Apr
19
A court decision in Canada has struck down a law requiring Gender-reassignment Surgery (GRS) as a precondition to having one’s gender changed on their documentation.
There are undoubtedly people on both sides of this issue who will be unhappy about it – post-op transsexuals who may feel that anyone who can tolerate the “bits” of the opposite gender is not truly transsexual, and others who may feel that this just makes it too easy to play games with one’s gender and official documentation.
But, remember that most people who eventually undergo gender reassignment surgery spend years living as the gender opposite to what their identification indicates. They do this for financial reasons, or even for reasons of uncertainty and fear of going through with the surgery. They are not fooling around; this is serious business in their lives, and having a passport or ID that matches the gender they are living is important.
Read More»Apr
05
They’ve decided to reverse their decision over at Miss Universe Canada and allow the transgender contestant to compete.
Those of the school that any publicity is good publicity will suspect that the whole thing was a charade. With “the Trump” behind the contest, such suspicion can only grow.
But, I think the image of the contest has been sullied somewhat. Don’t you?
No matter, I think the whole episode has done the trans community a wonderful service by shining the spotlight on a positive image of our community rather than some of the sordid headlines we often get.
Maybe people will rethink their impressions of what a “tranny” is. One can only hope…
Mar
27
Miss Universe Canada selected Jenna Talackova as a finalist for the 2012 competition.
But, that was before they found out that she was born male (“assigned male at birth” to be exact).
Can’t have that!
Yes, the pageant immediately disqualified her, wishing her the best in her life outside their little event. Sorry, just the rules; no discrimination here, they said.
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Mar
24
Their hands caressed every inch of my body, every nook and cranny – well almost. When they were done with me, I was little more than a hunk of quivering Jell-O; it was as if my bones had turned soft.
This was the best threesome I’ve ever had – and I hope to do it again sometime.
For those of you who have never had a “four-handed massage,” I assure you that the experience is exponentially greater than the sum of two plus two.
We are, indeed, talking here of massage, and not euphemistically about anything else. Tsk! Get your minds out of the gutter…
The thing about having two therapists working on you simultaneously is that your whole body is receiving attention at the same time, and you drift into an incredible state of relaxation.
Expensive? Yes. But memorable.
Put it on your bucket list; you won’t regret it.
Mar
17
I’ve been Ma’am-ed before on several occasions while in male mode, but this is a whole new thing.
When someone refers to you as “Ma’am,” they see you as a blank stranger – another person in line, a customer, someone in their way… whatever.
But, today, I was getting on the plane, and a fairly good-looking man in his 40s or 50s stepped out of the aisle to let me pass, looking straight into my eyes with a smile and softly saying, “Go ahead, dear.”
Certainly not an affirmation of my masculinity, that’s for sure!
I am equal parts puzzled, concerned and pleased.
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Mar
09
As we push the boundaries of gender, sometimes things just make you shake your head – even people like me. A pregnant man is one of those things.
Not too long ago, there was an article in a local paper about a guy having a baby. Not surprisingly, it was an FTM transsexual – and one who had taken pains to preserve her reproductive organs during her reassignment surgery.
Now, I am the first to admit that my views on gender are fairly old-fashioned; ironically, it is that point-of-view that is the foundation for my transgenderism, as I am simply unable to incorporate my feminine side into my masculine without destroying the integrity of both, as I see them.
So, this person is clearly the opposite of me, in that she did not feel that becoming a man conflicted with her desire to become pregnant and give birth to children, nor her desire to be in a relationship with a man.
Amazingly, what did give her pause was the idea that having her feet in stirrups in order to receive the insemination would be too feminizing for her masculine self!!
Mar
06
I had the honor of being asked to do a guest post on Jessica de Leon’s fabulous blog, Jessica Who? To those of you who don’t know Jessica, she is a warm, outgoing, brilliantly funny, and insightful performer and writer. You owe it to yourself to spend some time with her and her friends.
My post, entitled “Second Nature Second-Nature” was published yesterday. To read it, click here. [Ed. Note: link disabled]
[Ed. Note from the future: It seems Jessica’s online presence has vanished – I really hope she is alright. If anyone has any information on her, please let me know. In the meanwhile, I have disabled the links originally provided – as someone else has taken over her site – and I am reproducing the content originally seen on her site (it is mine, after all), below.]
Second Nature Second Nature
Ever find yourself dancing around the house, feeling all feminine and joyful – or is that just me?
Umm… well, I am sure we all have our moments of inner contentment and happiness at how we are feeling as our female selves. In my case, just hearing some of my fave tunes when I am feeling that way will soon have me floating around with the music. (It would be a lot less embarrassing if I could dance at all…)
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Mar
03
I took the time to read the New Yorker article referenced by the Washington Post in my last post.
It is well worth reading.
With all due respect to the esteemed Washington Post, Pejic doesn’t really seem to identify as male any more than he does female. His focus is, much like was discussed in my missive on Psychology Today, that there is no benefit to identify as one or the other.
He says he never did “drag”; he just dressed pretty, in the same way girls do. Semantics, perhaps, but evidence of a certain mindset.
He does not divide the world into girls and boys, and roles for each, orientations and attractions. He just takes it as it comes, with no labels.
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Mar
02
After seeing that episode of Bones, I sat down to write my post about it. In the process of doing so, I looked up references to androgyny in Asian culture and found some fascinating things.
Pretty men in Japan seem to be well-liked by young females, and are popular television personalities and performers as they appeal across a broad spectrum of that society. They are also popular in manga comics as the prototypical male, especially those targeted at girls.
Here’s a telling quote about the history and endurance of this type of character, from the wikipedia entry on the subject (link is below):
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Mar
01
I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the television series Bones. In many respects, it is just another crime-drama show.
What brings Bones to my blog is an episode I just happened to land on the other day, which involved a visiting Japanese forensic investigator. (This episode, though new to me, is a couple of years old, BTW.)
As a subplot to the usual grisly murder investigation, the regular characters on the show were mystified as to the gender of this visitor, and determined to figure it out. Each professed their opinion based on whatever gender markers they found relevant. There were actual debates about this.
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