Only in Canada

Originally posted January 30, 2010.

Lucas Silveira, front man for the alternative rock band The Cliks, was voted Canada’s sexiest man in a poll by readers of popular Canadian music magazine Chart Attack.
SheWired.com reports that Silveira is the first trans man to win the honor in the 15 years that Chart Attack has run the readers’ poll.
According to Chart Attack, Silveira beat the runner-up (Sum 41's Derick Whibley) by almost 1,000 votes.
While Silveira is probably flattered by the honor, it is also significant in its acknowledgment of trans people as multifaceted human beings who can be talented, attractive, and successful in a variety of pursuits — just like everyone else.
I like the fact that it's no big whoopin' deal! :D

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Originally posted in November 20, 2009.


I was reading Bif Naked's blog when I was reminded of International Transgender Day of Rememberance; today's the 11th International Transgender Day of Rememberance. The yearly event is held to recognize and remember trans people who have been killed through hatred or prejudice. (How awesome is that "free hugs" video she posted along?)


Did you know there's a publication that caters to FTMs? Check out "Original plumbing".
Watch an interview with Chaz Bono on Good Morning America here, a British Judge shows sympathy for an FTM, and Indian voters are allowed to check an "other" box when voting. Even though the latter case sounds very progressive, so-called hijiras are still looked down on, often treated without the same respect and courtesy Indian men and women get, and there don't seem any laws to protect them properly. But that's just my opinion.

Review: Antony and the Johnsons

Originally posted on May 3rd, 2009.

Tortillaz before heading to the Frits Philips Music Center. According to our tickets there were no designated seats, so we figured we'd arrive early to get the best seats (first row).
Imagine our surprise when we learned that, even though we were 45 minutes early, we had to go upstairs for seats on the balconies. Dang!




The show started with some performance art: a lady moving to music. Even though it started very promising (in my opinion) I ended up not liking it. Too much repetition and each segment a tad too long.
Anyhoo, after that it was time for Antony and the Johnsons. Arnold and I were both buzzing with anticipation. (It's thanks to my brother that I started to check out Antony's music; he told me Antony sometimes writes from a female point of view and likes to play with genders.)
During the opening song Antony sat in the dark and sang, while his band was in the proverbial spotlight.
I think he was a bit nervous at first (gosh, is he ever shy!) but the audience was warm and welcoming and he seemed to relax more with each minute.
Arnold and I liked that Antony played songs from all his albums, making it a nice mix of old and new. He also displayed his sense of humor, like when all of a sudden he interrupted a song to ask the audience who he was impersonating :D
A lady in our section guessed it right: Rufus Wainwright. It was cute.
Towards the end of the evening he picked up the pace and sort of started swinging it out. (Antony was getting his groove on behind the piano.)



The musicians in his band - the Johnsons - are amazing. I was in awe watching them: two of them were obviously multi-instrumentalists, playing guitars, clarinet, and saxophone besides violins.
My brother and I agreed that the violins and cello added to the mood in the music.
At the end of the set the band got up to bow to the audience and it was then that I saw how tall Antony is. A stark contrast to his voice. And I have to admit there's only so much melodrama I can take, but I can handle it in dosages. Besides, I think Antony (whether he identifies as a woman or a gay man) he certainly has cojones for opening up and writing about his turmoils, and be vulnerable. He seems like a gentle giant to me.
All in all a great concert!

Scientists identify trans gene

This was originally posted on August 7th, 2008.


A gene variant has been identified that could explain female-to-male transexuality.
The variation is found within the gene for an enzyme called cytochrome P17, which is utilised in the metabolism of sex hormones. According to researchers it leads to a high tissue concentrations of the hormones which could then influence the development of the brain.
Clemens Tempfer and his tram at the University of Vienna discovered the variant within DNA samples from 49 female-to-male transsexuals and 102 male-to-female transsexuals as 1,669 samples.
The proportion of male-to-female transsexuals and non-transsexual male control samples carrying the gene was around the same. But with women 44% of transsexuals carry the gene compared to 31% non transsexual women.

Linda Geddes writing in the New Scientist said: "While there are many women with the variant who are not transsexual and many female to male transsexuals who lack it, the finding raises the possibility that the variant makes women more likely to feel that their bodies are of the wrong sex, and that this is a result of their brains having been exposed to higher than average levels of sex hormones during development."
Mikael Landén of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm told the publication: "The present study found that a mutant gene that ultimately results in higher testosterone levels is overrepresented in female-to male transsexualism.
"This is in line with what we previously know about masculinisation of the brain and is therefore less likely to be a chance finding.
"Hence, the study is important and adds to the notion that gender identity is influenced by sex hormones early in life, and that certain gene combinations make individuals more vulnerable to aberrant effects."
Janett Scott, formerly the president of transsexual support group, the Beaumont Society said: "Nature may have made us the way that we are, but nurture is what gives us a problem."

What if gawd is transgender? Dude!

Handsome

Originally posted on January 28, 2008.

What would you do if a cute chica told you you're handsome? (That's what happened to me yesterday...)
Me? I blushed, looked away, and scuffed the toes of my shoes on the concrete before I thanked her.
It's definitely different from women calling me "cute" or "adorable"!

Irish court makes landmark ruling in trans case

This was originally posted on October 22nd, 2007.


A ruling by Ireland's highest court may lead to a change in the law with regards to the rights of trans people to have a new birth certificate issued.
At the High Court in Dublin Mr Justice Liam McKechnie ruled that the failure of the Irish government to provide proper recognition of the female identity of Dr Lydia Foy is a violation of the European Convention of Human Rights. He said that the system of birth registration in Ireland is incompatible with the convention as it prevents Dr Foy's registration as female at birth.
The government will now have to outline how it intends to comply with Article 8 of the convention, respect for private life.
The test case concerned Dr Lydia Foy, a dentist from Athy, Co. Kildare. Dr Foy changed her name to Lydia in 1993 and has previously been issued with an Irish passport and driving licence in which she is identified as female. She also obtained a Gender Recognition Certificate in the UK, but the High Court in Dublin questioned the relevance of the document in the Republic of Ireland.
When obtaining the certificate, Dr Foy stated that she was unmarried, despite the fact that she married in 1977 and fathered two daughters.
In 2002, Dr Foy was refused a direction by the courts to the Registrar of Births to describe her as female on her birth certificate.
Just days after that High Court decision the European Court of Human Rights ruled on a landmark case. The UK's refusal to give transgender people new birth certificates breached their rights to marry and to respect for privacy under the Convention, the European court ruled.
At that time the High Court in Dublin urged the Irish government to take action, but nothing has been done in the intervening five years, so Dr Foy has returned to court.
In his 70-page judgment, released on Friday, Mr Justice McKechnie criticised the government for not bring forward legislation when the case arose in 2002.
In April counsel for Mrs Foy argued that ruling in Dr Foy's favour could "enormous uncertainty" and put in a unique position, as the Irish state only recognises a marriage between people of the opposite sex.
Dr Foy will now be able to claim compensation.

Hij/Zij

10 mei 2007:


Het College voor Zorgverzekeraars (CVZ) zet het mes in zorg aan transseksuelen. In het pakketadvies voor 2007 stuurt het CVZ erop aan dat zorgverzekeraars operaties aan onder anderen borsten, adamsappel en baardgroei niet meer vergoeden.
De gevolgen voor transseksuele patiënten worden volgens het COC geheel buiten beschouwing gelaten. Met de voorgestelde maatregelen wordt een kleine, kwetsbare groep onnodig leed toegebracht en op hoge kosten gejaagd. CVZ wil dat in de toekomst alleen operaties aan primaire geslachtskenmerken, penis en vagina, worden vergoed. “Wat is een transformatie van man naar vrouw waard als de vrouw vervolgens met baardgroei door het leven moet? Of als man met borsten?”, stelt COC-voorzitter Frank van Dalen.
De gedachte van het CVZ achter het advies is dat operaties aan deze lichaamsdelen voor niemand worden vergoed. Het College gaat hierbij voorbij aan het feit dat de situatie van transgenders met geen enkele andere te vergelijken is. Zo is er een verschil in medische noodzaak tussen een borstenoperatie voor een transvrouw geboren met een mannenlijf en een borstvergroting bij andere vrouwen. Borsten zijn voor transvrouwen een belangrijk uiterlijk kenmerk om zich ook daadwerkelijk vrouw te voelen. Daarnaast staan ook overgebleven mannelijke kenmerken zoals adamsappel en baardgroei dit geluk in de weg.
Uit recent Engels onderzoek onder 850 transgenders blijkt dat bijna drie kwart regelmatig te maken heeft met negatieve reacties. Het Europees Hof voor de Rechten van de Mens heeft daarom in 2003 besloten dat geslachtsaanpassende operaties de enige werkzame behandelmethode is en dat deze medische noodzakelijkheid door verzekeraars moet worden vergoed. De nieuwe maatregel is volgens het COC ook niet kostenefficiënt. Het VUMC behandelt op jaarbasis maar een kleine 100 personen. Bovendien wijzen verschillende wetenschappelijke onderzoeken van onder andere het Genderteam van de VUMC uit dat operaties kosteneffectief zijn, omdat een ongeopereerd lichaam voor transgenders ondragelijk kan zijn. De ogenschijnlijke kostenbesparing staat in geen verhouding tot het leed dat het met zich meebrengt. Uit andere landen waar operaties voor transgenders niet worden vergoed, is bekend dat patiënten naar alternatieven zoeken om hun zorgkosten te betalen. De ene helft belandt in de prostitutie, de andere in het criminele circuit. “Dit mag in een beschaafd land als Nederland niet de dagelijkse praktijk worden”, aldus Van Dalen.

Gulf authorities pay for gender reassignment

This was originally posted on November 27th, 2007.


I came across this interesting article today:
The Bahraini government has agreed to pay for a trans person to undergo gender reassignment surgery in Thailand.
According to daily English-language newspaper Gulf Daily News, 32-year old Hussain Rabie is due to fly out to Thailand on Thursday to undergo female-to-male surgery on Sunday.
Rabie, who is partially blind in his right eye, hopes to return to represent the Bahrain Disabled Sports Federation in the men's shot put and discus. His trip to Thailand is being fully funded by the Bahrain Health Ministry and he also has a court order to protect him if he is questioned by immigration officers.
The Health Ministry will pay more than BD5,000 (£6,400) for his operation, accommodation, plane ticket, food and drink while he is there.
When he returns, his final hurdle will be the Bahraini courts, where he is battling for the right to be recognised as a man and officially change his name to Hussain.
"I am so happy that the ministry offered to pay for the operation," Rabie told Gulf Daily News yesterday. "I was very concerned as to how I would manage - I didn't know where to get that amount from."
He said that he wrote to former Health Minister Dr Nada Haffadh asking for support, but could not believe it when the ministry responded.
"I would like to thank the ministry for their help and support."
He added: "I am still not officially Hussain, but hopefully after the operation I will get a court order stating that I am a male and then all my identity cards and passport will change and I will officially be a man."
As a result of his decision to have the operation, he has now been suspended from his job as an operator at GPIC, been shunned by peers, separated from his husband and stopped from going to the gym.
However, he said although society is slowly starting to accept his situation after he went public, people are still opposed to him having the operation.
"People are still not aware of the kind of surgery being carried out," he said. "The community accepts homosexuals, so why are they against me? What they are doing is legally and religiously prohibited, but I have seen so many people who are leading a normal life and working. Everybody around them accepts them. I am medically unfit and I want to correct my problem."
Rabie first approached a lawyer in August 2005 and legal papers calling for him to be legally recognised as a man were filed in June last year. He submitted medical reports from Al Khalidi Medical Centre, Jordan, Ibn Al Nafees Hospital and Shifa Al Jazeera Medical Centre, Bahrain, at two court hearings last year.
The High Civil Court also ordered for a medical report to be compiled by a Public Prosecution doctor. That report states that he is suffering from a gender identity problem and has no female reproductive organs. He has had a mastectomy and will travel for Thailand for his final operation.

Trans man legally changes sex identity under new Spanish law

This was originally posted on April 12th, 2007.


Julio Cuesta, a 50-year-old trans man, has become the first individual in Spain under a new law to legally change his or her biological sex on official documents without undergoing a sex-change operation. The law, which took effect last month, allows trans people to have their sex change reflected on documents like driver's licenses even if they have not had surgery.
It requires trans people seeking to change their sex identity to show a medical certificate indicating their trans status as well as documentation that they have been receiving hormone treatments for a minimum of two years. Previously, trans people were allowed to change their sex identity legally only after undergoing sex-reassignment surgery and receiving a court's permission.
Cuesta, born a woman, will now be referred to as a man in papers at the civil registry office in Valencia. (The Advocate)

Planet Gender

Flemish photographer Marc de Clercq sent me an invitation to the opening of his exhibition at Centre Ceramique in Maastricht, the Netherlands. I like his work; he has a way to make his objects look totally "un-posed" (natural). Check this site for more information. I think he'd like to photograph me, too, but it's my call; I guess I'm what some people call androgynous, but I'm not sure whether I'm " suitable"...