Michelle Bruce said that even though a judge dismissed the lawsuit the day before the vote, the suit served its intended purpose.
"It was a personal attack," said Bruce, who was seeking a second term. "It was aimed at getting me out." . . .
For Andrew Gomez, the month of November has been one of firsts.
First, he broke the news to his mother that he was transitioning from a female to a male. Then the 24-year-old transgender student was elected Homecoming king at Pasadena City College. Neither event came easily, but the second milestone nearly did not happen. PCC’s Homecoming committee initially ruled Gomez ineligible because of his pierced ear.
But after students complained, lodging charges of discrimination, the committee relented and reversed its decision. Gomez said his election earlier this month as Homecoming king surprised him, even though he initially ran hoping to become a source of inspiration for other gay, lesbian and transgender students.
“I wanted them to feel like they could do something like this, instead of having them feel, ‘I am not straight so I can’t do this,’” Gomez said.
I’m very proud of Andrew, who was a student in my Introduction to Lesbian and Gay American History class in the spring of 2006. . . .
4 December 2007
Former Big Brother housemate Lisa Jeynes has been given permission to appeal against a judge's decision to dismiss her claim that she was defamed by a newspaper which she says portrayed her as a man pretending to be a woman.
Jeynes, 38, who featured in the 2003 series of Big Brother, wants to sue over publications which appeared on the cover of Love it! magazine and in the News of the World in May last year.
Her complaint focuses on the words: "BB's Lisa 'the geezer'. My fake boobs fell out on date with James Hewitt!"
She claims that the innuendo - against a background of rumours in 2003 that there was to be a transsexual contestant in Big Brother - was that she was really a man posing as a woman, a transgender or transsexual. . . .
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A 17-year-old Argentine has undergone surgery to become a female only months after winning a court battle in the first case of its kind involving a minor in this country, a representative for the teen said Tuesday.
A judge in 2004 ruled the teen had to wait until age 21 for the operation, but the parents appealed successfully, swaying a court panel to issue a decision in September authorizing surgery as a minor. . . .
 |
“If gender identity is fluid, then sexual orientation is as well,” contends psychology grad student lorne m. dickey, who identifies as a gay FTM and spells his name entirely with lowercase letters. Though many scientists and laypersons believe sexual orientation is fixed and immutable, dickey disagrees. His own experience suggests otherwise: “Prior to transition, I identified as a lesbian. I’d never once had sex with a man. Shortly after beginning my transition, it was clear… I was more interested in being sexual with a man than I was with a woman.”
The 45-year-old Arizona native began his transition eight years ago in Seattle, where he received a Master’s degree from Bastyr University. He’s currently enrolled in a counseling psychology PhD program at the University of North Dakota, where he’s studying the effectiveness of support groups for the FTM community and the development of sexual orientation in transsexual men.
“Sexual identity development is a deeply personal process and I don’t think that there’s a simple formula for how that works. Why is it that some people stay straight or gay after transition? Logic would hold that if I’d always been attracted to women pre-transition, that I would be straight post-transition. But that’s not what happened.”
Dickey sits on the board director of the Association for Gender Research, Education, Academia & Action (agreaa.org), a new professional development orgaznisation dedicated to supporting those researching, advocating for and teaching about diverse gender identity experiences, histories and communities. AGREAA has taken over running Trans-Academics.org as their flagship project.
Another dickey study, examining the impact and effectiveness of support groups for FTMs, has revealed mixed results. “There’s a general sense that once you’ve transitioned…you no longer have need for support. [But] there was no difference whether someone had just started [testosterone] or had been on T for ten years; all of the respondents said they had ongoing needs that weren’t being met by support groups.” . . .
What would you do if you felt like you were trapped in the wrong body? What happens if you wake up everyday feeling like you are supposed to be the opposite sex. Today, we’re going to meet men and women who feel that they were born with the wrong anatomy. They each tell a different story, but they all have one common goal: to undergo sex reassignment surgery to get the body they feel they should have always had. We will meet Susan, a Harvard-educated professional who lost her job after it was revealed that she was going to have sex reassignment surgery. Now, Susan is looking for jobs in education and city management, she's writing a book, and considering a career as a public speaker. But that's not all that changed. Susan’s former life as "Steve" included a wife and a thirteen year-old-son. Were they supportive of Susan’s transformation? We’ll hear from Lee, who was outraged to learn that a pre-operation transgender student was given keys to the bathroom facilities at his daughter's dorm. Just how fair was the universities final decision? We'll also hear from Bill, who is in the process of transitioning from female to male. He was taunted as a child for being different and was always uncomfortable with his female body. Bill's mom, Gail, is supportive of his decision to become a man, but what is Gail ultimately afraid of? Pauline Park, who co-founded the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy (NYAGRA), will weigh in on what it was like to be the first statewide transgender advocacy organization in New York and what the organization has accomplished. . . .
Steven Lloyd Moulder, 48, pleaded guilty in Maroochydore District Court yesterday to two counts of child exploitation possession.
The Sunshine Coast Child Protection Unit executed a search warrant on his Ringtail Creek home in September last year and seized a computer and 15 discsfrom Mr Moulder.
The computer had about 30,000 images depicting male and female children between two and 14 years of age. Some images showed children in sexual acts. , , including penile and digital penetration, and oral sex with adults.
The compact discs had 100 folders containing 36,192 images of child abuse including still photograph and video files.
Mr Moulder told police the images were given to him on a CD in October 2005 but he would not reveal who gave him the disc. He had a previous conviction for possession of child exploitation material.
In reports tendered to the court, Mr Moulder claimed an interest in female genitalia but the judge noted there were pictures of males having sex. . . .
The story from The Pasadena Star-News has now been picked up nationally: “King for a Day: Transgender Student Elected Homecoming King.”
For Andrew Gomez, the month of November has been one of firsts.
First, he broke the news to his mother that he was transitioning from a female to a male. Then the 24-year-old transgender student was elected Homecoming king at Pasadena City College. Neither event came easily, but the second milestone nearly did not happen. PCC’s Homecoming committee initially ruled Gomez ineligible because of his pierced ear.
But after students complained, lodging charges of discrimination, the committee relented and reversed its decision. Gomez said his election earlier this month as Homecoming king surprised him, even though he initially ran hoping to become a source of inspiration for other gay, lesbian and transgender students.
“I wanted them to feel like they could do something like this, instead of having them feel, ‘I am not straight so I can’t do this,’” Gomez said.
I’m very proud of Andrew, who was a student in my Introduction to Lesbian and Gay American History class in the spring of 2006. Andrew’s election — which has been reported as far away as Boston — represents a significant milestone for Pasadena City College and the broader Pasadena community. Pasadena, after all, is home to the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Queen. There are very few other communities in the United States where elected “courts” of queens or kings are taken more seriously than here. (Technically, in order to be on the Rose Court, a young woman must live within our college district boundaries, a little-known fact.)
Most community colleges in California don’t celebrate homecoming week with PCC’s enthusiasm and sense of tradition. We’re one of the state’s oldest community colleges (founded in 1924), and our homecoming tradition predates the days when Jackie Robinson starred for our football team (before he transferred on to the University of California at Los Angeles and the Brooklyn Dodgers.) So Andrew’s election — as a transgendered man, and not merely to the Homecoming Court but to “King” itself — is a remarkable and noteworthy occurrence.
Of course, the novelty of Andrew’s victory, as exciting as it is, is a reminder that on countless high school and college campuses this fall, homecoming rituals played out in ways that weren’t innovative or inclusive. In most places, the popular, good-looking kids who exhibited “ideal heterosexual behavior” won homecoming titles. In most places, the criteria for participating in this nearly-century old tradition haven’t changed in decades. Homecoming rituals may not have the same grip on the majority of students the way we imagine that they did in the 1950’s. That doesn’t mean, however, that for the substantial minority of students who do care passionately about who “wins” king and queen that the process has become any less sexist and reactionary. Of all the important battles that need to be fought on college campuses, the struggle to transform homecoming (or abandon it altogether) may not seem the most pressing. But Andrew Gomez’s victory reminds us that these rituals still have power, still have meaning, and still need to be confronted. . . .
Ellenville — "Always expect the unexpected" read the saying beside Steve Stanton's photo in the Ellenville High School yearbook, Class of 1977.
The Wawarsing native wanted fortune — a million dollars' worth, by the time he was 29. He got fame instead, at 49 — though not for making money.
Steve Stanton pulled down $140,000 managing the government of Largo, Fla. He rappeled with firefighters and broke his nose with the SWAT team, the papers said. He was reputedly a tough, aggressive manager and got good job reviews.
Then, in February, the married man with a teenage son told his City Council he intended to have a sex change. He would become a she, a "transgender" person.
Local pastors called down the wrath of God. The council fired him, though in press reports, members said it was because of Stanton's management, not his lifestyle.
Steve Stanton disappeared; Susan Ashley Stanton took his place, and she became big news. She went on CNN and "The Daily Show" and "Larry King Live." She made speeches and lobbied Congress in support of transgender legislation.
She had her hair styled, bought tailored women's suits, learned to put on makeup and coordinate accessories. She took hormones and started growing breasts. She had her body hair removed while a CNN crew recorded the event.
"I was surprised," said Roger Buchwalter, who manages the Stewart's Shop in the village and was in the Class of 1977 with Stanton.
"He was a nice guy, a quiet guy. He never displayed anything (in high school) that would make me think he would go through the transformation," Buchwalter said.
The story made the rounds at the class's 30th reunion in June, he said. "Everybody was very supportive. ... People were disappointed he had lost his job because of that."
Joe Stoeckeler graduated from Ellenville High in 1977, as well. He became a town supervisor, county legislator and executive of Veritas Villa, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility outside the village.
"He was a nice person, but it seemed like things were a little awkward for him," Stoeckeler said.
Stanton said she has fond memories of growing up in Ellenville and Wawarsing. She was more blunt about high school.
"I was a throw-away kid," she said in a recent telephone conversation. "I was always the kid they were trying to put in the special ed track, and I was always fighting to get out."
The LGBT “community” has never seemed less communal than in the last few months. When Barney Frank decided in September to move forward with a federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act that covered sexual orientation and not gender identity, it was as if an earthquake had gone off in the queer world, laying bare the differences between us. Within days, 300-plus LGBT organizations around the country had united in opposition to that version of ENDA, saying it wasn’t fair for some members of the community to gain rights when others would not, while Frank, the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives, and political insiders savvy to the legislative process argued that passing an imperfect measure was better than no measure at all. Caught in between was the Human Rights Campaign, which initially declined to support or oppose ENDA in an effort both to preserve its valuable Capitol Hill relationships and placate its allies in the movement.
But as the debate churned on until the bill finally made it to the House floor for a vote, what was missing amid all the news reports, press conferences, e-mails, and assorted, frequently heated commentary was what the average LGBT person on the street thought. If there were enough votes for a sexual orientation–only bill but not for one that included gender identity, should we go ahead with the former? Or should we wait for enough political support to develop for the latter, even if that took months -- or years? Do we all belong together anyway, or has the acronym LGBT outlived its usefulness, both in name and in practice? How do we all feel -- really feel -- about each other?
The Advocate decided to find out. On Wednesday, November 7, 10 very different New Yorkers -- three transgender women, two transgender men, three gay men, a gender-ambiguous lesbian, and her bisexual girlfriend -- joined moderator Tim Murphy at the West Village restaurant Barbuto for a mini town-hall meeting about this thing we call community. Coincidentally, it was the same night that ENDA passed the House in a tight 235–184 vote. The following are excerpts from the two-hour-long conversation, by turns funny, serious, combative, and poignant, along with portraits of the participants. Consider it the start of a longer discussion among you and yours and -- yes -- the community at large. . . .
 Emily Skinner |
Von Essen, who is currently playing Enjolras in the Broadway revival of Les Misérables, will play Tremont, a transsexual involved in a love quadrangle. Skinner, a Tony nominee for Side Show, has been cast as Andrea, whose diaper-loving husband is having an affair with Baby Jane. Also joining the cast are Linda Balgord (The Pirate Queen) as Zandra, Irene and Mary; Lawrence Clayton (Bells Are Ringing) as Montel and Jesus; Luke Grooms as Dwight and God; Sean Jenness as Chucky; Sam Kitchin (Frozen) as Steve; Patricia Phillips (The Phantom of the Opera); as Peaches; and Laura Shoop (Bernarda Alba, Fiddler on the Roof) as Baby Jane. Full casting will be announced shortly.
. . .Inspired by the talk show host who brought worldwide television audiences episodes including "Pregnant by a Transsexual," "Here Come the Hookers" and "I Refuse to Wear Clothes," Jerry Springer: The Opera features music by Richard Thomas and book and lyrics by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas. The London production, which opened at the National Theatre on April 29, 2003, and later transferred to the Cambridge Theatre in the West End, won an unprecedented four Best Musical prizes (Olivier Award, Critic's Circle Award, Evening Standard Award and What's On Stage Award).
The Carnegie Hall concerts are being produced by David J. Foster, Jared Geller and Avalon Promotions. Musical direction is by Stephen Oremus.
4 December 2007
Jeynes, 38, who featured in the 2003 series of Big Brother, wants to sue over publications which appeared on the cover of Love it! magazine and in the News of the World in May last year.
Her complaint focuses on the words: "BB's Lisa 'the geezer'. My fake boobs fell out on date with James Hewitt!"
She claims that the innuendo - against a background of rumours in 2003 that there was to be a transsexual contestant in Big Brother - was that she was really a man posing as a woman, a transgender or transsexual.
The defendants, News Magazines Ltd and News Group Newspapers, which deny libel, had argued that the words complained of taken in their proper context could not bear Jeynes's "far-fetched" meaning
Mr Justice Eady dismissed her claim at a hearing in the High Court on 25 April this year, saying that no reasonable reader could conclude that the words complained of bore the meaning alleged and adding: "That would be to read far too much into those words."
He refused Jeynes permission to appeal on the basis that her case had no prospect of success.
But at a hearing on 14 November Lord Justice Sedley allowed Jeynes' application for permission to appeal.
He said Lord Justice Pill had refused permission to appeal after considering the papers, because he agreed with Mr Justice Eady's reasoning and conclusion that there was no prospect of a successful appeal.
But, said Lord Justice Sedley, he did not share that view, which he thought was largely a matter of impression.
The application to strike the action out, he said, was made not on the basis that there could be nothing defamatory in suggesting that a woman was actually a transsexual or a man, but on the footing that the words could not reasonably be read as making any such imputation.
Adrian Davies, for Ms Jeynes, argued that was not just the use of the word "geezer" that carried the sting, but the use of it in association with the words "fake boobs". . . .
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.