[UK]
Fetishists at risk of detention say MPs
A new Mental Health Bill is facing mounting criticism from a group of MPs over its definition of mental disorder, which they say is putting those not regarded as mentally ill at risk.

[Germany]
12-Year-Old Boy To Undergo 'Sex Change' Operation In Germany
A child suffering from Gender Identity Disorder (GID) has been recommended by psychiatrists for a sex-change operation. The boy has, unfortunately, been confused about his sexual identity since he was two.

[Netherlands] [History]
Crossing the line
Excerpt: Two Dutch social historians have now written a book on women who dressed as men in the 17th and 18th centuries. Lotte van de Pol and Rudolf Dekker trawled the Dutch historical archives, mostly records of court proceedings, and found that the phenomenon was far more common than expected.

[United Arab Emirates]
UAE police hunt cross-dressers
EMIRATI police are hunting men and women who cross-dressed during celebrations in Dubai for the national team's triumph in the Gulf Cup of Nations last week.

[MI,USA] [Blogs/Law/Commentary]
University firing transgender prof
From Michigan comes the story of Professor Julie Marie Nemecek, who has been fired from her university post as assistant dean of adult studies and Associate Professor at Spring Arbor University. The University is firing the professor because she is transitioning from male to female. She has filed a complaint with the EEOC.
Gender Change Costs Dean a Job

Religious institutions have long had leeway to hire and fire based on creed. But what happens when a man who professes the faith also starts to appear on campus as a woman?

[KS,USA]
Transgendered man shares stories
Scholinski spent his high school years in a mental hospital. After a childhood of playing sports instead of dolls, Dylan Scholinski said he hopes to create a "passionate society" that is more open-minded and accepting.
Photo by Lisa Lipovac - Dylan Scholinkski elaborates on sections from his novel "The Last Time I Wore a Dress: A Memoir." The book relives the story of Scholinkski's teenage years in a mental institute. Scolinkski was admitted because he was diagnosed as an "inappropriate female." The February Siser Association and Queers and Allies hosted the event last night at Alderson Auditorium.

[VA,USA]
DNA speaks truth: gender cannot be redefined
In the beginning, God created man and woman. While the two genders can easily be distinguished by anatomical differences, God also branded each gender with uniquely different chromosomes – genetic material that tells the story of who we are as individuals. Recently, the transgender community has attempted to hijack what it means to be a man or a woman by labeling themselves as a separate gender. Such an agenda has the potential to pervert the concept of gender and fuel consequences of an unforeseen magnitude. Is it discrimination to require transgender people to stick with their God-given gender?

[NY,USA]
La Dolce Musto (The Fabulous Baker Girl)
The best real transgender celebrity is Lauren Reece, who as I told you recently was long known as Billy Reece from Billy's Bakery in Chelsea. Now, Lauren tells me, people call the bakery saying "Is Billy there?" and get the response, "No, she's not," prompting all kinds of hilarious stammering and 'splaining. (Oh, well. She's leaving the place sometime this year anyway.)

PHOTO: Lauren Reece by Ken Missbrenner