Monday 6 July 2009

Pakistan's Chief Justice orders survey of "third sex"

Pakistan’s “third sex” is to be officially surveyed and registered under the direction of the Supreme Court.

In June 2009, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry ordered the establishment of a commission to conduct the survey after a prominent jurist, Mohammed Aslam Khaki, filed a petition drawing attention to the plight of Pakistan’s several hundred thousand eunuchs.

Until the registration takes place, the number of eunuchs is unknown. Community leaders estimate it is at least 400,000.

For the original article, click this link.

Sunday 28 June 2009

USA 2009: Haves v have nots

Rebecca Juro says :-

Shortly after my first unsuccessful attempt to take advantage of the new, less stringent regulations regarding changing gender markers on drivers licenses in New Jersey, I met with a gender specialist to get the form signed, certifying that though born biologically male, my gender identity is in fact female.

While certainly an easing of the previous regulations, which required proof of genital surgery, these new regulations eliminate that requirement but still require the signature of a licensed gender specialist.

Of course, having lived fulltime as a woman for over 12 years, the doctor knew just after a few minutes of talking to me that I was for real and not only signed the form for me, but also gave me something I've never had (or really thought I needed before), a "carry letter," a letter from the gender pro on official stationary which you show to cops/officials to prove that you're a bona fide transsexual.

All together including gas, just getting this form signed cost me just over $500, almost two entire week's worth of unemployment payments. I was damn lucky the doctor was willing to take payments over 3 months (apparently this is a common issue in her practice) or I don't know how I'd have survived until my next unemployment check.

Full story at this link.

San Francisco's 5th Trans March


In the words of Bill Hackwell, on 27 June 2009.

"Several thousand people gathered in Dolores Park to demand equality for the Trans Community. This was followed by a spirited march to 26th and Valencia. The march was the 5th trans march in San Francisco that began in 2004 to honor Gwen Araujo, a young transgendered woman who was brutally murdered in Newark California in November of 2002."

To view all of the photos by Bill Hackwell, please click on this link.

Friday 26 June 2009

UK Gender Variance Rates in Calderdale

An earlier report on Calderdale flagged the need to identify the number of people with gender dysphoria in the area.

Calderdale is a local authority area in West Yorkshire that includes Halifax. The area has a population of about 200,000.

NHS Calderdale carried out a survey to identify the number and satisfaction with service and reported in Mar 2009.

The survey used trans as a term for those who had used, were using or intended to use, the gender dysphoria treatment services.

The NHS surveyed trans people directly and also service providers.

The survey found the prevalence to be 1 in 5,000 approximately.

However, the report noted a marked lack of people who had ceased using the services and a similar lack of those who intended to but were not already in the system. It also noted evidence that the survey had not reached all trans people in the area, due to some people choosing to not flag their background, and due to a fragmented support network. The latter is despite the work of Trans Yorkshire, a group of about 10 tackling trans issues in Calderdale.

For these reasons, the report concluded the true prevalence is likely to be more frequent than 1 in 5,000. NB The Transgender EuroStudy report had a prevalence of 1 in 4,000.

The report found a trans-woman to trans-man ratio of 4:1.

The respondents noted Calderdale as a fairly nice and humane place to live.

Nearly everyone surveyed had either gone through SRS or intended to do so.

Only a third of respondents felt their current health needs were being met.

A notable characteristic was the use of a mix of NHS and private services. The report details treatment available on the NHS and that frequently sought, but not provided.

The treatment of adolescents was also flagged as a concern.

A majority of those responding had been or were using services provided by Leeds Gender Identity Clinic.

Full report from NHS Calderdale.


In April 2009, the trans community in Yorkshire was organising letters to be sent to all 37 MPs for the region, complaining about the services offered by the Gender Identity Service at Leeds. The aim was to meet with the MPs in parliament on 19th May to discuss these complaints. It appears that Calderdale is the only area in Yorkshire where patients can choose which gender identity clinic they wish to be referred to.

More on complaints re Leeds GIC

Thursday 25 June 2009

UK transgender rates

In June 2009, the Gender Identity Research and Education Society published a report on the prevalence, incidence and geographic distribution of people seeking treatment for gender dysphoria within the UK.

The GIRES report is intended to provide healthcare, police services and employers with information on the numbers of people in pertinent groups within the transgender spectrum in the UK.

The report is drawn from 3 recent surveys in the UK and Europe, plus additional material.

The total number of people who have presented for treatment for gender dysphoria in the UK is calculated to be 10,000, with 6,000 having undergone transition.

This is a prevalence of 20 per 100,000 people aged 16 plus.

The number of new people presenting for treatment each year is 1,500. This is an incidence of 3.0 per 100,000 people aged 16 plus.

The number of new people presenting for treatment each year is growing at 15% compound. This would double the number every 5 years.

The authors of the report suggest this is due to more social acceptance and the growth of ‘buddy’ support.

This increase is similar to the increase in Europe.

Trans people present for treatment at any age but the median age in the UK is 42.

The current split of those in male-to-female v. female-to-male is about 4:1. If this is accurate, the 10,000 who have presented for treatment could rise to 50,000.

Evidence from Europe and some from the UK suggests the female-to-male number could increase until it matches the mtf number. If this is the case, the total presenting for treatment could rise to 90,000.

The number of children and adolescents presenting for treatment each year is 84. This is also doubling every 5 years. The authors suggest that if youth treatment was brought into line with best international practice, the rate would increase faster, since a number of people in this category are known to seek treatment abroad.

A total of 1,200 people actually transition each year. Based on rates of those currently seeking surgery, this equates to a need for 480 genital and gonadal operations for mtf trans people and 240 chest reconstructions for ftm trans people.

It was found that the geographic distribution of those presenting for treatment does not show any clear correlation with population density, but that geographic distribution is very uneven within the UK. Areas such as the West Midlands and Merseyside have high population densities but low incidence. The authors speculate that this may be due to cultural factors and whether or not support networks are available.

GIRES report in full.

Monday 8 June 2009

OAS adopts second resolution on human rights and gender expression

On 4th June 2009, at its 39th General Assembly, taking place in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, the Organisation of American States (OAS) approved its second resolution on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression.

Part of the resolution reads -

1. To condemn acts of violence and related human rights violations
committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation and
gender identity.

2. To urge states to ensure that acts of violence and human rights
violations committed against individuals because of sexual orientation
and gender identity are investigated and their perpetrators brought to
justice.

3. To urge states to ensure adequate protection for human rights
defenders who work on the issue of acts of violence and human rights
violations committed against individuals because of sexual orientation
and gender identity.

Click here for full resolution and story in detail.

Friday 5 June 2009

Psychologists test gender changes in video conversations

June 2009.

Psychologists used software developed by Barry-John Theobald and Iain Matthews to change a person’s gender in real time in on-line video conversations.

The software works by mapping facial features for about 30 key expressions (e.g. smiling, frowning) and translating these into the equivalent for a different face. Similarly the voice can be altered e.g. from male to female. The software works quickly enough to re-map video conversations in real time, in both directions.

Using the software, researchers at three US universities found that in such conversations, body language was more important than gender.

The results are to be published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

The researchers intend to use the software next to compare the relative importance of race and gender.

Sunday 31 May 2009

Australia's only sex-change clinic in major shake-up

The following is an extract from the Brisbane Times, 31 May 2009.

AUSTRALIA'S only sex-change clinic has been temporarily shut down and its controversial director forced to quit amid growing claims that patients with psychiatric problems have been wrongly diagnosed as transsexuals and encouraged to have radical gender reassignment surgery.

Fairfax has been told at least eight former patients of the Gender Dysphoria Clinic at Melbourne's Monash Medical Centre believe they may have been misdiagnosed. Some have tried to commit suicide while struggling to live as the opposite sex after the irreversible operations.

But as the clinic has limited patient follow-up, it is difficult to determine how many patients may have been adversely affected by the surgery.

Three former patients have recently taken legal action against Monash and the clinic's doctors.

Psychiatrist Dr Trudy Kennedy — who is being investigated by the state's medical board — says officials at Southern Health, which operates the service, told her she could no longer run the clinic she co-founded 34 years ago.

Full story here.

Thursday 28 May 2009

Rebecca Allison on GID reform at APA convention

On 18 May 2009, Dr Rebecca Allison gave a presentation at the annual APA convention in San Francisco, addressing the topic of whether Gender Identity Disorder should continue in the forthcoming DSM-V.

"IN CONCLUSION, I have used a common example from my practice of cardiology to illustrate that a diagnosis can be correctly made, and treatment can be successfully initiated, based on subjective symptomsas reported by the patient, without confirmation by specific diagnostic testing.

Using the example of microvascular angina as mymodel, I contend that the same principles may be applied to the condition I call Gender Variance (rather than Gender IdentityDisorder).

It is not necessary to achieve certain measurements on a diagnostic image of the brain to know that a physical condition exists and is treatable by physical (medical and surgical) measures.

The results of treatment are obvious and measurable. Hormone therapy works. Surgery to modify primary and secondary sex characteristics works. Transition works. Transition produces good outcomes, and outcomes matter.

In a perfect world, a diagnosis of Gender Variance, which does not carry the stigma of “disorder,” might exist as a medical condition in the ICD. Medical doctors could treat such persons with appropriate hormone management; surgeons could perform the operations essential for a normal life in the appropriate gender; and all such treatments would be covered by health insurance.

In a perfect world, psychiatrists and psychologists would appropriately manage the anxiety, depression, or other emotional conditions which occur in persons who have Gender Variance. These conditions would have appropriate codes in the DSM, but GenderVariance would not.

In a perfect world, psychiatrists might still treat persons WITH Gender Variance; but they would not treat persons FOR Gender Variance."

Full presentation here.

Thursday 21 May 2009

Philippines - Transpinay Rising

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Sunday 17 May 2009

France to delist transsexuality as a mental illness

On 16th May, the day before IDAHO, the French Minister of Health, Roselyne Bachelot, announced that the Haute Autorité de Santé (High Health Authority) had been requested to issue a decree delisting transsexuality as a long term psychiatric illness.

The Ministry of Health said that at present, transsexual people were eligible for care under ALD 23 – a psychiatric disorder of long duration – terminology which is very stigmatising.

The Ministry of Health continued that declassification would not mean withdrawal of medical care nor waiver of the medical diagnosis of gender identity disorder.

Full report in French from Liberation.

Saturday 9 May 2009

India: Koovagam Festival and Beauty Contest

The annual Koovagam festival has attracted transgender people from Singapore, Malaysia and all over India to Villupuram in Tamil Nadu, this May 2009.

The festival lasts 18 days and the focal point is the Koovagam temple where the presiding deity is Aravan, to whom the Aravanis get figuratively married.

At the opening, Radha, President of the Villupuram District Aravanis Welfare Association, and organiser N. Ramamurthy, told the press that for the fifth consecutive year the association, along with the Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society, would run a beauty pageant for ‘aravanis’ – Miss Koovagam 2009.

The idea behind the competition was to increase self-esteem in the transgender community and encourage expression of knowledge, skills and talents in culture and the arts.

More than 2,000 transgender people took part in the competition and were tested on personality, HIV/AIDS knowledge, social concern and their services delivered to the community.

Miss Koovagam 2009 was won by Rekha from Madurai, second was Priya from Chennai, and third was Lalitha, also from Chennai.

More on the Koovagam festival.
More on the beauty contest with photo of top 3.

Friday 8 May 2009

Austria: SRS not required for gender change

On 27th Feb 2009, the Austrian Administrative Court ruled that SRS was not a prerequisite for male to female gender change.

The Austrian Administrative Court is the court of final appeal to determine if the government of Austria has handled an individual’s rights correctly.

This makes Austria the 6th country in Europe to decide that gender change is separate from genital surgery. The others are the United Kingdom, Spain, Hungary, Sweden and Finland.

The Commissioner of Human Rights of the Council of Europe stated the same view in December 2007 i.e. that gender change and SRS should be separate.

The applicant to the court in Austria had integrated into life as a woman. Without SRS, she had been required to produce identification documentation that said male. The applicant feared losing her job if she was forced to take an extended time off for recuperation from surgery.

Based on a report in German by Rechtskomitee Lambda

USA: Non trans guys seek work at TG job fair

The fifth annual Transgender Job Fair opened in San Francisco in early May 2009.

Volunteer Sherilyn Connelly estimated that about a dozen non-trans males had registered at the event to look for employment. Connelly said it was a “sign of the times” and that it didn’t bother her.

The event organiser, the Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative, says that though the fair is marketed to transgender people, all jobseekers are welcome.

Full story by Ashley Harrell at SF Weekly.com

Tuesday 5 May 2009

IDAHO targets transphobia at UN and WHO on 17th May

The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia will be celebrated this year again on May 17th. Like every year, the "IDAHO" (as it is usually called), will see actions and initiatives take place in many countries and contexts and on many different issues. All these activities and initiatives are a very strong signal to all, decisions makers, public opinion, civil rights movements, human rights defenders, etc. throughout the world.

This year, it was decided to put this emphasis on the burning and often neglected issue of transphobia.

The Day has already been officially recognised by Mexico, Costa Rica, France, the UK, Belgium, the European Parliament, etc. and the list keeps getting longer every year. This provides a forceful argument to engage initiatives even in contexts where authorities might not be supportive.

Why an appeal against transphobia and for gender identity respect?

At international level, IDAHO has identified as targets both the UN system at large and the World Health Organisation, which still officially classifies trans people as "mentally disordered".

But of course a lot of the struggle for trans rights takes place at national level, so this appeal also includes a section on the necessary national level policy changes.

More plus the appeal itself

Thursday 30 April 2009

Arizona Helen XY sex reversal

Apr 2009

Arizona Helen is a racehorse that was registered, and raced, as a filly.

The horse has a vagina. But tests showed high levels of testosterone. Further tests showed that Arizona Helen has XY sex reversal and testicular tissue.

Arizona Helen is intersexed, one of about 12 horses in the US that have been found with this condition.

Arizona Helen is now allowed to race against male horses.

Testing of horses for anabolic steroids has also uncovered geldings that produce, or appear to produce, testosterone.

Diane Schroer awarded nearly $500,000

In September 2008, US federal judge James Robertson ruled that the Library of Congress had discriminated against Diane Schroer when it withdrew a job offer after learning that that Schroer was to transition to female.

On 28 Apr 2009, Judge Robertson awarded Schroer $491,190 in back pay and damages.

Thursday 23 April 2009

Brazil 2008 - violent trans deaths nearly double to 61

In 2007 there were 33 violent trans deaths in Brazil. In 2008, this nearly doubled to 61, according to GBG, a human rights organisation.

The GBG study is based on media reports, since there are no official statistics on hate crimes in Brazil. The annual GBG report is quoted by the Brazilian government’s National Secretariat for Human Rights and the U.S. State Department.

Head of the GBG, Marcelo Cerqueira, said that because of high poverty rates in many states, trans people had to turn to sex work, at least on an occasional basis. The report says the predominance of sex workers among the victims is due to street prostitution in areas heavily frequented by marginals and traffickers.

60% of the trans victims were killed with firearms, and 80% were killed in public spaces.

Zapata's killer guilty of murder and hate crime

22 Apr 09. Allen Andrade was found guilty of the 1st degree murder of Angie Zapata.

Angie Zapata was found in her apartment, in Greeley, Colorado, by her sister on 17 Jul 08. Andrade was charged in court by the end of the month after he was found in a car belonging to Zapata’s sister.

Andrade claimed he had killed Zapata in a state of panic when he found out she was trans. He had hit her on the head twice with a home fire extinguisher and thought she was dead. She then started moving and he hit her a 3rd time.

The trial began on 16 Apr 09. Andrade did not testify.

The jury took only 2 hours to find Andrade guilty of 1st degree murder, of a hate crime, of stealing Zapata’s sister’s car, and of using a card belonging to the sister.

This was the first time in Colorado and the 2nd time in the US that a person has been tried for killing a trans woman under hate crime laws.

Andrade gets a mandatory life sentence for 1st degree murder.

Friday 17 April 2009

Girl, 46XY, puts CBX2 before SRY

A baby was tested before birth to check for genetic conditions and was found to be 46XY – male. When born, the baby was a girl, and checks found a uterus and ovaries that appear to be normal.

In mice there is a similar situation causing male-to-female sex reversal, in which the mice are sterile.

Working back from known results in mice to humans, this suggests that mutations in Chromobox homolg 2 (CBX2) on chromosome 17 can shut off SRY, thus preventing the development of maleness.

It is too early to tell whether the girl, now age 7, will be sterile.

Published in American Journal of Human Genetics. March 2009.

Tuesday 7 April 2009

Brain research - regional grey matter difference found in putamen

Published in Neuroimage, Mar 2009.

“We analyzed MRI data of 24 male-to-female (MTF) transsexuals not yet treated with cross-sex hormones in order to determine whether gray matter volumes in MTF transsexuals more closely resemble people who share their biological sex (30 control men), or people who share their gender identity (30 control women). Results revealed that regional gray matter variation in MTF transsexuals is more similar to the pattern found in men than in women. However, MTF transsexuals show a significantly larger volume of regional gray matter in the right putamen compared to men. These findings provide new evidence that transsexualism is associated with distinct cerebral pattern, which supports the assumption that brain anatomy plays a role in gender identity.”

Abstract from Neuroimage.

The mean age of the transsexual subjects was 47, with a standard deviation of 13 years and a range from 23-72.

In a previous positron emission tomography (PET) study, it was demonstrated that the left putamen in a sample of MTF transsexuals (n=12), who had no history of estrogen treatment, activated differently to odorous steroids when compared to control males (Berglund et al., 2008).

Wikipedia
The main function of the putamen is to regulate movements and influence various types of learning. It employs dopamine to perform its functions. The putamen also plays a role in degenerative neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

Zoe Brain has more from the report.

Tuesday 31 March 2009

Sexual reversal in brains of schizophrenics

Work presented 27 Mar 2009 at conference in Louis-H Lafontaine Hospital, Canada.

"We have noted a masculinization of the female brain and a feminization of the male one in schizophrenics. There is a real sexual reversal in men and women with schizophrenia in terms of neuronal circuits, the dimensions of certain cerebral structures and the production of hormones. We therefore sought to find out whether there are similar differences in terms of cerebral functions," explains Adrianna Mendrek, who is also a researcher associated with the Université de Montréal's Department of Psychiatry.

"We thus studied cerebral activation in people with schizophrenia in terms of emotional processing and cognitive analysis. The results are surprising. When we show a sad photo to men with schizophrenia or when we ask them to perform a spatial skills task, they display cerebral activation similar to that of healthy women performing the same tests. Conversely, women with schizophrenia show cerebral activation similar to that of healthy men."

"These results will help us to better understand this complex disease and revise therapeutic and pharmacological treatment methods. It's still difficult to explain what underlies the sexual reversal mechanisms."

Full article here.

Zoe Brain goes into more detail.

Monday 30 March 2009

Logo online publishes Transgender Stories

Mar 2009.

Logo has made a collection of transgender themed videos available for free viewing.

These include music artists, full documentaries, shorts and interviews.

Unfortunately, copyright restriction means the videos can only be viewed from within the United States.

Contents page at Logo

Ruben Noe Coronado pregant with twins

March 2009.

Ruben Noe Coronado (left in photo) is six and a half weeks pregnant with twins and expects to have changed legal status to male and to have married Esperanza Ruiz (right) by the time he gives birth in September.

If so, he will be Spain's first transsexual father to give birth and the first open instance in the world of a father giving birth to twins.

Coronado decided on this course of action when he found out that Ruiz, already a mother of two, could not have any further children.

Under Spanish law, the requirements to get gender changed on the civil register are
- you must be a Spanish national
- a pyschologist must confirm gender dysphoria (with nothing that might interfere with this disagnosis)
- medical treatment for at least 2 years to bring about the physical characteristics of the desired gender, but surgery is not required.

Saturday 28 March 2009

New Hampshire rejects anti-discrimination bill

27 Mar 2009

The House of Representatives rejected legislation Thursday (26 Mar 09) that would have made it illegal to discriminate against transgender people in housing or accommodation.

The 181-149 vote killed a bill (HB 415) to add New Hampshire to 13 states that include "gender identity or expression'' in their anti-discrimination laws.

Much of the debate was over the claim of opponents that this would allow transgender men and women to choose to use either gender's bathroom and potentially prey on children.

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090327/NEWS02/303279893/-1/ARTSANDLIVING

Friday 27 March 2009

Singapore - Leona Lo in Ah Kua show

Since 1996, Singapore has had a law allowing transsexual people to marry in their reassigned sex.

From http://www.singlishdictionary.com/singlish_A.htm ah kua, ah kwa /kuah, kUAù/ n. & a. a melon, gourd. Also ah gua, ah qua, and abbreviated to AK, AQ. derogotary. n. 1 An effeminate man. 2 A male transvestite. B a. Effeminate, sissy.

News from March 2009 -

For years, known Singaporean transsexual and author Leona Lo has decried the use of terms like 'bapok' and 'ladyboy'. So why is her new one-woman play titled the Ah Kua Show?

The 34-year-old was candid about it: to push ticket sales. She told The New Paper: 'I'm using it to grab attention and sell tickets, and I'm fine with that. 'People don't want to watch Leona Lo. Who cares about me? They want to watch an Ah Kua show.'

Leona will be staging the show - her first - at The Substation's Guinness Theatre from 6 to 8 Aug. The 1 1/2-hour show is a stage adaptation of her autobiography, From Leonard To Leona: A Singapore Transsexual's Journey To Womanhood (2007), which details her days as a boy in Catholic High School and Hwa Chong Junior College, and national service.

Miss Lo will play herself, with voiceovers and video presentations. Like ladyboy shows in Thailand, it will have outrageous costumes and song-and-dance items.

So, why is Miss Lo, who has written books asking to be accepted as an ordinary member of society, now playing up the transsexual stereotype?

She claims the show is about making 'people sit up and question' why society still uses these labels.'It's to create a discussion point. I felt that if it was any other title, it would be a blind spot - no one would notice it. It's time that we tell our own story,' she said.

So what stories will she be sharing?

One is about an incident last year in which she claims she was 'kicked out' of a Clarke Quay nightspot. According to Miss Lo, the bouncer said 'ladyboys' were not welcome after someone complained about her presence.

Although the show is yet to be rated by the Media Development Authority, she doesn't foresee problems since 'we don't touch on religion or politics'. Neither is she worried that audience members will take offence. She expects the audience to be a mix of a curious public and members of the transgender and homosexual communities, so there will be 'something for everyone'.

Miss Lo, who was born Leonard Lo, underwent a sex reassignment surgeryin Thailand in 1997.

She is Singapore's first transsexual to publicly talk about her experiences. In her book and her past interviews, she has recounted how as a young man her feminine behaviour was ridiculed by classmates. She has also claimed that an army sergeant once threatened to rape her.

Besides From Leonard To Leona, she also wrote My Sisters, Their Stories (2003), which profiles 10 transsexuals from Singapore and Thailand.

Miss Lo, who used to work for the Health Promotion Board (HPB), pointed out that government bodies are probably the biggest employers of the community.

She holds a master's degree in qualitative research methods from UK's University of York. The English and literature graduate earned the York Trust Settlement prize when she depicted transsexual angst in a monologue during her final year in college.

On top of preparing for her show and giving motivational talks, Miss Lo also owns a public relations consultancy firm called Talk Sense which she started in 2005.

The Ah Kua Show will be her first foray into singing publicly, and she admits she is nervous. But facing new challenges is something Miss Lo is familiar with.

She had to face her parents' despair when they learnt their only son (Miss Lo has a younger sister) had undergone a sex change. But over the years, relations have mended.

She gives them a monthly allowance, takes them out for dinners and does 'those normal things for them' because she said she sometimes still 'feels bad for imposing (her sex change) on them'.

And although she has discovered a renewed bond with her parents, she is still looking for Mr Right. Miss Lo said she has dated 'high net worth individuals who are mostly millionaires', none of whom were local.

But it was her last relationship that changed her the most. She had met the 30-something Australian man last December while on holiday Down Under.

They dated for just over a month before Miss Lo decided to reveal her secret to him. Miss Lo said she used to be upfront with her boyfriends right from the start, but had decided to conceal it this time.

'For once, this resembled something normal and I didn't want to lose that and him. He already had an inkling that I was hiding something. He actually thought I had been a prostitute in the past,' she said.

Miss Lo said that when she finally spilt the beans, 'he couldn't accept it'. 'He said that I had betrayed his trust and could never gain it back. 'People may say it's stupid but I'd hoped for a fairytale ending where he'd accept me for who I am.'

Miss Lo said the break-up left her feeling 'vulnerable'. Despite the heartache, Miss Lo is grateful that she went through it because it has changed her outlook on life.

She said: 'The rich men that I've dated have wined and dined me at fancy restaurants. But with this guy, I didn't have to dress up and impress him, and I liked that. If I can't love like that again, then I won't anymore.

Miss Lo still hopes to have a family with someone special and raise ‘three boys'.

The Ah Kua Show http://www.ahkuashow.wordpress.com/

Original article http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/story/0,4136,196331,00.html

Incident in Nov 2007 when Leona was asked to leave a nightclub as it did not welcome ‘ladyboys’. http://www.fridae.com/newsfeatures/article.php?articleid=2091&viewarticle=1

Thursday 26 March 2009

Mar09 Intersex in Sport - Sarah Gronert

Sarah Gronert is ranked 555 (23 Mar 2009) in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), but in 2009 has won two $10,000 titles, including Raanana in Israel on 2 Mar 09.

Schlomo Tzoref coaches one of the players Gronert beat in Raanana, and he is quoted as saying “There is no girl who can hit serves like that, not even Venus Williams. When I heard her story, I was in shock. I don't know if it's fair that she can compete or not. She does have an advantage, but if this is what the WTA have decided, they probably know best."

Sarah Gronert was born intersex i.e. with genitals/hormones that are neither 100% fully female nor 100% fully male. She had surgery three years ago (at age 19), pleaded her case with the WTA, and was allowed to compete.

One other commentator has suggested that any testosterone level above female norm, at any time in life, including in the womb, might give Gronert an unfair advantage.

In May 2004, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) changed from evaluating the eligibility of transsexual athletes on a case by case basis to using a fixed set of rules. Earlier, in 1990, a seminar convened by the International Association of Athletics Federations recommended that any person who had undergone sex change before puberty should be accepted to participate under their new gender.

But the classification of those people who underwent the operation after puberty was more problematic, since they had been influenced during puberty by hormones under their former gender. In particular, male puberty affects the level of testosterone, which could, theoretically, affect performance even after a male-to-female sex change.

So in May 2004, the IOC decided that individuals undergoing sex reassignment after puberty could compete, but only under certain conditions.
- Surgical changes must have been completed, including external genitalia changes and removal of gonads.
- Legal recognition of their assigned sex must have been conferred by appropriate official authorities.
- Hormone therapy -- for the assigned sex -- must have been given for long enough to minimize any gender-related advantages in sport competitions, a period that must be at least two years after gonadectomy.

The circuit rules that apply where Gronert won also require gender testing, and implement checks on transsexual athletes nearly identical to the IOC ones.

Sarah Gronert wins http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-professional-tennis-star-born-a-hermaphrodite-ignites-controversy/

May 2004. International Olympics Committee allows transsexual athletes to compete http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SPORT/05/17/olympics.transsexual/

Rules applicable where Gronert won http://www.itftennis.com/shared/medialibrary/pdf/original/IO_38975_original.PDF

Wednesday 25 March 2009

Australian HRC report on IS/TS and documents

Here are HRC’s recommendations (March 2009 report) to the government dealing with the problems of documentation that face Intersexed, Transsexual, and Transgendered people.

1: Marital status should not be a relevant consideration as to whether or not a person can request a change in legal sex.

2: The definition of sex affirmation treatment should be broadened so that surgery is not the only criteria for a change in legal sex.

3: The evidentiary requirements for the legal recognition of sex should be relaxed by reducing the quantity of medical evidence required and making greater allowance for people to self-identify their sex.

4: The special needs of children and young people who wish to amend their documents and records should be considered.

5: A person over the age of 18 years should be able to choose to have an unspecified sex noted on documents and records.



7: Documents of identity and processes required for the legal recognition of sex should not reveal personal information about a person's past identity in relation to sex.



9: Where possible, sex or gender should be removed from government forms and documents.



11: The federal government should take a leadership role in ensuring that there is a nationally consistent approach to the legal recognition of sex in accordance with the recommendations of this paper, by …

The Constitutional situation in Australia is very similar to that of the USA, with similar restrictions on federal powers. The major difference is that marriage is covered by federal legislation in Australia (unlike the USA), but as in the USA, birth registration is a state matter.



I was there at the official launch of this report, in one of the committee rooms at Parliament House. …

The press was conspicuous by its absence. This has led to some garbling of the report, for example … - “transgender people should also be able to undergo sex-change surgery regardless of their marital status”. That restriction was removed over 10 years ago. And it's been over 15 since having ever been married meant that no surgery could be contemplated. On the other hand, permission from an existing spouse is asked for, and it's most helpful if it's given. …

Extract is from Zoe Brain. In full at http://aebrain.blogspot.com/2009/03/australian-human-rights-commission.html

HRC report at http://www.hreoc.gov.au/genderdiversity/sex_files2009.html

Tuesday 24 March 2009

Vivien St James - Showgirl


14-May-1964 to 4-Mar-2009

Melbourne has said goodbye to one of its true showgirls — the exuberant Vivien St James, who died after a six-week battle with a brain tumour and lung cancer. She was a consummate performer famous for her Hollywood bombshell looks.

Her legacy was more than entertainment, being a key part of the colourful subculture that brought much to the wider gay community. With high cheekbones and a lot of cleavage, St James was striking, with a wit drier than an AA meeting.

Matter-of-fact about her transsexuality, she had no desire for a sex-change operation and defied being categorised by identity alone. "I'm not a transsexual who believes I'm a woman trapped in a man's body," she said. "I believe I was born male, but can live my life looking like a female. I'd rather be liked for the person I am, not the genitalia I have."

A headliner with the Classics every Saturday at St Kilda's Greyhound Hotel, she performed her way through Melbourne's venues starting with the Pokeys at St Kilda's Prince of Wales in 2001. Later came Les Girls. She also appeared on television, in films and music videos and on fashion catwalks, doing much charity work for HIV and breast cancer.

She would be annoyed when people assumed transsexuals did not lead a relatively normal life. "I have friends from before I became a transsexual who say I'm the same person with the same sense of humour. Nothing's changed except I've got a few extra bits and pieces."

Her career as a showgirl took off in 1995 when she first hosted the Rainbow Awards, hosting both those awards and the Fantasy Ball for a decade. In 2004 she felt she received her reward when “She-Male” was nominated for Show of the Year, and in 2005 she was voted Drag Diva of the Year.

Costumes were a huge part of her life, with thousands of dollars spent in preparation for big events. She wanted everything to be perfect. She always looked stunning, never putting a step out of place.

On January 10 she complained to friends of severe headaches. Within a week, she had a brain tumour removed, but she kept her sense of humour to the end. She discouraged hospital visitors, not wanting people to see her at anything less than her glamorous best.

In her entertainment life she was a perfectionist in what she did and how she looked. She would never go on stage unless she looked her absolute best. St James had the courage and the strength to create her own image. She was her own very special creation and her fans loved her for it.

Monday 23 March 2009

TS Activist Dilan Pirinc Murdered in Instanbul


On 10th March 2009, Dilan Pirinç (also referred to as Ebru Soykan) was stabbed to death in her home in Istanbul.

Neighbours reported a fight. Police arrived and found the body. Pirinç was taken to hospital by friends but did not survive.

Pirinç, 28, was a leading member of Lambda Istanbul, a GLBT rights organisation, and a transgender activist.

Pirinç had asked for protection from a man who had beaten her on several occasions and threatened to kill her. This man, Birol Can K., is alleged to be her lover and a murder suspect.

http://www.bianet.org/english/kategori/english/113081/transgender-murder-in-istanbul
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/03/12/turkey-transgender-activist-murdered

Sunday 22 March 2009

March 2009 Tamil Nadu Free Sex Change

In December 2006, the Social Welfare Department legalised sex change surgery at government hospitals to prevent surgery that was badly performed.

In early March 2009, the Government General Hospital in Chennai (previously Madras) performed a free sex change operation on a male to female transsexual. The hospital could not do breast implants due to a lack of funds.

The Government General Hospital is seeking funds to set up a special department for this type of surgery.

The hospital had performed 6 sex change procedures before this and has another 12 patients waiting for surgery.

It was noted that the surgery itself was not new to India and had been performed by various plastic surgeons across the country for several years.

However, Tamil Nadu appears to be the first state in India to perform free (funded by the government) sex change operations.

http://tinyurl.com/ad7fyk
http://tinyurl.com/d9rc9s