Bizarre Disorder Makes People Want to Sever Their Own Limb

August 25th, 2008 Tags: mental health
by Andrew Moseman in Health & Medicine, Mind & Brain

We’ve heard a lot about “cutters” and other people who feel compulsions to hurt themselves. But there’s an extra, extreme level above that: Body Integrity Identity Disorder.

BIID’s somewhat cryptic name belies a strange affliction—its sufferers feel that their normal bodies are wrong, and that they were born to be paraplegic or handicapped. The compulsion is so strong that some with the disorder try—and succeed—at amputating their own limbs. Newsweek mentions one who, after many failed attempts to lose his left hand, cut it off with a power tool and then lied to his family that he lost it in an accident. Another man froze off his own leg.

Many doctors don’t even know how to classify such a strange phenomenon. Those lobbying for its inclusion as a mental disorder compare it to Gender Identity Disorder, in which people get sex changes because they feel out of place in their natural body. But performing a sex change operation is one thing, and amputating a healthy limb is quite another. . . .Read More

Hijra (South Asia)

Racindia

August 25, 2008

For other uses, see Hijra.

Hijra in Goa, India

In the culture of the Indian subcontinent, a hijra (Hindi: हिजड़ा, Urdu: حجڑا) is usually considered a member of “the third sex” — neither man nor woman. Most are physically male or intersex, but some are female. Hijras usually refer to themselves linguistically as female, and usually dress as women.

Although they are usually referred to in English as “eunuchs”, relatively few have any genital modifications.

Contents

• 1 Terminology
• 2 Gender and sexuality
• 3 Becoming a hijra . . .Read More
  

Fly-past tribute to RAF veteran

26 August 2008

By Greg Lambert

A FLY-PAST of a lone Vulcan bomber across Morecambe on Friday was a
fitting tribute to a leading transgender activist, author and RAF veteran of 40 years.

The life of Lynne Janine Braithwaite BEM, who died on August 12, was celebrated at a packed Lancaster Cremator-ium where friends and family said their farewells to a remarkable person.

DETERMINED: Lynne Braithwaite.

They included the Deputy Chief Constable of Lancashire police force, who gave a speech outlining Lynne's involvement as a volunteer advisor on transgender issues, who toured the country speaking at various seminars and workshops – fighting for the rights of all transgender people. . . .Read More

Study: Transgender vets face discrimination

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Aug 26, 2008

A new study by a California research center finds that transgender veterans — people who changed their sex after getting out of the military — believe they are facing discrimination and disrespect at Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities.

Transgender people also complained they had a difficult time while in the military, with repeated inquiries about their sexual orientation. Such questions were more likely to be faced by men planning to become women than for women planning to become men, according to the study by the Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The survey is based on interviews with 660 people identifying themselves as transgender veterans who were asked about their military and nonmilitary experiences, including 18 who said they began their gender transition while still in uniform. . . .Read More

Born in the Wrong Body-Change of Heart

"MSNBC's latest show on transgenders changing back--part of the story that was left out."

returnedhome

Make houses of worship truly inclusive

By Jody M. Huckaby, August 20, 2008

The doors to our houses of worship ought to be open to all. That includes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, who often feel that religion has been used to divide and conquer their families and their rights.

On Saturday night at the Saddleback Church forum, Pastor Rick Warren asked both candidates about their definition of marriage, and both said that it was between one man and one woman.

This felt like exclusion, if not discrimination, to many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans. And unfortunately, neither presidential candidate was asked about how they would welcome the LGBT community into the conversations about faith.

That’s too bad because history and progress are often made in the pews. The struggle for civil rights for blacks began largely in our churches — and was led largely by clergy — and was born out of a deep sense of religious conviction, rooted in the tradition of loving thy neighbor as thyself.

Today, however, LGBT Americans struggle to find the same passion for equality within some communities of faith. . . .Read More

Day Zero: I’m in Denver

By Marisa Richmond

25 August 2006


Well, I’ve made it & I have survived the first full day.

I was taken to the airport this morning by my friend Mark, whose partner, Julie, usually cat sits for me. My plane had several TN delegates including Congressman Lincoln Davis & House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh. There were also delegates from NH & VA. After I finally got to the TN hotel, I picked up my delegate package, which included up to date information, & lot of little gift, including a bottle of Jack Daniels. . . .Read More

Man faces torture for dowry charge despite sex change

Aug 25th, 2008 | By Sindh Today | India

Patna, Aug 25 (IANS) A Bihar court has framed a charge sheet alleging that a man tortured his wife for dowry before their divorce, officials said Monday. The accused then underwent a sex change operation and married a man.

Phul Sharief, in his 30s, is a resident of Sonepur village under Rosra police station in Samastipur district, some 100 km from here.

Sharief’s sex change came to light last Friday when he appeared in a local court dressed as a woman.

‘Phul Sharief stunned everyone including the judge and lawyers in the court when he informed them that he had undergone a sex change operation after being divorced by his wife. Sharief then married a man,’ a court official said. . . .Read More

Trapped in a male body: Maxine about her life as a transsexual

maltastar.com team	Sat, 23 August 2008

Maxine’s dream is to have a complete sex change so that one day she starts living her life as a woman, the way she felt since she was born.

In a full interview, to be published in Sunday paper Kullhadd, Maxine Attard, 25, who won the first edition of Ms Klozet 2008, speaks about how difficult it is to get a sex change in Malta.

“To have a sex change is my life’s dream. I want it so that one day I can say I am myself. But despite Malta being an EU member, I still have to buy pills which are too expensive. Sometimes I feel that everybody is closing the door in my face, especially when I know that in other European countries they [transsexuals] find help,” says Maxine.

Maxine describes herself as a woman trapped in a male body, and that at times she cannot express her real self, “what I really am.” . . .Read More

Transgender Model in Kenneth Cole Ads

carolynsolo

POV: Transgenders in Oprah’s show

Dare to be different

8.24.2008


Who watched the Oprah show on
transgender families and gender identity ?

Julia

Dear readers, meet Jake. I mean, Julia. A little girl who likes trucks, climbing on tree and pretend to be the dad of the family when she plays. Now, meet Jake. 16 years-old who once though she was lesbian but finally understood that she wanted to be a male role model, a husband and a father. Julia started her transformation to become Jake at a very young age when at 13, a friend of hers told her he was a transgender. That was exactly what she wanted to be! Now, Jake is happy, and I believe that this is what is really important. I mean, I have been really depressed as a teenager and now that I’m all good, I can easily say that depression is one of the worst thing ever. I wish that to nobody. . . .Read More

transgender acquaintance

karlkunkel

8.24.2008


I had an interesting and coincidental, brief encounter yesterday in High Point, NC's Wal-Mart with a former acquaintance. Out of all the checkout lanes in the store, I happened to choose one with a female clerk probably in her mid-50s with long reddish-blonde hair. I happened to look at the name tag, "Robbi", and something clicked.

I knew this woman from years ago, late-1996, I believe, but at the time, she was "Rob," a guy. At the time I was a staff writer with a regional business weekly, and we frequently wrote business profiles on interesting entrepreneurs and owners. Rob and his wife had a thriving business following the Grateful Dead around and taking photos of the performances (licensed and approved by the Dead organization)and then selling quality photos, often framed, to the Deadhead followers. She also made jewelry and sold that, too. . . .Read More

Campus life, fully exposed

By John Leo
1/2/05

In the fall of 2000, I promised my daughter the freshman that I wouldn't write about Wesleyan University (Middletown, Conn.) until she graduated. As a result, you readers learned nothing from me about the naked dorm, the transgender dorm, the queer prom, the pornography-for-credit course, the obscene sidewalk chalking, the campus club named crudely for a woman's private part, or the appearance on campus of a traveling anti-Semitic roadshow, loosely described as a pro-Palestinian conference.

Instead of hot news items like these, you usually just hear that Wesleyan is very "diverse." Newsweek once hailed the school as the "hottest" diversity campus in America, apparently using the word diversity in its normal campus meaning of "no diversity at all." A one-liner about the campus is that "Wesleyan is so diverse that you can meet people here from almost every neighborhood in Manhattan." And the students tend to have opinions from every known corner of MoveOn.org. . . .Read More

MSNBC Premieres BORN IN THE WRONG BODY: A CHANGE OF HEART Sunday August 24 At 10 PM ET

realitytvwebsite.com

August 15, 2008

Following on the success of the "Born in the Wrong Body" series, MSNBC premieres "Born in the Wrong Body: A Change of Heart," Sunday, August 24th at 10 p.m. ET. In this riveting hour-long documentary, MSNBC invites viewers into the lives of Josef Kirchner and Michael Burke, also known as "Judy" and "Michelle," and shares the story of their extraordinary journey from man to woman... and back again.

Josef Kirchner appears to be the epitome of masculinity. With his large frame and enormous muscles, it is difficult to believe that he lived as a woman for 20 years. Growing up as a boy was difficult for Josef. He was attracted to men, but didn't feel he was gay... he believed he was a heterosexual woman born in the wrong body. But two decades after having sexual reassignment surgery to become "Judy" he had a drastic change of heart. Josef now lives -- again-- as a man. . . .Read More

TRANSGENDER STRUGGLE

From Jen to Kip: One woman's journey to become a man

Bruce Ward , Canwest News Service August 22, 2008

"Mom, I think that is what I am."

Unless you've been there, it's hard to understand what Jaime Johnson was feeling when her 20-year-old daughter Jen looked at her and said those words as they watched a TV show on transgendered people.

"I was in total denial and panic," Jaime says. "I thought everyone is going to think she's a freak."

When Jaime (their names have been changed) got home from work that summer's day in 2003, Jen was watching Oprah. It wasn't one of the upbeat, sunny episodes. Oprah had assembled a panel of male-to-female transgenders, and each of them spoke about the steep cost of their transition - lost jobs, estrangement from family and friends, complicated surgical procedures, the ridicule and threats of violence they endured.

"It was horrible. I didn't want my child to have to face that. And I didn't want to face it myself." . . .Read More

Fox News: America's Newsroom 08.15.08 -- Apology

"Fox News host Gregg Jarrett apologizes for inappropriate comments made on August 14, 2008 about a transgender contestant that will appear on America's Next Top Model." glaadvideo

America in Transition: A Transgender Special Forces Colonel vs. the Library of Congress

Wed Aug 20, 2008

By Matt Coles, Director, ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & AIDS Project. Originally posted at the ACLU Blog of Rights.

Diane Schroer’s case against the Library of Congress went to trial on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in D.C. The basics of the case are pretty well known. As David, Schroer spent 25 years in the Army, and retired as a decorated full Colonel in the Special Forces. Her specialty at the end was counter-terrorism.

ACLU's diary :: ::

After retiring, she applied for a job as a Research Specialist in Terrorism and International Crime at the Library of Congress. She got it. But when she told her prospective boss that she was transitioning from David to Diane, and wanted to start work as Diane to minimize any fuss, things changed. The Library decided that as it turned out, she was "not a good fit" and yanked the job away. Diane came to the ACLU LGBT Project and we sued.

There’s not much dispute about what happened, just about what it means. First, there is a disagreement about the law. The government insists that the law allows it to refuse to hire someone because she or he is transgender. The ACLU says (to simplify a bit) that what the Library did is sex discrimination because the Library was more than happy to hire Dave, but wouldn’t hire Diane with the exact same abilities and qualifications. . . .Read More

Dressing like a harlot isn’t the half of it on Village stroll

By Laurie Mittelmann

August 20-26, 2008

On Staten Island, 20 wigs crowd the public housing unit of transgender model and prostitute Shawn Rachel, 28.

In the West Village on a recent late night/early morning, long, straight black hair, pushed back with Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses, framed her face. It matched her “devil” bag: a black leather purse with spikes around the strap, one small remnant from her gothic period.

Thirty blocks south of Fashion Ave., Christopher St. is the runway for transgender divas strutting down sidewalks blowing kisses and hollering at each other, “Hey Sexy, I like what you wearing.” Fashion is their social lubricant and how they embrace female glamour — it’s their key to beauty, self-esteem and money. . . .Read More

South African Trans-woman in beauty pageant furore

By Jamie Skey • August 21, 2008

A row has erupted over a transgender woman who has apparently been snubbed by the organisers of the Miss South Africa pageant.

The transgender woman, Lindiwe Ringane, reportedly wanted to enrol in a workshop for potential participants but was made to feel unwelcome by the organisers, Sun International, reported Beeld, an Afrikaans daily newspaper.

While the organisers say that there is no clause in the rules of Miss South Africa to prohibit a trans-woman from taking part, participants must also sign contracts for international pageants such as Miss World, which the winner would be expect to take part in.

Sun International explained that these pageants specifically bar anyone who is not a natural-born woman from participating. . . .Read More

Marriage Equality, Transgender Medical Access Poll Well in Jersey

By PAUL SCHINDLER

08/21/2008

In a Zogby poll of 803 likely New Jersey voters taken August 7 to 11, 59 percent said they would "be fine with" public officials legislating full marriage equality for same-sex couples in the state. Thirty-six percent voiced opposition. Even when reminded specifically that the state already has a civil union scheme in place, the response to a 2006 state Supreme Court ruling, voters polled preferred full marriage rights 50.1 to 42.3 percent. Fully 69 percent of New Jerseyans said marriage equality is inevitable in the state.

Garden State Equality, the state's LGBT rights lobby, commissioned the poll, but emphasized that Zogby collected the data independently. A clear majority of respondents - 52.6 percent - said insurance companies unfairly discriminate against transgendered people by not covering the medical treatments vital to gender transition. 52.6 percent said this denial by insurance companies is unfair, while only 35.8 percent said it is fair. This poll is likely the first ever to ask about this issue. . . .Read More