in a women’s prison. It might not be so bad, but he hasn’t had SRS, so it’s like putting the fox in the henhouse. Typically Spanish has more.

Category: Transgender Community News, Transgender How To