General Transgender Discussion

The Employment Non-Dscrimnation Act is the next order of business for 2013. Presently, thirty-eight states can fire employees just because they are transgender. I will be involved with this in NewYork State.

Well, after 9 years of my Mom never wanting to see me, i will be meeting up with her this coming thursday. And I am not looking forward to it. My Mom can't even talk to me about the changes in my life over the phone without breaking down and looking to change the subject. And now she wants to meet. And, it will either be a very good thing, or a complete disaster. Will be glad to get it over with.

The trans community feels underrepresented under the LGBT umbrella but we need to play a part in fixing that ourselves 24 October 2012 | By Ashlee Kelly Ashlee Kelly: One transwoman who says trans people would help their community by being more visible. I love being part of a community. Knowing there are other people similar to yourself all around the country, even the world, is a comforting feeling. Whether the differences between you are small or huge, having the backs of those like you is an important safety net. As the saying goes, there is safety in numbers. That's why I am a strong believer in the LGBT community. -gaystarnews.com The silent 'T': are tr…

I was interviewed today by a journalsm student from Columbia University. He questioned me about the LGBTQI minstry here at church. I shaed with him what I would lke for the ministry to achieve. I shared about my own personal journey. He was very interested in the church as well as the ministry.

We know I'm a woman. Very few other people know that; I first came out to myself, then my wife of 39 years and my daughter. After them, I explained to my older grandchildren that "sometimes a boy's brain gets born in a girl's body, sometimes a girl's brain get's born in a boy's body. That's what happened to me." Those events were all many, many months ago. Most recently I came out to my mother and to our closest family friend, something I'd been certain I'd not do. Another thing I've always known about myself that society does not understand and cannot accept is that I'm an empath. Get this straight, I'm nothing like Troi or other empathic characters in television, fil…

Well, for one Virginia inmate , the fourth Circuit court will decide her fate tomorrow , Wedsday , 10-24- 2012 . I'll keep everyone informed as to the outcome .................

JamieAnn Meyers, 10/23/2012 2:27 pm My wife and I met one another as seventh graders in 1957 and began "going steady" the summer before our senior year. In 1966 we were married in a traditional ceremony that my dad conducted as pastor of our church. In our vows we promised "to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part." -huffingtonpost.com Marriage: It's About Love and Commitment (A Transgender Perspective)

My apologies in advance for this post being so long.... I read a couple of posts today on a thread which I would have dearly liked to have added my comments. But those comments might have alienated the individual who started the thread. And then too, occasionally, there are differing opinions when it comes to the topic. I think also, as I get older, and the more I read about the intolerant people in the world, the less patient I am with those who "don't do their homework," so-to-speak. Growing up, I was often asked if I didn't ever want a sister. And no - I did not want one. I knew quite a few (both boys and girls) who had sisters, and from the horror stories I…

Hello! I was wondering if you guys remembered going out trying to pass as the "opposite gender" for the first time? What did you learn from that first time? What would you have done different if you could redo it, and would you recommend going with friends or alone at first? Thanks :)

I tried this test quite a few years ago. It's a series of visual challenges and questions used by psychologists to define your Sex ID or Brain Sex. I don't think tests like these are an exact science, though I was quite relieved that my brain was ID'd as female. Sex ID

Trans Media Watch expert says transgender people should show the press they're just as diverse as the rest of society 18 October 2012 | By Helen Belcher Trans people have been complaining for some time about how they are represented in the media. Trans Media Watch (TMW) has made quite an impact since it was formed in 2009, with high profile events and contacts, and recent recognition as a finalist at the recent National Diversity Awards. Let me declare an interest – I’m heavily involved in TMW. But there are still some fundamental questions to be discussed. TMW is not alone in asking for trans people to be represented as they actually are, rather than being…

A Gallup poll identified 3.2% of Americans as LGBT, and discovered surprising trends in demographics. BY Daniel Reynolds, October 18 2012 8:43 PM ET According to a recent Gallup poll, 3.2% of American adults self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). Released Thursday, the percentage was determined from a series of 121,290 interviews between June 1 and September 30. Gallup claims it is the largest survey of its kind to date. -advocate.com 3.2% of Americans Identify as LGBT, According to New Gallup Poll

Or do they? Transpeople apparently weren't included in the study. Seems to me this study could potentially discredit anyone who identifies as trans. -dml ___________________________ Diane Anderson-Minshall, August 05 2012 2:27 PM ET "...a new study finds that pupil dilation is an accurate indicator of sexual orientation. When people look at erotic images and become aroused, their pupils open up in an unconscious reaction, which gave researchers a much easier way to to study orientation and arousal without traditionally invasive blood flow to the genital measurements. ""So if a man says he's straight, his eyes are dilating towards women," Savin-Williams told Liv…

Society continues to mislead impressionable girls (and boys) by implying that hair, except that which is on the head, and perhaps a well-groomed strand or two below the belt, does not exist or should not exist on women - only men have body hair. And if a woman finds hair on her body, she must eliminate it or hide it from public view until she can do so in order to avoid judgement and embarassment. Is this commercial teaching people that if a woman has [facial] hair, she's not a woman? Pay attention to the part of the video between 18 to 24 seconds. Besides warping peoples' understanding of what's natural, could this also eventually trickle down to what people think…

Sunnivie Brydum, August 06 2012 4:00 AM ET "Olson believes that current research looking for a “gay gene” is searching in the wrong place. Rather, Olson contends, sexual orientation is determined by brain hemisphere dominance. Most men are left-brain dominant, whereas most women are right-brain dominant. Seizing on the implication that “most” necessarily excludes some people, Olson wondered what happened when brain dominance was reversed from the standard. "After reviewing a large collection of scientific literature, Olson hypothesized that when a man is right-brain dominant or a woman is left-brain dominant, that person will be gay or lesbian." -advocate.com New …

So I'm a straight guy but I've been wanting to try something different. I am very attracted to transgender girls and want to get in the dating scene but I am utterly confused as to how I should go about this. I just have no idea where to look. Any help?

I find the loneliness of it all being the most difficult. I've looked for support groups within NJ, and I have found that most of them have disbanded, the rest seem to be purely political and don't seem to care anything for support, just combat.

Hi Everyone, I’ve been away for a while ... my personal life has been quite hectic with very much having happened since I was last on the forums. I miss the friends here that I talked with regularly and look forward to reconnecting, I am however still quite busy. The last I was here my partner and I had been working on some issues in our intimate lives as any of you know can be troublesome if you stay with the partner from before transitioning .. though it is rare I’m pleased to say there can be successful transition of a relationship on all levels when one person changes gender. I had no desire to be in a sexless marriage as many of us face as women of transsexual …

A question. Should sex after the SRS operation be a factor in a decision weather to change sex, amongst all the other aspects of wanting to change? The reason I ask this is because when I have looked on the internet about transsexualism some websites say that this should not be a reason in a decision to go forward for the change. But I feel this is actually an important question amongst all the other reasons for wanting to change. As some sites say that if you are wanting sexual intercourse after the op it is one important topic to bring up with the surgeon, and some sites say not to say anything like this to the therapist. I see that this is important and t…

Hey everyone , YES EVERYBODY! That includes the crossdressers and admirers too. I'm on a "Planning Comittee " to do yet another Trans Day of Rememberance evening here , ( Richmond Virginia ) at the local Unitarian Church. I'm looking for ANY meaningful idea that's worked for you in T D O R in you're areas.If you were able to plan an event , what would you want to see?

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has released its fourth and final report analyzing the intersection of race and gender identity among transgender and gender non-conforming people who completed the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. As has been evident with other racial groups, transgender American Indians and Alaskan Native respondents experienced unique levels of discrimination because of their overlapping identities: Read Article

'KUALA LUMPUR: Anger, frustration. Cheers and praise. The two different reactions in Malaysia as a court upheld a ban on Muslim men wearing women’s clothes. A group of transgender Malaysian activists had pressured for the removal of the dress codes in the country in an effort to push freedom of exp ression.' Read Article

I asked this question on another site. My reason being that maybe I can get some insight into something I have noticed. I don't really want answers from cisgender folk. I am more interested in what y'all think. I noticed that many transsexuals say they felt transsexual from the age of 7 or 8. Not all but very many. Have you ever wondered why that age span? Do you have a theory? The main reason I ask is to try to get some insight because of people I know and meet. Sort of get an idea of what they think so I don't say the wrong thing to them. Thank you.

Posted: 09/26/2012 12:32 pm EDT Updated: 09/26/2012 12:39 pm EDT "So why leave the transgender community out of the military, and why didn't the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal change status for transgendered service members? David McKean says, "'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' didn't address transgender service, so repealing DADT didn't have an affect on transgender service." He continued, "Its a regulatory ban, and if the military decided to lift the regulatory ban it would be possible for transgenders to serve."" -huffingtonpost.com 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell': Transgender Officers On Secretly Serving In The U.S. Military (w/Video) How is it that an article that appears…

Opinion - Not sure if this falls under news, gossip, rumour or information...but I found this after googling Warren Beaty's and Annette Benning's son looking for topics to bring to the forums. Stephen Ira is about as controversial and 'in-your-face' as a person can be. Makes me wonder what his motives are, and will any [possible] future children of his suffer for his radical actions. -Michael Dr. Jody Overland, 03 August 2012 "Warren Beatty and Annette Bening are going to be grandparents courtesy of their transgender son, Stephen Ira. Apparently Warren is not too pleased with idea. It seems that Warren has never been too keen on the whole Kathlyn Elizabeth beco…