Nov
19
I was searching online last night for a bar or nightlife in Manhattan that welcomed t-girls, and came across an interesting, but I guess not altogether surprising, phenomenon:
There is pretty well no way to search for anything tgirl without getting utterly mucked up and mired in pornography and prostitution. The search engines have so much of that crap tied to tgirl, or any synonym, that a search is pretty much useless.
The same, incidentally, is true of blogs.
The vast majority of so-called tgirl blogs are simply ads for porn sites.
Is this an indication of something wrong with us? Or what?
Nov
11
We often take our liberties for granted, especially those of us who live where tolerance is common and sensitivity is expected.
But there is a time to reflect on the price that people have paid in places where differences are justification for oppression, or in times that were not so enlightened as these.
Exhibit #1 Memorializing 2011
Memorializing 2011 lists trans people murdered around the world.
I am struck by the fact that these people died simply for doing what I do any time I feel like it with nary a second thought.
Not unnoticed, at least by me, is the marked preference among assailants for the intimate personal touch of killing imparted by the use of a knife rather than a gun.
Read More»
Nov
10
We in Canada are proud to say that in our nation’s capital, during the weekend of Transgender Remembrance Day (November 18 – 20), there will be a flag raising at the Ottawa Police Headquarters, honoring the trans community specifically.
It is ground-breaking to be recognized on our own, outside of the GLBT umbrella, of which we seem so often to be a marginal part.
Further significance attaches to the fact that it is the police that are doing this for us, despite the mistrust of many in the trans community of the police.
Read More»Oct
05
Annie Lennox, the gender-bending artist who came to fame as the voice (and soul) of the Eurythmics in the eighties, has recently become the sole focus of an art exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London called “The House of Annie Lennox” – a take-off on her website name – The House of Me.
She is even going to personally, physically be part of the exhibit. In what she calls “a mix between art, video and showcase,” she will do some of her work at a desk within the display, on view to spectators but not able to see them.
If you don’t know Annie Lennox, treat yourself to a quick search online for her biography. Or, just click this link: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/Diva+display/5452384/story.html
In one of the unusual anecdotes I read, she had to furnish proof that she was actually female before MTV would allow her Sweet Dreams video to air.
Read More»Oct
02
My post yesterday dealt with an ad (from the so-called Institute for Canadian Values – don’t you just love the way certain people decide that their values are the ones for all of us?) beseeching government to stop confusing young children with questions about their gender and sexual orientation – especially regarding transgender issues.
Interestingly, just today, the newspaper in which the ad ran issued an apology for publishing it.
The paper is of a right-of-center political bent, so the apology may raise eyebrows further.
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Oct
01
I am bringing this up with precious little in the way of insight. Hopefully, some of you will have something to offer on the subject.
The ad below (please click on it to enlarge it to readable size) comes from a local paper and expresses concern with efforts to teach young children about sexual and gender diversity. (The title of this post comes from the name of the website responsible for this ad.)
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Sep
17
As you all know, I am a gender-traveler – not only from one gender to the other, but from one place to another.
My “home and native land” of Canada has disappointed me with its restrictive laws, which are unnecessary to any constructive purpose. I recounted my dismay with Canadian air travel laws in a recent post (click here).
By contrast, I read today that Australia has enacted new rules that allow their citizens to acquire a passport with gender designated as M, F or X (for indeterminate), with only a doctor’s letter of support. No surgery, no imminent surgery, no proof of medical condition required.
Read More»Sep
03
Having flown without incident as a girl on a number of occasions in the U.S., I was quite taken aback to read that in Canada – a country most people would regard as more progressive – the law requires airlines to deny boarding to anyone who “does not appear to be of the gender indicated on the identification he or she presents.” (Aeronautics Act of Canada Section 5.2(1)(b).)
My experiences in America have been nothing but pleasant. I have sung the praises, on these very pages, of both border agents and security personnel, who have gone out of their way to be accommodating and pleasant.
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Jul
29
We have a little gay magazine here called “In” – as in “inclusive,” I presume.
It sure pretends to be.
Have a look at their cover picture. See if you can spot the realistic representative of our community…
Actually, there are two trans people in this photo; there’s also an FTM transsexual.
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Jul
28
Ever heard of Kazaky?
They are an up-and-coming boy band, with multi-million-hit youtube releases of two music videos last year. Kazaky is a highly sexualized, gender-bending energetic, athletic Ukranian band, pumping out beat-heavy dance anthems that are actually pretty good!
But, what caught my eye – aside from their rock-hard abs and impressively synched dance steps – was that these boys do it in 4-inch heels!
Now, you know that I am not a big fan of mixing and mashing genders, but I do try to keep an open mind and see how each new idea in this regard hits me, as honestly as possible.
Read More»
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