My transition so far - University and Residence Part 1

"READ FIRST!
By this time I'd left home and the farm and moved to the big city to live with my brother because my parents didn't want me with them, and they moved to Torquay anyway. So yeah, everything was new to a naive farmgirl like me.
UNIVERSITY IS LIKE COLLEGE FOR YOU NON-AUSTRALIANS, BUT I GUESS YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT!"   EtherealKingdom 

Trans U comes to CU

Groups discusses transgender issues on campus

Sam Dieter

September 20, 2008

An audience of about 40 people gathered in the Dennis Small Cultural Center in the UMC Friday for "Trans U: an Introduction to Transgender Issues on Campus." 

The presentation was sponsored by the Vice Chancellor's Office of Student Affairs, the GLBT resource center and The Community Health resource center.

"I want people to understand what transgender is, what are the barriers that transgender people face and how everybody is responsible for improving how it feels for people who are different," said trainer and lead speaker Samuel Lurie.

During Lurie's presentation, he said transgender is an "umbrella term for (a) wide range of people who challenge or don't fit social norms of gender expression."

The term transsexual refers to a person who "specifically desires to live full-time in the chosen gender that matches their internal gender identity," Lurie said. Individuals in this group must often make use of medical interventions, social and legal changes. . . .Read More

Teen transgender launches pop star career

By 

JD Uy

 on September 21, 2008

''I know that because of my past people will always bring up the subject, I can't get away from it. But I hope that one day I might be better known for my music than for my past.'' . . .Read More

200 discuss high school for gay, lesbian, transgender youth in Chicago

CPS chief Arne Duncan expected to decide fate by Oct. 1

By Carlos Sadovi | Chicago Tribune reporter

September 19, 2008

Weeks after a proposal to open Chicago's first public high school catering to gay, lesbian and transgender youth was announced, about 200 people on Thursday met with administrators at the city's main gay social services center to discuss whether it's a good idea.

The Social Justice High School—Pride Campus would offer a college-preparatory curriculum in which students would take four years each of English and math, three years each of foreign languages and science, as well as fine arts and physical education, administrators said during the public hearing at the Center on Halsted on Chicago's North Side.

"[We want] to continue to provide a college-prep campus for students who are often overlooked," said Chad Weiden, an assistant principal at the Social Justice High School who would be the principal of Pride Campus. "Gay, lesbian and transgender students are often overlooked in our district. And this is a school for all students." . . .Read More

Transsexual wins lawsuit against Library of Congress

September 19, 2008

by Bill Mears 
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A former Army commander who underwent a sex change operation was discriminated against by the U.S. government, a federal judge ruled Friday in an important victory for transgenders claiming bias in the workplace.

Diane Schroer won her federal lawsuit against the Library of Congress after officials backed out of a 2005 job offer when told of her intention to become a transsexual. At the time of the job interview for a position as a senior terrorism research analyst, David Schroer was a male. He had been a onetime Army Special Forces commander.

U.S. District Court Judge James Robinson said Schroer's civil rights were violated.

"The evidence established that the Library was enthusiastic about hiring David Schroer -- until she disclosed her transsexuality," Robinson wrote. "The Library revoked the offer when it learned that a man named David intended to become, legally, culturally and physically, a woman named Diane. This was discrimination 'because of ... sex.' "

The judge will later rule on what financial damages Schroer is due. . . .Read More

Darts team 'ejected from league over transsexual player'

A ladies darts team claim they were kicked out of a league because one of their players is a transsexual.

by Chris Irvine

17 September 2008

Colliers B ladies have been told they have been thrown out of Cheslyn Hay women's league, near Cannock, Staffs, because of the language they used during matches.

But the players suspect it is because some opponents have complained about teammate Melanie Partlow, who used to be a man.

The Sun reported Ms Partlow joined the side two years ago after an operation turned her from a married forklift truck driver called Mick.

She had the sex-change operation in Thailand after she and her then wife Sue won £250,000 on the lottery.

The 57-year-old, who lost part of a leg after an illness, proved to be a star player and has helped the team win several cups. . . .Read More

World's youngest sex change star

September 19, 2008

The Daily Telegraph

A GIRL believed to be the youngest person in the world to have a sex change is set to become a pop star.

 Kim Petras - originally called Tim - changed sex after she started hormone treatment at the age of just twelve. 

Now 16-year-old Kim is ready to storm the charts with her first album after landing a record deal. . . .Read More

The New Transgender Reality

Reality shows have long pioneered inclusive casting. Now they're pushing the boundaries again.

By Joshua Alston | NEWSWEEK

Sep 17, 2008

In the second season of MTV's pioneering reality show "The Real World," the seven housemates played a game in which they anonymously asked each other personal questions to get better acquainted. It was going fine until Beth Anthony, who just so happened to be a lesbian, objected to the questions she was getting--every one was about her sexuality. Not her background, interests, family or education--just the fact that she happened to like women.

Fifteen years have passed, and it's hard to imagine such a scene playing out on a modern reality show: gays and lesbians have become a staple of reality-show casts. The story arc about the girl from the Corn Belt with "traditional values" forced to confront her prejudices seems silly now, on the few occasions we see it played out anymore. But reality shows are, at their cores, social experiments (remember the racially segregated season of "Survivor"?), and as acceptance of gays has increased over the years, in part because of pop culture, two reality shows have chosen a new minority to throw into the mix: the transgendered. . . .Read More

it am wednesday

TrannystarGalactica

Korea: 'Rulings of Era' Epitomize Social Changes

By Kim Rahn

17 September 2008

A top court's verdict allowing a female-turned-male transgender to legally change sex opened a new world for these people, an epoch-making ruling acknowledging that mental and social factors should also be considered in deciding a person's gender.

This and 13 other rulings that have brought radical changes in Korean society were picked as candidates for ``rulings of the era'' by the Supreme Court.

As time goes by, the top court has adopted new standards in making rulings to better guarantee gender equality, consumer rights and the human rights of criminal suspects.

Among the candidates, the court will pick ``12 rulings of the era.'' It plans to display details of the rulings in a court exhibition in its building in southern Seoul on Sept. 26. The display is designed to show the 60 years of the nation's judiciary. 

Two of the candidates are about gender equality. In a 1988 ruling, the court annulled the telecom authorities' decision to apply a discriminatory retirement age limit on telephone operators, all of whom were female. The public firm set their age at 43, while that for other workers was 55, and the court decided that setting different limits without proper reason was against gender equality. . . .Read More

Transgender Woman Talks About Life After 'Diddy'

BY ON TOP MAGAZINE STAFF 

SEPTEMBER 16, 2008

The first black transgender woman to appear on a reality show, VH1's I Want To Work For Diddy, talks about her experience on the show and life since.

Laverne Cox shared her reality series war wounds with Out.com, where she related her experience as positive overall, but said the month-long, 24-7 filming was physically and emotionally draining.

“None of us got a good night's sleep,” Cox told Out's Tim Murphy. “I think the most I got at one time was maybe four hours. And I slept less than everyone because of my prep time in the morning. But I can kind of sleep anywhere.”. . .Read More

Another Struggle: Sexual Identity Politics in Unsettled Turkey

By Kerem Öktem

September 17, 2008

What happens when almost 3,000 men, women and transgender people march down the main street of a major Muslim metropolis, chanting against patriarchy, the military and restrictive public morals, waving the rainbow flag and hoisting banners decrying homophobia and demanding an end to discrimination? Or when a veiled transvestite carries a placard calling for freedom of education for women wearing the headscarf and, for transsexuals, the right to work? 

If the city is Istanbul, it seems, nothing much. Apart from the anxious glances of a few young male bystanders caught up in the demonstration and the occasional cheers of onlookers, only the presence of riot police at the Istanbul gay pride parade on June 29, 2008 would have reminded the observer that this was a politically sensitive event in a deeply troubled setting. Yet, in contrast to their aggressive tactics against peaceful demonstrators on May Day, the police were remarkably restrained as well.

June 29 marked the largest gay pride event ever to be held in Turkey, and indeed the largest in the immediate neighborhood of southeast Europe, where similar, if smaller, processions were attacked by right-wing extremists and members of the general public. The march's dispassionate reception was surprising, particularly considering that it took place as Turkey's governing Justice and Development Party (AKP), led by politicians with Islamist origins, faced an existential threat in the country's highest court. The legal challenge to the AKP's right to participate in politics, mounted by defenders of the state secularist legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and dismissed by the Constitutional Court on July 31, could have escalated into all-out war over Turkey's future. Yet no one used the gay pride parade to pose as champions of public morality. There was no hate campaign, and indeed there was benign neglect, in both the Islamist and secular sectors of the mainstream press. Coverage in the left and liberal press was sympathetic; only newspapers close to the extremist Islamist Felicity Party featured a smattering of incitement. Was this an indicator of growing acceptance of gender non-conforming lifestyles in Turkey, a sign of a more tolerant, outward-looking society, affirmation of a more progressive cultural climate? . . .Read More

Transgender : Faith of the Heart

"This film is meant to be encouraging and hopefully inspirational. I know it's been a while since I did a transgender ralated film and I hope this one doesn't disappoint." ericaravenwood

Gender variance is not a disorder

Classifying transgender people as having a mental disability ignores society's intolerant attitudes

by Marisa Christensen

September 15, 2008

In an April 2007 edition of "20/20," viewers were introduced to "gender identity disorder," a medical classification for people who do not exhibit the characteristics that are assigned to their gender. On its Web site, ABC News published an article written by the American Psychological Association entitled "What is Gender Identity Disorder?" providing information on how to detect this disorder in children, adolescents and adults.

According to the APA, an individual who has gender identity disorder displays signs of uneasiness about performing the gender role of his or her sex. The individual cannot be intersex; instead, they must be born in a body that is considered entirely female or male, at least in terms of biology.

Additionally, the individual's desire to identify as a different gender must transcend "any perceived cultural advantages of being the other sex." I suppose this means that if I want to dress like a man so that I can earn $1 doing a job that would pay a woman 75 cents, then I'm O.K. But if I feel like doing it for some reason other than privilege, then it's a disorder. . . .Read More

Ruling Inspires New Hope For Transgender People

By Ann E. Marimow

15 September 2008

To Allyson Robinson, it means accompanying her young children to public restrooms in Montgomery County without worrying that someone will call the police.

For Colleen Fay, it brings the hope that the next time she applies for a driver's license she won't be badgered about her previous life as a man.

And for Chloe Schwenke, it means other people like her will be able to enjoy the job security she has found in her international development work in the District.

With the decision by Maryland's highest court last week to block a referendum petition, Montgomery County's law banning discrimination against transgender people takes effect immediately.

The measure, passed by the County Council last year, prohibits discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. It was to take effect in February but was put on hold when some religious and conservative groups launched a petition drive. . . .Read More

Transsexual Modelmania

16 September 2008

by Brianna Austin

With all the hype that has been surrounding the lead up to appearance of ISIS, the transgender model that will appear on America’s Next Top Mode season premiere, I couldn’t help wondering what all the excitement was about.

ANTM is bathing in all the media hype, Janice Dickinson is sniping Oh, please, I did it on my show first with Claudia,” (in an interview that appeared on New York Mag.com) and Simon Doonan -- Barney's creative director and author of "Eccentric Glamour" – said he agreed with Dickinson that the world of high fashion might be ready for a transgender model. . . .Read More

Murder's a Drag: A Film

"Who is killing Brisbane's drag queens? A journalist investigates the strange case of serial showgirl murder that has gripped the Queensland capital."  nixfilm

Obama Evolving On Gay Marriage

CARLOS SANTOSCOY  SEPTEMBER 14, 2008

In a new interview published by the Washington Blade, Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama unequivocally stated an Obama-Biden administration would work to advance gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights.

Answering written questions submitted by the Blade, Obama pledged “equality for all.”
In the interview, Obama said he and wife Michelle are “blessed with many openly gay and lesbian friends and colleagues,” crediting an openly gay college professor with broadening his view on gay and lesbian issues.

“A college professor of mine helped me to see the lives of LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] people from a different perspective. ... And he was just a terrific guy,” Obama said. “His comfort in his own skin and the friendship we developed helped to educate me on a number of these [gay] issues.”. . .Read More

London Transgender Film Festival 2008

September 14, 2008

Since this festival is independently funded we need your support. Thanks to you all for attending the London Transgender Film Festival Fundraiser Sun Aug 24 2008 and helping us raise some well needed funds! at Gasworks 155 Vauxhall Street London SE11 5RH 3pm- 6pm, £5/4. . .Read More

National Survey on Transgender Experiences of Discrimination in the U.S.

14 September 2008

NGLTF

Purpose

You are invited to participate in a research project regarding transgender and gender non-conforming people in the United States. Your responses will be part of an important report on transgender people’s experiences of discrimination in housing, employment, health care and education. 

Procedures

You will be asked to complete an online survey. Your participation and responses are confidential. Please answer the questions as openly and honestly as possible. You may skip questions. The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete. You must be 18 years of age or older to participate. Please note that you can choose to withdraw your responses at any time before you submit your answers. The survey results will be submitted directly to a secure server where any computer identification that might identify participants is deleted from the submissions. Comments provided will be analyzed using content analysis and submitted as an appendix to the survey report. Quotes from submitted comments will also be used throughout the report to give “voice” to the quantitative data.

Discomforts and Risks

There are no risks in participating in this research beyond those experienced in everyday life. Some of the questions are personal and might cause discomfort. In the event that any questions asked are disturbing, you may stop responding to the survey at any time. Participants who experience discomfort are encouraged to contact:

The Trevor Project
866-4-U-TREVOR
The Trevor Helpline is the only national crisis and suicide prevention helpline for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth; the Helpline can also help transgender and gender non-conforming adults. The Helpline is a free and confidential service that offers hope and someone to talk to, 24/7. Trained counselors listen and understand without judgment.

Benefits

The results of the survey will be part of an important report on discrimination against transgender people by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force to help create better opportunities for transgender and gender non-conforming people. We are grateful to Penn State University’s Center for the Study of Higher Education for hosting the survey and maintaining the integrity of our data.

Statement of Confidentiality

You will not be asked to provide any identifying information, such as your name, and information you provide on the survey will remain confidential. In the event of any publication or presentation resulting from the research, no personally identifiable information will be shared. Your confidentiality will be kept to the degree permitted by the technology used (e.g., IP addresses will be stripped when the survey is submitted). No guarantees can be made regarding the interception of data sent via the Internet by any third parties. Please also remember that you do not have to answer any question or questions about which you are uncomfortable. 

Voluntary Participation

Participation in this research is voluntary. If you decide to participate, you do not have to answer any questions on the survey that you do not wish to answer. Individuals will not be identified and only group data will be reported (e.g., the analysis will include only aggregate data). By completing the survey, your informed consent will be implied. Please note that you can choose to withdraw your responses at any time before you submit your answers. Refusal to take part in this research study will involve no consequences. . . .Read More