Saturday, June 30, 2007
How should transgender be defined?
Lesbian riled by boot from ladies room
Saturday, June 30th 2007, 4:00 AM
Khadijah Farmer was mistaken for a man in the ladies' room at Caliente Cab Co. and shoved out by a bouncer.
A masculine lesbian was kicked out of a Greenwich Village restaurant after a bouncer - who believed she was a man - saw her in the ladies' bathroom, the woman charged yesterday.
Khadijah Farmer said she felt humiliated by her experience at Caliente Cab Co. on Seventh Ave., which took place last Sunday shortly after the city's gay pride march.
"I felt violated ... to say the least," said Farmer, 27. "I really thought that especially in New York City, especially in the heart of the Village, things like this had stopped happening."
Farmer said she went into the popular Mexican restaurant with her girlfriend and another pal about 10:20 p.m.
The trio ate shrimp and nachos before Farmer, who is 5-feet-5 and has short hair, excused herself to go to the rest room.
Just as she was about to enter the bathroom, a woman walked out, flashed her a nasty look and said, "This is the women's bathroom," according to Farmer, who is an HIV counselor.
"I replied, 'I know that. Thank you. This is where I'm supposed to be,'" Farmer said, noting that she was wearing a yellow polo shirt, blue jeans and sneakers. . . .
Friday, June 29, 2007
POV, Critique, Opinion
Bet you never thought you'd hear anyone be encouraged for saying that, huh?
A video on CNN proves that, for moonbattery, no low is too low.
Paula Zahn interviews a "transgendered" boy and his family. All right, fair enough. Transgenders can make that decision for themselves and their family should love and accept them for it, right?
Except, in this case, the boy is seven. Let's start with his parents. They have five boys, and then have a sixth Paula refers to as "George". And his parents started dressing and referring to him as a girl at around the age of two when they "realized" that he liked pink, pretty, and feminine things -- which clearly was a sign from their eighteen-month-old that he wanted to be a girl, not a boy. And the mother gushes about how she "let" her four-year-old boy dress up in a pink gown, there was sheer joy in "her" face and how "she" came out of "her" shell.
More evidence that "George" supposedly wanted to be a girl was that he wanted to go to the bathroom in public with Mommy instead of Daddy -- because, you know, little boys never use public bathrooms with their moms. That's a rare sight, right there. They say "George" became depressed and angry, and attempted to cut off his penis with scissors. And the mother states, very seriously, that if she didn't "let" her son become a girl, he/she would take his/her own life... "whether it be tomorrow, or the next week, or the next month". . . .
Transpeople Who Need People
A few hours after this week’s Scene hit newsstands, I received a letter from the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition (posted in its entirety after the jump) regarding our cover story. The story is about El Dos de Oros, a South Nashville bar that caters to immigrant laborers and attracts women and transvestites who are paid for their companionship. The letter takes us to task for the use of the term "transvestite," saying that the word “is a perjorative [sic] term and is considered insulting.”
They preferred that we use the term “cross dresser.” At least one gender studies expert says that either term could apply to men who dress as women (or vice versa) and that the label "transvestite" is not an insult, per se.
The second part of the letter finds fault with the use of the pronouns “he” and “him” when we refer to Gracia and Ashley. “The Transwomen described in the article should have been referred to as "She" in every single instance,” says the TTPC, even though the “transpersons” in question referred to each other with male pronouns and often used the masculine forms of Spanish words when talking about themselves and their friends.
It seems that this is an unsettled matter even among those who are experts in the field. We’d like to open the floor to you folks, and if there are any cross dresser/transvestite/transpeople out there, we’d especially like to hear your opinions.
What follows is the email (titled "Incorrect Use of Gender Terminology") that I recieved from the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition:
It was with interest that I read the story in the June 28 issue about El Dos de Oros. It was with great dismay that I saw the totally incorrect use of terminology regarding the transgender customers of the club. . . .
New Zealand: Opinion Story, Joy Liddicoat: Transgenders make plea for acceptance
How Noel became Noeleena, the story of the 60-year-old married builder who had gender reassignment surgery, is at heart about how important it is to assert our true identity.
Noel had always known he was different, a girl born in a boy's body. But as a child it would not have been wise to go public.
As Noeleena said this week: "Back then in 1958 I would have been thrown in Lake Alice if I said anything, and I knew no one would know what I was talking about."
By all accounts, when Noeleena returned home to Waimate nobody batted an eyelid and she has taken another step in her new life, happy at last to be acknowledged as a woman.
However, it is worth noting that though many will applaud Noeleena's forthrightness and support her decision, there are many in the transgender community who change their name and live as a woman (or a man) without surgery.
Gender reassignment surgery is a serious and expensive step to take. Many transgender people, whether those in transition from male to female like Noeleena, or female to male, either cannot have surgery for financial or health reasons, or don't see surgery as the path they need to take. . . .
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Step by step, researcher looks for sexuality clues
• Consistencies in characteristics show orientation is inborn, expert says
• Similar research focuses on speech, hair-growth patterns
• Critics see no gay genetics, point to lack of inherited orientation
CNN
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Can you tell whether someone's gay just by the way he or she walks?
David Sylva wants to know. He straps bright red lights to people's bodies and videotapes them walking in the dark. He then shows the videotape to observers (who won't be biased by clothing or hairstyles since the walker is in the dark) and asks them to guess the walker's sexual orientation.
(Click here for access to videos to see whether you can tell if the walker is gay or straight.)
Sylva's observations focus on the physical characteristics of the individual's stride, such as the closeness of the knees.
Why does Sylva, a graduate student at Northwestern University, care so much about how gay people walk? Because he's one of a growing number of researchers who think sexual orientation may be as basic as how you walk, something inborn that you don't choose.
His premise reflects a growing belief among Americans, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll. (Poll majority: Gays' orientation can't change ) For the first time a majority of respondents -- about 56 percent -- said they don't believe a person can change his or her sexual orientation. In a similar poll in 2001, 45 percent said orientation couldn't change. In 1998, 36 percent held that belief. The sampling error for Wednesday's results is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
A growing number of psychologists and geneticists are working on the "nature versus nurture" question -- a question that's set off a highly charged political debate about whether people choose to be gay, or whether gayness is determined by their DNA.
Take Richard Lippa, a professor of psychology at California State University at Fullerton. His studies show that gay people are twice as likely to be left-handed. He also collects photos of hair whorls -- those circular swirls you see atop a man's head. He says about 10 percent of the general population have whorls that rotate counter-clockwise, but about 20 percent of gay men have counter-clockwise whorls.
Lippa acknowledges that studying hair patterns sounds strange. "It sounds a little like the 'Twilight Zone' or voodoo science," he says. But to Lippa, a link between sexual orientation and something that's clearly inborn (like handedness or the way hair grows) speaks volumes. His theory: You can't choose your whorl, and you can't choose your sexuality, either.
"You're born with either a clockwise or a counter-clockwise hair whorl. It's fixed, it's biologically determined. No one's going to argue that your hair whorl is influenced by learning or culture," he says.
Lippa says his next step is see whether there are specific genes that control sexual orientation. . . .
Trans Spokesman No Good ‘ol Boy
Published: June 28, 2007
 |
Controversy erupted in San Francisco recently, when Frameline’s LGBT Film Festival pulled Gendercator, a short film by lesbian filmmaker Catherine Crouch, which trans activists accused of being transphobic. In response, a number of lesbians protested Frameline’s actions, anti-censorship folk expressed concern and both sides called for dialogue.
Jamison Green doesn’t know if discussion is the answer. The world’s most renowned trans man, Green says that he’s strongly against censorship and he agrees that dialogue—between lesbian and trans communities—is important. But, he argues, “People come [to those discussions] with a huge amount of emotional baggage and investment in the outcome. I don’t see being able to actually have a meaningful theoretical discussion in that environment. I think we’re not at the place where we can go there—not until we actually have some ground rules.”
At the forefront of FTM activism since he transitioned in 1989, Jamison Green has served on the board of a half dozen trans organizations including FTM International (ftmi.org) and Gender Education and Advocacy (gender.org), and has received numerous awards for his activism.
Becoming A Visible Man, Green’s 2004 award-winning memoir has been utilized in universities and colleges programs. He writes a column for PlanetOut.com, lectures at colleges, is a keynote speaker at this year’s London Gay Pride and regularly helps trans people resolve “problems that professionals in the various fields don’t want to address.”
At home with his wife Heidi (who Green calls “a big ol’ lesbian activist and bisexual activist”) in a quiet San Francisco suburb, Green grapples with an issue he sees impacting the broader trans community. “I think one of the most important things that we as a community have to struggle with is balancing people’s need for connection with others who share their experience against people’s need to just live their lives. That has been tricky…especially [for] many of us who come from queer space.”
Although Green is committed to maintaining his ties with queer culture, he insists that not all trans folk need do so. “It should be ok to just live your life without having to be a martyr. Being out as trans is not always an option. And what people choose to tell other people about their lives is their own business. Nobody should have to feel compelled to be out.”
Thrilled about what’s defined as genderqueer, Green says “That’s how I felt in my late teens and early twenties. I didn’t think I was exactly female before and, although I look and am comfortable being perceived as very male, I know I’m not exactly male now.”
Still, Green acknowledges, “For all intensive purposes, I pass. On one hand, it makes me a very good spokesperson; on the other hand, it makes a lot of people angry, which is funny, because I can’t help the way I look. I’m either treated like I’m a good ‘ol boy or I’m not a real man, according to gay male standards.” . . .
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Bias In Workplace Report
Published: June 28, 2007
The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy is a think tank dedicated to the field of sexual orientation law and public policy.
Over the last ten years, many researchers have conducted studies to find out whether LGBT people face sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace. These studies include surveys of LGBT individuals’ workplace experiences; wage comparisons between LGB and heterosexual persons; analyses of discrimination complaints filed with administrative agencies; and testing studies and controlled experiments. The report summarizes findings from these studies.
When surveyed, 16% to 68% of LGBT people report experiencing employment discrimination. Studies conducted from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s revealed that 16% to 68% of LGB respondents reported experiencing employment discrimination at some point in their lives. Since the mid-1990s, an additional fifteen studies found that 15% to 43% of LGB respondents experienced discrimination in the workplace. When asked more specific questions about the type of discrimination experienced, LGB respondents reported the following experiences that were related to their sexual orientation: 8%-17% were fired or denied employment; 10%-28% were denied a promotion or given negative performance evaluations; 7%-41% were verbally/physically abused or had their workplace vandalized; and 10%-19% reported receiving unequal pay or benefits.
Fifteen to 57% of transgender people also report experiencing employment discrimination. When transgender individuals were surveyed separately, they reported similar or higher levels of employment discrimination. In six studies conducted between 1996 and 2006, 20% to 57% of transgender respondents reported having experienced employment discrimination at some point in their life. More specifically, 13%-56% were fired; 13%-47% were denied employment; 22%-31% were harassed; and 19% were denied a promotion based on their gender identity.
When surveyed, many heterosexual co-workers report witnessing sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace. A small number of researchers have also asked heterosexuals whether they have witnessed discrimination against their LGB peers. These studies revealed that 12% to 30% of respondents in certain occupations, such as the legal profession, have witnessed antigay discrimination in employment. In states that currently prohibit sexual orientation discrimination, LGB people file complaints of employment discrimination at similar rates to women and racial minorities. Individual complaints of discrimination filed with government agencies provide another measure of perceived discrimination. The General Accounting Office (or “GAO”, now known as the Government Accountability Office) collected the number of complaints filed in states that outlaw sexual orientation discrimination and found that one percent of all discrimination complaints related to sexual orientation. However, comparisons of data from ten states show that the rate of sexual orientation discrimination complaints per GLB person is 3 per 10,000, which is roughly equivalent to gender-based complaints. . . .
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Trans Rocker’s A Little Bit Country
| |
 | |
Images for this article: (click on the thumbnail to see fullsize) | |
| |
| “If Keith Richards was a tranny that got together with Merle Haggard, I’d be their love child,” declares trans rock ingénue Shawna Virago. “Only a lot better-looking.” Dubbed “the sex symbol laureate” of trans rock, Virago is far more than a pretty face. The singer-songwriter is also an activist, writer, filmmaker and actress. As a filmmaker, Virago’s black-and-white shorts include Hustle, Shut Up, Josephine! and Almost Human. Now working on her fourth film, Virago says, “I have a very DIY aesthetic and—just like my songwriting—I prioritize content above all else.” Having starred in several underground movies, Virago is adamant: “Hollywood could never portray a trans woman like myself, or like most of the trans people I know—hence, the importance of festivals like Tranny Fest.” Every November, the Transgender/Transgenre Film Festival, or Tranny Fest ( www.trannyfest.com ) , offers screenings, performances and visual arts by and for transgender and genderqueer people. When founders Al Austin and Christopher Lee retired recently from the world’s first transgender film festival, Virago took over. She says this year’s Tranny Fest will be smart, sexy, and naughty, “just like it always is.” As an activist, Virago served on San Francisco’s Transgender Human Rights Task Force, co-chaired the Transgender Political Caucus and co-founded TransAction, an organization that aims to expose and end police violence against the transgender community. And, she was the first trans woman to serve on the board of San Francisco Woman Against Rape. “Trans women also deal with misogyny and sexism … and all the other fucked-up shit women have to face. Over the years, I’ve heard lamenting by queer women about trans men ‘leaving’ the community, which I can understand. But I’d also like to see women celebrating the inclusion of trans women into the community.” . . . |
CNN Plans Day-Long Coverage of GLBT Issues Wednesday
Colo.--the "Sex-Change Capital of the World"--for Paula Zahn Now.
Guitierrez interviews Dr. Marci Bowers, who every week performs about
five vaginoplasties, an operation to transform men into women. Nine
years ago, Bowers was a man herself, and she provides first-person
insights into the physical and emotional journey that her patients
experience. . . .
On prenatal tests: “We can sympathize with the unborn child”
Pro-life movement finds support from an unlikely quarter
[[ProLifeGays.jpg]]This is because Steve represents a group that the Left never expected to find on the anti-abortion side: the Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians.
Like most pro-lifers, Cook is convinced that any abortion of any unborn child is murder. But he has another reason to be uneasy with the ideology of "choice". “If prenatal tests could detect a tendency toward homosexuality in the unborn, some mothers would abort their babies because they did not ‘choose’ to have a gay son or daughter,” he explains.
Asks Cook, "Would gay abortion advocates say, ‘OK, it's your choice: go ahead and wipe us out?’
"I was on a medical ethics committee connected to an Episcopal Church," recalled Cook in a phone interview with California Catholic Daily, "and I was amazed at people who said that infants are ‘not necessarily' human beings. I said, 'They're different from you, and maybe you don't want them, but that doesn't make them less human.'
“Yet the gay and lesbian community itself is divided,” said Cook. “Not all gays are against aborting ‘gay’ babies. In the UK in the 1980s [famous British cross-dresser and gay activist] Quentin Crisp told me he’d had a life of rejection and wished he had been aborted.” . . .
What does the hammer throw look like?
Here Russian Tatyana Lysenko, the current world record holder (78.61 meters or 257.91 feet), shows how to throw the hammer.
Keelin Godsey: Transgender All-American, discus and hammer throw
| A transgendered track and field star at Bates College is determined to earn a spot on the U.S. national team and compete in the 2008 Olympics. | ||||||
 | ||||||
| ||||||
Review: "Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother"
"People tend to think that everyone's open about every subject and everyone's willing to talk about anything," says Alexis Arquette with a huff at the end of her supposedly revealing self-documentary. "I'm done with the fascination. I'm really just happy to be me at this point."
That odd comment comes as an unwelcome conclusion to a two-hour portrait of a sex-change candidate that ends without revealing whether the subject has actually had gender-reassignment surgery.
"People just have to have a big question mark as to whether I have a vagina or a penis," Arquette declares. "It's nobody's concern but mine."
Well, then, can we have our money back?
Arquette wants to have her breasts and penis, too. As an Us Magazine editor points out in "Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother," the celebrity and her family have benefited mightily from the public's fascination with them. If it weren't for celebrity-obsessed publications like Us, the editor points out, "They'd be working at salt mines now, or something." Yet the actor who basked in the psychedelic spotlight of "The Surreal Life" reality show is now reprimanding viewers of her documentary for wanting to know how her story ends. "People should not be asking me those kind of questions," Arquette scolds. "It's inappropriate." . . .
