Trans Conscription

Transsexual Aricha Ploymaneewong, right, shows up at a conscription venue in Wat Laksi temple, Bangkok, Monday where she was defined as having a gender identity disorder and exempted from conscription. APICHIT JINAKUL

"Back in the day" one of my most distasteful memories was the military draft physical during the Vietnam non War. The whole day was just icing on the cake after an entire youth suffering locker room shyness. But I did get a gift for my pain...I was given a 1-A status which meant my Southeast Asia travel ticket was punched after I graduated college. Obviously my heart went out to the young Thai trans woman above.

All of these fun thoughts came back to me when I read this story from the Bangkok Post:

"The army needs 94,480 new recruits this year, and this week, young Thai males between the ages of 21 and 29 are going to conscription centres to make sure that number is reached. Most are not going there because they want to, but because they have to. They taking part in a lottery that many hope they will lose, i.e., that they will not draw the red ticket that requires them to spend the next two years in the army. For the most part, there is little interest in the lottery, except for the young men involved and their parents and family members. However, in recent years, there is one small group of young “men” that always creates attention.

"
These are young people whose birth certificates say they are male, but who have changed considerably over the years since their births. They wear women’s clothing and many would be considered women in other countries, having undergone operations to change their gender. These transsexuals stand out as they go through the conscription process, creating awkward scenes among themselves and the young men who are already nervous about the draw. That is not a worry for the transsexuals, however. Under current military regulations, they are almost always exempted from the draft because they are considered to have a "gender identity disorder" or in the Thai sense “a gender whose condition is not consistent with the gender of birth."

As always there is more if you go here.

Trans Ohio Symposium

Well, before I knew it April is here and the Trans Ohio Symposium is coming up quick! Here's the scoop from their site:

"2013 Trans & Ally Symposium - Early bird registration is open! Registration is now open for our 5th TransOhio Trans & Ally Symposium. Prices go up if you wait to purchase tickets at the door! Save Money! Early Bird Registration! Our keynote speaker this year is writer and poet Andrea Jenkins. In addition to Andrea's keynote, she'll be presenting two workshops: Issues for Transpeople of Color and The Role of Art in Transgender Movement, so plan to attend! Andrea is the author of two chapbooks, “tributaries: poems celebrating black history and “Pieces of Scream”. Recently elected to chair the newly established GLBT Caucus of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, Andrea is lives in Minneapolis and works as a Senior Policy Aide for the 8th Ward City Councilmember, Elizabeth Glidden. For more information about Andrea Jenkins, please visit her website at http://andreajenkins.webs.com/ Photo provided by Waning Moon Images, Ayana Muata."

I'm going to be a workshop presenter this year with my partner and if you happen to be going stop and say Hi!
Here's another link for prices and tickets. The annual event is in Columbus this year.

Drag Queen Myths

Tom Bartolomei recently listed 10 Drag Queen Myths in the Huffington Post.
Nothing earth shattering but yet again highly relevant to a portion of the gay community who knows little or nothing about the person "behind the gown".

Myth number two was the one I was looking for:

"2. Drag queens want to be women. OK, sadly, this is one of the myths I believed before I knew any better. Before I met Vivian and other drag queens, I believed that anyone who does drag wants to be a woman, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Though it is true that some drag queens are transgender women, the majority of drag queens take part in the art form because they love it and because it offers them a creative outlet."

Knowledge such as this must be slowly making it's way through the gay world since I'm getting fewer of the "where do you perform honey?" comments.

Visit the rest of the post here and on the right is the famous drag queen "Hedda Lettuce , the six-time Drag Queen of the Year Award-winner (HX magazine), who has received national acclaim for her poised characters, startling satire and original music. Hedda lures you into the funniest scenarios on stage with her ultra-candid, shimmering wit. Drag-debutant, Miss Lettuce, has established herself as one of New York City's premiere queens in classic cabaret venues." For more go here.