Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Boy, Interrupted
It can happen wordlessly, as in a women’s restroom, where I sometimes catch a fellow patron’s gaze tracking from my face to my breasts and back again, her attitude one of idle curiosity or confusion, occasionally disgust or hostility.
By Teresa Morrison
November 6, 2007
For days, sometimes weeks at a time, I bask in a cozy headspace where I don’t think about my gender and, more important, no one points it out to me. When the reverie is broken, it is almost invariably by a stranger. It can happen wordlessly, as in a women’s restroom, where I sometimes catch a fellow patron’s gaze tracking from my face to my breasts and back again, her attitude one of idle curiosity or confusion, occasionally disgust or hostility.
It can happen indirectly, as when I was once within earshot of a (gay) man who, indicating me, hissed, “What is that supposed to be?” He happened to be speaking to a friend of mine, who heroically replied, “She’s whatever you need her to be.”
It can happen more directly, as when a clerk quite innocently calls me sir, then, noting his gaffe, showers me in pardons and sorrys, not realizing that his apologies make me far more uncomfortable than any mistaken appellation. Confusion I can take, even hostility, but I resent this notion that how others perceive my gender should -- or does -- matter to me.
Why are we so hysterical about this social construct called gender anyway?
Merriam-Webster defines the concept as “the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex.” Which is a little limiting, don’t you think, considering that there are just the two sexes to choose from? And considering that those two options are in turn not widely accepted as optional at all -- unless you happen to have been born intersexed.
Actually, scratch that; intersexuals aren’t given any more slack than the rest of us. Longstanding protocols call for the immediate disambiguation of gender obscurity from the moment of birth. The September 2006 “Consensus Statement on the Management of Intersex Disorders” asserts, “Initial gender uncertainty is unsettling and stressful for families. Expediting a thorough assessment and decision is required.” And so it is that, taking into account a newborn’s genes, hormones, genitalia, potential for fertility, and family’s wishes, doctors make their best guess as to whether the little XXXY will want to live his or her adult life as a man or a woman.
Given the fail rate of explicitly male or female plumbing in predicting whether a child will want to live his or her adult life as a man or a woman, doesn’t it seem a bit reckless to trust the informed guesses of doctors when biology has itself abstained? . . .
Laydee? I’m Wonder Woman
LITTLE Britain star David Walliams has revealed he pretended to be WONDER WOMAN as a child.
David, 36, also admitted he would be a TRANSVESTITE if he did not already get to wear women’s clothes for the comedy show.
While boys often play as male superheroes like Spider-Man, he said: “I embraced my feminine side and wanted to be Wonder Woman in the playground.”
The look, complete with tight shorts, would make Only Gay in the Village character Daffyd hot under the collar.
David is famous as Little Britain’s naff tranny Emily “I’m a laydee” Howard.
And he said: “I might be a transvestite if I wasn’t dressing up on the show.
“A friend has invited me to a transvestite club – and I’ll go, in darkness. I’d like to do it properly with good make-up and a nice dress.”
“I don’t do anything by halves.”
David told Radio Times he has problems convincing women he is straight – despite being linked to beauties including Abi Titmuss.
He said: “I’m camp. It’d be easier to be gay.
“I wouldn’t have to persuade women I’m not.
Italy Transgender MP Can`t Be Bridesmaid
A Catholic priest has blocked an Italian transgender parliamentarian from being a bridesmaid at a relative`s wedding.
A Catholic priest has blocked an Italian transgender parliamentarian from being a bridesmaid at a relative's wedding, drawing protest from her political party.
Vladimir Luxuria, who was born male but wears women's clothing and prefers to be called "she", said she had been asked by her cousin to be the bridesmaid at her Catholic wedding, to be held at an ancient sanctuary in Foggia, southern Italy.
But Father Francesco, the sanctuary's pastor, told Reuters the request was rejected because Luxuria, a former drag queen and defender of gay rights, "does not believe in family values, even from a political point of view.". . .
"His personal choices are another matter, I have already explained this to him," the priest said by phone on Wednesday.
Luxuria's Communist Refoundation party called the ban "illegal and racist".
"Once again, the Church shows its discriminatory and fundamentalist face," it said in a statement.
Thai Transgender Beauty Pageant Contestants Try to Raise Environmental Awareness
November 7, 2007
Miss United Kingdom shielded herself from the Thai sun in Pattaya with a lace fan and reluctantly gripped a baby turtle between two painted fingernails. Miss Costa Rica thought her turtle was getting too dry so she swished it in a bucket of water.
In a world increasingly concerned about climate change, the 25 transvestite and transgender contestants in Saturday's fourth annual Miss International Queen competition are trying to promote awareness on how people are damaging the environment. Organizers say the contestants often draw attention wherever they go.
On Tuesday, the buxom group released turtles from a sunny beach into the Gulf of Thailand, posing for group photos in matching lime-green polo shirts and white pants. Releasing baby turtles is a popular project among conservationists in Southeast Asia, where seaside development and pollution threaten the animals.
But some contestants were not amused.
''It's so slimy!'' exclaimed Camila Pryns of Switzerland, holding a turtle smaller than her palm and adjusting her dark sunglasses so they covered her penciled eyebrows. ''I love being here, and the air smells so good. But the turtles feel gross.''
This year's contest, managed by Tiffany's transvestite cabaret based in the rowdy coastal resort town of Pattaya for the fourth year running, has the theme ''Think About It'' -- to encourage people to protect the earth.
The contestants were traveling around Thailand ahead of the competition, joining green-themed projects like planting orchids and trees.
Shima Shyna, a contestant from Japan with a bouffant hairdo, said releasing turtles was a tradition for her.
''In my country, the beaches of Okinawa (island) have become a tourist destination, and the turtles are in great danger,'' Shyna said.
She said she and her family go to the beach every year to drive away birds so newly hatched turtles can make it safely to the sea. ''I love it. It's very spiritual for me.''
A contestant from the Philippines, Rain Marie, was sad to see her turtle go. After naming it Pawican -- ''Turtle'' in her language, Tagalog -- she gave the amphibian a big kiss.
''If you kiss them and make a wish before you release them, you will live a longer life because turtles live so long,'' she said.
Organizers believe the beauty queens' participation can make a difference.
''Whatever transvestites do, they always make more noise,'' said pageant spokeswoman Buranii Chandraparnik. ''Global warming is a mounting concern for the entire world.'' (Matthew Treib, AP). . . .
POV, Critique, Opinion: The Alarming Push for Transgender Rights
November 7, 2007 | From theTrumpet.com
California law now protects cross-dressers like it does racial minorities—ignoring biology, reality and common sense. By Joel Hilliker Some people think utopia is a place where sex is meaningless.
A group of lawmakers, judges, lawyers and educators in Britain and America want to engineer a world free from oppression and hate. They want to introduce a golden age of tolerance and understanding. They seek a society where everyone is accepted, where no one is condemned, where everyone feels emotionally validated, where no one’s feelings are ever hurt.
That might sound like a noble dream—but their version of it is a nightmare.
It is a world where the line between male and female doesn’t exist. Where not only is it just as common to be homosexual or bisexual as heterosexual, but every person has the choice—with society’s full, unflinching support—to act, dress or even biologically exist as either male or female, or anything in between. Where a school teacher, police officer, priest or president can be a man who likes wearing dresses and high heels, and anyone who expresses discomfort over the idea can be silenced with the full force of the law.
This utopian world removes pressure on singles to marry, pressure on married people to remain together, pressure on parents to make sacrifices for their children, and pressure on children to view their parents as authorities. In other words, it undermines the pillars of family life. . . .
FIGHTING FOR FUTURE FREEDOM
 Eleanor Lister … “Most transsexuals know that we are going to be the ones that break same-sex marriage.” |  |
My whole life changed about five years ago when I joined the Greens in outrage over the Tampa affair. I then helped organise the meeting that the Redfern community group REDWatch sprang out of. And soon I had enough confidence to come out as a transsexual, which meant hooking up with that community.
I found that there was a lot of fear in the transgender community that was preventing people from becoming active. But I am old enough now that I am not scared. I noticed that the transgender day of remembrance wasn’t being commemorated. So I organised it last year, and got us on the radar.
I knew a lot of people, not just transsexuals of both sorts, but intersex people and cross-dressers. And within that community I noticed certain cliques and factions. But I thought, when we are all being called freaks, when we are all supposedly going to hell on the same train, what is the point of fighting amongst ourselves? After we get our freedom we can then say, “I have got nothing in common with you,” and if we want, we can go our own way.
People are better informed about the transgender community these days. But it was impossible to come out when I was young. It was 1956 and I was living in Perth and it just wasn’t a viable option, there was no chance at all. Homosexuality was illegal, and transsexuality was regarded as a mental disease suffered by homosexuals. I could have been considered an insane criminal or a man.
I was 16 and terrified. What choice was I going to make? I tried to do the man thing but it didn’t work. I had female sensitivities, and that was so strong in me, I almost thought it was a magical power.
You feel slightly “schiz” – there is part of you that knows the truth, and another part of you that pretends not to. On some level I have always known who I was, but I worked very hard to not know.
The big deal about coming out for me is freedom – that is the only word that makes sense. To me, if it is not about freedom you are doing it for the wrong reasons. It has got to make you feel who you are, and make you feel strong.
Some transgender people don’t like to be equated with the gay and lesbian community, to the point that they say, “I am not gay, I am not lesbian, I am transsexual, I am just an ordinary woman.” And you say, “Yes, that is fine, but we have got the same enemies, and we might all benefit from that.”
When push comes to shove, there are problems with the 58 pieces of legislation as pointed out in the HREOC report. There are areas of the law that could have been examined that would have had more of an influence on the transgender community. They stuck strictly to sexuality and didn’t really consider gender, so that in a way is not going to be all that useful to a lot of us.
On the other hand we do feel that we are going to contribute a lot to the gay and lesbian community, particularly with same-sex marriage, with people like Grace Abrams, who is getting her identity established.
Why should she have to cancel her marriage, which is now a same-sex marriage? Why should she have to get divorced, to get an amended birth certificate? Most transsexuals know that we are going to be the ones that break same-sex marriage.
But while there is sometimes some animosity, there are also great unions. In the Greens, there are a couple of gay men who are terrific guys, who go an extra mile for me, and who I trust. I don’t have so many friends so I can’t afford to throw any away.
I do sometimes get offended when people call me sir. But if it’s being done by somebody who really doesn’t know what to say, and is trying desperately to be polite, such as a taxi driver, who just wants to be courteous, and says, “Have a nice day, thank you, sir,” well, I am not even going to raise an eyebrow. He is not being offensive, he is being courteous, and he just doesn’t understand.
The process of coming out as a transsexual varies a lot, but it starts as a road, and it never finishes.
What order people do things in is up to them. I had a phase in which I took hormones, dressed full-time and change my name legally, dating from June 1 2005. The idea now is to save up for the surgery.
Not everybody wants to, or needs to, have the surgery. How far you go is up to you. And even after you have the surgery, you are still on the path, you never leave it; you are on it for the rest of your life.
As told to Cara Davis
The Transgender Day of Remembrance is being held at Barme, 154 Brougham St (cnr William St), Kings Cross, on Sunday 18 November from 1pm. The program of events can be seen at http://webspinning.org/tdor2007.
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