Dr. Phil: Gender Confused Kids - Part 1/4

"Dr. Phil tackles the sensitive topic of children who identify more with the opposite sex. What do you do if your son wants to wear dresses and play with dolls? Or if your daughter tells you she wants to be a boy?

Melissa and Tim's son declared himself to be a girl when he was just 3 years old. Now he's 8, and they allow him to live life as a female. They want to know when and if they should start hormone therapy?" therazorsedge28

Tyra to Transform Transgender 'Top Model'

Banks Sets Up Transgender Contestant's Sex Reassignment Surgery

By SHEILA MARIKAR

Nov. 18, 2008


After making her a reality TV star, Trya Banks is making her a woman -- a real woman.

Banks announced Monday she found a doctor to pay for Isis King, the first transgender contestant on "America's Next Top Model," to undergo sex reassignment surgery. King, 22, was born male and went from a homeless shelter to cycle 11 of Banks' reality competition show after producers discovered her at a photo shoot. Now she's eager to be known for more than her gender.

"I look at it like, 'Yes, I'm the first transgender contestant, but OK, lets move past it now," King tells Banks in today's episode of "The Tyra Banks Show." "I try not to think about [being transgendered] because ... I feel like I really was born in the wrong body, and it's just the one thing that makes me feel uncomfortable.". . .Read More

The mayor-elect's new clothes: Silverton, Oregon, elects a transgender leader

After a major makeover, including breast surgery, the longtime public servant is still just Stu Rasmussen to residents of this small Willamette Valley town.

By Kim Murphy
November 20, 2008

Reporting from Silverton, Ore. -- Stu Rasmussen promised a new administration if he was elected, and he's as good as his word: Silverton residents not only are getting a new mayor; they're also getting a new Stu.

Rasmussen, longtime manager of the local cinema, was also elected mayor in 1988 and 1990, and served four years -- but that was when he was wearing slacks and sport shirts to council meetings. The new Rasmussen -- who got breast implants a few years ago and began calling himself Carla Fong -- wears skirts, lipstick and high heels.

The thing is, Rasmussen's been a fixture in this small former lumber mill town so long, people tend not to pay much attention to what he's wearing.

Earlier this month, Rasmussen became America's first openly transgender mayor. His constituents say they elected him not for his looks, but because he promised to put a halt to the rapid development that has threatened Silverton's small-town charm. . . .Read More

BECOMING, PART 3 Transgender Discrimination

Darren Perron - WCAX News

Barton, Vermont - November 14, 2008

"I try to be cautious so not to put myself in a situation that is going to be dangerous or draw attention to myself," Michele Todd explains.

Michele wants to blend in with the crowd-- go unnoticed-- to avoid violence. She's transgender and always on alert.

"I'm not an evil person. But a lot of people would look at it that way," she explains.

So many trans people live in the shadows, hiding from a world that sees them as freaks.

"I have not met one trans person who didn't have that fear in the back of their minds at all times," psychologist Nancy Judd says.

Last year, 11 trans people in Vermont reported cases of hate or violence to Safe Space in Burlington, an organization providing services to victims. Officials say that number is highly underreported due to fear of retaliation and coming out. . . .Read More