Sunday, July 13, 2008

Bad Questions to Ask a Transsexual: The Director's Cut



http://www.calpernia.com/diary
After years of teeth-grindingly ignorant and insulting questions, Calpernia Addams finally snaps and shares her list of Bad Questions which you should never ask a transsexual. These are all real questions from real life!

Director's Cut: I edited this so that it gets to the point more quickly, cuts out some extraneous chatter and repeated information, and illustrates the "Do you date gay or straight guys?" question more simply with graphics. =)

Chuck Colson’s “Sick” Commentary Regarding TransYouth — And The Doctors Who Treat Them

July 10th, 2008 by Autumn Sandeen

I really get tired of going over the same crap over and over again regarding gender. The mental hebetude of conservative Christians discussing transsexual youth and adults is beyond incredible. These dullards have no personal qualifications that indicate expertise in gender issues, and even in their supposed area of expertise — Biblical scriptures — they cherry pick scriptures on sex and gender to make points on gender when other scriptures counter the evangelical message.

Charles W. ColsonChuck Colson, in a Breakpoint article entitled It’s a Sick, Sick World takes another stab at transgender people and issues — some of his previous stabs include here, here, here, and Coming to a School Near You. In It’s a Sick, Sick World, he gets around to attacking Dr. Norman Spack, who treats transyouth with puberty delaying medications — in large part to keep these not-gender-confused children from committing suicide.

So here’s what the former Watergate conspirator and hebetudinous writer said in his most recent piece about Dr. Spack and transyouth (links added for reference; emphasis added):

He has been called “demonic,” “barbaric,” and has been compared to Nazi doctors. And when you read about his work, it is easy to see why Americans are so outraged. Dr. Norman Spack is a pediatric endocrinologist at Boston Children’s Hospital. Not long ago, he opened a clinic for what he terms “transgendered” children. Incredibly, he is giving kids as young as seven drugs that delay the onset of puberty–the first step in sex-change surgery when they are older.

…When these kids hit their teen years, they are given the option of taking cross-hormones for a few years—which will allow them to develop the characteristics of the opposite sex. Tragically, the treatment will condemn these teenagers to lifelong infertility.

…So why are doctors like Spack altering young bodies instead of treating confused minds?

The answer is that many doctors have embraced the modern teaching that sexual identity, rather than being biologically determined, is a preference or a choice. According to this, people should be allowed to choose whatever sex they want to be. . . .Read More

ANDROGYNY

Boy meets girl

Menswear designers blur gender lines with androgynous looks that revive the persona of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust

Jul 11, 2008



star styist

Gold jeans pimped out with large, colourful crystals, lacy shorts, flouncy silhouettes and miles of shocking pink. Are these the trends that emerged recently during women's couture week?

No.

They are the boy-meets-girl trends that marched down the runways of the spring/summer 2009 menswear shows in Milan and Paris.

The recurring theme raises the question: Are men the new women?

Well, at least when it comes to the fabrics they are.

This new take on androgyny brings such traditionally feminine fabrics as silk, tulle, organza, lace and crepe de Chine and embellishments like sequins, beading and embroidery to menswear.

This was not a drag show or a cross-dressing spectacle, however. Designer Jean Paul Gaultier did that years ago when he put men in skirts and corsets.

This crossover is executed in a remarkably masculine way.

Take the high top sneakers at Lanvin, for example – very modern and urban, but now sexually ambiguous when blinged out with shiny beads.

As for those glittering gold jeans with the jewels at Dior Homme, haven't we seen that look before? During the glam rock era, perhaps on David Bowie? . . .Read More

"Little Britain" takes satire to U.S

By Alex Dobuzinskis, LOS ANGELES (Reuters)

12/07/2008


Hit BBC television show "Little Britain" is taking its outrageous satirical humour to U.S. premium cable channel HBO in September, drawing on stars such as David Schwimmer and Rosie O'Donnell to lure U.S. audiences.

The show, a cultural phenomenon in Britain, is the latest comedy import to the U.S. after programs like "The Office," which airs on the NBC network, have made their mark in the U.S.

Creators Matt Lucas, 34, and David Walliams, 36, told reporters and TV critics gathered in Los Angeles for an early look at the show that they know how far to push their riskier jokes and trade-mark mockery of the disabled, poor, gay and fat people.

In one scene in "Little Britain USA," which premieres in the U.S. on September 28, Lucas appears in drag as the leader of a weight-loss group. O'Donnell -- the gay U.S. actress and talk show host -- drops in for a visit, playing herself. . . .Read More

The Pyrrhic Victory of OHIP-funded Sex Reassignment Surgery

An open letter to George Smitherman and David Caplan

by Nikki S., Transgender Columnist

14 July 2008


CAMH Gender Identity Clinic

CAMH Gender Identity Clinic.

Like many others in the trans community, I was pleased to hear that the Liberal government had taken the bold step of re-listing Sex Reassignment Surgery (also known as SRS, GRS, or simply, “the operation”) under the list of OHIP-provided services. When it was removed in 1998, it caused a great deal of hardship to many people.

There’s no question that, for some, SRS is a medical necessity. For those with severe gender dysphoria, SRS is the only cure. No amount of psychotherapy or hormone treatment will alleviate the pain of being disgusted with a major aspect of one’s own body. For those who suffer the most, surgery is the only option, and without access to quality services and medical care, some people choose to undergo this procedure however possible – often with devastating consequences and horrifying results. . . .Read More