TheTGuys: PASSING

i talk about passing during transition

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The Dangers Of Loose Silicone Injections: My Own Personal Horror Story

by Meghan Chavalier

February 3, 2009


I don't usually speak openly about silicone injections because honestly I never thought it was anyone's business what I may have or not have had done to my body to physically transform myself to who I am today. But, after hearing of yet another young transgender woman who died recently from loose silicone injections I thought it best to speak about it openly to let others in the transgender community know just how dangerous this can be.

As a young transgender woman, in the early 1990's I decided to get loose silicone injections in my breasts and hips and buttocks area. I had no idea what I was getting myself into at the time, opting to try and achieve the look I was going for, without having to spend the money it would normally take to get there through the proper medical paths.

I went to my first "pumping party" in a run down house in New Orleans with two other transgender women. I laid on a dirty bed, took off my clothes and proceeded to let someone I had met only twice take liquid from a bowl, put it into a large needle, and stick it in my chest and in my lower regions. At the time, I thought the results were fantastic. I couldn't have been more thrilled, but what would happen later to me as a result, would forever change my mind on loose silicone injections. I had nine "treatments" of loose silicone put into my breast area and buttocks. Nine times I actually laid on a bed, without a medical doctor, and let someone who wasn't trained stick needles in me and pump me full of a liquid that I personally had no idea where it was coming from. Think about that for a moment. I wanted to become feminine so badly I took a drastic measure like this to do it. . . .Read More

Frank’s New Face

Barely over a year since transgender activists labeled Barney Frank a turncoat, he’s hired the first openly transgender legislative staff member on Capitol Hill.

Click the byline to view more stories by this author.

By Anne Stockwell

From The Advocate March 2009

Before diego sanchez came to washington, d.c., he was a PR executive for Fortune 100 companies. “I introduced Diet Coke, which was an elation,” he says, “and then I introduced ‘new Coke,’ which wasn’t so hot.” Sanchez, U.S. representative Barney Frank’s new legislative assistant and the first openly transgender person to work in a federal congressional office, is charged with helping Frank pass an all-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act -- a bill that covers not just sexual orientation but gender identity as well -- in the first Obama Congress. . . .Read More

Nepalese choir with a difference

By Charles Haviland

2 February 2009

A concert has just taken place by a Nepalese transgender choir - something possibly unique in South Asia.

The choral group, called Poesie and the Fags, was founded by two Dutch men with Nepalese members.

It put on its first performance after several months of rehearsal in the capital, Kathmandu.

A few choir members are lesbians. Most are what are known as transgendered - born male but dressing or taking hormones to make themselves feminine.

Like 21-year-old Swastika.

"I like the choir because in this choir we can scream and we can sing and we can dance so whatever we want we can do. And all this can happen at the choir only," Swastika told the BBC. . . .Read More

Using Public Restrooms

Just my experience with public restrooms. Girls running out and checking the sign on the door to make sure they're in the right one, men who don't use urinals, STP devices, that kind of stuff. Anyone who's not really gender-normative in presentation can relate to a lot of what is said here, I'm sure.

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Sean Dorsey tells transsexual gay man's story

by Rachel Howard, Chronicle Dance Correspondent

January 28, 2009

You might expect Sean Dorsey's dances to be aesthetically transgressive or politically provocative. Dorsey - born female but now preferring the pronoun "he" - is the founder and director of Fresh Meat Productions, which he says is the nation's first year-round presenter of transgender arts.

Sometimes the most progressive thing an artist can do with a marginalized experience is to present it in a familiar, easily relatable form. Weaving movement with story, the 36-year-old Dorsey tells finely crafted, poignant tales of transgender life. In "Uncovered: The Diary Project," premiering this weekend at Dance Mission Theater, Dorsey turns his attention to the life of Lou Sullivan.

A female-to-male transsexual gay man, Sullivan lived in San Francisco from 1975 until his death in 1991, founding groundbreaking peer-support groups and publishing newsletters and informational booklets. The voluminous journals, medical records and letters he bequeathed to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society form the source material for "Lou," Dorsey's new suite of dances. . . .Read More

10,000 Dresses celebrates transgender children

by Dana Rudolph

January 29, 2009


Beginning with the vibrant sunburst and smiling child on its cover, Marcus Ewert’s 10,000 Dresses is a joyous book about self-acceptance and identity. It is also the only children’s picture book that features an openly transgender protagonist, and does so with both sensitivity and celebration.

Young Bailey dreams of 10,000 beautiful dresses made of crystals, rainbows, flowers, and magical windows. "Boys don’t wear dresses," her mother, father, and brother each tell her. Bailey replies, "But . . . I don’t feel like a boy," to which her family responds, "Well, you are one, Bailey, and that’s that."

It is only after meeting Laurel, an older girl who befriends Bailey over their shared love of dresses, that Bailey is able to see her creations come to life.

10,000 Dresses is the first children’s book from Ewert, whose writings have appeared in such works as the 2004 Lambda Literary Award-winning anthology I Do/I Don’t: Queers on Marriage (ed. Greg Wharton and Ian Philips). Ewert also created Piki and Poko, an animated cartoon airing on Logo, but aimed at an older audience. . . .Read More

Becoming Me final

Photo Timeline documenting my transition.

Popeslave

Growing up different: B.C. transgender patients line up for surgery but doctor who can do it is denied OR time

By Katherine Dedyna

January 25, 2009


Katherine Dedyna writes about British Columbians living with gender identity disorder who continue to face expensive surgery and long stays at a private Montreal clinic now that plans for a publicly funded sexual reassignment clinic on the West Coast have collapsed.

- - -

As a tomboyish six-year-old, the little girl would tell kids she didn't know that her name was Sean. She wanted to be a boy; she felt like a boy inside. Growing up, the feeling intensified. She presented an increasingly male facade to the world. She wore men's clothing, kept her hair cropped and took testosterone for years to promote beard growth. Hair also grew on large breasts hidden by a chest binder.

But no more. At 37, Sean Brown is recovered from a double mastectomy on Oct. 28 to remove those breasts and contour a male chest. He finally feels outside the way he feels inside -- masculine in a way he couldn't fully imagine before. "It's absolute relief," he says. And he's able to live his life in ordinary ways that once eluded him: "I went swimming for the first time and got changed in the change room." No hiding required. . . .Read More

Gwen Araujo is ‘A Girl Like Me’ Movie

25 January 2009

By Cathryn Friar

Gwen Araujo was born Eddie Araujo, a transgender teenager who was murdered. Her story was told in a 2006 Lifetime movie called ‘A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story.’ Read more about Gwen’s story below, see a photo, and watch a video.

‘A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story’ is a 2006 biography made-for-tv movie directed by award-winning director Agnieszka Holland and first aired on Lifetime Television.

It’s a really tragic story that documents the real life of Gwen Araujo, who was born Eddie Araujo, Jr., a transgender teenager who was murdered by four men in Newark, California after it was discovered she had male genitalia. Scenes from the ‘A Girl Like Me’ movie depicting the murder trial are shown alternating with the story of Gwen’s life.

The four men who killed Gwen Araujo, two of whom she had been sexually intimate with, beat her for hours then strangled her, dumping her in a remote area in the mountains. Two of the defendants were convicted of second-degree murder, but not convicted on the requested hate crime enhancements. The other two defendants pleaded guilty or no contest to voluntary manslaughter. In at least one of the trials, a ‘trans panic defense’ - an extension of the gay panic defense - was employed. You can go here to read details of what happened to Gwen, written by her mother Sylvia Guerrero. . . .Read More

Nigeria: 'Same Gender Marriage (Prohibition) Bill' violates Constitution

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

PUBLIC STATEMENT

AI Index: AFR 44/001/2009

26 January 2009

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Nigerian Bar Association Human Rights Institute (NBAHRI) and Nigerian human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are deeply concerned by the 'Same Gender Marriage (Prohibition) Bill 2008', currently before the Nigerian National Assembly. The Bill would introduce criminal penalties for marriage ceremonies between persons of the same sex as well as for persons witnessing or helping to formalize such a marriage. This is in contravention of the Nigerian Constitution and inconsistent with Nigeria's obligations under international and regional human rights treaties which the country has ratified. We therefore urge the National Assembly not to pass the Bill.

Under Nigeria's criminal code and penal code, consensual same sex conduct between adults is already punishable: chapter 42, section 214 of Nigeria's criminal code provides a sentence of fourteen years' imprisonment for 'carnal knowledge against the order of nature.' . . .Read More

EXCLUSIVE - Interview With Katelynn From The Real World: Brooklyn

Read more at http://glaadblog.org/tag/the-real-world/

As I posted about on Friday, GLAAD was able to sit down with some of the cast members from this season of MTV's The Real World. It's the most LGBT inclusive season to date.

If you missed the first few interviews, you can click here to watch them. And if you missed the first episode, you can visit MTV's website and watch the entire thing along with video dailies from the cast members. The next episode airs this week on Wednesday, January 14th.

Below is our exclusive interview with Katelynn, The Real World's first ever transgender housemate.

It's encouraging to see MTV including a transgender housemate and providing greater visibility and a larger platform for transgender issues. Katelynn worked at the New York City LGBT Center while filming, which we'll hopefully learn more about as the season unfolds.

You can read more information on the cast members from the MTV press release:

Katelynn, 24 - West Palm Beach, FL

Katelynn is a native of West Palm Beach and was raised in a religious Italian household, where she dreamed of being as good of a mother to her children as her own mom has been to her. Yet, this goal seemed unattainable since Katelynn was born male. In high school, she realized that something was missing in her life, and she began the slow transgender process by starting to dress in more feminine clothing. By age 17, she began living as a woman. This past July, Katelynn traveled to Thailand to undergo surgery to complete her transformation. She is a self-proclaimed computer geek and holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. After a string of bad relationships, she hopes to one day marry her current boyfriend, Mike.

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New senator from NY named

January 23rd, 2009

— Tammye Nash

Newly-appointed U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York

Reports are that New York Gov. David Paterson has chosen Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate. And LGBT rights activists - or at least the ones sending me press releases - are already singing the new senator’s praises.

Here’s the statement from Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle:

“We congratulate Kirsten Gillibrand for being appointed by Gov. Paterson as our new U.S. senator from New York. Finally, the great state of New York has a U.S. senator who supports marriage equality for same-sex couples. . . .Read More

Real World Brooklyn: Transgender goes mainstream

January 23

by Leah Klein

Despite the fact that we didn't have television (no my parents weren't hippies) I am a piece of the MTV generation. This is when MTV played music videos and not much more. Now, 20 years later, I still watch MTV for the occasional show and I haven't seen a music video in years.

I was browsing the channels and came across The Real World, Brooklyn and decided to watch for a while. It was the episode when Katelynn comes out to a member of the house. I now save it on TIVO to follow the story. It is an interesting cast of "characters". The dynamic in the house seems good, but Katelynn seems like she's having a rough time. . . .Read More

HIGH-FLYING BIRD: Antony's luminous new album

by George Varga on January 23, 2009

Few singers anywhere sound as haunting -- or as haunted -- as Antony Hegarty, the brawny-looking, transsexual Irish-American maverick with a wonderfully androgynous voice and a tremulous chamber-pop style all his own.

An outsider who proudly embraces his sense of "otherness," Antony achieved international acclaim with his second album, 2005's "I Am a Bird Now." It featured a series of poignant torch ballads and what were once quaintly called art songs, each impeccably crafted and each infused with a dark, shimmering beauty that made them sound like the work of someone who came from another time and place. . . .Read More

Attagirl: Transsexual Police Officer Nominated Grand Marshal of Pride Parade

By Olivia Flores Alvarez in Spaced City

Jan. 22 2009

The nominees for Grand Marshal of the Pride Parade were announced recently and Houston Police Officer Julia Christina Oliver is among the women named. That couldn't have happened two years ago when Oliver was still a male.

In 2006, Oliver, who had been on the force for more than 25 years, was beginning to make the transition from male to female and had just started hormone therapy. She had plans to tell her superiors, of course, but not just yet.

Those plans were put on fast forward when someone tried to blackmail her.

"I had somebody want $10,000 or they were going to tell the police department. So I went in and told them myself the next day, rather than let somebody blackmail me," Oliver tells Hair Balls. "My captain was very supportive. He made an effort to explain what was going on in my life to the other officers, and we suspect somebody walked out of that meeting and called Channel 2 News. The next morning, 9 o'clock, there they were at my doorstep, I was basically ambushed. In one day, I went from being very quiet and private to being very public about my life - whether I wanted to or not.". . .Read More

EXCLUSIVE - Interview With Ryan & Chet From The Real World: Brooklyn

For more visit: http://glaadblog.org/2009/01/21/exclu...

If you missed our first few interviews with some of the cast members from this season of MTV's The Real World, you can click here to see JD & Scott's interview and click here to see Katelynn's. This season is the most LGBT inclusive Real World to date!

And if you missed the first couple of episodes, you can visit MTV's website and watch them along with video dailies from the cast members.

Below is our exclusive interview with Ryan & Chet, two straight cast members who initially don't seem as open to the LGBT housemates, especially Katelynn, as the other cast members.

Ryan was once in the military and is from a small town in Pennsylvania while Chet is from Salt Lake City, Utah and is Mormon. I ask Ryan about serving with gays in the military and I ask Chet about the role of the Mormon Church in Prop 8 and about attitudes towards LGBT people. Their answers are surprising!

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The Real World: Brooklyn | Cast

12.9.2008

mtv.com

Katelynn from The Real World: Brooklyn, a 24-year-old who is a self-proclaimed computer geek and black belt martial artist. . . .Read More including viewers comments

TRANSNATION 2009: A preview of the trans year to come

Special to the Online Edition of Windy City Times by Jacob Anderson-Minshall 2009-01-21

In a world where stories like Thomas Beatie's pregnancy can capture world-wide attention overnight, it's difficult to foretell what the biggest transgender stories of 2009 will be. But here are a few of the stories—and trans folk—to watch next year. Activism/politics Following our massive, community-wide sigh of relief after the 2008 presidential elections, some of us may think the hard work is over. But there's still plenty to fight for nationally—like ENDA ( the Employment Non-Discrimination Act ) —and locally, as in Gainesville, Fla., where the city council last year authorized transgender individuals to use women's bathrooms in the city's businesses and public facilities. The ruling is at risk during March's elections, when a ballot measure may amend the city charter to eliminate accommodations for transgender individuals. Interested in influencing policy decisions? Drop in our your federal representatives during the National Center for Transgender Equality's 5th Annual Lobby Days in Washington, D.C., April 26-28, 2009. Still in school? Join the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network ( GLSEN ) for a new national day of action Feb. 27. TransAction! is a day for education about and celebration of transgender and gender-nonconforming people. To honor the date, GLSEN encourages students to organize a workshop, panel discussion or similar forum about gender, gender identity and gender roles. . . .Read More

Waiting on the world to change

While others resist, Columbus grants the transgender community an identity

BY STEPH GREEGOR

January 21, 2009

Just two weeks ago, Cynthia Nicole was gunned down in the streets of Honduras—three shots to the chest, one to the head—because she was a transgender human rights activist, according to the Human Rights Watch website. A familiar story, it said, in Nepal, Africa, Guatemala, the United States—well, everywhere it seems, except…Columbus?

While transmen and women across the world face deadly consequences for their condition, widely accepted by clinical psychiatrists to be determined in utero, here in Columbus, our people and laws reflect a uniquely open arms policy toward individuals who feel trapped in the body of the wrong gender. In fact, according to a local psychologist, the U.S. transgender population is flocking to Columbus, seeking solace from a world that would rather destroy, than support, those with gender dysphoria. . . .Read More