New Edition of ’Manual of Disorders’ Inspires Gender Identity Controversy

by Kilian Melloy
EDGE Contributor
Thursday Dec 18, 2008

The current edition of the DSM calls transgenderism a "disorder."

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is the go-to book on psychiatric problems. It’s an indispensable resource for the mental health profession, and, for patients, insurance carriers, and the pharmaceuticals industry, the tome--popularly referred to as the DSM, now slated for a fifth edition, to be published several years from now--has a huge impact on who receives what sort of care, and who pays for it.

But there are social implications to the book as well, and what the new edition has to say about transgendered persons is already a source of contention.

In a Dec. 17 article, The New York Times reported that an array of syndromes and afflictions may or may not be officially included in the book, which serves as a registry for what is considered to be a "disorder" meriting insurance coverage. Pharmaceuticals companies have been known to push for recognition of different afflictions as official disorders so that insurance companies will pay for medication; meantime, the individuals living with those afflictions may be affected financially and socially by the question of whether what ails them is officially recognized in the Manual as a disorder. . . .Read More

On O'Reilly Factor, Miller ridiculed transgender man, child he gave birth to

—A.J.W.

December 18, 2008

Summary: On The O'Reilly Factor, Dennis Miller ridiculed Thomas Beatie, a transgender man who recently gave birth to a child, calling him a "nympho satyr" and saying: "[A]ll I know is the guy's more pregnant than the old woman in the shoe is. And somebody has got to get some protection for this guy, be it a condom or an IUD or a satellite dish or a catcher's mitt. I don't even know what he needs down there, but I need an equipment check on aisle five." Referring to the baby, Miller had video of the polar bear cub at the Berlin zoo aired. . . .Read More

Dude Starr Interview on BENDER TV Melbourne

"This is the Version of the interview which went to air on Bent TV did with me over the Midsumma tour. Filmed @ Revolver Feb 8th 2007."

DreadfulCircusFreak

Kate Bornstein Weighs In on Last Night's Trannytastic Terminator

by Charlie Jane Anders

December 16, 2008


Terminator universe. We asked transgender activist and author Kate Bornstein for her opinion of the episode.

For those of you who don't know her, Kate Bornstein is the author of two books on gender issues, Gender Outlaw and My Gender Workbook. Plus two other books, Nearly Roadkill: An Infobahn Erotic Adventure and Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws. She's also a playwright and performance artist.

I already wrote about my thoughts on last night's episode here. Among a whole host of UFO freaks, the episode introduced us to Eileen (aka "Abraham"), a blogger about UFO conspiracy stuff who has worked with a mysteriously advanced metal. At my urging, Kate watched the episode, and she was pretty thrilled with it. . . .Read More

Transsexual sues over discrimination

December 11, 2008

by ANDREW WOLFE Staff Writer


CONCORD – A Milford woman charges that PC Connection refused to hire her for a sales job after learning that she'd applied to the company as a man seven years earlier.

Brianna Cook filed the suit against PC Connection, of Merrimack, on Dec. 1 in U.S. District Court in Concord. The company has yet to respond.

Cook is a post-operative transsexual with experience in marketing communications and sales, both as a man and as a woman, her suit states.

She claims PC Connection officials implied that her hiring was assured, and that a company recruiter later told her she was eventually rejected because she hadn't disclosed that she had previously applied to the company as a man.

Cook and her lawyer, Mary Notaris, of Salem, accuse the company of gender discrimination in violation of state and federal law and seek punitive damages, as well as compensation for lost wages and mental anguish. . . .Read More

Internet: Nearly Half of Women Surveyed Choose Internet Over Sex

by Kristy Erdodi - December 16, 2008


Close to half of women surveyed said that they would choose to abandon sex for two weeks rather than give up their Internet access.

Almost half of women questioned by Harris Interactive said that they would choose to abandon sex for two weeks, over sacrificing their internet access, according to a study released Monday by Intel, which delegated the survey.

The survey results, comprised of 2,119 adult respondents surveyed last month in the U.S., make up part of Intel's broader commissioned study on Americans' reliance on the internet in today's economy.

Although nearly 46 percent of women respondents showed their willingness to give up sex life over Web access, only 30 percent of men surveyed would do the same. . . .Read More

Buddhism: Your Daily Meditation

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.- Buddha

The Great Transsexual Divide

"Seriously, everyone... The old saying "United we stand, divided we fall" is true..."

winterwinwin

TRANSGENDER RESPONSIBILITY

by Brianna Austin

December 16, 2008


November 20, 2008 was the 10th anniversary of Transgender Remembrance day; a time for us to look back and reflect on those who met with untimely deaths at the hands of intolerance, bigotry, and hatred. Yet it is also a time to recognize and appreciate the work of so many attempting to bring about change for the better. During this moment of Remembrance we should also take time for self reflection to better understand the world around us so that we can better protect ourselves from becoming one of the unfortunate victims of hate.

So, what role, if any, do victims play in their own demise, and how did we get to where we are?

Since I first began cross-dressing as a child in the 1960s up through when I finally came out in 2000 I have personally witnessed amazing changes and evolution inside and outside the transgender community; in how we relate to each other and the world around us, and the world relates to us.

At the turn of the 20th Century Magnus Hirschfeld coined the term transvestism (from Latin trans-, "across, over" and vestitus, "dressed") to refer to the sexual interest in cross-dressing.

By the mid-20th Century Harry Benjamin coined the term transsexual and recognized that not all cross-dressing was related to sexual desire; propelling the belief that transsexuals were simply born in the wrong body

. . .Read More

Gay-Straight Alliance hopes to educate teens

Group at Washington high school formed to support one another at tough age

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By STEVE STEIN

of the Journal Star

Dec 14, 2008

WASHINGTON — High school can be a tumultuous time for a student.

Nobody knows that better than Patrick Coughlin, who has been a high school guidance counselor for more than 20 years, including 16 at Washington Community High School.

"High school is when many of us form our self-image," Coughlin said. "I'll bet most adults remember how they felt about themselves during high school."

High school can be particularly stressful for a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transsexual student. In an effort to support those students at Washington, a Gay-Straight Alliance has been formed at the school, with Coughlin as its advisor.

Sixty-four students - some gay or lesbian, some straight - signed up to join the alliance, and a proposed constitution has been written. Coughlin discussed the alliance at this month's District 308 School Board meeting, and approval of the alliance's constitution is expected to be on the board's January agenda.

According to the constitution, the alliance's purpose is "to encourage acceptance and tolerance within the diverse population of our school, promote pride in our community, create a safe environment for all (Washington students), and educate the school community." . . .Read More

“I Like That About Me.”

Year in Review: 2008

By Robin Berghaus and Vicky Waltz

Through December 24, BU Today is looking back at the most popular stories of the year. We’ll be back with new stories for the new year on Monday, January 5. Happy holidays!

Most children dream of possessing the magical ability to fly, to be invisible, or to talk to animals.

But as a young boy growing up in Jefferson City, Mo., Emeri Burks wished only to be a girl. “I prayed every day for the body that would fix things, that would make everything right,” recalls Burks (CAS’08). “More than anything, I wanted to be anatomically and biologically female.” . . .Read More

TSG16: Taking Action, Making Change

"The TG community exists beyond just the internet. Get out there, get involved in real issues. Don't just talk about issues. Make real change.

We show a hearing on LGBT prison issues from this last week (how timely for this question) and discuss awkward teen moments."

TrannystarGalactica

Gender-identity protection on City Council's agenda

Anti-discrimination proposal would add transgender people

Sunday, December 14, 2008

By Robert Vitale

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Transgender residents of Columbus -- men who consider themselves women, and women who consider themselves men -- would gain legal protection under legislation going before the City Council on Monday night.

The Columbus Community Relations Commission has recommended that the city add gender identity to the list of categories in local anti-discrimination ordinances. The move would put Columbus another step beyond Ohio law and on par with dozens of other big cities and college towns.

"We don't want discrimination in the city of Columbus for anyone," said Councilwoman Priscilla Tyson, a sponsor of the legislation.

Mayor Michael B. Coleman and a majority of council members back the idea.

Ordinances barring discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations already protect Columbus residents based on their race, sex, religion, ancestry, national origin and sexual orientation.

The legislation on Monday night's council agenda also would add age (for those 40 or older), disability, family status and military status as protected classes, although state or U.S. laws already cover each of those.

Columbus has protected gays in its civil-rights ordinances for about 20 years. Backers of the new legislation say the term sexual orientation once was thought to include people who live or dress as the opposite gender. . . .Read More

S. Idaho transgender woman fights use of male name

by JESSIE L. BONNER | Associated Press Writer • December 13, 2008


PAYETTE, Idaho – For nearly a year, Catherine Carlson refused to pay the fine for driving with a suspended license because it was issued to both her and the man she used to be.

She went to jail four times over the ticket that includes both her legal name and the one she was born with, Daniel Carlson. She had surgery 28 years ago to become a woman, the gender she believes should have been assigned her at birth.

Carlson legally changed her name in the 1970s, but police and court records include both in this rural farming and ranching community east of the Snake River in southwestern Idaho.

"The ticket was the last straw," Carlson said.

Her fight against local authorities brought up questions Payette County had never answered before: where to house a transgender person in a jail with separate cells for men and women, which courthouse bathroom should she use, should the former male name be stricken from county records.

"This is a very conservative old-fashioned community, that's just the way it is. This is rural, small town Idaho. This is new to us," said Payette County Sheriff Chad Huff. . . .Read More

MEXICO: Supreme Court Debates Transsexual’s Right to Privacy

By Diego Cevallos


MEXICO CITY, Dec 10 (IPS) - When transsexuals or transgender persons in the Mexican capital have their birth certificates altered to reflect their change in identity, is it legal to include a notation on the new document indicating that Ms Y used to be Mr X?

That is the question raised by a Mexican transsexual through an appeal under consideration by the Supreme Court, which brings up the issue of the right of transsexuals to privacy and non-discrimination.

The 11 Supreme Court justices are expected to issue a final ruling on the appeal in the first few weeks of 2009, in a case that is the first of its kind to be brought before the country’s highest judicial body with jurisdiction over constitutional matters.

"The decision the judges have in their hands involves our right to live without the shadow of discrimination hanging over us," Gloria Davenport, a transsexual who works as an adviser to the government’s National HIV-AIDS Prevention and Control Centre (CENSIDA), told IPS.

Studies show that transsexuals are especially vulnerable to violence, discrimination and humiliation, all of which are exacerbated by the length of time it takes for them to legally change their identity in Mexico City, the only place in the country where they can do so, thanks to a municipal law approved in August.

According to estimates by the governmental Human Rights Commission of Mexico City, at least 148 lesbians, gays, transvestites and transsexuals were killed from 1995 to 2006 in homophobic attacks. . . .Read More

Transsexuals find new body doesn’t ensure happiness

by Nhu Lich December 10, 2008

A Vietnamese transsexual (L) with her boyfriend There are no official statistics on the number of transgender people in Vietnam and how many undergo gender reassignment surgery.

But post-operative transsexuals say the painful and expensive medical procedures they endured didn’t give them the normal lives they were expecting. Several local transgender men have sought sex change operations overseas because the surgery is not performed in Vietnam. In 2000, singer Cindy Thai Tai, who spent US$30,000 for sex reassignment procedures in Thailand, became one of the first locals to go public about her gender reassignment surgery. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Nhu of Binh Dan Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City said he wasn’t familiar with any cases of local women undergoing surgery to become men. However, men seeking surgery to become women were relatively common. Surgically altering a man’s sexual organs to resemble a woman’s was simpler than making a woman’s resemble a man’s, he said. Dr. Nhu estimated more than 100 Vietnamese transsexual men, most aged around 30, had undergone sex reassignment surgery abroad to become women. . . .Read More

Four Letter Words II

"The second part in a series on trans languages."

Annotations

icecoldbath

Mayor lends an ear to transgender woes

10 Dec 2008, 0538 hrs IST, TNN


PUNE: City mayor Rajlaxmi Bhosale on Tuesday promised to look into matters concerning the 5,000-strong transgender community in the city. She assured members of the community that she would explore the possibility of giving them some kind of identification, so that they can lead a dignified life.

Vanchit Vikas, a city-based non-profit organisation involved in uplifting the poorer sections of society, has extended its support to the transgender community. Giving the community a platform to voice their grievances, the organisation held an event on Tuesday, which was attended by Bhosale. It was a moving experience not just for the mayor, who heard their woes, but also for members of the transgender community, as they fought to keep back their tears.

"The very thought that such an important person came here to listen to us and have a cup of tea with us is overwhelming," said Panna, a member of the community. "Nobody has ever treated us so well." . . .Read More

SF Weekly Letters: Web Extra

December 9, 2008

Crossing Lines
The legal argument: We write to protest Lauren Smiley's offensive and inaccurate article, "Border Crossings" [Feature, 11/26]. We all spoke with Smiley at length, and are outraged at the misrepresentation of what we said. Rather than present a balanced picture of the incredible hurdles transgender asylum seekers face in proving their cases, Smiley unfairly painted them as criminals and prostitutes who are essentially given a free pass to immigration in the United States. This could not be farther from the truth.

The implication that most transgender asylum seekers are prostitutes is untrue and offensive, and grossly distorts the information we gave Smiley. If the attorneys with whom she spoke appeared to have a high success rates on their cases, this is because she spoke with the handful of attorneys in the U.S. who are actually experienced enough in transgender matters to present well-prepared, well-argued cases. We all routinely turn down representation for individuals who don't meet the legal standard, and unrepresented asylum seekers rarely win.

The most important aspect of asylum law is that each application is decided on a case-by-case basis. If transgender applicants have a relatively high grant rate, it is because there continues to be such extraordinary violence perpetrated against transgender people around the world that they can often demonstrate a likelihood of future persecution. . . .Read More

Army transsexual wins sex discrimination lawsuit against U.S. government

2008-12-10 04:31:37 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Employment Law, Justice News Flash)

Former U.S. Army Special Forces commander wins sex lawsuit against feds. U.S. Library of Congress found guilty of sexual discrimination after sex change surgery.

December 9, 2008, West Palm Beach, FL (JusticeNewsFlash.com) Leading Justice informers, with sexual discrimination lawsuits, alert of a recent federal judge decision in favor of a former U.S. Army Special Forces commander. U.S. District Court, Judge James Robinson, found the U.S. Library of Congress discriminated against Diane (formerly David) Schroer “because of sex” after it learned Schroer was undergoing a sex change operation. The judge the Library of Congress was initially enthusiastic about Schroer, but revoked its offer of employment after learning of the sex change. . . .Read More