"Plenty of Hair, Nary a Mustache"

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From the NY Times. Whoa. “They’re professional. They do it perfect.”

You're so awkward

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In Le Provocateur, Kristin Miller writes an article about a talk by Colby College prof. Jennifer Finney Boylan. Miller ends the opening paragraph with, "her talk was not about the surgery itself, but how she dealt with this lifelong and nearly incomprehensible condition." And closes with, "no matter how awkward, mysterious or taboo the topic of transsexuals is, it must be addressed by society." You're so awkward. Thanks Kristin.

know yer neighbors

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So an amazing thing is about to happen in Oregon. People are going to have to own up to the petitions they signed. Or someone can search to see if their name has falsely been attached to said petition. I think this is great. Some people think it's horrible. And I think they're wrong. I love when something that is public record but commonly thought of as private suddenly becomes very public.

So in 10 days, the names and addresses of about 55,000 Oregonians who signed a petition to repeal both the new domestic partnership benefits act the nondiscrimination act will be posted at Know thy neighbor Oregon dot com. It could get a little akward in my neighborhood that's all I'm saying.

It's also up for past initiatives in Florida and Massachusetts.

Genna Suraci

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Okay, one, I know this isn't okay, but I actually appreciate that I read both of the non-trans women in the opening picture from this article- in the New York Times- as trans. There's just something nice about that.

Two, I love that they included a picture of Ms. Suraci pre-transition, all suit and tie, with the subtitle "Gary Suraci, now Genna," as if that were somehow okay. (Hint: "Genna Suraci, previously Gary," would be more okay, but still messed up. A picture of her actually looking like the lady she is would've been nice.)

Three, I wonder whether even NYT writer Tina Kelley knew how cash-fuckin-money this line is: "Michael Locasio, who owns a tattoo parlor in a neighboring town, complained, 'God makes things perfect and people want to screw it all up.'" Awesome.

Four, "Mr. Ruglis would not say whether the principal had undergone sex-change surgery, but said such a procedure would not be covered by the district’s insurance policy." Because I guess that's what's important to tax payers? "Let's just reassure everyone that their money isn't buying this person a body that makes sense to her." (not a real quote.)

Five: military service, marriage, kids, check. Also, somehow including a bit about what she was wearing, right at the beginning of the article: check. Interestingly, the contrast of wife/kids/military with became-a-lady isn't really played up; also interestingly, there's a description of what a non-trans, pretty-superfluous-to-the-article woman is wearing, too. It's almost like Ms Kelley knows what I'm looking for in an article about a trans woman, and is fucking with me. Which is kind of nice.

Six I am in love with the hippie teacher who's all about compassionate living and 'adults are set in their ways, children are sweethearts who are not.' LOVE HER. YAY NEW PALTZ.

And finally? Seven? All snark aside, I love that the article ends with three students, all of whom are like, 'who cares? sometimes people are trans, whatever.' No dissenting voice, no queerphobia for contrast or fairness or whatever. It's nice.

So I guess a thumb and a half up?

HAWK STONE

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"The best guess is that it affects one in 30,000 males and one in 100,000 females, said Dr. Edgar Menvielle of Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He based his calculation on the number of sex reassignment surgeries in the Netherlands."

That last sentence reads like a punchline. I love how pseudo science is allowed to be when it comes to gender. "Well, judging by a ten-year old six-person study in the Netherlands, I'm going to assume that female-to-male transsexuality does not actually exist." (<--- Not actually a real quote.)

It's also delightful how, in the last section, badassly-named psychologist HAWK STONE is talking about gender identity stuff very rationally and intelligently, and annoying reporter Fran Henry interjects in the second-to-last paragraph to be all "transsexuality's not real though," and then she continues quoting HAWK STONE who's like "well, actually, transsexuality's a real thing."

F minus, Minneapolis Star Tribune. Wait no- F plus, for HAWK STONE.

South Korean military

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This article nails all the pronouns and doesn't seem to fuck anything up! I'm not super stoked about the military or violence or compulsory anything, really, but it's nice how there's no judging or pronoun fuckery implied anywhere. (Those military folks in the picture sure are smiley, but I'm so stoked about the reporting that I don't even want to talk shit.) Pinknews dot co dot uck goes on our blogroll.

law dot com

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My eyes glazed over completely and immediately, but it looks like this article is nice.

the Cliks

Look, I really don't want to be bored of the Cliks- I want to super love them and be on the same team as them, but I just don't care. Swaggering rock & roll? Eh.

Dunno what the fuck this article is, though. It's like two sentences about Lucas's bein trans. Weird.

name change

The LGBT organization at the University of Michigan wants to change its name to something inclusive of allies, and this article claims that everybody thinks that is stupid.

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"Another problem with the current title is the ambiguity of the word "transgender," he said.

The term is typically used to encompass people with a gender identity different from the male or female classification that society would conventionally designate to them. But many people tend to confuse it with the word "transsexual," a term for a person who wants to assume the physical characteristics and gender roles of a different sex."

Italics mine. Puke.


"Andrew Sullivan, a columnist for "The Atlantic" magazine, also criticized the office's efforts at inclusiveness.

'I was a gay advisor on campus and I know the pain and issues involved. I know they need to exist,' Sullivan said. 'But the p.c. crapola gets you down.'"

Puke.

Also: Dan Savage, "who is gay [and therefore a good person to explain this stuff to normal folks like you and me]," thinks inclusiveness is stupid. Puke! Next.

job fair

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The descriptions of people at this trans job fair are all amused, with an undertone of mocking, in an otherwise ok article. Also lots of emphasis on "Name, formerly Othername," which is OLD. PUKE.

Part of the reason I haven't been on this blog at all is how BORING it is to read the same old amused-but-benevolent attitudes from self-satisfied reporters who aren't doing anything overtly mean. Y'know? Gross.

Sean, Simon, and Seattle

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While attending a gender conference in Seattle (though this happened at a movie unrelated to the conference...) Sean and Simon got kicked out of a men's room at the mall. They were then escorted out of the building by security. The best part is when the reporter says Sean and Simon are "two female-to-male transgender people" when clearly they are not. Ok, the for real best part is the pee-in.

Starlight follow up

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A little more detail. Mostly to the tune of Starlight's (we learn here AKA Gabriel Bernal) family conflicting each other on the stand after which brother Rocky is hauled off to jail (for slamming sister Sandy's face in a car door). Oh, here we also learn important details of each person's life like that Gutierrez was a 16-year veteran of the force, and Bernal is HIV-positive. The judge described the whole thing as being the " 'family troubles' of the victim's clan on full display in federal court." Like the last story, the reporters don't let us forget that Gutierrez was a cop and now we can't forget that Bernal's family is apparently one big mess. Extrapolate to clearly she is one big mess.

Starlight

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From a tv broadcast in San Antonio yesterday- (I couldn't hear the audio or view the video.) A former police officer convicted of raping a transwoman is calling for a retrial. The reporter uses switching pronouns and leads the second paragraph with "The transsexual, who goes by the name Starlight..." to pit her against her rapist "Officer Dean Gutierrez." New evidence from a (former?) drug dealer implicating Starlight in a setup against Gutierrez may be enough to call for a new trial. Thanks, Texas. It's been real. Don't forget he was a cop.

pretty tame

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Published today in the Palm Beach Post's local news- Almost everything is pretty tame about this story. Minus the severe beating of a transwoman. A 17-year old solicits sex from a 39-year old unnamed transwoman (we're told that she's pre-op, "has breast implants and has lived as a woman for more than a decade", and didn't testify against this kid) then severely beats her and gets 4 1/2 months probation. Awesome. At least the reporter uses her right pronoun where the 17-year old fails to.

Murray Hall

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Just saw this on feministing- an article from AM New York (is that the free one?) about a New York councilman who... I guess the article says that he shouldn't be in trouble for raping someone, because okay. Follow this. Because, around the turn of the twentieth century, there was a trans guy named Murray Hall.

Three things.

One, a psychologist proposes that we 'just face it, that men never grow up,' and that's the deal with rape, in a nutshell. We should just face it.

Two, the article I guess is about the fact that there's a long history of New York politicians being patriarchally appalling: sexual harassment, rape... being trans. One doesn't fit. (Also: turns out Murray Hall was "really a woman," according to AM New York staff writer David Freedlander, who is in charge of Murray Hall's gender because I guess he does a better job at it than Murray Hall.)

Three, "it is worth noting that many of these claims are just allegations." But we're bringing them up and publishing them because... who knows.

I mean, it's just a poorly written, take-no-sides article that doesn't say anything, kind of sweeps allegations of oppression under the rug, and then also on the side has some creepy, unnecessary transphobia. Gross.

Brazil To Provide Free Sex Changes

Introduction: Hey, hey. So before you read this let us understand that I have been to the nation in question. Let us also understand that I have learned - through studies and personal experiences as well as anecdotal stories from gitano rom - just how racism, classism, and so on operate in Brazil and its culture. I am not an expert - fuckin, no shit, sherlock - but this shit is something that I get and understand. I also approach this from the privileged perspective of someone who has had bottom surgery. Yes, I worked sex work and still have scars on my body from the work that earned me the money for it. But having had bottom surgery - regardless of the source of income - is a privilege on its own. I acknowledge this and understand it. I will totally listen to open and honest criticism from anyone so long as it is an invitation for open and honest conversation. Cause when criticism happens then learning always needs to follow, right?

Okay.

Always an awkward topic for me to write about. For the most part this article indicates that something pretty great happened in Brazil recently as far as legislation around medical provisions is concerned. Which is awesome for those who want to pursue the bottom surgery route, because all of a sudden those without the necessary class privilege to afford it without hard work can in theory spend their money elsewhere without worrying about how to save for such an invasive procedure. Assuming of course that the surgeons in Brazil are capable of providing for the needs of the their patients. This is all as good as it gets right now - or so I suppose - for those transwomen in foreign nations who have tracked themselves for bottom surgery.

In fact, I wish that the United States had a similar mandate and I wish that Canada actually lived up to their idealistic promises as far as Canadian health care and services for the Canadian transgeneral population are concerned. No, what makes me twitch when I read this article are the final two sentences which read:

"Transsexuals represent about 0.001 percent of the Brazilian population, but for this minority, sexual-reassignment surgery is a question of life and death," said Luiz Mott, founder of the Bahia Gay Group. "It is unjust and cruel to argue that the health system should concern itself with other priorities."

Brazil's public-health system offers free care to all Brazilians, including a variety of surgeries and AIDS medication. But long lines and poorly equipped facilities mean that those who can afford it usually choose to pay for private hospitals and clinics.

I am sorry Luiz Mott but your statement is way too fucking generalized. First of all, your census information no doubt only represents those transgeneral peoples capable of receiving medical recognition for their status. Unless of course Brazil includes transgeneral status on its census inquiries (it may and I do not know if it does) instead of estimates of transgeneral populations based upon those who have already accessed bottom surgery, as is done in most every country worlwide. So unless I am wrong about the Brazilian census chances are good that your 0.0001% figure only reflects those have who already possessed the priviledge necessary to pursue the bottom surgery you are claiming that they need to survive. I recommend that you take a second look at your math and apply a more critical gathering approach to your statistics.

I also recommend dropping the old line that bottom surgery is an issue of life or death. The medical community has fed us this line for so long that even transwomen who neither need nor want bottom surgery may be coerced to offer false confessions in which they must tell their providers how very much they require bottom surgery or else they will do something drastic, all so their providers will actually provide. Which is just absolutely fucking disgusting. Having recently dealt with the realities of suicide I can say with some security that it is both unethical and fuckwittedly putrescent to imply - or outright claim - that the whole of the transgeneral MTF population is suicidal unless presented with brand new cunt.

There are so many women who are so much tougher than that, Luiz Mott, and so many who are so beautiful that a scalpel need never touch their flesh to confirm their womanhood or their beauty. This is not to disparage whatever hard work you may have put into this pursuit but it is intended to disparage a systemic attitude that has driven many trans women into many different corners and ghettos. My ire is not directed at you but at an article that chose which quotes to publish.

Finally and to summarize: As the queer population worlwide is concerned, there are many more priorities which medical providers and communities should concern themselves with. When publicly accessible AIDS and HIV and surgical lines are so long that even the privileged will option to spend money rather than accept a thing for free, so understaffed that lines are are long, and funding so poor that facilities must be described as poorly equipped? When racism is alive and well - and yes, Brazil, though your concepts of white versus black are different than our own here in the States it is from experience and the experiences of others that I know just how equally problematic and fucked up they are - in your own backyard and no doubt informing which populations are most in need just as they are informed here in the northern continent? And your offer of 'free life versus death' surgical procedures will only further diminish and distract from the already underfunded medical and surgical procedures that are provided?

When all of this holds true? 0.0001% who have no doubt already acquired bottom surgery elsewhere pales in comparison to the 0.6% known citizens who must struggle with long lines and 'poorly equipped facilities' just to keep on fighting, and all those others who are already accessing surgical and medical procedures which are no doubt truly necessary for the avoidance of consensual death. I do not mean to pick on your words, Luiz Mott, because I know how much of your life you have committed to the causes facing LGBT peoples. I am familiar with you. But I also hold out hope that the quotes attributed to you were only wind up the ass of the government to get them to provide something, rather than words you spoke in true belief. I respect you and I admire the hard work you have done for a community that is often under-represented worlwide.

But to be perfectly honest? There are many things that are a whole heck of a lot more important than convincing the world at large - and subsequently trans women themselves - that we all need a brand new pussy to keep on living. We need support in medical communities for those who differ from standard narratives and models. We need support from government institutions dedicated to providing community services that keep transwomen safe. We need safer streets and non-discrimination legislation that actually accomplishes what it says it is going to accomplish and we need dramatic cultural changes on top of that, and all of this needs to happen right the fuck now. Seriously. Right the fuck now.

Besides which: Who the hell are you - a nontrans man - to be speaking for transwomen anyway? Cause we all know that who it is you are talking about. And who are these reporters - associated press as they are - to be taking about such a complicated issue yet writing so damn little about it? And as for free pussy? Well shit, Mott, something made me think that was the patriarch's agenda. Not ours, not until we get the more important shit out of the way to begin with.

JonBenet Murder Suspect

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After escaping that whole messy JonBenet thing and 2001 charges for child pornography Jon Mark Karr flies to Thailand for surgery. Reportedly for no other reason than to "help him avoid capture by the police." This article not only trivializes it also demonizes. Thanks, that's great. On the up and up at least there are a few sentences saying that Karr doesn't represent the majority of trans peoples' stories. By the end, the tone has somewhat changed. But I'm still annoyed by headline sensationalism. And the first half of the story.

amputate

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Lynn Conway reposts an article published five days ago (!) by the Massachussettes Globe and Mail. I wrote a long thing picking it apart, but ultimately deleted it. It was kind of pointless. It's almost like Margaret Wente had the checklist in front of her: get pronouns wrong, obsess about clothing and how being a trans woman is all about artifice, harp on how this destroyed a family, say "born into the wrong body." Refer to bottom surgery as the amputation of a penis. Dismiss transsexuality as the newest whim in an "ever expanding panoply of sexual minorities." (Margaret: tell me a couple more!) Disclaim for a second, then embrace the shit out of autogynephilia theory. Finally, in the second or third draft, dress the story up like you're being nice.

Fuckin gross. Oh! She also used the phrase "biological men who want to become women." Delightful!

Victoria Arellano

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Look, America held trans woman Victoria Arellano prisoner because she wasn't a citizen. They didn't give her medication she needed and she died. I'm pissed that I'm not at all surprised.

Interesting choice of a photograph, by the way. I honestly don't know how I feel about it. On the one hand... she's really pretty, it's well done, and she's not from my culture, so I'm reluctant to really pick it apart in terms of what glamour shots are to me vs. comebody else. On the other, though, it's very much a soft focus headshot. I don't want to attribute much to it, I just want to acknowledge that I feel weird about that choice of photograph, you know? What it says about how transwomen are perceived by the folks who pick the photographs in newspapers. Maybe it was chosen to reinforce that it was fucked up she was kept in a men's facility? I'm gonna go with that.

'Sbetter than using a photogaraph of an enemy's dad, I guess.

serano on bailey

Oh shit! Julia Serano posts at feministing on that article (sorry, you have to log in) in the times last week defending J Michael Bailey.

101: Bailey wrote a book that said transsexual women either are transsexual to get with straight men, or to get themselves off. Julia Serano's smart.

Anyway, in that feministing article, Serano puts Bailey's work into a historical context, as well as pointing out the gross patriarchal assumptions inherent to Bailey's theory.

Duke

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I guess I can start this thing out, eh? It's hard for me to muster outrage at this stuff, but I can at least post things.

Basically, a trans woman was gonna be moved into a Duke dorm for women, because she's a woman. Then somebody's dad got pissed and made them move her back to a men's dorm. Even though she's a woman.

Particularly delightful is the bit where they focus on her surgery status the whole time. Also the bit where- in the video clip waiting to be loaded up, which is just the text of the article read out loud and which I didn't watch past ten seconds because real people saying this shit out loud is way more upsetting than reading it- the picture that accompanies the article is actually about the grouchy dad who didn't want a trans woman, who's a woman, moving into his daughter's dorm. It's nice the way that an article about a trans woman is accompanied by a picture of a man, so that unless you pay lots of attention- which I tend not to- you get the impression that the grumpy fucker in the easy chair is the trans woman, who is clearly a man. In reality, that's not her, and she is a woman.

It isn't explicit anywhere that the article is about the dad.

wooooo