The Real Face of Transgendered Activism?

I'm as guilty as the next blog person about seeking out the most beautiful and dynamic transgendered or transsexuals to picture on the blog.

The trio above do not fit that image but could be more representative of our culture as a whole.
They call themselves the "Queer Avengers" from the UK- "Shelley, Brookllyne and Ashley" recently held a conference to voice concerns over the way transgendered people are treated in the media.

I've heard "trans stealth" described as just a bigger closet. I guess you could describe these trans women as the ultimate "anti-stealth" movement.

Go here to read more!

Miss Universe Update

Actually, in the case of "Jenna Talackova" , there is no update. According to "Missosology" this picture of "Jenna" has been taken down.
Reportively, the last known transsexual contestant in the "Miss Universe" pageant was back in 1994 because:

Jenna official portrait at Miss Universe Canada website.

"Many national pageants lack specifics in their requirements. In many countries, it is legal to change ones sex. That is why in 2004, Chen Lili, a transsexual, decided to join the Miss Universe China pageant. "A sex-change woman registering for the Miss Universe contest is something that has never happened before," Miss Universe selection committee chairman Zhang Ruiling told reporters. Chen Lili's application was denied. The public opinion was divided.
Cao Gang, a beauty contest expert in Shanghai, offered his support to Lili: "She has been granted the status as a woman, and is protected and recognized by law. There is no reason to kick her out." But some see it as a publicity gimmick. "Another media circus."

Chen Lili is the first transsexual who attempted to join the national qualifiers of Miss Universe

Being a bit of a bitch, I can see why the other contestants wouldn't want these women in the pageant for more reasons than being transsexual!

Navigation 101 with the Girls!

This is a cute little learning story from a week or so ago.
I was at a girl friend's house helping her do some work here and there.
One of the entrances to the kitchen had a small cart with a microwave.  You could walk through it easy enough unless there was more than one of us trying to pass through.
The first time we met in the entrance, I turned the wrong way for my girls. I didn't plan on the extra room I would need for my chest and I turned to the wall side.
My friend is a very well endowed genetic female. Her girls are women! 
She chuckled at my dilemma.
I try to be a fairly quick learner and found that if I turned to the microwave side, my girls had plenty of room to "clear" the much lower obstacle.
At this point, I will take all the help I can get!

Trans Women Go Under the Knife.

A look at "Facial Feminization Surgery" recently was featured on ABC News. Here's the intro:
Sarah, now 50, came out as transgender but was still "being clocked" as male.
"You are walking through the mall and someone turns and says, 'Oh, my god, it's a man dressed as a woman,'" she said. "They figure it out."
But that rarely happens anymore. Thanks to facial feminization surgery in 2007, Sarah, not her real name, is living with the face she was believes she was supposed to be born with.
It was the first big step in her new life as a woman and in 2009, Sarah went on to have sex reassignment surgery."

That's the good news for most of us. The bad news is this: costs for the procedure can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. With little or no insurance coverage for the procedure, "FFS" is the impossible dream for someone like me.
Ironically, a natural form of "hormone replacement therapy"-age provides a different blurring of the genders and a glimmer of hope.

"Women become more masculine-looking as they get older, and Spiegel (the featured doctor) is also seeing an increase in interest in surgery among women who are not transgender.
"Why are some women more attractive than others?" he asked. "A big part is as women age and lose their fertility, they lose their femininity."
Their eyebrows descend and get flatter, their cheeks are less full, and with the jowls of aging, the tapers of the jaw disappear."

Unless the Veteran's Administration magically begins to approve this kind of surgery for transgendered vets such as myself, it certainly looks as if the magic of make up will be my best friend!

Life Begins at 40?

Check this transition video which began at 40!

Jaylo's Male Stunt Double!

The American Idol host headed to Mexico to film the vid and instead of hiring a female lookalike, J-Lo opted for a male stunt double who was J-Lo'd up to the hilt - complete with fake boobs and braided hair.
A tough job, but someone had to do it!

Transgendered Quick Sand

Over the history of this blog, no post has ever created the feed back that "Transgendered Mid Life Crisis?" did.

Of course there are those here on the blog as well in the transgender or transsexual community  for what ever reason disagree with waiting until midlife to come to grips with gender problems.
Here is yet another slightly different look from a reader:

"I truly know what you meant about gender quicksand. All my life I have tried to live as would be expected of a hetero-male. All the time knowing that something was out of kilter. As a young child I would always imitate female behavior, was left to care for my siblings during the day, and wore the hand-me-downs from my female cousins. Was made to go to elementary school wearing cotton panties, side zip pants, and colorful outerwear. It felt so natural, but brought-on a lot of teasing. At that age you don't understand gender bias. The teasing didn't bother me. I knew I was different and sort of withdrew into myself. I got along with girls much more than boys and further identified with them. As much as I wanted to be like them, I agonized over why I felt so different and began internalizing my feelings. This is the first time I have ever told anyone, not even my wife. I want to be set free to be who I am and live the rest of my life as I was meant to be."

Of course I have read and commiserated with so many transgendered, transsexual and cross dressers over the years especially with the growth of the Internet. With those of you who have thought enough of me to share your experiences truly humbles me.
The whole process has instilled in me how totally and completely nearly all of us have been in our lives living between the gender "rock and a hard place".

Through it all, these absolutes come to mind. The first is "nothing is as bad or as good as it seems". No matter what happens, look for the middle ground. The second is you have to carry your own rope if you are heading for the quicksand. At some point in time you are going to have to take it upon yourself to lasso a rock or tree limb to pull yourself out. You have to plan on it. These days there is so much info for trans women and trans men to claim ignorance.

Finally I have met so many of you who are literally hanging on to your lives for dear life and looking over a huge cliff. As a constant reminder, I have the "Golden Gate Bridge" pictured on my cell phone. It reminds me of the leap of faith I'm taking
Take care my friends, our landing can be softer than we think!

STOP The Presses!

The page where Jenna's profile appeared was withdrawn CLICK HERE!
In just 24 hours after Missosology.Org reported that Miss Universe Canada has accepted a transsexual in the name of Jenna Talackova, as one of their 2012 finalists, reactions, both pros and antis, spread like wildfire. While the comments are in form of healthy debate, something weird happened. The profile of Jenna is no longer available on the official Miss Universe Canada website. She was not also in the official list of finalists! What happened? Missosology is not so sure. Jenna today, contacted Missosology to change her photo in the forum. Meanwhile, we intend to contact the Miss Universe Canada Organization regarding the issue.
So, what do you think happened?
a.) Miss Universe Canada was duped in believing that Jenna is a woman
b.) Miss Universe Canada decided to kick her out because of the controversy that he/she created
c.) Jenna herself decided not to join

Here are some of the photos of Jenna sent to Missosology

Canadians Like More Than Hockey!

"Miss Universe Canada has officially accepted Jenna Talackova, a transsexual, as a contestant in the upcoming finals in May 19. Jenna has already represented Canada at Miss International Queen, a beauty pageant for transsexuals. The fact that she was accepted as a contestant raised several ethical and moral issues but for some it is a sign of equality. Canada is one of the progressive nations on earth with a very liberal application of its Equality Law as enshrined in its 1982 constitution.

But many pageant fans are not happy with this. They see it as an affront to the establishment since contests like the Big4 (Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International and Miss Earth) are meant for naturally born women. While we've seen lesbians competing at the state level as in the case of Miss California USA 2012, the current issue is far more controversial because this is about a person born as a man and converted himself into a woman.

Still, many see this as a sign of equality and of freedom. After all, Jenna is legally a woman. Supporters say this is about someone who pursue his or her dream and should not be discriminated against.

Then again too, there may be more than a few who are afraid of her winning!!!!

This story came from "MISSOSOLOGY" 

Thanks Bobbie!