Miss International Queen 2007, Thanyarat Jiraphatpakorn

Mexio: Town's gender lines blurred

by Angela Kocherga

12 November 2007

JUCHITAN, OAXACA, MEXICO. - A small town where not everything is what it appears, Juchitan is rich in tradition from the fresh cheese made by local women to the hand-embroidered blouses known as 'huipiles.'

But there is another tradition at work; one that may not be evident at first glance. They're known as 'muxes' in the native Zapotec indian language: men who assume the role of women.

Jose Antonio Sanchez said his grandfather and uncle were muxes. Jose's transgender experience began when he was a child. Sanchez has photos of his own 'quinceanera,' the traditional sweet 15 party for girls in Mexico.

Jose now goes by the name Mistica. He wants to be referred to as a 'she". Mistica recalls her mother saying he must be accepted as a gift from God. Many families consider muxes a blessing because of their earning power. In the small town, most men eake out a living fishing or as subsistance farmers.

Muxes build businesses around the town's active social life including festivals, religious ceremonies, and weddings. Mistica makes good money embroidering huipiles. Another muxe that ABC-7 spoke with, Felina, is a successful hair salon owner.

Muxes are so central to life in Juchitan that every November, the town is the site of a gender bending fiesta that attracts people from around the world. The scenes were captured in a recent documentary by a Mexican director who chronicled the muxe tradition.

Juchitan may be tolerant, but muxes who venture beyond the city limits know that in other parts of Mexico they and those who defy gender roles face discrimination and in extreme cases might be the target of hate crimes.

"They're treated equally here," said one Juchitan man. But that tolerance does not always start at home. "It's no paradise," Felina said. While mother's embrace their muxes, many fathers reject these sons who want to act like daughters.

Felina blames machismo. Beatings are a rite of passage for some young muxes. Though the men ABC-7 spoke with ultimately gained their father's acceptance. Muxes are comfortable with their identities, none wants a sex change operation.

They're proud to be different. Felina said she's not a woman but does not want to be a man either. Instead, Mexico's muxes revel in their special status in a town where blurring gender roles date back generations. . . .

Korea: Male-Turned-Female Actress Appears in ‘Sex Is Zero’ Sequel

Lee Dae-hak By Park Si-soo 11.12.2007 An actress, who will feature in a Korean film scheduled to open next month, has drawn media attention because she has changed her gender. Lee Sea-youn, 28, who previously went under the name of Lee Dae-hak, will appear in the sequel to ``Sex Is Zero'' to be released nationwide on Dec. 13. Reportedly, Lee underwent a sex change operation earlier this year. The actress is still legally registered as a male. She has not made any contact with anyone since her sex change became known to the public Friday, ``I am still afraid of showing up before the audience, who may see me with a biased view,'' a movie official delivered Lee's message on her behalf. The movie production, a sequel to ``Sex Is Zero,'' also faced barriers in promoting the film because many media outlets here have given more weight to the transsexual entertainer rather than the new comic movie. ``With Lee's experience being treated merely as an eye-catching story, we are extremely cautious about handling the issue for fear that she may be affected negatively by what people and the media say,'' said the official. ``We hope Lee will show up in the near future and explain her opinion on the issue.'' . . .

The Forgotten Veterans

November 11, 2007

by Monica Helms

Veterans Day is one the three most important days in this country when it comes to patriotism and pride. At the eleventh minute, of the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, we start the day honoring all the veterans who have served this country, both in peace and in war. Today, we have 26 million military veterans in America, but sadly, we lose 1500 WWII each day and a similar number of Korean War veterans as well. Soon, the Vietnam War veterans will pass away in similar numbers.

The men and women who fought in those wars over the last 230-plus years came from every diverse background this country has ever known. People from every race, religion, ethnicity, economic status, social status and sexual orientation have fought, been wounded or died for this country. A current example of sexual orientation is the first person wounded in the current war in Iraq. Eric Alva lost a leg in the very early days of the war and then came out as being gay after his discharge.

Amongst the wide diversity of people who have served this country, Transgender Americans have been an important part of the military since the Revolutionary War. The word “transgender” has come to mean “Anyone who crosses the gender lines, regardless of whether it is temporary or permanent.” Dictionary.com has the definition as, “Noun: A person appearing or attempting to be a member of the opposite sex, as a transsexual or habitual cross-dresser,” and, “Adjective: Being, pertaining to, or characteristic of a transgender or transgenders: the transgender movement.”

We have found that in the early part of American history, women could easily fight as men because they didn’t have to go through a physical exam before enlisting. That changed during the Spanish American War. Some of the women who did fight in those early wars indeed returned to a life as a woman, but many did not.

In the early and middle parts of the 20th Century, we found that most of the transgender veterans who served at that time started life as boys, but became women in the years after the wars had ended. Others crossdressed throughout their lives and even did so while serving in the military. In the middle 20th Century and early 21st Century, women began serving more frequently and even in combat roles where they could not previously serve. We started seeing more women who later became men after those wars were over.

One of the notable examples of a woman who fought as a man was Deborah Sampson, a tall woman for her day, served in the Revolutionary War as Robert Shurtliff and even became wounded. Another person was Lucy Brewer, who started her early adult life as a prostitute, but served as a Marine on board of the USS Constitution in the War of 1812. After the War, she appeared as a man several times. Around 400 women served as men in the Civil War, for both sides. Some continued their lives as men after the war. . . .

Thai crowned world's transsexual beauty queen

11 November 2007

PATTAYA, Thailand (AFP) — Dressed in a flowing yellow gown with matching earrings, a demure Thai business student wept and embraced her rivals after being crowned the world's most beautiful transsexual.

Tanyarat Jirapatpakon was named Miss International Queen 2007 on Sunday, besting 23 stunning transsexuals who had come to the Thai beach resort of Pattaya from as far as Germany and Puerto Rico for a shot at the diamond crown.

The Thai's extravagant yet elegant costumes and dedication to environmental causes helped carry the day, taking her past runners-up Aleika Barros of Brazil and Chanel Madrigal of the Philippines.

"I feel excited and so happy. Everybody enjoyed the contest and I didn't expect anything like this," the 21-year-old said from atop her throne after winning 10,000 dollars and the title.

In a nation obsessed with beauty pageants and famous for its sexual tolerance, this elaborate contest is taken every bit as seriously as the more traditional competitions.

Contestants' costumes can cost up to one million baht (33,000 dollars), and the audience was treated to all the glitz and glam of conventional beauty pageants, complete with swimsuit and evening-wear rounds.

"This is the night I have been preparing for my whole life," gushed Colombia's Melania Armenta, a 25-year-old model.

Festivities began on Saturday evening, with last year's winner Erica Andrews performing "Mexican Aztec" -- an upbeat, pulsating dance homage to her homeland complete with ancient pyramids, flashing native symbols and historic outfits.

In the costume round, Tanyarat had to compete against a butterfly, a swan and a Mercedes Benz, but the top prize in the category was given to Japan's Beni Tsukishima for her authentic kabuki ensemble.

Tanyarat's angelic white-beaded evening wear, fit for the grandest of galas, gave way to the more salacious floral pink bikini in the swimsuit competition, showing off her shapely legs and slim figure.

But she finally wooed the crowd with dedication to loftier issues.

"Global warming is one of the most serious problems the world faces today," she said when asked how she helps educate people on environmental issues.

"I tell them to 'think about it'. It's your world too," she said.

The crowd, consisting of mostly Thais and the occasional bewildered tourist, cheered loudly for the homegrown favourite but were upstaged by feverish, flag-waving Filipinos who supported four of their compatriots.

Tiffany's Show Pattaya, which runs the event and claims to be the world's largest transsexual cabaret, said more than 25 million Thai television viewers had been expected to tune in.

Known in Thailand as "kathoey," or the third gender, Thai transsexuals have slowly been leaving cabarets for mainstream success in music and other endeavours, helped in part by the popularity of beauty contests.

Participants praised Thailand for its progressive attitude towards sexuality.

"There is still a lot of discrimination against people like me in the Philippines," said 24-year-old Rain Marie Madrigal, from Manila.

"Thailand is like a utopia for transgender people."

Letters: Transgender health care a manageable condition

Gerri Cannon

Merrimack

I read the letter to the editor written by Jeffrey Winslow in the Oct. 28 Sunday paper ("N.H. transgendered bill the wrong approach") and realized that Mr. Winslow is uninformed on the subject of transgender health care.

Gender Identity Disorder is a diagnosed condition defined in the DSM-V (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). The Harry Benjamin Standards of Care is a consensus opinion on transsexual treatment by medical and psychological experts.

Guided by the information provided in these sources, therapists and doctors can work with a patient to diagnose and treat this condition.

Almost everyone considering transition goes through many therapy sessions and potentially years of counseling before a diagnosis is reached and hormone treatments are prescribed by the patient's therapist, doctor and/or endocrinologist.

In other words, a person just can't decide one day to change genders and be put on hormone treatments. It is a long and well-documented process, just like many other diagnosable conditions.

Mr. Winslow suggests that alternative therapy should be used to encourage the patient to lead a more "traditional" life. This would be an excellent solution if it worked, but this approach has been tried numerous times with many patients and health-care professionals across the country and around the world.

The documented results are very poor and many times create other physiological problems with potential suicidal outcomes. In most situations where the patient is married and has children, the entire family is already in therapy, early in the process, even before any decision is made to start a transition process.

Yes, the challenges this family will face adjusting to a member with a new gender is a challenge. There are many families that have adjusted when they see that their loved one is a much happier and stronger individual when they are comfortable in their gender transition. There are also families that don't. . . .