The Week In Transgenderism 1/26/15
One of the Most Beautiful, Andreja Pejic
PopSugar is a website devoted to beauty and while beauty is only skin deep why not celebrate it? Last week the site ran a feature on The Most Beautiful Transgender People in Hollywood. Before you say, “Oh no. They’re making trans women into sex symbols” be aware that they include some handsome trans men in their feature. Check out who they consider the most beautiful trans people on PopSugar.
Whether you are a fan of President Obama or not you have to know that he made history during his State of the Union speech last week. He became the first president, ever, to use the word “transgender” in a high profile speech like the State of the Union. Get the exact quote and reaction from trans activists in Time magazine.
It’s great that the President chose to include transgender people in his speech but there are issues that will still keep TGs on the margins of society. They are enumerated in a blog available in The Washington Post.
Jessica Smith
Trans people exist across the face of humanity. Whether it’s poor people or rich people — regardless of religious faith, education or social position, the trans element always shows up. That’s why it’s no surprise that an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man should turn out to be a trans woman named Jessica Smith. Read her story in the New York Post.
Parker’s alter-ego Flame Monroe
Like we just said, trans can pop up just about anywhere. How about a conservative Christian father or three who’s married to a lesbian and is a fierce drag queen. That’s Marcus Parker, a.k.a. Flame Monroe. That’s not the most complicated part of Parker’s story. Learn the details at NewNowNext.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is taking a step to include trans people in the student body. They have established “gender-inclusive” suites and apartments in on-campus housing. The new housing policy takes effect in the fall. Read more about it on Omaha.com.
Many people in the U.S. worry that Sharia Law is creeping into our judicial system. Sharia law only applies to members of the Islamic faith so no, it is not being adopted by civil courts in the U.S. In Malaysia though Sharia is included in their constitution. As it stands it is only applicable to “familial matters” like marriage, divorce and inheritance. But it was recently invoked to prosecute three trans women. Sharia forbids a man from “posing” as a woman. The three women maintained that they were not posing. The Court of Appeal found in their favor saying that Sharia does not apply to crossdressing. But there is still danger that Sharia will be applied more broadly in Malaysia. Get the details on the Jurist website.
Suing the city
A former police officer from Connecticut, who was mentioned in TWIT last year when she was fired after she transitioned on the job, has filed suit against the police department, the mayor, the police chief and the city. She claims that the workplace was initially supportive of her gender change but then things deteriorated and she feels her termination was rooted in prejudice. This is a complex story so that’s why it’s not down in the TWIT Awards section. Evaluate the charges on the Mass Live website.
The Food and Drug Administration is proposing a change to it’s long standing ban on blood donation from men who have sex with men. This is a good move but like the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in the military it leaves trans people in a confusing place. The FDA is basing their evaluation of people’s gender on “sex at birth.” This means that a straight, trans woman who has heterosexual male lovers will be banned from donating blood. Gay men who have sex with other gay men will not. Is your head exploding? Find out more about the confusion on BuzzFeed.
Aussie queen, Lottie
The history of drag and crossdressing in the U.S. has been written about here on TGF by our historian Ms. Bob Davis. We know about the way crossdressing was a criminal offense in the 1950s and ‘60s and how men dressing like women became more accepted and dressing up was decriminalized as time went by. But what about drag in Australia? Did they have their Stonewall Riots and Casa Susanna? Learn all about drag down under on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation website.
A boxing club in Toronto, Canada is making a fashion statement in support of trans people. The club’s coach was inspired by a “non-binary trans” who designs bow ties. On Friday’s they are encouraging people to wear bow ties and to post a photo on the club’s Facebook page that shows them sporting a bow tie. Read the story in The Star.
Some crossdressers worry when traveling that they won’t be able to find a hotel that is okay with them walking through the lobby en femme. If you’re planning to visit San Francisco you can safely stay at Hotel Mark Twain. Why is that? The manager is a drag queen. Read about it on the ETN Global Travel Industry News.
One of Italy’s trans people
When we think of Italy we think of many things, the Renaissance, Italian cuisine, Da Vinci, and boots. (Because it’s shaped like a boot.) What we don’t often give much thought to is the transgender people of Italy. Meet some of them in a feature in The Huffington Post.
Pope Francis has been a very untypical Pope. He’s said several things that have made conservative heads explode. What’s he been up to recently? He invited a Spanish trans man to the Vatican for a private audience. Muy bueno! Read about how it all went down in the Washington Blade.
Sports writer Patti Dawn Swansson
From Italy we swoop west to Winnipeg, Canada where a trans woman sports writer who transitioned in 2009 was inducted into the Roll of Honor of the newspaper where she was a sports editor and columnist. The newspaper in question is the Winnipeg Sun.
The “Bruce Jenner is transgender” thing has been popping up all around the Web. It’s got Russell Brand ranting on his YouTube channel about how the news stories on Jenner are nothing but bullying that is cruel and judgemental. The video below includes some of the media picking on Jenner and Brand’s responses.
After 14 seasons of the singing competition American Idol the show has finally gotten an out drag queen among the contestants. Dakota Suarez, whose drag name is Bianca Jade was picked to move on in the competition. Read more on the Bustle website.
Dame Edna Everage is currently traveling the world on her Dame Edna’s Glorius Goodbye: The Farewell Tour. Last week she stopped in Los Angeles and her traveling companion Barry Humphries granted an interview to a local paper. He told the interviewer a few interesting things about his life with Dame Edna and why it is time for her to hang up her fuchsia gown and put away her pumps. Read the interview in the Los Angeles Times, possums.
Chelsea Piers and GLAM winners Sutton Lee Seymour and Paige-Turner
New York City was the site of the 16th Annual GLAM Awards last week. That’s the night in which the stars of New York nightlife get awards for their contributions to the excitement and glamor that is New York City nightlife. Read about who won what and see some photos on the HauteLiving website.
We mentioned before that there is now proof that the brains of people with different gender identities are not the same. The connections between parts of the brain differ according to, or perhaps causing, the person’s gender identity. The story is in The Huffington Post.
TWITs
A trans woman is running for the leadership of the North Carolina Democratic Party. There are four candidates in competition for the leadership spot. During a candidate forum last week the best known candidate, Patsy Keever, called the trans candidate a “man.” That get’s Ms. Keever a TWIT Award. Find out just how the word was used in the News Observer.
It’s all about the restroom. The latest restroom rumble is happening in England where Keira James used the lady’s facility at her place of work and was told by management that she was making people uncomfortable. That’s not a good reason to fire her. How about some education on trans issues for her fellow employees? Fortunately Ms. James is a member of the Industrial Workers of The World Union and they are picketing the company on her behalf. A TWIT Award goes to her former bosses at Aviva. Read all about it in The Star.
Some people seem to think that trans people can be joked about with impunity. When the joker is a policy officer it can be hard to protest. A Lakewood, Ohio officer thought it would be loads of fun to play Dude Looks Like a Lady by Aerosmith while a trans woman was being questioned in a shoplifting case. A TWIT Award goes to Det. Thomas McLaughlin for cranking up the music. He got some other things from the police department, too. Read about it on the cleveland.com site.
Category: Transgender Community News
About the Author (Author Profile)
Angela Gardner is a founding member of The Renaissance Transgender Assoc., Inc., former editor of its newsletter and magazine, Transgender Community News. She was the Diva of Dish for TGF in the late 1990s and Editor of LadyLike magazine until its untimely demise. She has appeared in film and television shows portraying TG characters, as well as representing Renaissance on numerous talk shows.Subscribe
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