Transsexual Road Map Notes

Hung Jury: Testimonies of Genital Surgery by Transsexual Men

2013-02-12T19:12:00-08:00

Zander Keig notes: Hung Jury is the first book of personal testimonies focusing exclusively on FTM genital surgery and the important ways it changes our lives. Contributors write about the details and ups and downs of this transformative journey and dispel many myths and misinformation. They provide an in depth, understanding of the surgical, social, sexual, somatic, spiritual, and psychological aspects. Hung Jury appeals to readers from all walks of life. For those considering genitoplasty the book is a valuable resource of information for dealing with the ins/outs and ups/downs of surgery, how to decide which surgery is best for your needs, what to expect in the journey, and how to take care of yourself and optimize surgical results. For others who are curious, including the general public, you will be educated and enlightened about one of the most transformative experiences of female-to-male transitioning. Clinicians, therapists, and partners of trans men seeking genitoplasty will also gain tremendous insight and understanding of the emotional, psychological, and somatic factors underlying and motivating our journey down this path. Author Bio: Trystan Cotten is a long-time activist in the LGBT movement and Associate Professor of Gender and African American Studies at California State University, Stanislaus. His researches and teaches on gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, sexuality in the geopolitics of transnational capitalism. Trystan is also the Founder and Managing Editor of Transgress Press, a social entrepreneurial publishing firm devoted to empowering communities of trans and queer experience. His most recent publications are: Hung Jury: Testimonies of Genital Surgery by Transsexual Men and Transgender Migrations: The Bodies, Borders, and Politics of Transition. Purchase this book now in our Shop. or on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Hung-Jury-Testimonies-Genital-Transsexual/dp/0615692354 http://transgresspress.com/books/new-releases

TransYouth Family Allies’ Jo Olson on Ricki Lake Show Dec. 11

2012-12-10T22:52:01-08:00

Be sure to check out TransYouth Family Allies’ board member Jo Olson on the Ricki Lake Show on Tuesday, December 11. LA Wellness therapist Casey Weitzman is also appearing. The episode is on transgender youth & adults: https://therickilakeshow.com/episodes-clips/2012/12/Trapped-in-the-Wrong-Body Transitioning early in life: http://www.tsroadmap.com/early/earlyindex.html

Another transgender woman hoaxed by Denise Magner/Kiira Triea comes forward

2012-11-18T23:12:00-08:00

In the wake of Denise Magner’s recent death, several more trans women have come forward with stories of how they were manipulated by her. I have dealt with a lot of scam artists and fraudsters in my work as a consumer activist, and Magner was one of the worst. She was embraced by people with similar ethical sensibilities as some sort of great truth-teller. I’ll have more to say on this next year, but for now, I will present these as the truth emerges: Kiira played some role when i first peered out of the closet in the early 00s…i had not suspected she was perpetrating a hoax until much later when i was presented with clear and complete evidence that this woman, along with her many sock puppets, lied to me along with other people i consider dear. Kiira was the kind of silver-tongued liar who had a story that constantly changed as her life went on, and though i sympathize with what probably led her to do this, her choice to use sock puppets and her willingness to use other people led to her much-deserved undoing. Ms. Magner often advanced theories toxic to trans women, from intersex primacy to the most fervent transfundamentalism i’ve ever seen. Read the full report: http://inchoaterica.wordpress.com/2012/11/17/you-just-build-to-destroy/ Background on the transkids.us hoax: http://www.tsroadmap.com/info/transkids/denise-magner.html

Transkids hoaxer Denise Magner (Kiira Triea) has died. Some final comments.

2012-11-12T17:55:00-08:00

One of the saddest chapters in the 2003 J. Michael Bailey affair has come to a close with the death of hoaxer Denise Magner. Magner, also known by a number of aliases including Kiira Triea, was a deeply troubled person who took out her anger through internet trolling. She was the creator of transkids.us, where she published misinformation via fake online personae she’d created on USENET in the 1990s. The site attracted a handful of people, most of whom have since come forward with stories of how they were duped by Magner. I was going to let this pass unnoticed until I saw that Alice Dreger and Candice Brown Elliott were spreading misinformation about Magner via recent eulogies. It’s all been a pack of lies: The sad, angry life of Denise Magner / Kiira Triea / Denise Tree

Family Restaurant children’s film now available

2012-10-22T15:00:00-08:00

Dear friends, family, and supporters: We are proud to announce that Family Restaurant is now available for easy purchase online! Get your own copy and/or watch our trailer here: http://thoughtmoment.com/projects/family-restaurant/ You can order it from our distributor Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/349229 Purchase now via PayPal for just $9.99: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=URVEHK7AWUDG8 Or to support future expansion of this media project, please purchase a limited edition autographed DVD for $25.00: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7V4K9N2Y6463E Your purchase of the film will help us with our next phase of our project. This next step is an “It Gets Better” type online project to increase the visibility of LGBT families. We feel visibility is the fastest way to change hearts and minds. To avoid location fees and associated costs (about 25% of our production budget), we want to build a small set at Andrea’s house that looks like a table at the restaurant. Then we’ll invite lots of LGBT families come over to be filmed with the puppets as their schedules permit. We will then make those videos available free on our website at thoughtmoment.com, as well as on our Youtube channel. We need your help spreading the word. Follow, like, and share us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/familyrestaurantfilm And/or on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ThoughtMoment Quick tweet you can use: Family Restaurant: film for kids with #gay / #lesbian parents now available! Trailer: http://thoughtmoment.com/projects/family-restaurant/ #lgbt #family If you know of anyone who might be interested in the film, especially friends with young children, please pass this on to them. Thank you so much for your continued support!

Speaking at Chatham University on 17 October

2012-10-15T18:15:02-08:00

I am speaking at Chatham University in Pittsburgh as part of their LGBTQIA Awareness Week. Wednesday 17 October 7:30 p.m. Eddy Theatre Chatham University Pittsburgh City Paper item: http://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/short-list-october-10-16/Content?oid=1575405 Chatham University press release: http://www.chatham.edu/news/index.php/2012/09/transgender-writer-director-producer-and-activist-to-speak-at-chatham-university-in-celebration-of-glbtiq-awareness-month

Toronto schools list local trans-friendly resources, CAMH rightfully omitted

2012-10-04T18:35:01-08:00

The Toronto school board has just posted a set of guidelines for accommodating transgender children and teens in Toronto schools: Toronto District School Board (Canada): “TDSB Guidelines for the Accommodation of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Students and Staff” http://www.tdsb.on.ca/wwwdocuments/programs/gender_based_violence_prevention__gbvp_/docs/tdsb%20transgender%20accommodation%20FINAL_1_.pdf Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1266629--toronto-school-board-introduces-policy-for-transgender-students-staff Toronto Sun: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/10/03/transgendered-kids-can-use-whichever-school-washroom-they-wish-tdsb They list a number of great local resources in Toronto, and I am very pleased to announce they list ”From Within,” hosted on this site: http://www.tsroadmap.com/early/from-within/index.htm The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the global epicenter of regressive ideologies about gender variance and home to the world’s largest reparative therapy clinic aimed at “curing” transgender youth, is notably absent from their home town school system’s list. Despite this, the American Psychiatric Association continues to let key CAMH personnel like Kenneth Zucker set APA policy regarding trans adults and children.

CAMH-style “therapy” for trans youth now illegal in California

2012-09-30T18:29:01-08:00

California governor Jerry Brown has just signed SB 1172, protecting LGBT youth from therapy to change their sexual orientation or gender expression. Although reparative therapy to change sexual orientation is widely discredited, there are a few adherents using similar techniques to “cure” gender non-conforming children. These methods, primarily developed by Kenneth Zucker and Susan Bradley at Toronto’s notorious Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), have come under fire in recent years. Zucker claims we must rely on his “clinical wisdom” tand force these children to conform to society’s views about gender roles. To date, there have been no peer-reviewed papers using controlled longitudinal studies and long-term follow-up. Last year the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) announced that Zucker’s techniques are “no longer considered ethical.” Despite Zucker’s techniques being declared unethical and illegal, the American Psychiatric Association continues to allow Zucker and his team from Archives of Sexual Behavior to control the content of the 2013 DSM-V. That edition is likely to codify many of Zucker and his CAMH cronies’ problematic ideas about sex and gender minorities. Those ideas will be in place for many years to come if Zucker and his team are allowed to continue. Full text of the law: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml (b) (1) “Sexual orientation change efforts” means any practices by mental health providers that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation. This includes efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions, or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same sex.

Employment Rights for Transgender/LGBT Workers, 11 July, Oakland, CA

2012-07-04T17:25:00-08:00

A note on an upcoming employment seminar. Please share with people you know who might be interested: Come learn about the legal protections that exist for transgender/LGBT workers at this informative and fun evening event (with free food!). Experienced attorneys will share information about your rights and answer your questions. Topics to be covered: discrimination and retaliation, overtime and breaks, workplace privacy, medical leave laws, and more. The event is free and open to all. Wednesday, July 11, 2012 6pm Oakland City Hall, Hearing Room 4 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza (map) Just blocks from the 12th St. Bart Stop. http://transgenderlawcenter.org/cms/workersrights

Transgender rights: Employers asking about your old name

2012-06-25T11:03:00-08:00

A reader with a follow-up from a 2011 note writes: Andrea, back in early 2011 I sent you an e-mail talking about how some sources say that prospective employers cannot ask you about your previous names (TG or otherwise) without a reason for doing so (namely to check relevant records that are under another name). After thinking about it I found a tactic that some (mainly early transitioners) may be able to use to honestly avoid divulging their old name (I posted about this over at a TG forum, and so I do not make this a lengthy e-mail here’s a link to it; the key points are in the first two posts). In summary, when you don’t have ANY pertinent records under the old name (if that isn’t true this strategy will not work), you can attest that fact when they ask for your prior name instead of giving it out without asking first (assuming it’s a “run of the mill” non-government job without any special security issues; the federal government is actually exempt from the usual rules on what can and cannot be asked!). Here’s another interesting fact from my research: The technicalities on whether or not they’re allowed to ask for any previous names in general (without asking specifically for what’s relevant, such as if your work/school/criminal/etc. records are under another name) depends on the state/local laws, and the most TG-friendly places aren’t always the best about it: For example in California they can ask for any previous names, while in New York they’re supposed to (but of course they don’t always follow, hence the suggestion above) only ask for what’s relevant to checking your records. There is probably an historic reason for this: Two generations ago the main issue with “name discrimination” was immigrants trying to assimilate, and asking for their pre-naturalization names would give away their national origin (which is a similar situation that today’s TGs are in), so hence the idea in some places like New York of asking for only what they need to check your records. California on the other hand is only one generation behind (making this a rare case where being stuck further in the past is actually a good thing): The name issue didn’t get started there until the focus was on women integrating into the workforce, and the issue was companies asking for a woman’s maiden name to see if she was married or not; here they deemed it was okay to ask about any former names as long as they didn’t specifically ask for her maiden name (since here unlike with immigrants or transsexuals the former name itself does not give away anything that may be used to discriminate). Remember that I’m neither a TG nor an expert on this subject (but rather an activist on employment issues in general), so I can’t be certain of the accuracy of what I say here (what is said is based from my personal research, hence the links given). For trans people, it’s getting more difficult to eliminate references to one’s old name on background checks and other records, but that doesn’t mean you have to share it with potential employers. In fact, it may be unlawful for them to ask in some jurisdictions. Further reading: Work transition for transgender people http://www.tsroadmap.com/reality/jobtrans.html