Notice to Commenters

As of July 10, 2008, comments posted under the name ‘Anonymous’ with obviously fake email addresses will no longer be approved on TRANScend GENDER.
There is no reason to comment anonymously. WordPress allows you to enter any name, nickname or “handle” when you comment, and the email address you enter is only visible to the blog [...]

Review: “My Secret Female Body” on BBC America

Having reviewed “Transvestite Wives” earlier, I felt it was only fair to give a similar treatment to “My Secret Female Body”, another in the ‘Reveals’ series that premiered on BBC America on June 22, 2008.
This documentary focused on a twenty two year old transman, Danny. From the BBC America web site:
Born as Katie, Danny has [...]

New transgender policy at New York juvenile jails

Associated Press article, via the Tucson Citizen:
Transgender youth in New York’s juvenile detention centers are now allowed to wear whatever uniform they choose, be called by whatever name they want and ask for special housing under a new anti-discrimination policy drawing praise from advocacy groups.

Transgender youth are provided private sleeping quarters and are allowed to [...]

Writer’s Block: Gender Bender

Livejournal has a feature which I’ve never used - a daily question with which to inspire posts in those who lack anything else to write about. It’s a bit hokey, but today’s question caught my eye:
Do you ever want to be of the opposite sex? If so, what attracts you to the idea? If not, [...]

New England Transgender Pride March: Thoughts from a straight ally

I discovered this thought-provoking blog post from Jendi Reiter:
The first-ever New England Transgender Pride March took place this weekend in Northampton, and I was there with my “Episcopal Church Welcomes You” rainbow tank top and a digital camera to capture the pageantry. I was hoping to blend into the MassEquality contingent, but they were scattered [...]

Review: ‘Transvestite Wives’ on BBC America

Edited to add: “Transvestite Wives” will also be shown again on Sunday, July 13, 2008 at 6:00 PM, if you missed it the first time around.
Last night, I caught the premiere of BBC America’s “Transvestite Wives” episode in their BBC America Reveals series. From their website:
Transvestite Wives looks at three transvestite relationships, as seen [...]

Mercedes Allen responds to accusations of scaremongering

On a post to her personal blog, and cross-posted to Bilerico and Transadvocate, Mercedes Allen reflects on the responses to her original Uh-oh post, including several that have been reported here and elsewhere.

I and others have been accused of scaremongering in the ongoing debate(s) surrounding this issue. Dr. Forstein has some excellent points for us [...]

Educating the World - Person to Person

I had a rather cool experience recently which showed me how small the world is - and how the right approach can cause people to be accepting even when you don’t expect it. My friend Abby suggested I share it with you all.
It all started one day at work - I was at lunch with [...]

The New York Times Covers Married Couples Staying Together Through SRS

A positive news article covering both a success story and the legal implications (but why is it in ‘Fashion and Style’?)
Through Sickness, Health and Sex Change

“We’re one of the few of our friends who are still in our original marriage,” Denise Brunner said.
But it is not exactly the same union, as evidenced by their [...]

Male au pairs make inroads in child-care role, but slowly

Once again, traditional gender roles are challenged.
From the Arizona Daily Star, April 28, 2008:
It would be an overstatement to say male au pairs and male nannies are threatening the dominance of Mary Poppins and Julie Andrews and their ilk. What does seem to be true, however, is that awareness about male caregivers has been on [...]