Domaine Struggles

Perhaps you remember Domaine Javier, 25, who was expelled from the private Christian school California Baptist University in August 2011 after she appeared on an episode of an MTV show called "True Life". She discussed the stigma experienced by transgender people and revealed that she was biologically male. She has now filed a lawsuit alleging that her civil rights were violated because she was expelled on account of her gender identity. She was informed that she violated the university's policy against "committing or attempting to engage in fraud or concealing identity" because she stated on her admissions application that she was female.

The basics once again go back to gender versus sexuality. Domaine of course had been living full time female for years and obviously identified as one no matter what her sexual organs were. So she was honest on the application.

For more on the story, go here.

Alphabet Soup

Check this out: "The gay rights movement has added a few more letters onto its initialism: LGBTQIA. LGBTQIA stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual. The new acronym allows the sexuality and gender identity-based community to include individuals who may not conventionally identify themselves as a man or woman." From the The University Daily Kansan (University of Kansas)

Let me add three more, OMG! Renee Richards (78) on Katie Couric this week said something to the effect the transgender word wasn't even invented when she was young. Hopefully Renee will be around this world long enough to see the entire alphabet not included in descriptors for our culture. Furthermore I disagree with the first sentence: gay rights movement and transgender being lumped together at all. That's the subject of a whole other post and a whole other alphabet.

Transgender Beauty

Well, it didn't take long for another young transgender woman from the Katie Couric Show to be subjected to extra publicity. Unlike her younger counterpart on the show (Coy) the 19 year old Devon (above) it seems benefited from puberty blockers and was able to live a mainly stealth existence until this show of course.
Devon's story was a bit different in the sense that Dad may have never totally agreed with the process but Mom listened to her child and all of them made the process possible.
Plus, experts on the show said blockers could be a temporary measure which allows the young person to better decide her or his gender path. Somehow I don't think Devon wants to backtrack and did say she wanted SRS as soon as possible.

The actual video of Dad's struggle is here on the Katie web site.

I know the process had to be hard on Dad. Devon's "Homecoming Princess" crown probably wasn't what he envisioned for his young son on Homecoming. But dad was almost man enough to let it happen!

For many of other of us stuck on the football team so many years ago, Devon's homecoming story was the impossible dream and it is so wonderful to have seen it happen for her!