" A man is what his mother makes him".
Ralph Waldo Emerson

(That's why my Mom was so defensive?)

The World Wide Transgendered Web!

I so enjoy seeing and passing along stories from around the world about our transgendered sisters and brothers around the world.
However they choose to be identified, for many (in many societies) it's a huge and often dangerous step to take.
This story from "Gay Star News" says it all! A documentary about drag queens in Southwestern China is premiering in Amsterdam soon:
"CinemAsia Film Festival in Amsterdam starts tomorrow with a Queer & Asian section screening seven films from Indonesia, China, Singapore, The Philippines and Japan."

Here's one of the questions:

" There are different styles in different cities. In the city of Nanning, where my documentary was filmed, they learnt a lot from Thailand (since it's only a one hour flight from Bangkok). You feel the Southeast Asia influence in their performance. The performers do enjoy their work and life, though they don't have very high income."
Follow the link for more!

Shaping Up.

For whatever reason, I have not slowed down to write about the changes my body is going through as I enter month four  on hormones.
Physically "the girls" continue to be the most noticeable change physically.  They are starting the change from an enlarged "man boob" shape to more of a feminine breast appearance.
Mentally, I did experience my first major "cry" for no apparent real reason and some sort of real melancholy I did not know where it was coming from.
My facial skin continues to be dry while my body skin seems to be softening.
A friend told me others would notice the changes before I would, so I'm telling you what I see.
It's very difficult not to wish away time in this situation.
On the other hand, time does fly by and before we all know it I will have more wonderful changes to pass along!

Spring Beauty

Check the "Boutique Page" for more!

Bi-Gendered

Just when you want to say "OK Cyrsti, enough is enough! Get off the terminology already!".
Yes, you are right- but here is one more. Bi-gendered by physical definition.  I bring it up after interacting with a friend who actually lives and agonizes over a life like this.
The article is actually an in depth psychological look at the "no man's or woman's land" between what our community has chosen as transgendered or transsexual. Ironically, you may be able to think our "TG" or "TS" labels may be just a starting point. As a comparison, you may be able to use man and woman (on either end) with gay or bi in the middle.
I've added a few excerpts or you can read the whole article here.
respondents agreed that their gender switches were "predictable." The period of gender switches was highly variable, ranging from multiple times per day to several times per year. A majority (23/32) of respondents, however, reported that their gender switched at least weekly [with 14 saying it switched at least once per day]. What are the switches like? Some respondents are quoted -

"I still have the same values and beliefs, but a change in gender is really a change in the filter through which I interact with the world and through which it interacts with me."

"My voice usually ends up being higher than other times, I’ll be more emotional, my views on things like politics tend not to change, but how I react to certain things does. Like if I’m in male mode and I see someone crying I’ll think more along the lines of, 'Man up...' while if I’m in girl mode I’ll think more along the lines of ‘Oh sweety!’"

This being Ramachandran, the paper also touches on left handedness, brain hemispheres, phantom genitals and more, but it's fair to say that all this is pretty speculative -

"(In the survey) respondents agreed that their gender switches were "predictable." The period of gender switches was highly variable, ranging from multiple times per day to several times per year. A majority (23/32) of respondents, however, reported that their gender switched at least weekly [with 14 saying it switched at least once per day]. What are the switches like? Some respondents are quoted -



Great food for thought!

Enter the Seductress

Dileep went on a strict diet and even pierced his ears to portray Mohini.

 From the "Deccan Chronicle":


(Film Star) "Dileep has always strived to widen the borders of creativity by taking up “different” roles. Most often than not, his gambles have paid off too; his roles of a hunchback, transvestite and mentally challenged characters have stayed in people’s minds and got him critical acclaim. His latest one is perhaps the most challenging so far; that of a seductress in the upcoming Mayamohini, which is releasing today."
Film lovers who remember his portrayal of the effeminate character Radha in Chandupottu may assume that the role of a woman would be a cakewalk for Dileep but he asserts that the role of Radha was a huge impediment in playing Mohini. He says, “The first two days of the shoot were the toughest; there was this conflict between the characters of Radha and Mohini.
At one point of time, I even wondered whether it was a mistake to have taken on the role. I had to be careful not to let any trait of Radha creep into Mohini, who is completely female in her mannerisms and figure. Ultimately, Mohini triumphed on the third day!”
The inner transformation was as difficult as the outward one. Roshan who did Dileep’s make-up reveals that Dileep was given an option to use fake eyebrows but the actor decided to pluck his eyebrows and pierce his ears. Ask him about that and he says, “I wanted Mohini to be as natural as possible,” before adding, “Parents are normally present at the ear piercing ceremony of their child but here my daughter was there when my ear was pierced.”

We all know a little about the next part of the process:

"To maintain a flat stomach, Dileep went on a strict diet and ended up losing seven kilos. The shoot which lasted for two months made him miss a couple of good offers but Dileep is unfazed. “The entire film rests on Mohini’s shoulders and I wanted to give my complete attention to the role. This is a part of the experimenting process and I hope people accept this.”
The transformation had its moments of mirth, too! Dileep says he was even pinched on his stomach by someone in the crew who could not stop himself! Acquaintances who came to see Dileep took some time before realising that the ravishing woman standing in front of them was the star himself"

And the fun part:

"
His co-stars Biju Menon and Baburaj often told him that they kept falling in love with him. Dileep cheekily remarks that he now knows the pleasure women derive when the people shower their attention on them.
Talking about his family’s reaction, he says, “Manju wanted to know how I got such beautifully plucked eyebrows and even called up the beautician. My daughter was present from the beginning, so she had this ‘been there, seen all “expression.”

Nice!

Transsexual Ohio Becomes More Visible

From the "Brecksville Patch" :
"A few months ago, Katie Forman donned a simple brown skirt, a hoodie and some eye shadow and headed off to school.

That wardrobe choice was a big step for Forman, one that she says has been met with support in the halls of Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School. (Northeastern Ohio)

Forman, 18, is a male-to-female transsexual.

Forman said she realized when she was as young as 5 that something was different. She was fascinated with girls’ clothes, but hid her interests. This summer, Forman said she was depressed and in counseling, struggling with trying to be someone she wasn’t.

“You know what,” Forman says she told herself, “this is a waste of time.”

She’s been living as a woman for the past three months. Forman said that being transsexual is about “is how we feel inside.” It has nothing to do with sexuality, as opposed to cross-dressing. It’s not a temporary act or a fetish. It’s about changing one’s physical body to fit how they feel on the inside."

Check the link for more! I love the younger generation!!!!!

Transgendered Quotes!

The first was passed along by a friend:
"As Oscar Wilde said "A man should have a hobby" I am heterosexual with disapproving partner and so only get some 'tranny tokens' per year."
Got a kick out of the word "token".


The second is the use of "transgendered" overwhelmingly last night in the ABC Barbara Walters' interview with beauty pageant hopeful "Jenna Talackova" not transsexual.

Gender Queer?

After a quarter of a million hits here (thanks to all!), it may be time to take a look at another term which I have seen a lot of but never really looked into it's real meaning.
The term is "gender queer" and here is one definition from the Urban Dictionary:

"Genderqueer is most commonly used to describe a person who feels that his/her gender identity does not fit into the socially constructed "norms" associated with his/her biological sex.
Genderqueer is an identity that falls anywhere between man/boy/male and woman/girl/female on the spectrum of gender identities."
Example: "Mary doesn't feel that s/he fits the mold of any one particular gender; therefore, Mary identifies as genderqueer".

And another:
"Any position in a wide variety of gender identities, spanning the spectrum between male and female. A person who is Genderqueer is not transgendered, though the option is open to transition. Being genderqueer has no bearing on sexual identity or orientation."
Example: "Eli might have a woman's body, but ze doesn't feel like a woman or a man. Eli is genderqueer."

At the risk of starting another worthless war on words here and launching yet another term (which is new to me at least)-I definitely will revisit the term in the future!