Josie Romero loves the colour pink, braiding her hair and having her fingernails painted.
But life has not always been easy for this sweet and charming eight-year-old, who was born in the body of a boy.
The transgender youngster, then called Joseph, knew at the age of four that she was the wrong sex and even told her parents: 'I am really a girl.'
At five, she was refusing to have her hair cut and only wore colours like orange which were nearest to girly pink.
By the time she reached six, Josie had been diagnosed as transgender and was beginning her transition to becoming a female.
Mother Venessia, 42, said: 'When she was a toddler, she was always trying to turn her boy toys into girl toys.
'She used to take her army figures, wrap them up and rock them like a baby.
'As she grew older and started to talk, she always said: "I'm a girl". . . .Read More
But by the following Monday, suspicious school officials had called the FBI and learned that Jack was born Jennifer May, and was actually 24-year-old Jack Jay Kaiser, a California woman in the midst of switching her gender to a man.
Today, Kaiser is being held in Williamson County jail on $20,000 bail, charged with lying to officials at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services about his age and about having been abandoned or homeless.
"It's really sketchy," said Marshall Stone, supervisor special agent for the FBI's Springfield, Ill., unit. "We were initially involved because we were concerned if he was a trafficking victim and needed to be identified.". . .Read More
Frisk Policy Revised
The incident came in the wake of a 2003 court ruling that moved the rights of inmates with "gender-identity disorder" to a new level in the country's federal prisons, directing the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) to pay for the sex-change operations of some offenders.
Officials confirmed this week that since then they have funded two "gender reassignment" surgeries, while others have applied to undergo the service. . . .Read More
Transsexuals in Uruguay will soon be able to legally register a change of name and gender after the country's senate approved a controversial bill.
The law, which was passed unanimously, is strongly opposed by the Roman Catholic Church and opposition conservatives.
The bill is the latest in a series of liberal measures promoted by the left-wing Uruguayan government.
It will come into force as soon as it is signed by President Tabare Vasquez.
Under the new legislation, transsexuals will be able to change their name on all official documents, from birth certificates to passports, to reflect the gender of their choice. . . .Read More
Transsexual actor Vanessa Van Durme has turned her life story into a critically acclaimed touring show. Raymond Gill reports.
VANESSA Van Durme is a tall, 60-something woman of handsome looks and slightly imposing manner who comes across as an amalgam of Vanessa Redgrave and Germaine Greer, though somewhat warmer.
Like those two redoubtable leaders of public life, the Belgian performer tours the world's stages holding forth before adoring audiences. But unlike the British actress and the Australian intellectual, Van Durme tells a story that is at once dramatic, deeply personal and a reflection of how Western mores have changed in the past 30 years.
Van Durme was born a man, changed her sex in 1975 and, after 15 years working as a prostitute, returned to her early vocation as theatre performer and writer.
In Australia, on her first visit to present Look Mummy I'm Dancing for the Melbourne Festival, Van Durme tells that story in her one-woman show, which opened last night at the Arts Centre's Fairfax Studio for six performances. . . .Read More
But the 16-year-old says an assistant principal at North Cobb High School told him last week he needed to dress more "manly" for school, or consider being home-schooled. He had only been a student at the school for three days.
"I told myself I can't accept this," said Escobar, who wore a pink wig to school last Wednesday.
Escobar said the assistant principal told him his style of dress had caused a fight between students at the school. Two days later, he withdrew himself from the Kennesaw school. . . .Read More
Jude Law underwent perhaps the most startling onscreen transformation ever for the new Sally Potter movie, Rage.
According to People, Law convincingly plays a sultry Russian transsexual named Minx and is "virtually unrecognizable in a black wig, black strapless dress, scarlet lipstick and smoky eye shadow." . . .Read More
Editor’s note: First Person is a series of commentaries that give voice to those not commonly heard in Atlanta media.
After growing up a “typical boy,” marrying “the one” and fathering two children, Monica Helms finally acted on a lifelong desire to become a woman.
Sometime around the age of 4 or 5, I knew something was different about me. I was raised Catholic and you’re supposed to pray to God for things. So I prayed to God to turn me into a girl. I finally got to do it 41 years later, so I guess for God that’s like overnight delivery.
Several things slowed down my process of becoming a woman. I was the typical boy. I can honestly say that I was a tomboy in a boy’s body. I had loving parents and we always did things together, so I didn’t have time for a lot of introspective thinking. And I was the oldest child, so I didn’t have an older sister to emulate or to be jealous of. I was always attracted to women, so that was another part that didn’t clue me in. So there were a lot of things that got in the way of me realizing what I was. . . .Read More
"Thy Will Be Done: A Transsexual Woman's Journey Through Family and Faith" follows Sara Herwig, who transitioned from male to female and is seeking to "fulfill God's call."
In conveying Herwig's personal story, the documentary reveals the complex nature of the issue as faith groups, mainly the PC(USA), struggle to interpret their established policies and Scripture with regard to transsexualism.
Herwig began to pursue her call to ministry in 2001, seven years after switching from "Steve" to "Sara" – complete with a surgical procedure.
Before the transition, however, Herwig divorced his then wife Billie Preston with whom he had a daughter. . . .Read More
Despite three metal studs protruding from his lower lip, Nico Valenzuela casts an unimposing figure. Standing 4-foot-10, the 18-year-old has a wispy frame, gentle brown eyes and rounded features that he admits give him a "baby face."
"I look like a 12-year-old," he says blandly.
Another obstacle to projecting a tough, or even masculine, image is Nico's voice. He speaks softly, almost like whispering, and his voice registers in the tonal range of a middle-school girl.
"I feel like I've always been a boy," he says, "but my body isn't like that."
Born Erika Valenzuela, Nico tried last year, as a senior at Ellicott High School in eastern El Paso County, to set matters right. Buoyed by a new state law barring discrimination in public places based on sexual orientation or transgender status, Nico asked to be called by his chosen name and referred to with masculine pronouns. As a member of the cheerleading squad, he asked that he be allowed to perform in pants rather than the skirt that made him feel like an impostor. . . .Read More
OK, technically, she doesn't have genitalia for “both” sexes, which is the most accurate definition of the word that applies. And true, it's not a scientific term nor a politically correct term, nor is it preferred by those with DSD (disorders of sex development) or an intersex condition. Some prefer to be called Intersex and don't want to be called DSD. And others prefer DSD and don't like Intersex. And of course, some are proud to be hermaphrodites and have plastered their pictures all over the Internet.
It reminds one of the days of reclaiming queer versus gay, and wimmin—or was it womyn?—choosing dyke over lesbian. And yes, it's confusing. For all of us. While they're sorting it out, let me tell you how truly divine sexual ambiguity has been for lo, these many millennia.
CIGNA is Diamond Sponsor of GLMA’s 27th Annual Conference
BLOOMFIELD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) meets this week in Washington, D.C., for its 27th annual conference, CIGNA cardiologist Rebecca (Becky) Allison will become the organization’s president after serving as president-elect for the past year. CIGNA (NYSE: CI) is the top-level Diamond sponsor of this year’s conference, which the GLMA calls the world's largest scientific meeting focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health.
Dr. Allison holds a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Mississippi in Oxford, and she earned her medical degree magna cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson. She completed postgraduate training at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, and also at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Allison is board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases and she’s a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Cardiology.
“CIGNA's mission is to improve the health and well-being of the people we serve, and that means all of the people we serve, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Dr. Jeff Kang, CIGNA's chief medical officer. “Becky Allison is not only an outstanding physician, she’s also completely dedicated to improving the health of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, and I congratulate her on becoming GLMA president.”. . .Read More
A former coal miner who spent half a century secretly dressing as a woman has 'come out' as Britain's oldest transsexual.
By day, Roy Colton, 75, worked alongside his burly colleagues down the pit - but at night he donned his sister's dresses and dreamed about changing sex.
He began taking female hormones 10 years ago, but it was only in 2004 that Roy - whose three wives had divorced him because of his cross-dressing - felt safe enough to change his name to Rachel and start living as a woman in public. . . .Read More
A 12-year-old pupil is set to become one of the youngest people to transition in the world after her parents decided to allow her to return to school as a girl.
She was born male but if her parents and doctors agree then the 12-year-old may be the youngest person in the UK to undergo gender reassignment.
German Kim Petras – born Tim – became youngest person in the world to transition at 16 earlier this year.
The pupil, who has not returned to school since the story broke, was well-known among pupils and staff for her desire to live as a girl.
According to the Sun, pupils were ushered into an 'emergency assembly' and informed: "You may notice one pupil is not present in this assembly – that is because the pupil is now a girl.". . .Read More
Do you have questions about the coming out journey? The Human Rights Campaign has a set of resources to help you along the way. Download a copy of our newly released Resource Guide to Coming Out, or read it online. Or download our Resource Guide to Coming Out for African Americans, the Spanish-language GuÃa de Recursos Para Salir Del Clóset or our guide to Living Openly in Your Place of Worship.
