MetaFilter posts tagged with Transgender

Duanna Johnson sues police department, is murdered

KirkJobSluder — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:13:10 -0800

Duanna Johnson broke the news in June when vidotape of her (alleged) beating by Memphis police was leaked (youtube). According to Johnson, the provocation for the (alleged) assault was asking to be called by name rather than as "faggot" or "he/she." Involved in a lawsuit against the Memphis Police Department, she was murdered on Sunday. Answering a call for donations for funeral expenses, the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition raised $5,300 in four hours. There are nagging questions about the circumstances of the case and the level of coverage this case has received in comparison to Prop. 8 protests. (More coverage: bilerico, feministing, the HRC, questioning transphobia.)

Trans in the Red States

Kattullus — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:11:51 -0800

"In Loveland, Colorado -- population 61,000, 92 percent white and heavily evangelical Christian -- Michelle didn't know what to expect when she began to work with the school to facilitate her daughter's transition from a boy to a girl. At first, it was difficult. The school 'freaked out when I told them,' Michelle says. 'When we started with M.J.'s transition, I was envisioning riots.' And so Michelle became an advocate for transgender people -- those who identify as a gender different from the one assigned at birth. Michelle organized trainings for the faculty and staff and prepared 'cheat sheets' in case any of their students asked prying questions. But on the first day of school, nothing happened." - Trans in the Red States by Jeremy Bearer-Friend and Daniel Redman. [via Obsidian Wings]

And he won by thirteen points.

tractorfeed — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:24:10 -0800

The recent election season in the US was marked by many firsts. One you might not know about: Silverton, Oregon has elected Stu Rasmussen as their mayor. Stu is believed to be the first ever openly transgender mayor in the United States.

A Boy's Life

dgaicun — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:53:30 -0800

The November Atlantic on transgender children: "Since he could speak, Brandon, now 8, has insisted that he was meant to be a girl. This summer, his parents decided to let him grow up as one. His case, and a rising number of others like it, illuminates a heated scientific debate about the nature of gender—and raises troubling questions about whether the limits of child indulgence have stretched too far." Meanwhile the BBC reports on a new genetic link to transsexualism.

Pregnant Man Gives Birth. That's a fact.

grapefruitmoon — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:31:48 -0800

The first legally transgendered man to become pregnant has given birth. Thomas Beatie and his wife Nancy have welcomed a daughter into the world. Thomas on Oprah Articleabout the pregnancy in The Times Online Article by Thomas in The Advocate

Should we worry?

FunkyHelix — Sat, 17 May 2008 10:40:24 -0800

Mercedes Allen looks at who's in charge of deciding the fate of Gender Identity Disorder in the DSM-IV. The APA (American Psychological Association) has announced it's intention to revise the DSMV (Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). The expert they've named to chair revisions on sexuality and gender is Kenneth Zucker. Zucker is the major remaining proponent of Reparative Therapy for LGBT folks. Zucker has named Ray Blanchard to work with the group that will re-write the section on Gender Identity Disorder. Blanchard is connected with 'ex-gay' organizations, and believes that all transpeople are really sex offenders.

Tales of the City

loquacious — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:20:49 -0800

In 1974 - or 1976, depending who you ask - Armistead Maupin began writing "an extended love letter to a magical San Francisco” in the form of a serialized, fictional drama published originally in the Pacific Sun, the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner, originally called "The Serial" which then became collectively known as Tales of The City. It is a suprisingly beautiful, deep, emotional, cosmopolitan and lasting tale about life in San Francisco in the turbulent, heady days of the 1970s and 1980s. Widely credited with and cherished for helping spread a little of the openess, tolerance and acceptance that San Francisco is now famous for. It then became a series of books - Tales of the City, More Tales of the City, Further Tales of the City, Babycakes, Significant Others, Sure of You - and lastly, the spin-off tale of Michael Tolliver Lives. Almost exactly twenty years after first publishing, it then became an excellent miniseries from the United Kingdom's Channel 4, which aired in the United States on PBS, but not without protest or limitations. San Francisco... this post is for you. All of you. More than the Mission burritos, more than the diverse weather, more than the beautiful, breathtaking views and the odd experience of falling deeply in love with a place - and only slightly less than the many real people I've met - this has touched me the most. Thank you. (Get your YouTube samples here.)

The Patriarchy: like the Hotel California

prefpara — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 08:14:54 -0800

The Michigan Womyn’s Festival (“Michfest”) is an annual “womon-built” and run music festival. “Forty performances, a film festival, an artisan/craft show and a full roster of workshops, parties and dances are all slated for one glorious week in August on 650 lush green acres in Michigan.” The festival is open to WBW (women born women) only. The exclusion of trans-women from the festival has been an enormous source of controversy over the years. The wikipedia page devoted to Michfest has a good summary of the history of the debate. The Michfest main site has a forum where this issue is frequently discussed. There is an organization dedicated to fighting the policy. There is an extensive archive of materials relating to the controversy, including a broad FAQ. Many blogs have weighed in. Some of the more prominent posts: Aug 06 Aug 06 (2) Sept 06 June 07 Aug 07 Jan 08 Feb 08

Frank Zappa smiles from heaven

chinese_fashion — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:31:39 -0800

Transgendered women in lingerie made from taxidermied rats. NSFW unless John Waters is your boss.Via Ectomo, natch.

What makes "T" part of "GLBT"?

AccidentalHedonist — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:04:52 -0800

Up for consideration is the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which has been written to provide a comprehensive Federal prohibition of employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Last week, Barney Frank released a Statement saying that it is a mistake to continue seeking inclusion of "gender identity" as part of the Act. Or to put it in other words, there'd be protections for only the "GLB" part of the larger "GLBT community". Frank's decision was quickly lauded by John Aravosis, who then proceeded to question the inclusion of the Transgendered from the GLBT communty. Some gay and lesbians activists agreed with him. Others not so much. Meanwhile, Susan Stryker reminds everyone of some basic history lessons regarding trans activism (.pdf link). Many are left to wonder - what makes gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered a single community? Isn't homophobia a form of gender oppression?