MY DANNY WAS BORN A GIRL BUT HE'S ALL MAN TO ME

Alice crazy for builder who had £25k NHS sex swap

By Matthew Acton

TEENAGER Alice Tattersall was stunned to discover her hunky builder boyfriend had a secret past —as a golden-haired girl.



But yesterday, as she hugged handsome Danny Richardson— one of the NHS's youngest-ever sex swap recipients—she declared: "He's all man or I wouldn't be with him. I love him to pieces.

"He's a fantastic bloke—funny and sexy. It was a shock when I found out he used to be a girl called Katie—it certainly explained why he'd wanted to take the physical side so slowly.

"But once Danny explained all the traumas he'd been through I knew I wanted to be with him.

"As far as I'm concerned he IS a man. We have a lovely and fulfilled sex life. I couldn't ask for any more."

No, but 22-year-old Danny could. And after hormone treatment and painful surgery he is almost there.

He has completed two years of the £25,000 five-year course of gender realignment, paid for by the state, and now has body and facial hair, deep voice and a prominent Adam's apple.

He faces six more operations to finish the gender swap and give him the manhood he craves.

But Danny isn't letting a little thing like that spoil the fun for him and 19-year-old Alice! "It hasn't caused us a problem," he revealed with a cheeky grin. "We still make love like man and woman, thanks to sex toys.

"Last month I had my breasts removed, which was very painful. But I feel so much happier now, like a real boyfriend."

And he's actually looking forward to undergoing more surgery.

"It'll be worth it," he said. "I just want to make Alice as happy as she makes me."

Danny endured years of torment growing up in Sittingbourne, Kent, as Katie, a beautiful girl with tumbling golden ringlets.

"I've been unhappy since I was a little girl," he admitted. "From three years old I hated having to wear dresses and skirts.

"My sister Sarah's four years older than me and while she was playing with dolls I'd be climbing trees, getting covered in dirt, mucking about with Action Man and toy guns.

"But when I got older and went to high school I had my first crush—and it was on a girl, not a boy. I felt very confused.

"While the other girls were swooning over Take That, I was more into the Spice Girls! But it also made me upset and angry. I felt cheated that I was in the wrong body. I'd go to bed and cry myself to sleep every night.

"I despised the body I had and wanted a boy's. I hated my 34C breasts.

"I wasn't happy at school because of the torment and at 14 I just stopped going. I began working for my mum as a carer for the elderly.

"I loved that. I never told them my secret. I dressed as a boy and the older people just loved me for who I was."

But deep down, Danny was still in turmoil and turned to booze to escape his inner nightmare. "I'd down cheap alcopops or bottles of Malibu until I passed out," he said.

"At least then I didn't have to think about the body I hated."

At 16 Danny began dating another girl, had his first sexual experience and announced he was a lesbian.

His mum Joy, now a counsellor, dad Kevin and sister Sarah were shocked but glad he had at least found some happiness.

But at 18 the troubled teenager dropped the real bombshell—asking his mum to find out about organising a sex change.

Danny revealed: "Her jaw dropped and she said, ‘Over my dead body!' I just don't think she knew how to handle it. But since then she's been amazing. . . .

To be a transsexual in Iran, an interview with director of "Birthday", Negin Kianfar

Shohreh Jandaghian

In 1976, Ayatollah Khomeini, imposed a fatwa to allow people with hormonal disorders to change sex if they wished, because the Koran doesn't say anything on the subject. Transsexuals don't have to fear prosecution and they even can change their birth certificates. But the challenge is the traditional, religious Iranian society in which the transsexuality is still concerned as a disease.

The Birthday follows a young man who decides to become a woman. His conservative parents try to come to terms with their son’s decision and after a lot of discussions they accept the new sexual identity of their son, who already had a boyfriend before the operation.

“The Birthday” is a film which offers a window into a world we rarely see from an Islamic society.

Shohreh Jandaghian –To begin, Please tell about you and your path towards filmmaking.
Negin Kianfar – I was born on1969 in Tehran and have studied cinema in Art university of Tehran, majoring in film direction. I work as a dubbing actress for feature and documentary projects for IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) and private section since 1367. I am also painter and had 2 years course under supervision of master Aidin Aghdashlou and participated in many exhibitions at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. Also one of my paintings is purchased by the same museum.

Shohreh – Is “The Birthday” your first documentary?
Negin – I made some short films and some more like experimental stuff but The Birthday is my first long documentary.

Shohreh – What was your motivation for making a documentary about Transsexuality?
Negin – I was working with Daisy Mohr, my partner in the film, who is a print journalist, on many different subjects and we crossed this topic and I thought not just the transexuality but the gender crises and identity crises is an issue in the whole world. And I was amazed by my first character to change his life to be able to experience the feminine side of the life in the society which is not the best for women. The other reason was that I found doing sex-change is allowed by the law but it’s not socially accepted and in general talking about sex issues is a big taboo in the society in which I live and I decided to break this taboo.

Shohreh – You mean it is legal to carry out gender reassignment surgery in Iran?
Negin – It is legal but the procedure is quiet difficult and takes long time, because the judge has to be sure that the case is not homosexual because authorities consider homosexuality as a disease and they are not accepted by the law or even the society. And that was another thing which amazed me and inspired me to work on this subject.

Shohreh – For a traditional male-dominant society like Iranians’, which case is less acceptable: male-to-female transsexual or vice versa?
Negin – Male to female is less accepted because we’ve heard a lot through the history like Mard-e-zan nama ( man with female appearance) or female like behaviour, and it’s shame and funny remark, but the other way around is more accepted because they considered as shir-zan (brave as a lion) and it’s a compliment. I think I explained this reason very explicit in the film when Afshin’s brother talks about his sister’s childhood.

Shohreh – What major problems do Transsexuals face in Iran?
Negin – They are not accepted by society, neighbores, family, relatives and etc. And they cannot get a job. Even police officers or moral police forces are not informed of their situation and rights.

Shohreh – Then it shouldn’t be so easy to get in contact with them.
Negin – we did few weeks research and found big group of them and ended up in the clinic and finally found our film characters up there.
It was difficult to persuade them to be present in front of the camera at the beginning but during the research we built up the trust and they got convinced that this film inform the society to break this taboo and send the message.

Shohreh – What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in developing the project?
Negin – Convincing the family to be in front of the camera the first day (just the first day), bringing out Saye and Afshin (two of the transsexuals) together because they preferred to not to come outside. And the most difficult part was getting in to the clinic and waiting room and the surgery room and all the permitions.

Shohreh – You’ve directed the film with Daisy More. Could you tell a bit about your co-directing and how it went?
Negin – It was a very good experience but more difficult for me because she couldn’t speak Farsi and I had to translate everything for her to be able to follow the lines and it was heavy job for me because I had to talk to my characters and build the friendship at the same time and sometimes it was complicated situation and no time for translation. But we agreed on everything and never had a problem during the work. . . .

ENDA: The Sin of Omission

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Dr. Jillian Todd Weiss, Associate Professor of Law and Society at Ramapo College

According to the Washington Blade, House Democratic leaders are strongly considering omitting anti-discrimination protections for transgender persons from the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, legislation that would ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The paper said this occurred after an internal Democratic head count last Wednesday indicated that, if the bill continued to include “gender identity,” it would not receive the votes necessary for passage. The Blade implied that a “sexual orientation” standalone bill would receive the necessary votes for passage.

The idea of deleting gender identity from ENDA, and creating a stand-alone gender identity bill, is an idea that completely undermines the fairness message of ENDA. There is a wonderful post by Nadine Smith at Bilerico on this issue. She gives historical examples of legislators that sought to exclude a controversial minority at the last moment, and how those bills went on to victory without exclusion. This is very instructive about the nature and function of remedial civil rights legislation, like ENDA.

A classic debate among legal scholars is the question of when law in a democracy should follow public sentiment, and when it should lead. In most cases, legislators enact laws because, using their political instincts, they believe the majority of their constituency wants it. If the majority don’t want it, they don’t vote for the law. It’s a simple calculus, and it’s the backbone of democracy. The most good for the most people. There are times, however, when this utilitarian creed serves a society poorly. Sometimes the majority is ignorant about a subject, and in need of an education. Sometimes a society is prejudiced, and needs to know it. Sometimes there is a small group of people who are suffering quietly, stifiling under the arrogant judgment of an intolerant majority, and in need of a higher authority to set it right. There are times when legislators must support a proposed law because it is the right thing to do, even though the majority is against it because of prejudice or ignorance or intolerance. The very act of taking this courageous stand propels the issue into national debate, and the legislation becomes the very instrument of the education needed to enact it. . . .

TRANSGENDER - But I Don't Feel Like It...

Gay Iranians have hidden lives

TEHRAN, 29 (UPI) -- Gay Iranians simply hope to be left alone in a country where homosexuality can be punished by death, The New York Times reported Saturday.

“You can have a secret gay life as long you don’t become an activist and start demanding rights,” a Tehran resident named Reza, who did not want his full name used, told the newspaper.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaking at Columbia University in New York this week, provoked laughter in the audience when he asserted there are no homosexuals in Iran. Gays willing to talk to the Times said they were relieved by his denial since it might mean they will be left alone.

The law making homosexuality punishable by death or a lashing is no dead letter. Two teenagers were executed in 2005 in Mashad.

While Iran may be tough on homosexuality, the country is comparatively gentle toward transgender people, regarding them as sick. The government encourages sex-change operations.

Thailand: Are you man enough to be a woman?

A group of politicians is drafting a bill that will legally recognise male-to-female transsexuals as women.

Twice Pakjira sailed through interviews and was told she had got the job. Twice they called her back to tell her she hadn't. Their reason was similar _ head office does not want to hire katoey, or transsexuals. Like Pakjira, Yolada has undergone gender reassignment surgery so she can live as a woman. However, even with beauty queen looks and a feminine voice, she still could not find a job.

Tired of being turned down, Yolada applied for a bank loan so she could start her own business. The answer from the bank was a big ''No!''

''Not only because my legal documents do not match my gender, but also because they believe katoey in general are unreliable,'' she recalled bitterly.

Ask male-to-female transsexuals about the discrimination they face, and stories of pain and anguish flow freely.

When facing the draft, for example, the military has until very recently branded transsexuals as ''permanently damaged by mental sickness'', and thus unfit for military service. This labelling affects their jobs prospects for life.

Thanks to campaigns by human rights activists, the military is amending ministerial regulations and exempting trans-sexuals from the draft. In the interim, the military has promised not to label transsexuals as mentally ill, but it admits that it is difficult to alter past draft documents.

When attempting to travel abroad, transsexuals are often refused entry to foreign countries, and can be treated badly by immigration officers. When sick, hospital staff often simply place them on men's wards. If arrested, they are commonly sent to men's prisons, which is tantamount to being sentenced to molestation and rape.

In everyday life, transsexuals find themselves targets of ridicule and harassment. The lack of job opportunities also forces many of them to earn a living in the sex industry, even if well-educated.

''Society is still very much indifferent to our problems,'' said Suttirat Simsiriwong, a transsexual who made headlines a few months ago when the Novotel Hotel refused her entry to its club on the grounds of her being a katoey.

Although after a boycott and a campaign by gay rights groups the hotel finally issued an apology, Suttirat said living a normal life will remain difficult for transsexuals as long as the law refuses to allow them to change their titles and names to match their chosen gender.

That is why so many jumped for joy when the National Legislative Assembly's Committee on Women announced it would sponsor a bill to help make their dreams come true. . . .

Transsexual MP offered granny role in film of life

5:00 AM Sunday September 30, 2007

By Cliff Taylor

Former prostitute, drag queen, mayor, MP and man, Georgina Beyer has been a person of many parts - but the prospect of playing her own grandmother in a film of her life proved one role too far.



Beyer, famous as the world's first transsexual member of Parliament, says she was offered a cameo in the forthcoming biopic, provisionally titled Girl, but turned it down.

"I overlooked the age issue," said Beyer. "But I said 'no thank you'. I loved her very much, but she died when I was 9. And I've got to divorce myself from the creative process."

The film, due to go into production next year, is being made by Australian company Lone Hand, produced by New Zealander Roger Simpson. The script was written by Simpson's partner Sally Irwin.

"It starts with my experience of being pack-raped in Sydney in the 1970s," Beyer said. "It's a pretty sensational beginning."

The former MP, who left Parliament earlier this year, said the film had been planned for three or four years and she had offered her input on an earlier draft of the script. . . .

Darkness, love and laughter mark show

KAREN RIVERS
Tribune Correspondent

"Before I Disappear" is a one-woman autobiographical play starring transgender actress Alexandra Billings -- a comic, dramatic and honest piece told through story and song. Following her life from age 3 to 30, it touches on her drug addiction, her time working the streets of Chicago, her career as a female impersonator and, finally, her arrival in Hollywood.


Transgender actress stages her unique life in musical

At Friday and Saturday's performances of "Before I Disappear" at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks, however, don't expect to see Billings just talking about Billings. When she set out to write the show, that was the last thing she wanted to do.

Why?

She was afraid it "wouldn't be interesting."

"Well, I can tell you this is a different kind of one-person show," Billings says by telephone from her home in Los Angeles. "There's not a lot of me up there going, 'And when I was 10, this happened.' It's people in my life narrating my life."

It seems that she had no interest in getting up there and talking about herself when she could talk about, say, her mother instead.

"She is the most fascinating person to me. By sheer circumstance, she got sucked up into this other life," Billings says. "She's this average, upper middle class woman who had a son that becomes a daughter."

The audience sees an awful lot of Mom in the show, but Billings plays other characters as well, including her abusive ex-boyfriend, former co-workers and, for at least a bit, herself.

"When I first started doing (the show), it was really hard, because I was so close to (the material)," she says, "but now it's 10 years later, and it almost feels like I'm telling someone else's life story."

What a story it is. . . .

ET Transgender Series 1

Transgender Series [Part 1]
Uploaded by alexiahm

POV, Critique, Opinion: Wait Your Turn?

Frankly, I have never yet engaged in a direct action movement that was 'well-timed' according to the timetable of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation.

For years now I have heard the words "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never."

Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
'Letter From Birmingham City Jail', April 16, 1963.



Ever since I begun fighting in 1998 in conjunction with other transgender people around the country to expand the work of Dr. King, I have heard a late 20th-early 21st century variation of that paragraph uttered from the lips of numerous gay and lesbian people when it comes to transgender civil rights.

Wait your turn.

Wait my turn? Wait my turn for what?

Did you gay and lesbian people 'wait you turn' when you pushed for inclusion in civil rights legislation in the 70's?

Did you gay and lesbian people 'wait your turn' when you demanded that funding for HIV/AIDS research and finding a cure for it get higher priority in the 80's?

Did you 'wait your turn' when you demanded that your rights be acknowledged and respected in the 90's?

Did you gay and lesbian people 'wait your turn' in 2003 when you disastrously pushed for marriage equality one year before a critical presidential election?

How dare you part your lips to even say that to us. We transgender people are the ones who had the cojones to stand up to police harassment in San Francisco in 1967 and during the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969 while you gay and lesbian peeps were cowering in your closets. It is transgender blood that is being shed and transgender peeps who are discriminated against, denigrated, and disrespected by our foes and even by you, our so-called allies.

You have repeatedly cut us out of civil rights legislation on every level of government with the soothing words of 'we'll come back for you'. That has been proven over the years to be an odious lie as we wait for you in many jurisdictions across the United States to fulfill your broken promises. . . .

Pas de Deux

Why are there only two sexes?
By Amanda Schaffer
Updated Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007, at 7:29 AM ET


Why is the mating game almost always a dance of two, whether the scene is a swank Manhattan watering hole or the shallows of an average pond? Why not three or four possibilities, or even more?

Binary mating began to evolve way back when, and over time became entrenched, especially in more complex creatures. Biologists inevitably disagree about what, exactly, constitutes a sex, and therefore how "sexes" are to be counted. (They also wonder why sexual reproduction came to exist at all.) But if the working definition focuses on the type of sex cell being produced, we can say that sperm-producers are males and egg-producers are females. And it becomes clear that no third sex cell—and so no third sex—has appeared in multicellular animals. There are oddball critters, like clam shrimp and some harvester ants, in which three- or even four-sex scenarios might be said to exist. But only if we're willing to expand (or finagle) the definition of a sex.

Why do most sexual creatures do binary mating? It's actually a counterintuitive system. Consider the plight of single-celled green algae trying to hook up in a pond. At first glance, the lack of more than one mating choice among these algae seems strange. After all, if there were 10 equally prevalent types of mates, and a cell could fuse with any type other than its own, it would have nine shots in 10 of bumping into a potential partner just floating around blindly. If there were three mating types, its chances would drop to two in three. And with only two, they fall to one in two. In other words, assuming that it takes some effort to find a mate, the two-type system is "the least efficient solution" for this population, says Laurence Hurst, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Bath.

Cut Transgender People Out of ENDA? No Way!

By Pride at Work

Just as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act neared action in Congress, disturbing reports have surfaced that House Democratic leaders are planning to remove the bill’s protections for transgender workers in committee next week. That’s completely unacceptable!

In the labor movement, we’re proud of our history of solidarity across lines of race, religion, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. We’ve learned to resist the divisive and dishonest tactics of enemies who would try to divide us along these lines. We cannot and will not leave the least numerous and most vulnerable among us to fend for themselves. We stand together, one for all and all for one!

The passage of the federal hate crimes bill, with full protections for LGBT Americans, by both House and Senate this year shows that politically, it is entirely possible to pass federal legislation that protects transgender people as well as gay men, lesbians and bisexuals. The House hate crimes bill passed by more than 50 votes this spring, and the Senate voted today to invoke cloture, cutting off debate and bringing its hate crimes bill to a voice vote, by 60 to 39.

Please take a moment to call these members of Congress and let them know you want transgender workers protected in ENDA –

Representative Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, 202-225-4965

Representative Barney Frank, chief House sponsor of ENDA, 202-225-5931

Representative George Miller, Chairman, House Education and Labor Committee, 202-225-2095.

If you can take the time to send an e-mail to your Representative, please do that too. But remember, every hour counts and personal phone calls are the most effective way of letting the Congressional leadership know your views.

Remember – An Injury to One Is an Injury to All! . . .

General Passing Guidelines for FTMs

Sex-change kid becomes model

CUTE blonde Kim – who as a German BOY in 2004 became the world’s youngest person to start hormone treatment for a sex-change – makes her debut as a model.

Now 14, Kim has been signed up to do a photo shoot for Unisex, a German chain of hair salons.

Eventually Kim will have a full op to turn her permanently into a female.

Unisex boss Giuseppe Pino Galanti said: “She’s a natural.”


Readers comments:

Sex-change kid becomes model

WTF? What kind of person would give a treatment like that to a 14 year old? i mean they are still young and may just regret it when there 18. the world has gone completly crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted_by: magik
Sex-change kid becomes model

She's a very pretty girl, I wish I looked that good and I was born female!!! I wish her all the luck!
Posted_by: traceyj64
Sex-change kid becomes model

Magik, what gives you the right to say that. How do we know the agony that poor kid went through and many many other people that suffer the same torment, the sooner people accept people as human be ...
Posted_by: MercGirl
Sex-change kid becomes model

no ones disputing the fact that some people feel they are born into the wrong body,they were right in the fact that this person is still a child and there may be a possibility that he may change his m ...
Posted_by: vivienne
Sex-change kid becomes model

A marvellous oppurtunity for this girl, but i think she is still to young to be given hormones. She as others have said may change her mind, anyway i wish well for her future,
Posted_by: gungirl
Sex-change kid becomes model

Totally fooled me. I'd never see her and think she used to be a boy.
Posted_by: bear1
Sex-change kid becomes model

Traceyj64 dont put yourself down, beauty is only skin deep, i bet your lovely inside [where it matters]..ok shes pretty, but i hope shes happy now, THATS wat matters to HER, WE CANT JUDGE [but we d ...
Posted_by: littlesod
Sex-change kid becomes model

I'm Transsexual and I can tell you for a fact she is way better off at that age starting with hormones then in later in life ... BTW we know at a Very Young age that we are transsexual ... I knew ...
Posted_by: NikkiLaVey

Three mix it up in FX transsexual pilot

By Kimberly Nordyke and Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Joseph Fiennes, Blythe Danner and Robert Wagner have been cast in U.S. cable channel FX's transsexual drama pilot.

The untitled project, formerly known as "4 oz.", centres on a family man named Bob (Fiennes) who decides to get a sex change. Danner and Wagner will play Bob's parents, Bunny and Scotch. The roles of Bob's wife and kids have yet to be cast.
Photo

The pilot comes from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, respectively the creator and a writer/producer on FX's "Nip/Tuck". Production will begin at the end of October, with Murphy directing.

Fiennes recently appeared on the big screen in "Running With Scissors". Danner won two Emmys for her role on Showtime's "Huff". Wagner recently guest-starred on CBS' "Two and a Half Men" and AMC's "Hustle".

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

She's a Boy I Knew

VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FEST

Denise Sheppard

Gwen Haworth says there were no stories of successful transitions when she was coming out as trans. She hopes her new film will help fill that void.

At the age when most small children are thinking about their first day of school and how to ride a bike, Gwen Haworth (who at the time was a young boy named Steven) knew that her gender identity was awry.

It was a secret she kept to herself for more than two decades.

"I've been aware of this since I was four," says Haworth. "That meant 23 years of keeping this secret hidden, 23 years of self-hate and internalized transphobia."

The frustration in her words is palpable, but the softness in her spirit resonates peace above and beyond all other emotions.

Know this: this is no queer tragedy. In fact, Haworth's story is inspiring and worth celebrating, and even comes complete with a happy ending.

The 'ending' however is really just another beginning —Haworth's anticipated film debut called She's a Boy I Knew: Gwen's DIY feature transgender documentary.

Haworth's first- and second-person account of her evolutionary journey pre- and post-transition is something that should be required viewing in every school, at every PFLAG meeting, heck, at every prenatal class out there.

Haworth, now an East Van-based dyke filmmaker, takes on a host of brave topics in front of the camera, asking difficult questions not just of herself, but also of her parents, her siblings, her ex-wife (whom she married while still identifying as a man) and her dearest friends. The candor and bravery of her family members results in both touching and deeply honest vignettes that will resonate with all who watch it. . .

Candis Cayne in "The Tomato Lounge" - "Hunka Burnin Love"

The Oprah Winfrey Show

And, don't miss this Friday, 28 September 2007!

What would you do if your 7-year-old daughter said, "Mom, I should be a boy." Facing the world transgendered.

POV, Critique, Opinion: Is Your MMOG Buddy a…Transsexual??

Published by Dan O'Connor September 26th, 2007

Today in our brand new feature “Seriously, that’s an issue for you? Ummm, OK, well, I’ll be over here being, y’know, normal” Timothy Burke over at Terranova has a thoughtful discussion of reports that a Chinese MMOG has suspended the accounts of players whose avatars (and those readers of a genteel disposition may wish to turn away now) were not the same sex as the player!

Like Burke, I suspected this was an “only in China” moment, but, reading through the comments section I stumbled upon (or StumbledUpon, if you must) this:

I think all action games should feature men characters. As a guy, i never create or play female character. It just doesn’t feel right.”

Seriously, you’re spending your spare time pretending to fight dragons whilst wearing imaginary chain mail and it’s the being a woman bit that doesn’t feel right? Which was why it was so nice to then read:

I’m steadfastly opposed to this sort of, frankly, idiocy, because I know it’s going to harm a lot of people who already seriously marginalized by society, and because frankly, here in the West at least, we’ve already “gotten over it”. No-one playing WoW, for example, can genuinely be surprised that many of the female avatars are played by men.

Hurrah for sensible people online (even gamers). There was some concern in the comments on Burke’s story that people could feel “fooled” by transsexual avatars. Interestingly, this was something that Tad Williams explored in his (frankly precognitive) Sci-Fi series, Otherland, wherein a terminally ill boy, Orlando, became best friends with someone named Fredericks in an online FRPG - only for Frederics to turn out to be - da dad daaaaah - a girl, much to his anger. Orlando’s point is that Frederics has lied to him, to which she points that, he - a boy who cannot leave his own bed - has been playing a muscle bound super strong barbarian warrior for years. It’s not deceit, it’s fantasy.

It was interesting to read some of the comments which suggested that female avatars were often treated more kindly than male ones, especially in male-dominated MMOGs - and equally interesting to read comments from female gamers who had frequently felt that they had to “cross” and become male characters in order to be taken seriously. (Such was certainly Frederic’s argument in Otherland) It reminds me of my first tentative steps into the world on online interaction… I am, as my many (ahem) admirers will know - a total geek for US politics. About 5 years ago I got heavily involved in an American political discussion forum. At first, I properly identified myself (male, white, European) and got into some enjoyable debates. I started to realise, however, that I wasn’t being taken seriously on some of the issues because, well, I just wasn’t American. So - in a fit of pique - a registered the totally fictional username “Kate Fansler”, identifying myself as a female American from San Francisco. I carried on writing the precise same opinions, but found myself getting alot more kudos for what I was saying. Partly it was that there were precious few other “women” on the forum (a problem with most political blogs, message boards etc.), so there was novelty value - but it was also about being “legitimate” as an American. Now this, I would say, was deceit: we were talking about real world issues, and grounding our opinions in our own experiences. In my - or rather Kate Fansler’s case - these were entirely fictional, which was unfair on the other board members. Even the idiot Republicans. I’ll put my hands up to a clear-cut case of unethical digital transsexuality; but the guys and gals doing it in WoW? Not so much. . .