[UK]
Pay your own way for ‘non-essential operations’

Transsexuals, tattoo haters and obese people wanting stomach stapling are all set to be disappointed from next year.

[South Africa]
Cross-dressing and other fetishes

Cross-dressing, documented throughout history around the globe, is a well-known erotic activity. Done occasionally for fun or variety, it's an offbeat variation. Some men do it alone; some couples play with it together.

[USA] [Blogs/Books/ Culture]

Breaking Down Trans Erotica

From The Crying Game to Tootsie, Steinbock hones in on the good, bad and ugly of trans representation, particulary with regard to trans sexuality - a concept we're sure many of you haven't even considered. As the new year approaches, why not expand your boundaries? Besides, your sex life's pretty stale anyway. (Trust us, we know.)

[USA]
The Shame of Transgender Inclusion
Thank you transgender proponents; you really know how to hurt others by your forced inclusion of us under your exhibitionist and often sexual banner.
Somewhere in the USA. Many years ago I had surgery that would allow my body to conform and meld with my brain. There were no surgeons then as there are none today that could trans genders (brain) so I had to opt for Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) ... the alternative that would bring my body into focus with the reality of my basic being...female.

[USA]
Transgenderism - Its Societal Impact Upon Those With HBS
Lumping people with HBS into the transgender camp has terrible consequences.
The transsexual term becomes unusable for people with a legitimate medical condition. Hence the reason why many transsexuals are discarding the term, and adopting the term HBS (Harry Benjamin Syndrome).

[USA]
T is for Transsexual
"With a penis one may live as a woman, be socially accepted as a woman, pass as a woman but one is not in fact a woman." -- Suzan Cooke
Springfield, Virginia, USA. We do not oppose the transgendered. Unlike their philosophy of a single political umbrella under one big let's include the world T, we admit they exist. They can define themselves however they wish – just don't include us, the ones with Harry Benjamin's Syndrome (Transsexual Syndrome), the women and men born transsexual.

[UK]
NHS to cut transgender operations

An NHS Trust is to cut funding to gender transition as part of a move to limit non-essential operations in the area. Hounslow Primary Care Trust has announced that from April 2007, anyone seeking NHS support for medical services such as gender reassignment, tattoo removal, or breast enhancements will have to pay for it.

[USA,PA]
Police Have Longer 911 Tape of Courtesy Ride in Nizah Morris Case

Police say they have a 911 tape longer than the version they released three years ago regarding a courtesy ride that an officer gave a transgender woman who later died.

Photo: Nizah Morris

[OH,USA]
2006: The year it came together

Excerpt: The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2006 that the 1964 Civil Rights Act can be applied to protect transsexuals from sex-stereotyping in the workplace ...

[OH,USA]
Males who work as prostitutes a little-known part of sex industry

Excerpt: "I found that I could dress like a female and make more money than the girls," said "Kia," who at 18 has been charged seven times for prostitution during his five years working the streets.

[Canada]
BC Ferries loses bid to dismiss complaint
BC Ferries has lost a bid for dismissal of a human rights complaint lodged by a transsexual deckhand fired two years ago.
Deborah Magnone was fired by BC Ferries, which said she made mistakes. Photograph by : Bruce Stotesbury, Canwest News Service, Files

[UK]

Transsexual calls for gender education
A transsexual is calling on schools to raise better awareness of gender and sexuality issues after claiming she was subjected to two weeks of "urban terrorism."

[Italia]
Sanremo: due transessuali in città fermati dai VVUU
Gli agenti della Polizia Municipale di Sanremo, coordinati dall'Ispettore Capo Pierino Oddo, hanno arrestato due transessuali brasiliani, che esercitavano la 'professione' in via Capitan Pesante al civico 34.

[Canada] [Advice Column]
Girls who like boys who were girls...
I've been hanging out with lots of trans people lately. Some things are puzzling me and I'd like your guidance. It's been my impression that trans folks don't care all that much for chasers - that is, people who fetishize trans people and get off on them just because they're trans/have transgressive bodies.

[Thailand]
The case of the Finnish man and his unexpected surprise.
A case now from Soi 6 in Central Pattaya which is home to many bars which cater for the “short time” needs of foreigners. At 6.30am on Wednesday, Police Lieutenant Colonel Chalermgiet from Pattaya Police Station sent a patrol unit to the street after receiving a call from Mr. Reijo Tapio Palomeiki aged 52 from Finland who had detained a transsexual who he claims had robbed him of 4,020 Baht.

Photo: Khun Griensak is now behind bars on a charge of theft.

[DC, USA]
Transgender Tragedies

A new analysis finds Washington, D.C. topping the list in transgender murders

[USA]
A Watershed Year for Trans Rights

Following on the footsteps of a watershed year, 2006 saw increased visibility and political gains for the U.S. trans community. Here are some examples:

[CA, USA]
Zarf to Zoe

On "All My Children," the 31-year-old Belmont Shore native plays Zarf, an androgynous and flamboyant male British rock star who's fallen in love with Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel), a lesbian.

[UK]
I Lived In Fear For Two Weeks

A Transsexual says she was subjected to two weeks of "urban terrorism" by a gang of youths. Rikki Arundel, 56, today said she feared for her safety after youths repeatedly pelted her west Hull home with rocks and mud.

[India]
Not a Girl

The irony of her mother - a widowed farm hand in a Bengali village -being called Unnati, or Progress, is perhaps the least brutal thing in the life of Tapati Biswas. The daughter, whose real name is not Tapati, is nineteen. She has studied up to class XII and now refuses to behave like a girl. She has cut her hair short, wears pants, hangs around in tea-stalls and speeds on her bicycle.

[OH, USA]
Marriage Oath In Ohio County Asks If Person Is Transsexual

Couples planning to marry in Clark County, Ohio are asked if either person is transsexual. It is believed to be the only jurisdiction in the country where people are asked to swear they are not transgendered before receiving a marriage license.

[NY,USA]
Transgender Makes Headlines

Excerpt: Then things were looking up again for the transgender community when 20-year-old transgender Alyssa Rodriguez won a lawsuit against the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) after the New York juvy facility where she was living refused to supply her with prescriptive hormone medication.

[South Korea]
Weirdest criminal cases of 2006

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office yesterday released its selection of the most bizarre cases of 2006, including a case in which a 26-year-old woman concealed her gender to sustain a relationship and receive money from her girlfriend.

[Italia]
Transessuale aggredito e rapinato alle Cascine
Per i Trans c'e' adesso un Coordinamento Nazionale
Luxuria uomo dell'anno per Libero

[Canada]
Toronto’s Orthodox community adjusts to Nicole, nee Mordechai

Mordechai's community and friends are still adjusting to his decision to become Nicole — some better than others. Mordechai used to be known in his Toronto Orthodox community as Nord, short for Nord the Barbarian, which referred to his girth and hairiness. He now wishes to be called Nicole, and has chosen Neshama, or Soul, as a Hebrew name. Nicole would like to remain part of the community.

When Abba becomes Ima: Transsexuals in the Orthodox world

Mordechai, a 31-year-old Orthodox lawyer from Toronto, gave his wife a Jewish divorce this summer.

[USA] [Books]
Looking at Life from Two Gender Perspectives: “Both Sides Now”

When an ex-girlfriend brought over an article from a 1994 New Yorker about female-to-male transsexuals, Dhillon Khosla's life changed.

[USA] [Health]
Hormones and Cancer: Assessing the Risks

When researchers reported recently that a precipitous drop in breast cancer rates might be explained by a corresponding decrease in the use of hormones for menopause, women reacted with shock, anger and, in some cases, profound relief that they had never taken the drugs.

[USA]
AMC Introduces Daytime's First Transgender Character

As previously reported by soapcentral. com, Jeffrey Carlson reprises the role of international rock star, "Zarf," this week on All My Children. Fans may remember Carlson's one-day stint on All My Children earlier this year during which Josh and Babe tried to convince the fictional rock star into appearing in a Fusion advertising campaign.

[OH,USA]
Transsexual question unique to Clark County

During the marriage license oath, couples are asked whether either person is a transsexual or has syphilis.

[MA,USA]
Massachusetts Teacher Affirms Transgenderism in Classroom

Excerpt: [Mass Resistance's Brian Camenker] says the last thing you want your local educators to do is tell your child that transgenderism is normal.

[USA]

'All My Children' tackles transgender issues

Excerpt: In a few minutes, she would tape the first scene in which Zarf, a flamboyant rock star played by Jeffrey Carlson, was going to reveal his secret to her: He was a she.

Photo: Jeffrey Carlson’s Zoe, foreground, talks to Eden Riegel’s Bianca before a New Year’s party.
(Lou Rocco / ABC)

[USA]
Transgender Parenting
I know that many lesbian and gay people are becoming parents, but what about transgender people ... Do you think they should also have the right to have children?

[New Zealand]
The lady in red
It's never been easier to convince an MP to pose in front of Parliament.
With a flick of her multi-toned locks, Georgina Beyer, the world's first transsexual MP, has flung herself eagerly at the stone plinth above which Prime Minister Richard Seddon stands immortalised in bronze.

[Spain/Argentina]
Communique by Organisations of Spanish Transsexuals and Individual Activists on the Situation of Transvestites in Argentina

We, the under-signed organisations of Spanish transsexuals and individual activists express our continuing concern at the situation of transvestites in Argentina who have in the last month suffered two killings, one more attack leaving the victim in a coma and numerous other attacks.

En Español

[NY, USA]
It's Her Thing

How a beautiful woman with a little something extra got that way—and why "straight" men are lining up to meet her.

[Ireland]
No Toronto Nups for Irish

Excerpt: Dunne also rejected a secondary argument from the plaintiffs that Ireland's refusal to recognize the marriage violates the European Convention on Human Rights. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that transsexuals have a right to marry a person of the opposite sex from their own acquired gender, but for Dunne, this was not an endorsement of marriage rights for same-sex couples. The Court has not directly ruled that same-sex couples are entitled to marry as part of the respect for private life the European Convention guarantees.

[USA]
Through Zarf’s eyes

Actor Jeffrey Carlson tackles trans role on `All My Children'

Actor Jeffrey Carlson plays transgender character Zarf on the ABC soap ‘All My Children.’ (Photo by Lou Rocco)

[USA] [News Feature]

Ending Cruel and Unusual Punishment

It's estimated that 30 percent of transgender Americans have been incarcerated— three times the national average. Those that go to prison are often placed in the sex-segregated institutions based on genitalia, not gender identity. This system is particularly brutal for transgender women, who are forced to live in men's prisons where they are often raped, denied medical treatment and placed in psychologically damaging, long-term solitary confinement—to protect them from other inmates.

[Italia]
Imola: cubano arrestato per violenza su transessuale

Tra il 16 ed il 17 novembre scorso aveva aggredito e violentato, nei pressi della stazione ferroviaria di Imola, un transessuale.

[Italia]
Asilo anche agli stranieri omosessuali e transessuali perseguitati nei loro Paesi

Approvato in Senato l'emendamento di Silvestri, ora la Camera deve allineare

[India]
4-yr-old’s sex ‘transformed’

Even as athlete Santhi Soundarajan grabbed the headlines for losing her Asian Games' silver medal after she failed the gender test, the urology department of the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute (SGPGI) of Medical Sciences was busy with another "sex transformation" .

[Japan]
Family court rejects man's gender change

The Kobe Family Court's Amagasaki branch has rejected a petition to change the officially registered gender of a 51-year-old man of Amagasaki who has been diagnosed with gender identity disorder (GID), it was learned Wednesday.

[NY,USA]
NY Juvenile Facility Admits Denying Care To Transsexual Teen

New York's Office of Children and Family Services has agreed to work with two LGBT advocacy groups to insure trans teens in its care are treated equitably as a condition of ending a federal lawsuit.

[DC,USA]
A Life Remembered

It's been more than a decade since Tyra Hunter, following a car crash, died on a street in Southeast D.C. But her story has lived on because her death highlighted the dangerous discrimination faced every day by transgender people.

[USA]
Spotlight on homeless LGBT youth

Calling a spot on a street corner home isn't the image conjured when most people think of where they live, but for an estimated 672,000 queer youth across the country who find themselves homeless each year the streets or temporary shelter are often the closest thing to home they have.

[Turkey]
Male doctor wins court case to become female

Hürriyet yesterday headlined a story about a 30-year-old transvestite employed in a state hospital as a neurologist. The report said the doctor's sex-change operation would be allowed by the state, as an Istanbul court recently ruled to officially consider F.B. a woman.

[Australia]
Transexual killer loses parole reversal bid

Transsexual murderer Maddison Hall has lost a legal challenge over a decision not to grant her parole.

[NJ,USA]
Transgendered gain a shield from anti-discrimination law

Gov. Jon Corzine signed a bill yesterday amending the state's anti-discrimination law to include transgender people.

[TX,USA]
Transgender Woman Suing For Alleged Discrimination

A transgender woman is suing a company for discrimination because they would not hire her. She said she was not considered for the job when management discovered that she used to be a man, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.

[UK]
'Jibe' transsexual wins her case

Drusilla Marland, 48, from Bristol, suffered jibes from her engineroom team on P&O ferry, Pride of Bilbao. She had been forced to resign after two years of torment. The 48-year-old was awarded £64,862 ($126,658.00 US) by the tribunal.

[New Zealand]
Retiring MP to stay put in Carterton

Carterton will stay a bolthole for Wairarapa list MP Georgina Beyer even if the retiring transsexual politician takes up the mayoral chains of office in Wellington next year.

[WA,USA]
Transition to fairness

The 27-year-old Seattle resident, who asked that his full name not be used, told of how he and his roommate - both in the process of transitioning from female to male - had been picked up by Seattle police on suspicion of misdemeanors in spring 2005 and booked into the King County Jail.

[TX,USA]
Lambda Legal Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Woman Whose Job Offer Was Revoked Because She is Transgender

"When the HR Director found out the company offered a job to a transgender person, the offer was rescinded," said Cole Thaler, Transgender Rights Attorney at Lambda Legal. "Even though Izza was the best applicant for the job, the company decided that it didn't want a transgender employee and claimed that she 'misrepresented' herself."

Transgender woman sues would-be employer

A man who lives as a woman sued a would-be employer Monday for allegedly revoking a job offer after realizing she is transgender. Izza Lopez, 26, filed the lawsuit in federal court against Houston-based River Oaks Imaging and Diagnostic. She alleges employment discrimination.

[NY,USA]
Transgender: Shopper Denied Access To Fitting Room

A trip to Loehmann's may turn into a lawsuit for Jane Galla. She said a popular discount clothing store wouldn't allow her to use its communal changing room because she is transgender.

Tranny sues Loehmann's for bias

A transgendered woman who was told to use the men's room at Loehmann's has filed a complaint alleging discrimination by the discount retail chain.

[USA]
Zines Explore Transgender Culture Beyond Stereotypes

There's the Oscar-nominated hit, TransAmerica. There's the new book Self-Made Man, in which author Norah Vincent tries on maleness for a year and a half. And even the often-less-than- risk-taking The L Word featured a transgender character this season. Trans issues have hit the big time.

[WI,USA] Letters to the editor
There is a choice to be made

Excerpt: Transvestites say they were born a woman inside a man's body, so they opt for surgery and hormones to make them look like a woman, even though their chromosomes will forever be male.

[USA] [Commentary]

Finding love as a transman

Loren Cameron dishes about figuring out what he likes, who he likes, and how he likes it in his years as a transman.

No dia 16 deste mês de Dezembro foi publicado num blog denominado Fishspeaker, da autoria de uma pessoa denominada L., este post que versava sobre o porquê de não ter sido uma associação exclusivamente trans a escrever um documento como o apresentado pela ILGA.

Sei que esse post teve resposta da Presidente da ªt (Associação Para O Estudo E Defesa Do Direito À Identidade De Género e não "Direito ao Género" como está lá escrito) na forma de comentário ao respectivo post.

A referida pessoa, como não deve ter gostado do conteúdo da resposta, decidiu não dar Direito de Resposta à Presidente da ªt, Jó Bernardo, não publicando o comentário. Assim, e com a respectiva autorização, publico aqui essa resposta para que se torne pública.

"Fica-te muito bem, criticares uma associação que não tem tempo para produzir documentos como o da ILGA porque os seus membros quando deveriam de estar a estudar para não serem analfabetos profundos, estavam a tentar sobreviver DA PROSTITUIÇÂO para não morrerem e não serem mais alvo de exclusões para alem da que a condição de Trans já implica, e que mesmo assim criaram (mal e bem) os alicerces de alguns dos previlégios de que disfrutas.

Fica-te muito bem criticares a ªt. de não produzir documentos quando os seus membros passam horas nos hospitais, nas repartições, nas cabeceiras de cama, em casa a escutar, porque muitas destas pessoas não beneficiaram nem da formação nem do berço apesar de sermos todos iguais perante a lei. Mas o papel dificilmente reproduz a realidade da miséria humana (nem a miséria humana de quem produz o papel.)

Os que se prostituiram ontem e se prostituem hoje são os mesmos que lutaram para que tenhas os direitos e as regalias de que disfrutas hoje.

E tu? qual tem sido a tua contribuição real e efectiva para os que vierem a seguir?

Jó Bernardo"

COMUNICADO

A ªt. congratula-se com a produção do documento da ILGA sobre a temática transgénero e considera o conteúdo sério e relevante para a discussão sobre a temática.

A ªt. lamenta não ter sido convidada a trabalhar em conjunto na elaboração do respectivo documento, e cuja parceria, permitiria colmatar algumas falhas que se pendem com a situação actual em termos de reivindicação politica ao nível da UE relacionadas com estas temáticas, sobre os organismos que compoêm a rede europeia e dos mecanismos utilizados pelo loobyng europeu, a exemplo: www.tgeu.net ou sobre as 68 propostas elaboradas no 1º Transgender European Council em Novembro de 2005, que diferem bastante das reivindicações americanas, e de difícil aplicabilidade em termos de reivindicação nacional e porque divergem das reivindicações actuais ao nivel Europeu.

A ªt. lamenta também que o grupo GIP da ILGA não tenha dado continuidade á apresentação de uma proposta de projecto lei apresentado pela ªt. aquando uma reunião tida entre as duas associações no ano de 2004 e que poderia ter sido o inicio de um trabalho conjunto que consolidasse a argumentação para o desenvolvimento desta temática.

Independentemente dos lamentos da direcção da ªt., a mesma gostaria de deixar uma palavra de apreço pelo esforço dos responsáveis da produção deste documento e espera poder contar com a sua autorização para a respectiva divulgação.

A Direcção

[Portugal]
Morte de Gisberta vira peça de teatro

Um texto do romancista Armando Silva Carvalho, construído a partir da morte da transsexual Gisberta Salce Júnior, no Porto, em Fevereiro, é o ‘motor de arranque’ da peça ‘Auto do Branco de Neve e os seus Machões’, que está a ser preparada no Teatro Viriato, de Viseu.

[UK]
Transsexual wins payout against P&O

A transsexual has been awarded £64,862 compensation after a tribunal found she was forced to endure 'an atmosphere of intimidation and hostility' while working for P&O Ferries, it has emerged.

[Malaysia]
No jobs so they are walking the streets

When night falls, men of all ages make their way along the narrow paths that lead to the village in search of pleasure. They would stand alone or in small groups just off the paths or next to a railway track, their eyes roving, while sex workers - all transsexuals - traipse about in their stilettos to show off their assets.

[Indonesia]
Indonesian family has two hermaphrodite children

A poor family in an isolated Indonesian village has had two hermaphrodite children. Asdar, three, and Cambulu, one, were both born with male and female genitals, the Detikcom online news portal said in a report Wednesday.

[NJ,USA]
New Jersey Overwhelmingly Enacts Protections for Transgenders-Slam Dunk for Equality!

On Thursday, December 14, 2006, the New Jersey Legislature added "gender identity or expression" as a protected category under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. Assembly Bill A930 passed 69-5-6 and Senate Bill S2407 33-3 in an unprecedented margin for a statewide transgender non-discrimination law!

Transgender residents win hidden victory

Lost in the debate over civil unions for same-sex couples here Thursday was a bill that gay-rights groups say is just as important. The measure - passed in both the Assembly and Senate - prohibits discrimination against transgender individuals through New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination.

[FL,USA] [Blogs/Commentary]
Blocking LGBT Websites On Public School Computers

One of the things that has become a boom for the transgender community was the coming of the internet. I've no empirical data to back up that belief, but the reality that my transgender peers and I can go online and find out about transgender people and issues has allowed community building. Previously, the relatively small number of out transpeople, and lack of interconnectivity between geographically separated transcommunities made it difficult for transpeople to learn of each others' existence.

[MI,USA]
Rights proposal expected to get OK

Excerpt: The ordinance would, among other things, prohibit harassment and discrimination based on race, age, height, weight, political affiliation or belief, sexual orientation and gender identity.

[DC,USA]
Report Says Transgender Victims were Targeted

An advocacy group for transgender people says seven people from D.C. who've been killed since 1995 were targeted because they did not conform to gender norms.

[Italia]
Confessa il varesino arrestato per l'omicidio del transessuale di Castelletto Ticino
Ha confessato Eleonardo Augusto Rabolini. Il 47enne residente a Caravate ma originario di Cittiglio, cuoco di professione, ha ammesso dopo l’arresto.

[Deutschland]
Transsexuelle klagt gegen Spiegel-Autor
Die Autorin Tanja Krienen hat den bekannten Spiegel- Journalisten Henryk M. Broder vor der 3. Zivilkammer am Dortmunder Landgericht verklagt. Der Grund: Die 49-Jährige fühlt sich von Broder wegen ihrer Transsexualität verunglimpft.

[FL,USA]
Trans coverage groundbreaking
In what is believed to be the first time in the U.S., a South Florida woman has been approved for an individual health insurance policy issued to her as a post-operative transsexual.
Photo: Insurance agent Steven Shulman with his transsexual Aunt Gloria Stein.

[NY, USA]
Study: Thousands of homeless NYC youth are LGBT
A new report shows that nearly 8,400 LGBT youth may be homeless this winter, according to statistics cited in the study by the National Runaway Switchboard and released by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

[PA, USA]
Morris family seeks truth
For the family of Nizah Morris, last week's Police Advisory Commission inquiry triggered a yearning for their slain loved one and a renewed commitment to solve the case.
Dispatch records: Morris Courtesy ride placed on hold
Computerized dispatch records released last week by the Police Advisory Commission suggest that a courtesy ride given to an African-American transgender woman didn't end until 45 minutes after police say it ended.

[PA, USA]
TG officer returns to firing range
The good news for Maria Gonzalez, Philadelphia' s first openly transgender police officer, is that she became fully recertified this month to carry a firearm. Photo: Police officer Maria Gonzalez

[USA] [Health]

Hormone Pills' Benefit Stressed Despite Risk

This week's news that a big drop in cases of breast cancer could be due to millions of women going off menopause hormones may lead even more of them to abandon the pills.

KARNIGHT EXCENTRIK PARTY

Uma transsexual elegante recebe-o às zero horas do dia de natal à porta do ESPAÇOKARNART. Um segurança hard-core protege a sua entrada. Uma actriz sentada a uma mesa recebe os dez euros que lhe permitirão o acesso às salas superiores e lhe darão direito a duas bebidas. Se vier extravagantemente vestido – e queremos mesmo dizer extravagante, excêntrico no sentido artístico do termo (cabeleiras, lentes, palas, soutiens, meias de seda, cintos de ligas, suspensórios, toucas, óculos, dentes de ouro, tatuagens, piercings, exposição física, etc.) – não precisará de pagar entrada. Sobe as escadas para as salas com mesas de mármore, originalmente usadas para dissecação de animais, e é recebido numa sala preta com telhas à vista, onde está montado um bengaleiro que o vai desembaraçar do casaco carregado das energias familiares. Mais uma transsexual, agora forte e de voz grave, entrega-lhe uma senha e deixa-o livre para explorar o espaço de chill-out onde está montado o primeiro dos bares, e onde pode trocar uma das duas fichas de bebida a que o preço de entrada lhe deu direito. Nesta sala desfruta do mundo, quer em termos de sonoridade quer em termos de imagens projectadas numa parede de azulejos brancos. Na sala verde vibrante contígua senta-se em puffs coloridos ou deita-se em esteiras, relaxado, muito relaxado mesmo, e recobra pelo corredor das casas de banho quando acede à sala maior do ESPAÇOKARNART, onde um segundo bar o espera e onde pode dançar: dj's de música revivalista, dj's de música electrónica, vídeo jam. Entretanto e enquanto as quatro saídas de emergência o protegem, personagens bizarros cruzam-se consigo desenvolvendo performances inesperadas, chocantes talvez, assustadoras até, que o deixarão agradado. Se a fome apertar terá uma fatia de bolo rainha racional à sua espera. As bebidas brancas custarão quatro euros, as bebidas leves custarão dois euros. Seja bem-vindo. Atreva-se.

ESPAÇOKARNART
Rua da Escola de Medicina Veterinária, 21, 1000-127 Lisboa
Tel. 213 152 192 Fax. 213 152 192 Tm. 914 150 935

[UK]
Transsexual loses sex discrimination claim
A transsexual who claimed he was hounded out of his council job has failed in a sex discrimination claim.

[NJ,USA]
New Jersey Passes Civil Unions and Transgender Protection
State Legislators Pass Civil Unions Law; Non-Discrimination PolicyProtects Transgender Individuals
N.J. lawmakers pass transgender rights bill
The New Jersey state assembly on Thursday passed a bill that would make the Garden State the eighth in the nation to outlaw discrimination based on gender identity or expression. The bill, passed by the state senate on Monday, now goes to Gov. Jon Corzine, who is expected to sign it.
Trans Rights Advance in Trenton
At the same that they were hurdling toward a civil union law rather than marriage equality, the New Jersey Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committees acted in the past two weeks to outlaw discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

[AZ,USA]
Making the TRANSition
What it really means to change from one gender to another

[USA]
Trans Singer Makes History
"The world probably isn't ready for a guy like me," says trans singer Joshua Klipp, who made musical history on his self released EP Patience by singing in both his pre- and post-transition voices on the R&B track "Little Girl."
Photo: Joshua Klipp by James Buck

[CA,USA]
Hate crimes up, study says

Excerpt: Nearly two-thirds of incidents last year were racially motivated, with 15% caused by religious intolerance and 15% related to sexual orientation. Attacks related to sexual orientation dropped by about a quarter from last year..... Blacks were the most common victims of hate crimes in 2005, followed by Latinos; gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals; and Jews. Violence and vandalism were the most widespread offenses.

[TX,USA] [Films]
His or hers?

Identity politics can be a treacherous labyrinth among gay men and lesbians, but adding transgender issues to the mix has historically proved confounding and maddening to all sides. The debates about transgender identity and its interface with lesbian politics and feminism undergo some tough and revealing scrutiny in "Boy I Am," a documentary created by Sam Feder and Julie Hollar.

[GA,USA]
Atlanta police match DNA to suspect in trans slaying

Excerpt: Armani, 37, a preoperative male-to-female transsexual, was shot to death on Feb. 29, 2004. Her body was found in a parked rented white Chevrolet at the apartment complex in the 2400 block of Peachtree Street where she had lived for several weeks with a long-term friend.

[USA] [Commentary]
My family also transitioned

I READ OFTEN ABOUT THE TRIALS and tribulations of being a gay parent, or the issues a parent faces having a gay child. When a child is transgender, the issues can be even more extreme. But as my recent trip to see my relatives in Phoenix shows, there's hope for all of our families.

[USA]
Victims Slain for Nonconformity, Report Says

An advocacy group for transgender people issued a report yesterday detailing deaths of 50 people across the country who they believe were targeted because they did not conform to gender norms.

[IL,USA]
Transsexual sues school district

Elikishia McIntyre is slowly erasing her old life. She's taking hormones and dresses like a woman, but one portion of her life as a man remains indelible -- her high school records.

O adeus à espécie

Cientistas chineses concluem que golfinho branco está extinto

Três dezenas de cientistas concluíram 39 dias de busca ao golfinho branco que vivia no rio Yangtze, chegando à conclusão que a espécie está extinta após 20 milhões de anos de existência, informa hoje a imprensa estatal chinesa.

«Esta é a primeira espécie de mamíferos aquáticos extinta em consequência das actividades humanas», disse à agência noticiosa oficial chinesa Nova China o biólogo Wang Ding, da Academia de Ciências da China, que fez parte da expedição internacional de busca ao golfinho branco e é um dos maiores defensores da espécie, conhecida como baiji.

«Temos de aceitar que o baiji está tecnicamente extinto. Perdemos a raça. É uma tragédia, uma perda não só para a China, mas para todo o mundo. Estamos muito tristes», afirmou August Pfulger, um dos líderes da expedição, que levou a cabo as buscas em 1,7 mil quilómetros do rio Yangtze, o habitat original do baiji, a partir da cidade de Wuhan, capital da província central chinesa de Hubei.

O baiji, praticamente cego, era uma das mais antigas espécies de golfinho, com mais de 20 milhões de anos.

A expedição acredita que a morte de mais de 90 por cento dos golfinhos brancos terá sido causada pela actividade humana, em especial a pesca predatória e o tráfego fluvial com barcos cujos motores interferem com o sonar natural do baiji.

Segundo dados científicos, existiram 400 exemplares no animal no rio Yangtze nos anos 80 e a última busca, realizada em 1997, encontrou 13 baiji.

Participaram na expedição internacional de busca ao golfinho branco cientistas da China, Estados Unidos, Reino Unido, Japão, Alemanha e Suíça.

Em 2005, o Yangtze, o maior rio chinês, recebeu descargas poluentes de 296 toneladas de resíduos industriais e águas poluídas, um aumento de três cento em relação a 2004, segundo a comissão de gestão do rio, administrada pelo Ministério chinês dos Recursos Hídricos.

Agência Lusa, retirado do Jornal "Sol"

Foi com agrado que recebi nas minhas mailing lists uma notícia da ILGA em que, a pedido da Ordem dos Advogados, e produzido pelo Grupo de Trabalho sobre Transexualidade da mesma, um documento sobre a Transexualidade em Portugal, trabalho esse que se pode consultar clicando AQUI.

Tem 16 páginas, e foca de um modo geral a Transexualidade em Portugal, os seus problemas e as reivindicações em nosso nome.

Dei uma vista de olhos meio superficial devido ao adiantado da hora e pareceu-me bom.

É de dar os parabéns a esta iniciativa, mesmo que impulsionada por um pedido externo, pois finalmente parece que as associações se estão a dar conta de que existimos, que somos discriminadas, e que do universo LGBT somos os/as menos protegidas a nível legal. Finalmente lembraram-se que existimos. Óptimo!

[Canada]
Transsexuals say province should cover sex change operations
Transsexuals are calling on Ontario to cover the cost of sex changes, saying it's a matter of human rights.

[NY,USA] [Commentary]
Transgender Reversal
Excerpt: As we noted several weeks ago, this proposal represented the"anything goes" mentality at its most absurd. Given that the proposal was the brainchild of a movement dedicated to eliminating anatomical considerations when defining gender, it was somewhat surprising that it got as far as it did.
Dr. Frieden's Flip-Flop
The city health department's sudden retreat last week from it plan to expand opportunities for New York-born transgendered people who have completed a gender transition to update their birth certificate is an unfortunate error in judgment.

[USA&]
Day of Remembrance Commemorated Across the World
From Buffalo, New York to Wellington, New Zealand, from Edinburgh, Scotland to Oakland, California, and many, many places in between, members of the transgender community, our allies, family and friends gathered at the end of November for the annual Day of Remembrance.

[NY, USA]
United Nations Council Discusses Gender Identity and Expression
The United Nations Human Rights Council considered the question of gender identity and expression during a session last Friday, December 1. Norway, speaking on behalf of 54 nations' delegations, delivered a statement highlighting the particular human rights concerns relating to sexual orientation and gender identity and encouraging the United Nations to continue to address them.

[CA,USA]
Jefferson Award Winner: Kendra Bryn Stewardson
Excerpt: Kendra says she's lived a lot of different lives: as a machine gunner in the Vietnam war, a carpenter, caregiver, and transsexual, all experiences that help her connect with other people's struggles... .."I don't think I've ever done anything more important that what I'm doing right now," says Kendra. "It's just so amazing to feel the other side."
Photo: Kendra Bryn Stewardson

[New Zealand]
Beyer moves from one stage to another

Labour will begin the 2007 parliamentary year with the resignation of one of its most colourful MPs, transsexual Georgina Beyer.

[Australia]
Man jailed for murder of transvestite

A Sydney man has been jailed for more than 20 years for the stabbing murder of a transvestite prostitute, the manslaughter of another man and the malicious wounding of a woman.

[Australia]
Transsexual killer appeals against jail stay

Hall, 42, is appealing a last-minute decision by the State Parole Authority in September to keep her behind bars for at least another 15 months.

[Malaysia]
Chung: I can sing love songs better as a woman

A year ago, Jessie Chung attracted the regional media when she announced her wedding plans. Chung, the transsexual who made headlines last year when she married Joshua Beh, an accountant, is once again making waves.

[India]
Orissa eunuchs demand law recognizing third sex category

Eunuchs in Orissa reiterated their demand for a legislation recognizing third gender category to ensure them political and social rights here on Wednesday.

Um exemplo de má informação vem da Rússia:
[Russia]
Transsexuals and transvestites wage never-ending war against each other

Excerpt: Transsexual teenagers claim that their penises and testes are simply abhorrent, and therefore they would be better off without them. Some transsexual people bind or tie their genitalia using a complex array of bandages for the purpose. About 18% of male transsexual teenagers opt on the practice of self-castration i.e. amputation of both the penis and testes.

[Canada] [Press Release]
Transsexual People Demand Equal Health Care Access

Transsexual (Trans) community members express disappointment in Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ruling and urge the government to do the honorable thing by providing funding for Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) and related medical procedures.

[USA] [Blogs/Commentary]
Alan Chambers: Transgender Issues Subject Matters Expert?

What makes one an expert in a subject?

[NY, USA]
Board adds gender, orientation clauses to policy

Excerpt: A bill being reviewed in the state Legislature called the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act would also add gender identity and expression to the state's human rights laws. To date, eight states and Washington, D.C., have passed similar non-discrimination laws, according to the Empire State Pride Agenda.

[Malaysia]

Transsexuals In Malaysia: No discrimination but not encouraged, either

TRANSSEXUALS in the country are not being discriminated but the 'culture' is not encouraged, either. This is the sentiment of two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) following a foreign report that transsexuals in Malaysia are gaining acceptance within the local community.

Photo: National Council of Women’s Organisation deputy president Faridah Khalid

[China]
Would-be woman takes further transsexual surgery in NE China

Foto-Reportagem

[Australia]
Australia signs UN statement on GLBT rights

Excerpt: ACE spokesperson Martine Delaney said UN recognition that transgender rights are human rights will send out a positive message to the world's governments. "Such widespread support for the Norwegian statement makes it harder for governments to abuse transgender human rights with any expectation their crimes will be ignored", she said.

[Australia]
Vic man jailed for attack on transsexual

A Victorian man who bashed and stabbed a transsexual after discovering her true gender has been jailed for at least four-and-a-half years.

[Deutschland]
Intersexuell - zwischen den Geschlechtern

Von der Schwierigkeit, weder Mann noch Frau zu sein

Die erste Frage bei der Geburt eines Kindes lautet: Junge oder Mädchen? Für die Eltern ist es ein Schock, wenn Hebamme und Arzt die Frage nicht eindeutig beantworten können.

[Canada]
T.O. officer on gun charge

Excerpt: This is not Tsoutsoulas' first time making headlines. In March he lost a $100,000 lawsuit against Correctional Services Canada, which he claimed was negligent in its supervision of longtime criminal Robert Thiessen.... .Thiessen, a transsexual prostitute with HIV who died in 2003, bit Tsoutsoulas during an arrest in 1995, prompting fears of infection. An Ontario Superior Court judge dismissed the case because the suit was filed after the six-month statute of limitation had expired. The judge also noted CSC was not negligent.

[Canada]
Micheline Montreuil se dit victime de discrimination

Excerpt: Ce n'est pas la première fois que Micheline Montreuil fait les manchettes. En 1998, l'avocat Pierre Montreuil, devenu transgenre, voulait vivre et se faire reconnaître en femme sous le prénom de Micheline. Depuis, elle a multiplié les poursuites en matière de discrimination.

[Malaysia]
Transsexuals in Malaysia get more acceptance in Muslim society

Transsexuals are gaining more acceptance in mostly Muslim Malaysia, a well-known transsexual said Tuesday, a little more than year after she held a high-profile but controversial wedding with an accountant.

Photo: Transsexual Jessie Chung

[NJ,USA]
The Strip's Biggest Gamblers For A.C. Hookers, Money Trumps Risk

Excerpt: Yaiyuma, a 22-year-old cocoa-toned transsexual, sneaked behind a corner grocery store at Pacific and Ocean avenues and sucked on another hooker's ashy crack pipe.

[USA] [Entertainment/ Comic Books]
Trannyforce: heroes in disguise

Excerpt: Originally known as the Girly Force, four female warriors crash land on Earth and die after fleeing the destruction of their home planet; their spirits, however, sought refugee in three boys and their dog Yasha who were out camping in the woods one night. The boys never realized anything was wrong until they started having weird dreams and when Earth's glamour is put in danger by the Dark Dimension, the Girly Force spirits were awakened to save the world. The three boys, Dino/Trixie, Jeffi/Milla, and Donovan/Evil- Lynn are roommates who live in Belleville. When they transform they become the Tranny Force. They couldn't be called the Girly Force because they aren't girls. They are she-male superheroes who fight for glamour, fashion and all things beautiful.

Entrevista a padre transexual

[India]
Hijras Hold Rally In City, Demand Status Of Women

A rally by nearly 300 activists identifying themselves as Sexual Minorities, was taken out in city today to mark the Human Rights Day.

[China]
Report: Chinese couple seek compensation for son's sex change

A couple whose only son underwent a sex change operation have sued a hospital for compensation and to have the surgery reversed because their "family line" was broken, a Chinese newspaper reported.

[IL, USA]
Drag goes mainstream

The Chicago City Council's Zoning Committee last week approved a measure sponsored by Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) that would lift restrictions on where clubs featuring female (as well as male) impersonators can set up shop in Chicago.

[PA, USA]
Witness: Officer placed jacket over TG woman’s face after courtesy ride

Thomas Berry, a Philadelphia police officer who says he offered to help Nizah Morris during a courtesy ride four years ago, actually placed a jacket over her face after the ride as she was clinging to life, a witness testified before the Police Advisory Commission this week.

Faleceu ontem, Domingo, Augusto Pinochet, antigo ditador militar chileno, responsável directo por mais de 2000 assassínios e mais de 27000 prisões e torturas. Sei que uma morte nunca é motivo de regozijo, pois é sempre um ser humano que se vai. No entanto, neste caso, e tal como quando dos falecimentos de Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Franco e outros que tais, não posso deixar de sentir que aparentemente parece que se respira melhor...

No outro dia, nas minhas andanças pela net, fui ter à página da Wikipédia onde se explica a definição de transgénero, a portuguesa claro está. Bem, fiquei cheia de dúvidas, as quais venho expôr aqui, para que quem se interesse pelo assunto pense um pouco nestas questões.

Que eu saiba, o conceito de transgénero é: "Termo normalmente utilizado para abarcar todas as formas de pensamento e comportamento que cruzam as separações entre os géneros e/ou sexos. Aqui estão incluídos Travestis, Transexuais, Intersexuais (Hermafroditas), Andróginos e Crossdressers."

No artigo diz-se que "Pelo facto de, tecnicamente, os transexuais poderem ou não estarem incluídos nos transgéneros algumas pessoas preferem utilizar apenas a expressão "trans" para mais correctamente abranger todas estas pessoas."

Os transexuais poderem ou não estar incluídos??? Sempre me pareceu que bastava ser-se transexual para se estar incluído. Mas a coisa continuava e a explicação vinha a seguir:

"Ao contrário do que se pode pensar à primeira vista apenas alguns transexuais são englobados pelo conceito de transgénero. Muitas pessoas transexuais vivem o seu dia-a-dia na sociedade precisamente seguindo da forma mais fiel possível o padrão de género dessa sociedade. O mesmo se passa com os andróginos e intersexuais onde a questão de ser ou não transgénero apenas se aplica se as características que os definem como andrógino ou intersexual são visíveis socialmente."

Bem, pensei eu, aqui está um bom exemplo de desinformação. Basta pensar-se assim: No dicionário Priberam online, um transexual é: ". e s. 2 gén., que ou aquele que se caracteriza pela transsexualidade." sendo que a transexualidade é caracterizada como: "s. f., situação da pessoa que mudou ou deseja mudar de sexo." Não concordo em absoluto com esta definição, prefiro a clínica que diz grosso modo que transexual "É uma pessoa que nasceu com a identidade de género (parte psico-sexual) de um sexo, e com a genitália do sexo oposto." Chama-se a isto Disforia de Género. Ora bem, em qualquer das duas definições o transexual está englobado na categoria de transgénero. Não existe nenhuma definição de transexual que implique que uma pessoa está obrigada a assumir-se. E é aí que esta definição peca e engana. Implica que só é transgénero quem se assume. O que é totalmente falso e informa erradamente as pessoas. Já agora, no caso dos intersexuais que, como se sabe, nascem com genitália dupla, como é que se distingue isso na rua? Não me parece que andem com os genitais à mostra.

Mas a coisa continua, pois afirma-se no artigo que "Numa perspectiva mais lata muitos homossexuais (independente de género) tal como bissexuais também podem ser considerados transgéneros pelo simples facto de não terem ao seu lado no dia-a-dia uma pessoa do sexo oposto quando adultos." Por esta visão, toda a gente, salvo os heteros, são transgénero.

Diz-se também que "Vários países e culturas do mundo têm sua forma específica de designar sub-grupos de transgéneros. Na Índia são conhecidos como hijras, na Tailândia como Kathoeys e no Brasil e em muitos países ocidentais como travestis." Bem, que na Índia são conhecidas como Hijras é verdade. Mas qual dos sub-grupos é este? Por acaso eu sei que as hijras são as transexuais femininas. No Brasil existem travestis, claro. Mas, como se denominam os outros grupos? Da maneira como está escrito, dá a impressão que todos os sub-grupos têm a mesma denominação.

Finalmente, afirma-se que "As pessoas não transgénero são denominadas de cisgénero, denominação essa criada pelas pessoas transgénero." Que eu saiba, e conheço bastante gente, pelo menos entre travestis e transexuais, nunca ouvi ninguém a referir-se a pessoas não transgénero desta forma. Não me parece que as pessoas transgénero tenham criado essa nomenclatura, salvo alguém do Porto que criou toda uma linguagem própria, de onde suspeito que esta palavra tenha sido tirada. Daí a afirmar-se que são as pessoas transgénero, vai um grande passo.

Isto serve como exemplo em como Enciclopédias, em que qualquer pessoa pode editar e escrever, nem sempre são veículos de informação. Como neste caso, que em vez de informar, confunde e desinforma.

Jinhos