Couple speak out on transgender issues

By Shaun Hittle

July 5, 2009


A lot has changed for Jay Pryor between the time he moved from Lawrence in 1999 until moving back in 2007.

For starters, in 1999 Jay Pryor was a woman named Janet Pryor finishing up her bachelor’s degree in communications studies at Kansas University.

In his eight years away from Lawrence, Jay was living in Washington, D.C., making the transition from a woman to a man. It’s a process that included spending a year living and presenting himself as a man, beginning hormone treatments, and eventually leading to body-altering surgery.

And while his gender has changed, what has remained constant has been his desire to speak out and educate those in the community about issues involving sexual orientation and gender identity.

When Pryor was a student at KU, he was a lesbian featured in the documentary “Shades of Gray,” which chronicled the successful fight in Lawrence to add sexual orientation to the city’s anti-discrimination policy. . . .Read More

Transsexual Rebecca finds joy with end to family feud

By NIAMH HORAN

July 05 2009


Iceland's most high-profile transsexual has revealed that she has reunited with her family whom she once claimed had disowned her.

Rebecca Tallon Martinez, formerly known as Ross Tallon, was speaking in the run-up to the opening of the Wright Venue in Swords, the luxury four-floor venue where she will be hostess.

Rebecca, or Madam WV, as she is now known, described how she has finally found happiness in her life after a rollercoaster 20 years of drugs, abuse and false claims of HIV.

Crediting the social networking site Facebook for reuniting her with her family she said: "It's only happened quite recently. I learned how to use a computer and I came across my sister and I emailed her and she said she'd love to talk to me.

"So I kept in touch with them a lot through Facebook and I have built up a relationship with them again."

Speaking about her time apart from her loved ones, she explained: "I would have disowned me at that stage too. . . .Read More

Schoolboy to Showgirl: The Alexandra Billings Story (Part 1)

A profile of transgendered actress-singer Alexandra Billings, who grew up in Chicago and has performed in many local stage productions. Billings has also played transsexual characters on "ER" and "Grey's Anatomy."

Ms. Billings is (IMO) noteworthy as a woman. Please note that I didn't choose to use the adjective, 'transgendered' - even though she is a *fantastic* role model for the community of transgendered folks.

When I view her story, it just doesn't seem appropriate to place the 'lesser' adjective before the 'more appropriate' noun. To my mind, "transgendered" is a reflection of only *one* part of many processes that a very strong woman had to undergo to fulfill her complete potential in the world.

You Go, GIRL.

JohnAdamsDC

The gender gap: one more bridge that Michael built

July 1, 2009

By Robin Cooper

Since last week, the United States has lost four celebrities who have impacted lives (in some cases, the way we live) and televisions across not only our own country, but the world. Farrah Fawcett took Marilyn Monroe's blonde bombshell and reinvented it for a whole new generation of boys who needed a fantasy and girls who needed a beauty standard. Ed McMahon was a legend before there were more than two tvs in every American home, entertaining people on late night shows and integrating himself into American traditions, such as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Billy Mays taught America that Oxi-Clean was the cure-all for stains and continued to "wow" us with the newest products.

And then there was Michael Jackson. It almost seems as though there is nothing more that needs to be said after that sentence. Perhaps the question should be what didn't he do? After processing the past week's events, it became abundantly clear that he, in fact, had a huge impact on not only the music industry (which, by no means should be diminished--without him, today's music industry would be completely different) and in racial issues (even the procedures to lighten his skin echoed his message that skin color simply doesn't matter), but in gender issues, as well.

The world watched Michael Jackson progress from the charming boy with an inexplicable stage presence, to an adolescent who made teenage girls' hearts flutter every time they heard his newest hit and eventually, into the world's biggest star with the release of "Thriller."

Soon after his big success, Michael Jackson began to get obvious plastic surgeries, transforming him from an attractive African American young man into a more Caucasian and effeminate "boy-man." His critics would start claiming that he was trying not to be black. Perhaps it was more than that. Perhaps Michael Jackson wanted to prove to his audience that race, gender and other superficial categorizations are not the things that make a person who he or she is. . . .Read More

One of the great performance artists of our time. R.I.P, Michael. (RA)

Colorado beats feds on employment non-discrimination

June 26, 2009

by Matt Kailey

Members of Congress have announced the introduction of a trans-inclusive federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), but Colorado is already there.

Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), along with Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), announced this week that a trans-inclusive ENDA was being introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill would add both sexual orientation and gender identity to existing federal employment non-discrimination laws.

This bill is important to transgendered and transsexual people because an earlier bill, introduced in 2007, did not include gender identity protections. Polis reports that it is still legal for employers to discriminate on the basis of gender identity in 38 states. . . .Read More

6th Annual March for Transgender Pride

June 30, 2009

Indybay.org


Transgender March Winds its Way through San Francisco's Mission District

The 6th annual Trans March took a different route than in years past, starting at Dolores Park where several thousand people gathered, and forming a march that traveled through the Mission district. The excitement was still high as the group neared the announced ending point at 26th and Valencia, where one contingent took Cesar Chavez Street continuing to an after-party at El Rio while a smaller subgroup kept on marching through the city. . . .Read More and View Photos

State rules in favor of young transgender

July 2, 2009

by Abigail Curtis
BDN Staff

AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Human Rights Commission ruled Monday that the Orono School Department discriminated against a transgender child by denying her access to the girls bathroom.

While the school department’s lawyer warned that schools around the state may not be ready to manage the practical fallout from the decision, civil liberties advocates hailed the ruling as an advancement of human rights.

“This ruling is a huge step forward for a vulnerable population that is entitled to the full protection of the law,” said Zachary Heiden, legal director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union. “There will always be voices who claim we’re not ready, we’re not there yet, the time to end discrimination is next year, or next session. But victims of discrimination should not have to wait.”

The attorney for the child and her parents said his clients are very happy with the outcome of their complaint.

“At the very heart of it is the issue of basic human dignity and fundamental civil liberties,” said Eric Mehnert. “It was a good decision.” . . .Read More

No Dumb Questions - 5 Years Later (Trailer)

The Sundance award-winning documentary film No Dumb Questions is being updated. We've gone back to re-interview the family 5 years later and find out how Uncle Bill's transition to Aunt Barbara went and has affected everyone.

Watch this trailer and consider helping us finish the film.

nodumbquestions

First photo of Chaz Bono (and BFF Jennifer Elia) since sex change news

The Dish Rag by Elizabeth Snead

June 16, 2009


. . . There has still been no comment from Cher's camp regarding her child’s announcement about his sex change.

But GLAAD has released a statement "both for him personally and for all who are committed to advancing discussions about fairness and equality for transgender people."

Keep reading to see a photo of Chaz, as he wants to be called, from RadarOnline.com, reputed to be the most recent photo taken of the transitioning celebrity. . . .Read More

Kerry Washington Comes Out on Top in 'Cracktown'

by Ross von Metzke, Advocate.com | 06/29/2009

In an industry that loves to pigeonhole talent, good luck putting Kerry Washington into a box. Since making her motion picture debut in Save the Last Dance and rising to fame with her critically acclaimed performance in Ray, the actress, now 32, has gone gay on film twice, dabbled in comedy with the Wayans brothers, played the tortured wife of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, and faced off with the Fantastic Four.

Now, always one for a challenge, she tackles her heaviest role to date -- Marybeth, the male-to-female transsexual, heroin-addicted prostitute she plays to perfection in Life Is Hot in Cracktown. From her walk to her talk, Washington nails the part -- and it’s a sure sign her best roles have yet to come.

Washington sat down with Advocate.com to talk about the film, her time on the road stumping for Obama and how she found her femininity in paying trans. . . .Read More

Bill Siksay: Sex reassignment surgery deserves full coverage across Canada

June 29, 2009

By Bill Siksay


What are the limits of medicare coverage? Does prejudice against an identifiable minority affect decisions about who gets covered? Does “medically necessity” not apply to minority communities?

These questions are raised when members of the transsexual and transgender community are denied medical coverage for sex reassignment surgery (SRS) and related therapies, including hormone therapy, hair removal, and breast augmentation.

Transsexual and transgender folks have a different experience of gender than many Canadians. Some trans folks experience their gender opposite to their physical sexual characteristics, a feeling of being in the wrong body. To correct this, they look to SRS. Others experience their gender in ways that are different to the accepted binary theory of gender that says you are either male or female. These folks find their gender on a continuum between or beyond male and female. Some trans folks feel no need to change their physical sex, and may live out their lives as neither traditionally male or female. . . .Read More

Jahna Steele Remembrance

This video is a memorial to the beautiful and talented transsexual woman Jahna Steele, who passed suddenly on January 24th, 2008 from an accidental prescription overdose. Her loss is keenly felt in the transgender community. This clip was taken from a 1993 talk show where I'd been a guest in another broadcast that year, and it ends with her singing a song that ironically fits this sad occasion.

For more information please visit Jahna's website at: http://www.thejahnasteele.com

ChristineOutspoken

Trans-cending time

By Renee Baker, Contributing Writer

Jun 18, 2009


Tracing the modern transgender rights movement from its beginnings in the dress code reform of the 1800s up through Stonewall to today, when Texas A&M has honored trans advocate Phyllis Frye.

The transgender movement since the Stonewall Riots, especially in the last 30 years, has gained an almost surprising strength and a proud sense of validation. Its rich history is closely tied to both gay and feminist liberation movements, which seek various forms of gender freedom.

Those desired freedoms have come in many forms such as in regard to the right of equal opportunity employment and the right to control and change one’s own body.
Feminists in the U.S. started initially fighting for gender freedom and equality for women in the mid-1800s, when city populations began to accumulate and gatherings could take place. Dress code reform was an important part of this first wave of feminism, and Amelia Bloomer argued that the long skirts and heavy undergarments of the day were a hindrance and form of bondage.

This firestorm of dress rebellion set off an anti-feminist backlash leading to the passage of laws throughout the country prohibiting the wearing of clothing of the opposite sex. The clear goal of these laws — one of which was passed in Dallas in 1880 — was to maintain distinct categories of men and women. Cross-dressing would not be tolerated. . . .Read More

Can I Find Love If I'm Transgendered?

by Xan

Spring 2009

If you're a woman in your mid-thirties, the dating scene is challenging enough. You're conscious of feeling older, wrinkles become a reality, and you feel like your stock value as a potential wife has started to head south faster than the housing market. So in the past year, I decided it was high time I met a fabulous man.

In my good moments, I feel quite fabulous myself. I feel like an attractive, successful and snarky strawberry-blond who cooks like a dream and has a joie de vivre unlike most. I was open to meeting all sorts of men. I assumed I'd eventually find a like-minded guy who would appreciate me for me. . . .Read More

Commentary: Transgender people are everywhere

June 16, 2009

by Donna Rose

Special to CNN

(CNN) -- It was only a matter of time. The real-life drama of being transsexual has come to Hollywood. Chastity Bono, the impossibly cute little blond girl who, for many of my generation, remains frozen in time as the sweet, chubby-faced cherub closing many a Sonny and Cher show in the arms of her doting parents, recently announced that he is transsexual and will be transitioning from female to male. He will go by the name of Chaz.

As shocking as this news may be to some, it is yet another reminder that all is not necessarily as it appears and that each of us is more complicated than simply the skin and bones of our bodies. Rather, it is our heart and spirit that defines us. . . .Read More

Sex Change Explained

Warning: Graphic content. Dr. Jon LaPook speaks to an expert on transgender issues about what it means to undergo a sex change.

CBSNewsOnline

Alexis Arquette: A Proud Transgender Female's Advice to Chaz Bono

June 18, 2009

by etonline.com

I hope that Chaz can understand that he is not alone and he's never been alone and anyone like him will never be alone," Alexis Arquette offers words of support for Chaz Bono. "It's an important time in his life; a lot of people don't understand that it is very difficult to come out as transgender."

Vivacious and blonde and decked in teal, the actress who has appeared in film and TV projects such as 'The Wedding Singer,' "Californication," "Friends" and 'Last Exit To Brooklyn' -- and is a member of the famous Arquette family -- is energetic, prepared and ready to talk when she walks into the Entertainment Tonight offices to sit down with Thea Andrews. She knows about the public scrutiny Chaz is facing, she has lived it.

Her transition from male to female was the subject of the 2007 documentary, 'Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother.' Her family includes actresses Rosanna and Patricia, actors Richmond and David and sister-in-law Courteney Cox Arquette. In many ways, Alexis believes that their Hollywood backgrounds have made it less difficult for her and Chaz. . . .Read More

China to introduce new health rules on sex change surgery

June 18, 2009

CLIFFORD COONAN in Beijing

CHINA IS introducing its first medical guidelines on sex change surgery that require candidates for surgery to be single, to have no criminal record and an agreement from police to change their sex on their identification cards once the procedure is complete.

There are an estimated 1,000 transsexuals in China, but there are believed to be many hundreds of thousands who would go for a gender reassignment operation to have their sex changed but are unaware of the regulations.

Candidates also must show they have lived publicly as the other gender for more than two years, demonstrated “unwavering desire to change” for at least five years and spent one year in psychotherapy, according to the ministry of health website. They must be over 20 years of age. They also have to have told their family about their wishes. . . .Read More

David Carradine's Friend: He Was Killed by Transsexual Prostitutes

June 17, 2009

by Bridget Daly


Shocking new claims in the death of David Carradine. His producer friend David Winters believes Carradine was murdered by transsexual hookers.

He tells Globe magazine, "David Carradine was murdered... I strongly believe Lady Boys are responsible. Lady Boys operate in pairs. David would not have stood a chance. They can be very brutal.”

"I want to see those tapes. My suspicion is they've already been doctored.”

Pretty unbelievable claims! In addition, a retired FBI agent is working with the Globe to try and uncover more information. His name is Ted Gunderson, and he agrees with Winters’ claims. . . .Read More

Girls Don't Cry

An HBO documentary explores the growing number of transsexuals in Iran

By Ann Lewinson

June 16, 2009

Be Like Others
Premieres June 24 on HBO

Much of the best science fiction posits a society operating under a set of rules that cast our own society's unexamined assumptions in relief. Let's just say, for example, that homosexuality was a crime, punishable by death. And what if, in this same society, transsexuality were merely seen as an illness, curable with an operation partially funded by the state? But this is no Ursula Le Guin novel — this is Iran, which is second only to Thailand in the number of sex-change operations performed each year. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may claim that there are no homosexuals in Iran, but estimates of transsexuals run as high as 150,000. What happens when gender is mutable but sexual orientation is not? When science produces a medical solution for what religion prohibits? Tanaz Eshaghian, an Iranian-American filmmaker, set out to find out in Be Like Others, which premieres on HBO on June 24. . . .Read More