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.
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Sep
06
This was my first participation in a real pride parade.
I had attended the Trans March in Toronto, which preceded the city’s mammoth pride parade, but never the main event.
The parade of which I am speaking was held in Calgary, Alberta, which is the gateway to Canada’s most beautiful national parks of Banff and Jasper, and a major oil center.
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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.
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Jul
15
I laughed; I cried. It was entertaining; it was touching; but it was misguided. Such a drag!
We have an amateur festival of plays here aptly called the Fringe Festival – performances that are often off the wall, sometimes brilliant, sometimes awful, but always under and hour and cheap.
The title of this post is the title of the performance I took in tonight. Apparently, by the year 3000, drag queens will be the most respected people in society.
There were plenty of laughs and some heartfelt performances in this story about an aging wanna-be drag queen waitress in a drag bar, whose performance of a lifetime ends up being a celebration of her drab self.
“It takes a lot of courage to put on a dress; it takes even more courage to be yourself.”
Hmmm… there’s a mouthful…
…but so disappointing…
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Jul
11
Has common sense gone out the window? Have people no sense of decorum, or consideration for others?
I could do no better than to shake my head in disappointment and shame after reading a story published by SF Weekly (their blogs section @ /thesnitch/2011/06/crossdressing_man_us_airways.php) late last month. It concerned the denial of boarding privileges to a black football player who was wearing sagging baggy pants that exposed his underwear, while, in a separate incident, allowing a white man in his 60s to board wearing only a bra and panties. (Click here for the original story. ed. note: link removed due to security concerns about originating site.)
This whole episode offends me on so many levels.
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