A TRANSSEXUAL has won a written apology from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the distress she experienced as a result of having to travel on a passport that identified her as a man.
Stefanie Imbruglia, 42 - a first cousin of the pop star Natalie Imbruglia - has also secured the department's agreement to other measures that amount to fairer treatment of transsexuals who apply for passports.
Ms Imbruglia had lived for two years as a woman before applying for a passport to travel to Thailand for sex realignment surgery in October 2007. She wanted her passport to identify her as a female. But the Howard government rescinded an established practice of issuing transsexuals who were to travel abroad for surgery a one-year limited passport in their nominated gender. . . .Read More
Beauty pageants get a bad rap for many stereotypes and promotion of shallow values, but the recent winner of Miss International Queen 2009 argues otherwise. Known as the world’s largest transsexual cabaret, the Miss International Queen pageant is seen as a platform not only to model swimsuits, but also to raise awareness for transgender issues.
The winner, Japan’s 37 year-old Haruna Ai, was overjoyed at press time, but also aware that her beauty and victory would not be well-received among all audiences, including her home country. “The way of life in Japan is more traditional and transsexuals cannot live freely, but in Thailand they can do what they want,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
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A controversial play which portrays Jesus as a transsexual woman was defended yesterday by its writer who has herself crossed the gender barrier to live as a woman.
Jesus, Queen of Heaven, has caused a storm of protest from Christian evangelical groups, who picketed the Tron Theatre in Glasgow when it opened this week.
However, their attacks have caused deep offence to the play’s author, who also acts the leading role. For Jo Clifford — formerly the playwright John Clifford — wrote the piece in an attempt to create greater understanding of transgendered people like herself.
The play’s opening night was attended by about 300 demonstrators. Roman Catholics joined evangelical Christians for a two-hour protest during which they waved placards and sang hymns. . . .Read More
A notorious hallmark of tristate parenting is well-intentioned overencouragement: If your toddler is into music, say, you pack your weekends with live performances and spend thousands on Music Together classes. If your kid happens to like apples, you take him to a pick-your-own orchard, teach him the botanical terms for the parts of a tree and expound on the hardships suffered by migrant laborers. And if your son likes to dress up as a princess, you take him to Disney World and buy him a licensed-reproduction gown.
My son, Cinderfella
The day Meredith H. picked up her son from his first day of preschool, the teacher greeted her and announced, “Oh my God, you have to see Sean. He looks adorable!” In another room, the three-year-old was dressed in a Minnie Mouse costume, grinning from ear to ear. “My heart just thumped,” recalls the Huntington, New York, mother of two. “I knew this was not going to be a one-time thing.”
Sean was never interested in the trucks and trains that his older brother, Liam, had been obsessed with at the same age, and he always gravitated toward girls as playmates. Sure enough, Meredith says, from then on “every day he’d walk into school, head straight for the dress-up section and put on a princess dress.” When the family visited Disney World later that year, both boys were allowed to pick out one souvenir. Liam chose a pirate costume; Sean chose a Sleeping Beauty gown with matching shoes. “He saw the dress hanging there and just said, ‘I want it.’ It was the first time he realized he could have a dress of his own. It was the sweetest thing.” . . .Read More
Do you have questions about the coming out journey? The Human Rights Campaign has a set of resources to help you along the way. Download a copy of our newly released Resource Guide to Coming Out, or read it online. Or download our Resource Guide to Coming Out for African Americans, the Spanish-language Guía de Recursos Para Salir Del Clóset or our guide to Living Openly in Your Place of Worship.