february 2016 issue

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Pretty T Girls
The Magazine for the most beautiful girls in the world
A publication of Pretty T Girls Yahoo group
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In This Issue
Editorial By: Barbara Jean
Compromising with Your Spouse. By: Teri Lynn
Teri Lee Ryan
Biggest Mistakes You Make Shaving Your Legs
A No Makeup Makeup Look in 5 Steps
How to Fix The Most Regrettable Makeup Mistakes
Makeup Mistakes Your Making In Photos and How to Fix Them
The Adventures of Judy Sometimes
Módhnóirí
Tasi’s Musings
Fiction Story– Uncorked, Introduction and Chapter 1
Ten Transgender Historical Figures Worthy of Film
Humor
Angels In The Centerfold
Mellissa’s Tips
Diane Pemberton Sikes
10 Colors You Should Wear More Often
Tasi’s Fashion
Pencil Skirts For Every Shape
Lucille Sorella
The History Of Breast Implants
From The Kitchen
How To Cook Almost Anything In Your Crock Pot
14 Cooking Hacks Every Cook Should Know
A Yelp to Help Trans People Find A Doctor
How To Maximize Closet Space
Let’s Get Together
The Gossip Fence
Shop Till You Drop
Calendar
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Stop! Police!
An Editorial by: Barbara Jean
In Houston the equal rights ordinance failed, opponents calling it a bathroom bill and their rally
cry was no men in women’s bathrooms. In California opponents circulated a petition to put a
bill on the 2016 ballot that would fine us $4000 for using the bathroom that did not conform to
our birth sex. Fortunately they failed to gather enough signatures to put their pill on the ballot.
In Indiana a lawmaker there submits a bill that would throw us in jail for using the “wrong”
bathroom. Public schools throughout our nations are finding themselves faced with the threat
of losing title IX funding unless they allow us to use bathrooms locker rooms and showers that
align with our gender rather than our birth sex. Presidential candidate Ben Carson proposes
that there should be separate bathrooms for the transgender. (a throwback to pre civil right era
when there were separate bathrooms for white people and for colored people)
Of course our opponents claim that in allowing us to use the bathroom/locker room or shower
that matches our gender will allow some man to dress as a woman, claim to be transgender
just so they can go into a woman’s restroom to either peak under the door or molest some
woman or little girl. Yet where state or local laws do allow us to use the restroom that aligns
with our gender there has never been such a thing happen. We of the transgender community
have never created such a problem and no non transgender pervert have ever pretended to be
transgender for such a purpose.
Our fight to these bills was to have our transgender brothers, the female to Male transgender
proceed to use ladies rooms. We especially wanted those that very much looked more like a
man than a woman.
Many a times at sporting events, concerts and other events with a large number of people it is
somewhat common to see women use the men’s restroom due to long lines to the ladies room.
I wonder how many of them would find themselves being arrested or fined for using the
“wrong” restroom?
Many universities and some cities have created or changed single occupancy restroom to be
gender neutral, and a few even have required all single occupancy restrooms to be made
gender neutral. Man y of us in the transgender community would actually prefer to use these
restrooms. Just as others want privacy and do not wish to display their body to others neither
do we. But requiring us to use such restrooms, showers or locker rooms amounts to the same
thing as requiring colored people to use different restrooms than white people used.
I often wonder why here in the United States and some other countries we have great problem
with being in any form of undress in front of someone of the opposite sex, but not in front of
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someone of the same sex. Are we all ashamed of our bodies? Many nations in Europe do not
have the same hang-ups and nudity is not frowned on like it is here. Parents who object to a
transgender MtF using the same shower/locker room as their daughter, how would they react if
it was a known lesbian seeing their daughter in the same state of undress?
Over the past year the transgender community has made great strides in gaining public
acceptance and understanding. But as we can see the battle is not over, we still have a long
way to go to be fully accepted and treated with equality.
http://www.sisterhouse.net/style-contest-2016/.
Sister House, in collaboration with Choies, a trendy but moderately priced women’s shop for clothing
and accessories, is sponsoring a style contest for ladies in the transgender and crossdressing community.
Details are here http://www.sisterhouse.net/style-contest-2016/. Prizes will be awarded for the three
winners. Style reflects who you are, both your inner and outer self. I am proud of the many stylish ladies
in our community and would like to showcase that woman within us. Please join in.
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COMPROMISING WITH YOUR SPOUSE
Teri Lynn [email protected]
Ladies, I've been reading the struggles many of you have with having to
decide whether cross-dressing is more important than your marriage.
As many of you know, I pretty much live as a woman 24/7 --- with
exceptions. Years ago, when I told my wife about my cross-dressing, we
had to make some difficult decisions. First, my wife consulted with
professionals about my situation. She was told that it is not curable, so
she had two choices - stay and tolerate/accept it, or leave. And tolerating
or accepting is not the same as embracing cross-dressing.
With that information in-hand, there was no question in her mind - she
would stay, but it wasn't all roses. We made a commitment to each other
- "for better or for worse, in sickness and in health", etc., and she and I
intended to honor that commitment because it wasn't a thoughtless act
when we entered into it.
I must mention, that just because the professionals told my wife that my
cross-dressing was not curable, and she didn't throw me out, did not
mean that she opened her arms and embraced it. Not knowing anything about cross-dressing,
other than it was not curable, left her with many questions.
Fortunately, before I told her about my cross-dressing, I was on the Web and found TriEss. They had some good information, which I got for my wife to read. In those days, no one
else had any information available. Oh yes, I started "dressing" way before Al Gore invented
the Internet, but that was in secret, at home and years later, when I got married, I thought that I
would be cured of my desires; and for eight years I "dressed" only when my wife would take
the kids to visit their grandparents. Sometimes, because of work, I couldn't be gone over the
weekends and, if I wasn't called out to work, that allowed me a day on which to "dress", with no
one at home.
By the time I told my wife about y cross-dressing, we had children, so my wife had some rules
about my cross-dressing. First, she did not want me to cross-dress when the children were
present. Secondly, she wanted me to keep my cross-dressing private. We lived in a very
small, conservative community, so she did not want the neighbors to know. For many years, I
"dressed" only on Fridays when I was off and had to be changed before the kids got home from
school. And, because my wife was afraid that if she went out with me, someone might spot us
and tell our kids or our friends, my cross-dressing was a solo adventure for many years.
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During those years, I relied heavily upon the support I received from attending local Tri-Ess
meetings. In fact, for many years, Tri-Ess meeting were the only outings I had in public.
Fast forward. - After 15 years of living in our small rural community, we moved back to the
city. A few years later, our kids were in college and eventually out on their own. Now my life
changed. I retired. With the kids gone and not having to worry about someone at work
confronting me on a Monday morning at work, about having seen me in public, cross-dressed,
my world opened up.
Let me interject here, that in Law Enforcement, cross-dressing was an absolute NO NO! (Still
is.) Lesbians were accepted because they were viewed as being tough by acting macho. They
were considered as "one of the boys". Cross-dressers were viewed as sissies, weaklings,
faggots, etc., etc. I caught on quickly to that attitude by o verhearing co-workers discussing
something they saw on TV, about cross-dressers. Usually, what they saw was cross-dressers
on Jerry Springer, or Maury's show and those CD's were seldom a good example of CD's . I
certainly wouldn't go on TV and let people see me in my boy underwear and show them how I
transform myself into fem-mode, as the CD's on these shows did. Comments I heard in the
office, after one of these shows included: "Those sickos ought to be shot." "Someone should
cut their b---s off". "Those are the rapists and child-molestors", etc., etc., we have to deal with.
Now in Retirement, I began going out in public during the daytime, but it was a rough start. I
had two Peace Officers and the parents of a local Officer, living on our street. I'll spare you all
the details - which some of you have read over the years - but even in the city, there are folks
who object to cross-dressers.
In the Spring of 2009, one neighbor saw me walking my dog, while dressed en-fem and called
the Police, saying she was afraid for her young kids, and other kids, as I was walking by their
house and the park. The Police told her that there was nothing they could do, because I was
not doing anything illegal. Well, because it came to the attention of the Police, I got "outed".
A local Officer told his hygenist, who happened to be my nephew's wife, that I was going
around the neighborhood, cross-dressed. Naturally, she told her husband, who told his cousin
(our son). The shit hit the fan! He called me about it. We had a tough discussion and then he
dropped the subject. He has never confronted me about it since. I'm sure that because he is
also a Police Officer, he has encountered cross-dressers before. Mostly, I think our son was
angry because a fellow Officer now knew about my cross-dressing and maybe that make think
that our son is also so inclined. That wouldn't be good.
After being "outed" to our son, I decided that I did not want our daughter to be blindsided, so I
told her. I did not want her to feel betrayed, by finding out from someone else. It was an
agonizing situation. She is very much against cross-dressing and we had some tough
times. Thankfully, today, our kids still talk to me and our relationship has weathered the storm,
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although they still don't want to see me as "Teri Lynn", and I respect that.
So, after many years of trials, my wife and I are at the stage, where we now go out together as
girlfriends. Oh, she still doesn't want our family or close friends to see me in fem-mode and
she still isn't thrilled about my cross-dressing, but she understands that cross-dressing is as
much a part of me as is my blood. Does that mean that I can do anything I want to? NO! She
still won't let me get my ears pierced - although I'm always trying to convince her otherwise; but
until she agrees, I will not dishonor her request. We have to respect each others desires.
This year was a milestone. In Jan., we took the RV to the south coast. We stopped to visit a
long-time friend, who was in our wedding as an Attendant. My wife always liked John and
thought, during the years, that I should not tell him about my cross-dressing, because she
didn't want him to ridicule me. John is the sensitive type, but he is also a bit of a teaser.
One day I was talking to John and told him about my "Halloween Adventure". I told him that I
sort of liked dressing up and eventually told him that I now "dress" all the time. I asked
whether he or his wife would mind if I showed up at their house, on our trip, dressed as "Teri
Lynn". He and his wife said it would be OK with them. I told John not to make any wisecracks,
but to act as if there was nothing unusual about seeing me in fem-mode. So, on the way to the
beach, we stopped at John's house. The reception I got was very pleasant. John and Ida told
me how wonderful I looked. John even took me to a bait shop for supplies. While we were
shopping, Ida told my wife how feminine and nice I looked and that she could be proud that I
didn't look like a cross-dresser, but that I looked even better than some women. Her
acceptance of me, as Teri, made my wife more comfortable. The ice was broken. During the
week, John & Ida came to the beach to visit and we all went into town for dinner, with me in
Teri-mode. Seeing that one of my closest friends accepted me as "Teri" made my wife feel alot
better. Yes, we have traveled across the country, with me in fem-mode - gone to restaurants,
churches, museums, shows, etc., but that was amongst strangers. For my wife, it's different if
family or friends were to see me.
Let me briefly address a topic that I frequently hear - Transitioning.
No, Caitlyn has not done much, if anything to make life easier for our spouses accepting our
CD/TG status. If anything, she has scared out spouses. Caitlyn has gone through her change
like a whirlwind. She has lost her wife/family and is now probably on the road to getting SRS
and marriage. Well, that's the last thing our spouses want to hear - that we want to transition.
Hey, the y married a man! Is it fair to now change the man they married into a woman? Oh yes,
some of you don't feel fulfilled until you transition. If you're single, that's fine. If you're married,
not being considerate of your spouse, regardless of how YOU feel, is inconsiderate.
Yes, I have a burning desire to transition, but I know that I could never do that to my wife.
What? I'm going to destroy her life to make ME happy. How is that compromise? (I feel so
blessed that my wife is OK with my cross-dressing and goes out with me as a girlfriend - even
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buys me fem clothes, make-up, etc.) So, before destroying your marriage & family, to make
YOU happy, think carefully whether they also have a right to be happy! Whatever your decision
- hurry SLOWL Y!
Teri Lynn
Unexpressed Anger Kills Marriages
by Terri Lee Ryan
Many cross-dressers on their journey to getting in touch with their femme
side don’t fully acknowledge their need to dress, until many years into their
marriage. They were attracted to their mothers or sisters clothing when
they were 5 or 6 years old, act out on it at 9 and continue to do so until
their teens when they become more interested in dating. As one of my
cross-dresser friends says, “I became more interested in getting into my
girlfriend’s bra, rather then wearing one!”
While in their teens, they act out in puberty like any other boy looking for
sex. The need to cross-dress becomes less important as their lives are
filled with finishing high school and college, dating and figuring out what
career they are going to take on to support themselves. Some feel that
they have outgrown this desire.
Some occasionally dress into their 20’s, still not sure why they feel compelled to do so. Many
seek help from a therapist to get answers as to why they dress. A majority of them are told that
there is nothing wrong with them that they are just a cross-dresser. “Now what?” They say.
Afraid to reveal this femme side of themselves to their girlfriend,
they often purge thinking that they don’t need to dress. They
continue working on their career, get married and have children.
They provide for their families while keeping their crossdressing past a secret, vowing never to tell their wife and family
about their femme side.
Purging is comm on with
cross-dresseers
Years go on and one day they are traveling for work. They are
all alone in a city far from their family in a hotel room and the
thought of dressing becomes an obsession. Their need to let the
she out in them arises and they buy woman’s clothing to take with them on their business trips.
They look forward to this time alone in a safe environment, where they can not get caught.
Many times they even venture out to a bar dressed as their femme self, enjoying every second
of it.
The more they do it, the more they have to do it. Waiting for the next business trip or when
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their family is out of town is not enough for them. The obsession to dress begins to wear on
them as their woman’s wardrobe expands. They are living a secret life, a lonely existence,
since no one they love is with them to share with.
Perhaps, their children are grown and away at college. They are empty nesters with only their
wife at home. They finally decide to tell their wife or let their wife find out which is more
common than actually coming out to tell her that they are a cross-dresser and their femme
name is Samantha. Often, the way they introduce their wife to their cross-dressing is shocking
for their wives, who never anticipated that the man they married 20 years ago is a crossdresser with an alter-ego woman named Samantha!
The wife is in shock and doesn’t know how to deal with their husband’s cross-dressing. She
doesn’t have experience to draw from even to acknowledge it. She is fearful, saddened and
angry all at the same time. Her husband just wants to be accepted by the person he loves the
most, his wife. His wife just wants to run out of the house and pretend this never happened,
hoping it will go away.
This is the scenario for many cross-dressers who have come out to their wife after many years
of marriage. It is more common for most of them to reveal their femme side later in their
marriage, rather than prior to the union because of the initial fear of rejection and the lack of
understanding on their part of how important their femme side is to them and the need to let
her out.
Just imagine how you as a cross-dresser would feel if the tables were turned and your wife one
day showed up with a butch haircut, wearing construction boots and a bra to minimize her
breasts. You would be in shock and wonder just who you were married to! Perhaps, men are
more logical and can be more accepting of this sudden change, but most women are not.
Wives are the keeper of the family unit. They are usually the ones who hold the family together,
often making sacrifices. When a wife sees her husband dressed as a woman and acting like
one, she is frightened. This fear leads to anger. Initially, she may accept her changed husband
(to her it’s change, to you it’s who you are) but over time, she becomes resentful of the
dynamics of her marriage being altered, so late in the game.
You may make a deal with her of when your dressing is appropriate for both of you, yet as time
goes on, she may not be able to fully embrace you, both of you. It’s like dating, again, for her
with a new person, someone else has to get to know and may or may not like. But, she is
already in a marriage with you and doesn’t want to end the marriage, yet she is very angry.
Many cross-dressers I know are going through this scenario with their wives. They are struggling in their marriage now that they have introduced their wives to their femme side. Both
parties are both caught up in their emotions and offer little support to one another which makes
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their lives unhappy. Some wives just try to ignore the crossdressing by practicing the “out of sight, out of mind approach”,
yet at constantly afraid that the children, friends or other family members will find out about it. Embarrassed by their crossdressing husband, they offer little or no support to them,
causing more angst for their husband who just wants to be
accepted for who they are.
I recommend a good counselor to help both parties work
through
this change in their marriage. It is a necessary firstOut-of-sight, out-of-mind
step to help flush out the anger from a wife, so she can begin
to understand who her husband is and determine if they can work out their marriage.
Understanding and knowledge is essential for both parties. Clear the anger away and you may
not stay married, but may remain friends with your spouse and a new respect for who you are
as a cross-dresser. After all, you are just being who you were intended to be, of which for many
is worth the reveal.
About Terri Lee Ryan
Author, Documentary Producer, Speaker
Terri Lee Ryan’s journey with cross-dressing began with her ex-husband
who was a frequent dresser. Needing to understand and know more about
what cross-dressing is and the profound effect it has in a relationship led
her on the path to her own self-discovery.
She is the Executive Producer of the documentary, I M arried a Crossdresser, which aired on Sky Living Channel in the U.K. November,
2014. She writes a popular blog for the Chicago Tribune ChicagoNow
site. Shades of Gender offers insight on the current state of the crossdressing and trans gender community and the many faces of this group.
She has been featured and/or written articles for the Chicago Sun-Times, Desert Woman magazine,
Entrepreneur magazine, Frock magazine, Repartee magazine, and the Transgender Group (TG) Forum.
She has made appearances on ABC-TV, WLS-AM -890, WGN-AM -720 radio and numerous radio
stations across the country.
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The Biggest Mistakes You Make
Shaving Your Legs
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By Natalie Gontcharovay Good Housekeeping
1. Shaving your legs as soon as you hop into the shower.
Understandably, you want to get your morning routine underway, but
experts advise hanging out in the shower or bath for about 15 minutes
before you start shaving -- this will soften the hair and open up follicles.
Any longer, though, and your skin will wrinkle and swell, making it harder to score a close shave.
2. Doing it first thing in the morning.
Shaving at night will leave your legs smoother. As you sleep, your legs swell slightly, which can make
hair retreat back into its follicles.
3. Not using anything to lather up (or worse, using bar soap).
No matter how in a hurry you may be, skip the temptation to shave "dry." Lather up your legs with a
moisturizing shaving cream to make sure the razor glides easily over your skin, and you'll avoid nicks
and cuts. In a pinch, hair conditioner will do just as good a job. But skip the bar soap: "It doesn't create
enough lubrication for a razor to slide easily against your skin, which can up the odds of cuts,"
dermatologist Ellen Gendler, M .D., told Good Housekeeping.
4. Using those single-blade disposable razors.
This is fine once in awhile, like if you're staying in a hotel, but for every-day use it's best to invest in a
four- or five-blade razor. They provide the smoothest results, letting you navigate tricky areas like your
knees and ankles. "Single-blade disposables are likelier to drag against the skin," says cosmetic
dermatologist Neal Schultz, M .D.
5. Not replacing your razor blade often enough.
You may have bought yourself a nice razor, but it won't do you any good if you don't change your blade
at the first sign of dullness (usually, about five to 10 shaves). Old blades are not only ineffective, but
more likely to cause bumps and redness and trap bacteria, which can potentially cause infections.
6. Shaving up the leg before you shave down the leg.
On your first pass, only shave in the direction your hair grows (down the leg), and if you have very
sensitive skin, don't shave upward at all. While going "against the grain" may get you a closer shave, it
also increases the possibility of irritation, nicks, and cuts. Once your hairs are already very short, and the
skin is warm and lubricated, going against the direction of hair growth is much safer. "If you'd still like a
closer shave, reapply the gel and shave again -- against the direction of the hair growth," says Dr.
Schultz.
7. Not preventing or treating razor burn.
Close shaving can result in ingrown hairs, and untreated razor burn can turn into long-term scars. To
help prevent those annoying red bumps in the first place, use an exfoliating body scrub twice a week to
shed the skin that's trapping hairs. To treat bumps, put a warm compress on the affected area -- the heat
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will relax the hair. After showering, apply lotion to soften the hair, leaving your skin less prone to
infections.
8. Shaving with your guy's razor.
A lot of women think using a men's razor is more effective, so we tested the market leaders. The threeblade Gillette M ach3 disposable finished in last place, while the refillable three-blade Gillette M ach3
Turbo did just as well as the top women's razors.
A Beautiful No Makeup Makeup Look in 5 Easy Steps
WebM D Feature
By Ayren Jackson-Cannady
Reviewed By Debra Jaliman, M D
Some days you want your makeup to look natural and not too “done” – at a low-key work lunch, during
morning carpool, or when you’re wearing a really fancy outfit, for example.
But going bare-faced is probably not what you had in mind! With the right products and techniques, you
can make the most of your natural beauty without wearing a ton of makeup.
STEP 1: Prep the Palette
Great makeup always starts with fresh skin. To fool them into thinking your luminous skin is nature’s
gift, start by washing, toning, and moisturizing your face.
“Also, drink lots of water to plump the skin from the inside,” says Pittsburgh-based makeup artist Patty
Bell. Skin cells are made of mostly water, and if you're dehydrated, your skin will look and feel dry, too.
Bonus tip: Don’t skimp on sunscreen just because you’re going for lighter makeup. The best choice is a
lightweight, oil-free sunscreen with at least SPF 30.
STEP 2: Step Off Base
Skip the heavy foundation and even out your skin with a healthy dose of sheer color from a tinted
moisturizer or BB cream.
“Applying your makeup with your fingers or makeup sponges instead of brushes will also create a more
natural look,” says M ary Schook, a New York esthetician and makeup artist. Use freshly washed fingertips! Next, finish by applying translucent powder -- but only where you need it, mostly around the
forehead, nose, and chin.
Bonus tip: Use a light-reflecting concealer pen on dark or red areas -- around your nose, under your eyes,
on your chin. Light-reflecting concealers hide small-to-moderate imperfections without caking up.
STEP 3: Fake a Natural Flush
Work with the tones in your skin. Find a creamy blush that matches your skin’s natural flush, like after
you exercise.
Or you can use your lip tone as a guide. In general, powder pinks work for fair skin tones, peachy pinks
work for medium skin, and brownish pinks work for darker skin.
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“Blend a dot of the blush into areas where the sun would fall on your face -- apples of your cheeks, chin,
forehead, and bridge of nose,” Schook says.
Bonus tip: For the most natural-looking flush, avoid makeup with a lot of shimmer or sparkle, which
comes off as overdone. Pat the blush onto your cheeks and other areas, and then blend outward. You
could also use the same cream blush on your lips.
STEP 4: Open Your Eyes
Give lashes a subtle boost by curling them and then swiping them with one coat of brown or dark brown
lengthening mascara. This is a good time to give your regular black mascara a break -- you just want to
add a little contrast, not drama, to your eyes.
For your lids, “you can still use a shadow and look natural,” Schook says. “Just use cream shadows in
skin-tone-friendly shades instead of powders that can sit on the skin and make it look like you are
wearing makeup.”
Bonus tip: If you have sparse brows or gaps to fill in, use a stiff brush to apply brow powder for a natural
and subtle arch. And if you can’t leave home without eyeliner, smudge a little into the outer corners of
your eye.
STEP 5: Pucker Up
Polish off your no-makeup look with a swipe of lip gloss in a color that’s just one shade brighter than
your natural lip color. Even better? New York makeup artist Denise Del Russo recommends using a
color-adjusting gloss. The shade changes to suit your individual skin tone when you apply it.
Bonus tip: M ist your skin with a weightless makeup-setting spray after you finish applying. Use the
spray throughout the day to help your makeup stay fresh.
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The Most Regrettable Makeup Mistakes…And
How to Fix Them
By Allure Daily Beauty Reporter
by Cara Brook
Whenever some new drastic trend comes along, I have to wonder, are
we going to regret this one later? Are we going to cringe when we see
our ombre hair in photos? Are we going to be wishing be didn't go so
bold with our lip colors? But in the end, I can't see the future, so I don't
know which ones we will regret later on because I think they all look
great now!
The problem is...I'm pretty sure everyone thought these were great at the
time as well:
Unblended brown lip liner (as shown)
When I see photos of this, I just want to reach into 1991 and blend!!!! I
think I know where they were going with it, a little lip contouring
perhaps? Which can be done well, as long as you use a fleshy tone lip
liner and blend until the line disappears. That's the way to do it so it
looks natural, and I don't think natural can go out of style.
•
•
Contouring with bright pink blush
If you remember the 1980s, you know what I'm talking about. I know our hearts were in the right
place and everything, but contouring is supposed to be about creating a shadow, and shadows are
generally not fuchsia. Now we know that you should be contouring with something a little more neutral, like a gray-brown bronzer or a contouring cream.
•
Black, Taylor Momsen-style smoky eyes
Some types of makeup can look sort of pretty in a perfectly posed photo but don't translate into real
life. This is one of those. It just ends up looking like you are rebelling against overbearing parents.
You can get drama in your smoky eyes by covering a wide area around your eye, but do it with
something a little softer, like a bronze-y brown or a smoke gray. It's so much more flattering!
When confronted with something as amazing as bronzer for the first time, it's understandable you might
go a little crazy. But now that we've had time to get used to the concept, I think we all agree that less is
more! A little bit on the cheeks and forehead is plenty to get a sun-kissed glow.
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Makeup Mistakes You’re Making in Photos—and How to
Fix Them
BY VICTORIA MOORHOUSE
A long time ago, getting your photo taken was a formal,
unfrequented event. Now, literally every situation calls for a
picture (a trip to the gym, a run to the grocery store), and we want
our makeup to flatter us beautifully in every single one of them.
But not every look translates well on film, as many celebs have
learned in red carpet pics gone bad. We’re all for the impromtu
photoshoot, so we caught up with celebrity makeup artist Jamie
Greenberg (who works with stars like Kaley Cuoco and Rashida
Jones) and learned exactly how to create a picture-perfect beauty
look.
Watch Your S PF Application
By no means are we saying to skip the SPF, but if you’re going somewhere and you know
you’re getting your pic taken, be mindful of how much you slather on your skin. Greenberg
says that common sunscreen ingredients like zinc can make your face appear lighter than the
rest of your body.
Keep Powders in Mind, Too.
Suncreen isn’t the only culprit. Greenberg explains that powders can cause your face to look
lighter than your body and products that hold luminosity. “This will bounce off the flash and give
the floating head effect,” she proclaims.
The Downside of Heavy Makeup
“Sometimes if lighting is blown-out, your heavy makeup will look amazing on camera but really
thick in person,” Greenberg tells us. And since we’re not always walking around in red carpetquality lighting 24/7, tone it down—you need makeup that looks fantastic in real life, too!
Be Wary of Extreme Lip Colors
And that we mean very, very light beiges and super-dark vampy berries. Greenberg says that
these types of colors tend to look extreme in photos, so if you’re worried about how they’ll
translate, lighten or warm them up. And if that seems like too much work, you can always keep
it natural—Jamie says that the best makeup for photos is a natural look, intensified around two
notches.
16
Think Through Eye Makeup
There’s a three main rules you’ll need to keep in mind when it comes to eye makeup. First,
stay away from shimmer because Greenberg says it can react poorly with a flash. Second,
take blending very seriously. “The flash can really capture the eye, so if it’s not blended well,
you’ll be able to tell,” she says. Lastly, keep finely-milled powder away from your eyes. That’s
what Greenberg explains will give you an unfortunate “raccoon look.”
Read more: http://dailymakeover.com/makeup-mistakes-in-photos/#ixzz3oYLhcWJM
17
The Adventures of Judy Sometimes
By: Judy Danials
Nice Day
My wife and I had a couple errands to run and decided to stop in at one of Fargo's newest
adult establishments before heading to the Holiday gathering with friends at the Hotel
Donaldson. The Proof Artisan Distillery is a locally owned business that produces and sells its
own brands of gin and vodka. Its located in downtown Fargo in one of the many historical
buildings that have been preserved to add to the vibe that's been attracting people from all
corners of the world since the early 90's. We kind of have ties to this place as my sister in law's
father is one of the major investors. It kind of has more of a Speak Easy feel than a bar and
some say the food is the best the downtown area has to offer.
Around 6 we headed over to the Hodo and made our way up to our friends room that has a
spectacular view of Broadway and 1st Ave, the hub of downtown. It ended up being a small
gathering of just of 8 people, but none the less it was a wonderful time ... until "Julie" showed
up. Some of you may recall that I've talked of Julie before. She's the crossdresser that dresses
like a $2 whore, you've seen the type, bad platinum blond wig, super tight micro mini and 5"
stilettos that she teeters on at best. Don't get me wrong, she's very nice, but when you're in
your 60's and portly you have no business trying to look and act like a 16 year old girl.
By 10 the crowd had thinned to 5 and we were looking for a change of atmosphere so we
headed down to the hotel's bar, the Hodo. Present were, GG's, Brittney and Sarah, myself,
Erica (host and crossdresser) and Julie. The place was pretty crowded, but we managed to get
a low top table smack dab in the center of the room, just where you want to sit when you have
a $2 hooker at your table, lol. We ordered drinks and the chatter continued for about 30
minutes until Julie excused herself to use the ladies room. As you can imagine the
conversation turned to Julie's chosen presentation for the evening, (which by the way, is how
she ALWAYS dresses) while she was absent. It was decided that we needed to somehow tell
her that dressing like this, especially in a venue like we were, in is highly inappropriate. The
question was, how do you do that delicately without hurting her feelings ?. Well, she served up
the opening we needed to start the conversation when she sat back down at the table. She
proudly announced how amazed she was that NOBODY in the place was even giving her a
second look. I nearly spit up my entire drink when she said this and everybody at the table had
a similar reaction. I said, you have got to be kidding me, you have no idea what's going on
behind you do you ? She then said, why, are people starring ? I said, Honey, people's necks
are breaking their heads are turning around so far. I said, I really hate to be a hypocrite, but do
you really think nobody notices you prancing through the bar constantly pulling down your
dress so your junk isn't hanging out ? Every time you sit down we get a shot of your
pink panties. Don't get me wrong, you have great legs, but there's better ways of showing what
18
you got then dressing the way you do.
Needless to say this got the ball rolling and everybody put their 2 cents in on the situation over
the next hour or so and I must say she took it pretty well. I think the comments from the GG's
probably hit home the hardest as they dealt with more of her look kind of mocking women and
being very offensive if she thought that how women should dress. In the end she agreed that
next time she comes out she would try and tone things down a bit. I'm not holding my breath in
things looking any better, but we will wait and see.
Judy L ynn
Módhnóirí
PAMPERING YOUR S ELF
BY
BARBARA MARIE DAVIDS ON
Well, ladies, Thought I would mention several ways that you can “pamper your self” and really enjoy it.
Pampering your self could be any thing from a makeover, to some time in a beauty salon for a facial or a
new hair do, to some time in a nail salon having a pedicure and/or a manicure, to getting a body
massage. Believe me when I say I have done it all. Guess the best place to start with your color coding/
makeover.
In October of 2008, I approached a gg (generic girl) that I knew who worked at the Clinique counter at
Belk’s in my hometown about a make over or at least a color-coding. That afternoon, I was color coded
so I would know what may/might look good on me. Since I was in my guy mode, there was not a true
traditional type of makeover. How ever, she gave me a lot of pointers on what to do. When I left there
that evening, I was about $250.00 poorer but I was armed with a “basic” make up kit to work with. At
that time I was experimenting with Cover Girl makeup but soon realized that cover girl does not always
cover “guys”. I wrote an article about ”My Non Traditional M akeover”. Later, I went as Barbara and
had a real “makeover”. I was comfortable with my colors and still use most of the same ones today.
Since I have been a “clinique Girl” for over 8 years now, I know what I like and don’t like. However, I
just let sales lady “do her thing” and sat there and enjoyed it. Of course the downside is that they always
want you to buy some of the products they used to make you “beautiful”. This is one type of pampering
your self.
Another one would be some time in a beauty salon. If you have been lucky enough to “let your hair
down” i.e. let it get long, there is nothing better than having some one to wash your hair and “massage
your scalp at the same time. Having some one else do it once in a while giving you a different style and
at the same time having your hair looking great and smelling good at the same time is almost to die for. I
basically have only had two hairstylists since I transitioned. The first one I used for about seven or eight
years both as bill and later as Barbara. The second one I have been using for about four years now and I
had a good relationship with both of them. As you know women pay out a lot for their trips to the beauty
19
salons. For me when I was getting a “cut and color” as bill, I was paying about a half of what woman
would pay. Now as Barbara, I still pay less for my cut and color with high lights (foil) than the female
customers. Having your own cosmetologist has its perks.
M oving on to a nail salon where I have “working /spending my time” since I retired in 2008 also has its
perks. Having your nails and feet done is still another way to pamper your self. In your guy mode a
manicure would make your nails look and feel better than if you did the “bubba” thing with your pocket/
pen knife. If you work in a bank or in an establishment where your hands are always visible to the
public, well-manicured nails will go along way in your relationship with the customer. In your feminine
mode, Having your nails done with either a French tip, which will go with most outfits you would want
to wear to the special colors for that special occasion would be the way to go. However there are several
ways to get your nails done. One is just a regular manicure with polish of choice. Gel polishes or shellac
(which last up to two or more weeks as it normally does not chip) with or with our manicure is another
way to go. Then there is the solar nails (or pink and white) which are very nice looking and will last 2 –
3 weeks as they do not chip – one basically has to break the nail. From these one can get either a full set
of acrylic or gel nails, which you can maintain, with a fill in every two weeks.
M oving on to your feet, and a pedicure. First let me say, as there is a lot of controversy about pedicures
and fungus/infections, know your salon. The up to date standard of practice in a salon today should
include plastic disposable liner for the pedicure (spa) chair which contains the water in the basin as it
does not circulate through tubes or a pump. The actual “pump” is a magnetic device that attaches to the
back of the basin and is powered by a magnet behind the basin wall. The nail file, pumice stone, and
buffer should also be disposable. The technician should wash their instruments in warm/hot soapy water
and dip in alcohol before repackaging them in a single use peel pack. Some technicians will spray their
instruments before use with alcohol as they take them out of the package in front of you. A good
technician will have at least one or more sets of pedicure instruments that are located in an ultraviolet
sterilizer/disinfectant machine and will rotate them between customers. Just for your information there
are some gel polishes on the market that have matching regular polish for your toes or you can get gel on
both your fingers and toes. (Although my license is still in nursing and not cosmetology, I have spent
my days in a nail salon since November of 2008 and have seen the changes in the salon business)
Now for the last – Pampering yourself with a body massage. I have to admit that I have paid for only
three but in actually have hade at least a dozen. M ost of the nail technicians I have worked with have
very good hands when doing a massage. The first one I had was about 4 years ago when one of the ladies
offered to give me a body massage, no strings attached. I can only say I was very relaxed and did not
want her to stop. She even finished up with an “oatmeal facial”, which was a facial mask made with
oatmeal followed by a facial massage. In 2013, I went to Little Saigon in Westminster CA where I had a
one-hour body massage by a very good-looking Vietnamese lady. It was $10.00 an hour but I tipped her
$20.00. It was very relaxing with subdued lightings, soft music. She massaged my neck, back, waist,
and back of legs. Then she had me turn over and she started with my face moving to my arms then my
stomach and ended with my legs. After it was all over and I was dressed, I was given a cup of hot tea
and some crackers before I left. While I was Vietnam this past summer, I went with some friends to a
“massage parlor” in Can Tho where we three got a body massage. It was very similar to the one I got in
Little Saigon except the young lady actually walked barefooted across my back. The atmosphere was the
same and the cost was about the same. The past week, I had a body massage at a local spa and it was
$65.00 for one hour. It was nothing like the ones I have had from the Vietnamese folks. However, it was
somewhat relaxing and when he was done I was offered some lemon or citrus flavored water. The main
20
thing with all of them was I felt relaxed when they were done although I would prefer a Vietnamese
therapist any time.
So ladies as you begin the New Year (2016) think about the different ways that you can pamper your self
but also that special woman (gg) in your life. With this, I hope that every one had a M erry Christmas
and that Santa was good to all of you. I also hope all had a safe New Year as you ushered in 2016.
Barbara M arie Davidson
The legendary award winning actor, singer,
and
impressionist David de Alba worked for many
years at San Francisco's world famous
Finocchio Club, and who has been written
about in seven books because of his LIVE
stage presentations, will bring a special
tribute to some of the performers he worked
with and who graced that stage via video
flashbacks, backstage stories, still photos,
and of course, Mr. de Alba's own
International singing act 'Boy-Chic'. He
will perform from the popular repertoire he
sang at Finocchio's in both Spanish and
English. To close the show Mr. de Alba will
present his lively impersonation of Liza
Minnelli which he also performed often at
Finocchio's.
An yone who has been at Finocchio's , or at
least heard about it, should not miss this
show!
"David de Alba as Boy-Chic . . . Frozen in
Time . . . An Evening at Finocchio's".
Sunday, April 24th at 3pm.
At Model Factory L V (Suite# 164)
3680 S. Maryland Parkway (inside The
Boulevard Mall)
Las Vegas, NV. 89169
Phone: 702-628-1129
Ticket prices: $20.00 for VIP seating 'first two
rows.'
$18.00 General seating
Ages: 21 & up.
21
Tasi’s Musings, Jan-Feb, 2016
Greetings from Merida
On the Paseo de Montejo. M érida is a romantic, Bohemian city that proudly
displays its splendid past. Regardless of the reason for your stay, don’t miss a
leisurely stroll along Paseo de M ontejo, M érida’s main avenue named after
Francisco de M ontejo y León (el M ozo), conqueror of Yucatán and founder of
the city. It contains a tourist section, beginning at Calle 49, and a commercial
section, Prolongación Paseo de M ontejo, from M onumento a la Patria northward.
The best way to explore the tourist section is on foot. During your walk you will
be able to feel the similarities to elegant French boulevards, enjoy the huge trees
which provide the street with the “lungs” of the city center, and admire the emblematic buildings and
monuments, as well as the mansions that today house boutique hotels, shops, museums, and bars. It truly
is the Paris of the Caribbeanan. Click the link above to read about the Paseo street by street.
In the News
2015 Trans Year in Review -- The Upside. 2015 was the most momentous year in trans history. From
scattered events in trans prehistory - Lili Elbe (The Danish Girl) , Christine Jorgensen, Sylvia Rivera, and
Renee Richards - the community finally entered the historical mainstream in 2015 with the splashy
"outcoming" of Caitlyn Jenner. She changed the cultural landscape, for better and worse, and gave us all
a platform we never had. We're not quite to the status of "just another American minority group," but
we're on our way. Read all that Dana Beyer has to say.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-beyer/2015-trans-year-in-review_b_8884358.html
5 Trans Pioneers Who Took Us Past the Tipping Point in 2015. Last year, Time magazine featured
Laverne Cox, the statuesque Orange Is the New Black actress on its cover, identifying the increased
visibility of gender-variant people to be the “transgender tipping point.” This year, even as attacks
against trans Americans rose to epidemic proportions, notable trans and gender-nonconforming youth
and adults established themselves as brilliant advocates, educators, artists, policy analysts, entertainers,
models, and technologists. These are some of the people that made 2015 the year when trans people
pushed cultural understanding beyond the tipping point. http://www.advocate.com/
transgender/2015/12/31/25-trans-pioneers-who-took-us-past-tipping-point-2015
22
Vancouver's transgender barbershop all the buzz Big Bro's Barbershop offers more than just haircuts.
It's also a safe space and resource centre for Vancouver's
ransgender community. The 25-year-old, who is a transgender
man, was still a teenager and just starting to transition when he
asked a hairstylist to cut his then-long hair into a Winona Ryderinspired pixie cut. “The stylist said, ‘Oh, you actually have the
completely wrong hair type for this cut,’ Reactions like that
prompted Anderson to start Big Bro’s Barbershop, Click the link
to read more about this amazing man
http://www.metronews.ca/features/vancouver/
vancouvering/2016/01/21/vancouver-transgender-barbershop-allthe-buzz.html)
About time! Education department will out every religious college that discriminates against LGBT
people. The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday it will publish detailed information
about religious schools that receive federal permission to discriminate based on sex, gender identity and
sexual orientation, despite receiving federal funds. That information is likely to put some religious
schools in the hot seat for policies that aren't flattering in today's social climate -- including colleges in
or near you. http://www.oregonlive.com/faith/2016/01/title_ix_waivers.html
25 Legal Advocates Fighting for Trans Rights. Legal advocates stand on the front lines of the fight for
transgender equality. Whether they are transgender or cis gender, LGB or straight, these professionals
represent clients, crunch statistical data, lead organizations, analyze issues, direct policy, and build
coalitions that produce social change for the truly disadvantaged. M any donate their time for the public
interest outside of lucrative posts in corporate law. Others work within corporate law as forces for good.
Here are 25 out of hundreds of legal advocates fighting for trans justice today.
http://www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/1/04/25-advocates-fighting-trans-rights
How a Court Decision M ight M ake Pending LGBT Legislation Obsolete. On December 15, U.S.
Federal Judge Dean Pregerson ruled that the line between gender and sexual orientation discrimination
"does not exist." The ruling, addressing discrimination against a pair of lesbian basketball players at
Pepperdine University, has the potential to put sexual orientation under the umbrella of established civil
rights laws. Such a move might render stalled legislation on non-discrimination moot and provide a
firmer legal basis for the advancement of both legal rights and social acceptance.. Get all the details here.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/travis-knoll/solution-to-conservative-_b_7674610.html
University of Victoria announces world's first chair in transgender studies. University of Victoria Prof. Aaron Devor, an
internationally recognized sex- and-gender expert, will work
with researchers, community activists and students to advance
study into a broad range of topics that affect the lives of
transgender individuals."Transgender people are among the
most disadvantaged in society today. There's a huge amount of
stigma, poverty is rampant, health care is not what it should
be," he said. "In order to improve the circumstances of
transgender people, we need to have solid research that will
give us good data and good foundation for changing policies, for changing practices and for changing
hearts and minds.
23
http://www.lfpress.com/2016/01/15/university-of-victoria-announces-worlds-first-chair-in-trans genderstudies
These damn bathroom bills. A Trans Woman Enters the Restroom. For me, it is already a new year of
old fears. 2016 has scarcely begun, and there is already yet another bill, from the end of December,
being proposed to criminalize transgender persons—like myself—for using the restroom that
corresponds with our gender identity. Read Gabrielle Bellot’s story. http://www.slate.com/blogs/
outward/2016/01/20/how_the_trans_bathroom_myth_makes_life_difficult_for_trans_women.html
Is the Brain Gendered? A Q&A with Harvard's Catherine Dulac A biologist remarks on the
extraordinary similarity of male and female brains despite the persistence of binary behavioral styles. A
lingering question asked by neuroscientists has to do with what, if anything, makes the male and female
brains distinctive, whether in mice or (wo)men. There is still no concise answer. The best evidence from
the most recent research suggests that both males and females share the same neural circuitry, but use it
differently. Catherine Dulac, a professor of molecular and cellular biology at Harvard, and investigator
at the Howard Hughes medical Institute, is a pioneer in exploring these questions. I talked to her briefly
about her research, which also extends far beyond just the neurobiology of gender. Details here. http://
blogs.scientificamerican.com/talking-back/is-the-brain-gendereda-q-a-with-harvard-s-catherine-dulac/
As transgender youth make news, doctors say it is not a fad but a previously hidden issue. While it may
seem that transgenderism among young children is suddenly on the rise, it is far more likely that its
prevalence is unchanged, just no longer hidden, according to two M adison physicians who treat
transgender patients.. M ore of the story here. http://hos t.madison.com/ws j/news/l ocal/educa tion/
local _schools/as -transgender-youth-make-news-doctors -sa y-i t-is-not/a rti cle_ea 8799d0-9267-5c639cf2-6b94711eb077.html
Books, Movies and Television
Her Story web series debuts. An online series aiming to show the dating lives of
transgender and queer women is set to launch. Her Story, (http://
www.herstoryshow.com) which will debut January 19, stars transgender activist
Jen Richards, who appears in the Caitlyn Jenner reality show I am Cait. The web
series revolves around two trans women living in Los Angeles "who have given up
on love, when suddenly chance encounters give them hope," The show can be
viewed on its website or at https://www.youtube.com/channel/
UCw2M g0PoxZkAHAzDiabWr9A. M ore details here. http://www.ebar.com/news/
article.php?sec=news&article=71206
24
Fashion and Art
59-Year-Old Woman Is Revolutionizing the Modeling
Industry. Yasmina Rossi is revolutionizing the modeling industry
while simultaneously empowering women everywhere. The 59-yearold began her job as a model when she was in her late 20s—a time
when most professionals are seen as too old and are forced to retire.
When she turned 45 years old, that's when her career really took off
as she worked for big companies like M asterCard, AT&T, and
M acy's. Not only did she book big brands at an age that most in the
industry would regard as “past her prime”, she also managed to secure
these modeling gigs while allowing her wrinkles to stand out in her
work, profoundly accentuating her natural beauty. “I like the way I
look now than how I looked 20 years ago,” she told The Sunday
Times. “My body is nicer and I feel happier than when I was 20.”
Learn her secrets here. http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/
blogs/yasmina-rossi-empowering-model
How to Wear a Tulle Skirt (Without Looking
Like a Ballerina) A tulle skirt can be really
cute or really tacky, depending on how you
wear it. To give this childhood dress-up
favorite a more grown up vibe, you’ll need to
pair it up with really chic and sophisticated
clothes. If you’re looking for ways to tweak
this piece and make it work for your street
style looks, check out these tips on how to
wear a tulle skirt without looking like a
ballerina. http://aelida.com/23905/how-towear-a-tulle-skirt-without-looking-like-aballerina/
16 more fabulous tutu skirts. http://
fashionsy.com/16-fabulous-tutu-skirts/
25
Humor
Adventures in Crossdressing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Auel17atno&feature=youtu.be
A competitive musical foursome
https://www.youtube.com/embed/BKezUd_xw20?
rel=0&utm_source=exact&utm_medium=email&utm_content=1342688&utm_campaign
=Saturday&modapt=
So until next month,
Hugs……Tasi
26
UNCORKED
A Transgender Fiction Story by: Barbara Jean Jasen
Girls starting with this issue I am going to publish a fiction story that I currently ha ve in works.
Since it is still a story in the works I will print a new chapter each month. So far I have 6
chapters, how many more to the story I don’t know. Eventually when finished I will also post it
on Amazon Kindle, perhaps with many refinements.
Below is the introduction and chapter 1 of the story.
Preface
Allen Gorman started crossdressing around age nine and things progressed. One day another
employee of the company he worked for outed him to his boss and Allen was fired from his job.
He found another job in California, but there was a condition, he had to live and work full time
as a woman or never be seen crossdressing. Allen began living his life as Alicia.
An auto accident put Alicia in a coma and she has a dream of being born and raised as a girl.
Little did she know that her dream was about to solve a forty-four year old crime and change
her life forever.
Chapter 1
Alicia Gorman was 42 years old. Oh Alicia was not how she was born, Born in May of 1971
she was born Allen Gorman. Alicia was the son of Mary and Andrew Gorman. At the time
Allen was born his Father Andrew was a Captain with the Air Force stationed at the base just
south of Omaha and his mother worked for the County Clerk’s office in Omaha.
The beach was Alicia’s favorite place. She would go there, sit in the sand and watch the ocean
waves gently pounding the beach, or sometimes she would walk along the beach picking up
things and looking at them. But she loved being there at the beach. It was a place that she
could think, reflect on things. It was her sort of personal quiet times.
Alicia would often time reflect back on her life, often wondering why she was transgender, often
wondering why she was not simply born a girl. Life sure did not start out as a girl for Alicia.
For the first nine or ten years of her life she was pretty much a normal boy. She did not have
any brothers or sister, and all her friends were neighborhood boys. She liked trucks and trains
and she liked to play things like baseball or football with other boys in her neighborhood. Just
like the other boys in her neighborhood she did not even like girls.
Oh there were a couple of time when she had to dress as a girl for something. A Picture, a cub
scout skit, but just as soon as she could that dress and lipstick came off. Allen was a boy not a
27
girl.
But it was sometime around age nine or ten that things started to change. No sudden change,
but a little at a time type of thing. Like all kids Allen had chores to do to earn his allowance.
One of them was taking out the garbage. One day when he was doing that he spotted a tube
of lipstick that his mother had discarded. There was still some left in the tube and so he put
that in his pocket. That night in the bathroom he put it on and then looked at himself in the
mirror. He spent perhaps five or ten minutes just looking at his painted lips and then wiped the
lipstick off. He kept that tube of lipstick hidden and every so often would put it on there in the
bathroom and admire himself in the mirror for awhile and then take the lipstick off.
Then there was the time when his mother had gone over to the neighbors house for a couple of
hours and Allen was home by himself. He found a pair of his mothers high heel shoes and
tried them on. Oh they were too small for him, but still he liked having them on his feet.
The really big thing happened when he was about twelve. He found a bag of old clothes that
his parents were going to give to the local Goodwill store. He saw one of his mothers old
dresses and a bra that she was discarding. She had lost some weight and so they were now
too big for her, but even though a bit big on Allen they would fit he thought and so took them
out and hid them. There in his room at night he would put them on. A couple of pairs of socks
filled the bra and he would stand there and admire himself in that mirror.
Allen started losing interest in a lot of the things boys took interest in. Sports was the biggest
thing that he lost interest in. Oh he still tried to take some interest in things like some model
trains and cars, but he also started to take interest in things like painting and some other art.
He also wanted more to help his mother in the kitchen with the cooking. At school or when he
went to church or to the movies he would admire the girls with their beautiful dresses often
asking why he could never wear something so pretty. A Sears catalog and he would look at
the outfits for the girls. The ones for the little girls were so very pretty and he wished more and
more that he had been born a girl. He wondered why was he born a boy rather than a girl?
Why did he prefer to be a girl rather than a boy? He would often go to the library looking at
books, but never could he find anything that would help him. Was he the only boy that wished
he was a girl? What was wrong with him? His desire to be a girl was all a secret that he kept
from everyone and for some reason no one really suspected his little secret.
One day while at the library he found a book about a man who had changed his sex. It was
about some person named Christine Jorgensen. A former GI who had some surgery that
turned him from being a man into a woman. So there was hope, Allen could become a girl.
Despite his desire to be a girl Allen knew it was not normal and so he would fight this desire.
At eighteen years of age he joined the Army, he was sent to Iraq to fight in the Gulf War. Allen
thought that in joining the Army it would somehow cure him of this desire to be a girl. Yet
strange to him it failed. He still felt more like he was a girl than a boy.
When Allen got out of the Army he started to attend college to become an accountant. Allen
got him a small studio apartment and as a part time job while attending college Allen got him a
job at a local adult bookstore. As he was putting the books and video tapes up he seen some
books about men dressing as women. Now Allen realized that he was not alone, there were
others like him, men who liked to dress as women, and even men who were making changes
to become women. Crossdresser, transsexual, Allen wondered for awhile which of these he
28
was. He started getting brave and buying some clothes for himself and would get dressed
there at his apartment while he did his studying. He met a couple of drag queens while
working at the adult bookstore and they invited him to come and see their show at a local gay
bar. Allen went a couple of times as himself and saw not just the drag queens, but other men
dressed as women. They were part of a local social group for crossdressers and transsexuals.
Allen even started going to the shows dressed as Alicia. Alicia joined that social group and
some of the girls there helped her with things like makeup and told her places that were good
to shop at. The owner of the bookstore found out about his desire to dress as a woman and
even told him he could come to work as Alicia.
Allen finished college and got his bachelors degree in accounting. He found him a job with a
local accounting firm, but somehow it did not last very long. One of the people there saw Allen
dressed as Alicia at a local restaurant along with some other members of the social group and
told her boss about it. Her boss was a rather religious person and decided that he did not need
some faggot working for him and so Allen was dismissed.
Allen decided to move to California. Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego all seemed to
have good size groups of girls who were crossdressers and transsexuals, but unfortunately the
rent in those areas was so high that Allen could not afford to live in those area. At the local
library she would check the classified sections of papers from those cities to see if there was
any jobs available for her out there. She did see an ad for an accountant from a small credit
union in a town south of Los Angeles. Allen did send in his resume and was called to come for
an interview. He caught a plane to California and then rented a car and drove to the see the
manager of the Credit Union. The manager was a man by the name of Richard Parks and of
course one of the question the had for Allen was why he was let go from his last job. Allen had
to tell him about his crossdressing and how he was seen dressed at a restaurant. Mr. Parks
asked Allen if he planned to have a sex change. Allen said he was not sure. He told him it
was something he had given a lot of thought about. Mr. Parks then asked Allen a rather
strange question, did he have a photo of him as Alicia. Allen told him that he did not have one
with him. Mr. Parks then asked Allen if he brought any of his feminine clothes with him and
Allen said he did. Mr Parks then asked Allen if he could come in again the next day and
interview with him as Alicia. Allen agreed.
Going back to the hotel Allen thought about this request that Mr. Parks had made and how
strange it was. He wondered why Mr. Parks wanted to see him as Alicia. Allen just could not
figure any reason for it. But at least Mr. Parks did not give him a flat out no. He wondered did
Mr. Parks want him to work as Alicia? Allen thought that would be a dream to live and work as
Alicia.
Allen got dressed as Alicia and decided to go out and get something to eat. Surprise to him at
the small restaurant he went to he was treated very much like a lady, and called Miss or
Mamm.
Allen got up early the next morning and looked at the outfits for Alicia that he had brought. He
selected a black pencil skirt and a pink blouse along with some rather conservative jewelry to
wear. A pair of pantyhose and some black pumps completed her outfit. Alicia checked her
nails to insure her manicure and polish were good and then checked her wig in the mirror. She
was satisfied with the way she looked and so at nine-thirty she left to drive to the credit union
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for her ten O’clock appointment with Mr. Parks.
Mr. Parks brought Alicia a cup of coffee and then told her that she could have the job, but there
would be one condition. Either she had to live and work as Alicia or she would have to keep
her feminine side a deep secret something that no one else in the area would know about.
Living and working as Alicia was a dream for her, and the idea of being trapped were she could
never be seen as Alicia somehow was something she did not think she could do. She agreed
to come to work as Alicia and to be nothing but Alicia. Mr. Parks told her to come in again the
next day at one in the afternoon and he would have her some things, employment information.
The following day Alicia got dressed again, this time with a flowered dress along with some
nude pumps and drove over to the credit union to meet with Mr. Parks. He gave her some
information about the Credit Union and he also handed her a check for five hundred dollars for
her travel expenses for coming. He asked about what kind of apartment she would be in need
of. Alicia told Mr. Parks that she lived alone and really did not need much. She did not have
any furniture so a furnished place would be best for her. Mr. Parks picked up the phone and
called a lady by the name of Sarah Miller and asked her if she still had that apartment
available. She did and so Mr. Parks gave the information to Alicia including directions on how
to get to the apartment. Alicia drove over to the place that Mr. Parks had directed her to and
met with Sarah Miller. Sarah introduced Alicia to another girl by the name of Karen Dover who
Sarah said was her partner. Sarah and Karen got a key and led Alicia to the empty apartment.
It did have a little furniture in it and Karen said that she could get more of what Alicia would
need in the line of furniture. It was a small one bedroom and Sarah told Alicia that the rent was
six hundred and fifty dollar per month plus she had to pay her utilities. Normally she did get a
deposit of one months rent for the place, but since Alicia was referred to her by Richard she
would forgo the deposit. Alicia told her she would take the place and would move in the
following week. Sarah then asked Alicia to come down to her place where she would give her
a lease to sign.
While Alicia was down there in Sarah and Karen’s kitchen Karen poured Alicia a cup of coffee.
Karen asked Alicia if she had ever been to California before and Alicia told her she had not.
Karen then told Alicia that California was a nice state for those who were LGBT and that once
she moved in her and Sarah would show her around to some of the places they thought she
would like to go. Karen then poured some more coffee for her and Sarah and as Sarah walked
in she gave Karen a small kiss and asked her to reach in a drawer there in the kitchen for a
pen.
Alicia and Sarah both signed the lease and then Alicia returned to her motel room. There she
laid in her bed and thought about the events of the day. One thing she knew is that since she
was now going to be living and working as Alicia she would need more clothes, especially
clothes suitable for a girl working in an office setting. She wondered what was life going to be
like now living and working as Alicia. Strange yet to her was that Mr. Parks seemed to actually
want her to live and work as Alicia.
The next morning Allen checked out of the motel room and drove to the airport in Los Angeles.
He returned the rental car and then went to the terminal to catch his flight back to Nebraska.
30
Ten Amazing Transgender Historical Figures Worthy Of
Film
Lili Elbe, the real-life trans woman depicted in The Danish Girl, was one of the first mediasavvy trans people. Below are som e other trailblazing trans people from history, many of whom
lived (or are currently living) lives deserving of the big screen as well.
1. Jack Bee Garland (1869 – 1936)
In the tim e before medical transition was possible, Jack Bee
Garland lived a com plex and colorful life. Raised as a girl by a
Mexican military diplomat based in San Francisco, Garland
escaped from a convent at age 16 by marrying a family friend.
The newlyweds quickly separated, and Garland took on a
series of male nam es and identities. As Babe Bean, he worked
as a mute journalist in Stockton, California. As Beebe Beam, he
servedas a cabin boy on a ship bound for the Philippine War,
and after spending a year with U.S. troops, returned home to
write a mem oir claiming to have been a soldier. During World
War I, Beam was arrested for suspicion of being a German spy.
Following these adventures, he took the nam e Jack Bee
Garland and worked for social charities. The definitive
biography is by Lou Sullivan, an important figure in trans
history himself.
2. Charley Parkhurst (1812 – 1879)
Raised as a girl, mainly in an orphanage, Parkhurst ran away
around age 12 and took the name Charley. After working in
stables and learning the team ster trade on the east coast, he
headed west during the California Gold Rush of 1849. Some
acquaintances from the east coast had started a stagecoach
service, and Parkhurst becam e one of their best drivers at a
time when stage coach driving was extremely dangerous.
Around this time, Parkhurst lost an eye after being kicked by
a horse, earning the nicknam e One-Eyed Charley. As
railroads began to replace stage coaches in California,
Parkhurst lived out the rest of his days as a farmer in Santa
Cruz County. When Parkhurst died of tongue cancer in 1879,
the coroner discovered that Parkhurst’s physiology did not
align with his male identity, causing quite a stir am ong those
who had known Parkhurst for decades.
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3. Lucy Hicks Anderson (1886 – 1954)
Lucy Hicks Anderson was assigned male when born in Waddy,
Kentucky, but she had already taken the name Lucy when she
started school. She left school at 15 and became a dom estic
worker, later setting in Pecos, Texas, and working at a hotel. At
age 34 she married Clarence Hicks in New Mexico. After the
couple m oved to Oxnard, California, she saved her earnings
from domestic work and operated a brothel from a property
she’d purchased. She and Hicks divorced in 1929. Fifteen years
later, she married soldier Reuben Anderson. In 1954 her trans
status became known, and she was prosecuted for perjury in
Ventura County because she allegedly lied on her marriage
license. Because Anderson had received government checks
from the U.S. Army as the wife of a soldier, both she and her
husband were convicted of fraud and sent to prison. She lived
in Los Angeles upon her release.
4. Wilmer “Little Axe” M. Broadnax
(1916 – 1992)
Possessing a crystal-clear tenor v oice,
Houston native Little Axe perform ed in
gospel quartets with his brother Big Axe.
They m oved to Los Angeles in the late
1930s, but Little Axe eventually formed his
own gospel group called The Golden
Echoes. That group toured throughout the
1940s, when Little Axe joined gospel
quartet The Spirit of Mem phis. In the
1950s he was part of The Fairfield Four,
and in the 1960swas part of The Five Blind
Boy s of Mississippi. Broadnax was dating Lavina Richardson, who was 30 years younger than
Broadnax. The couple got in an argument when Broadnax spotted her in a car with another
man. During the ensuing argument, Richardson stabbed Broadnax to death. At her sentencing,
the judge ordered Richardson to “stay away from older men. Stay away from men — period.”
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5. Canary Conn (born 1949)
Canary Conn was raised as a male, and married with a child by
age 18. About a year later, Conn wonSuper Teen, a national
talent show that landed her a recording contract with Capitol
Records. After com pleting the contract and making at least one
suicide attem pt, she began her transition, taking the name
Canary Conn. When new recording and performing
opportunities didn’t materialize, she published a m em oir in 1974
titled Canary: The Story of a Transsexual. This led to a number
of talk show appearances for the remainder of the 1970s,
inspiring a generation of trans wom en who rarely saw people like
them on television.
6. Karen Ulane (1941 – 1989)
Karen Ulane was an aviator who
flew m ore than 100 com bat
missions for the United States Army during the Vietnam War.
Following her service, she became a comm ercial airline pilot,
working at Eastern Airlines starting in 1968. Following her
gender transition, Eastern dismissed her in 1981, prompting a
lawsuit that claimed her dismissal violated Title VII of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964. She won the trial, but the federal Seventh
Circuit reversed the earlier decision in Ulane’s favor. That
decision became the federal legal precedent for transgender
em ployment discrimination cases. It was not fully resolved until
April 20, 2012, when the landmark Equal Em ployment Opportunity Comm ission decision in
Macy v. Holder was announced. Ulane did not live to see that day. She died died while test
piloting a DC-3 in 1989.
7 . Gwen Smith (born 1967)
Many of us observed the annual Transgender Day of
Rem embrance in November, but its founder Gwen Sm ith was
involved in the fight for trans rights since the early days of the
internet. AOL may be associated with y our grandm other at
this point, but there was a time when it was the best option
around for non-techie folks who wanted to connect online. The
only problem was that if you identified as transgender in your
profile or tried to set upa chat room containing the word
transgender, you could be kicked off for violating AOL’s terms
of service. Gwen was one of the people who changed that,
ev entually taking a leading role in what becam e the
Transgender Community Forum, am ong the largest online meeting places for transgender folks
in the 1990s. That online community allowed us to share our collected wisdom and connect in
33
real life to create political change. Below Gwen reads a letter she received from President
Obama last m onth, simultaneously showing us how far we’ve com e and how much m ore there
is to do.
8. Susanna Valenti (fl. 1949 – 1979)
As with many transgender people, Susanna
Valenti’s early and later life or not welldocumented. But from the late 1940s to the
late 1970s, she was an im portant figure in the
nascent transgender m ovement. Valenti came
to the United States from Latin Am erica, and
her second wife ran a successful boutique that
catered to crossdressers. They used the profits
to purchase a second hom e in upstate New
York, where they hosted crossdressers as well
as non-crossdressing guests. She wrote one of
the first transgender advice columns, called
Susanna Says, and later began living full-tim e
as a woman. A guest nam ed Andrea Susan
becam e the unofficial photographer,
documenting numerous visits in the 1960s. Andrea Susan gave Valenti the negatives, but she
threw them out. Som eone fished them out of the garbage, and they eventually ended up in a
flea market. The treasure trove was rediscovered by Robert Swope, who published them in a
book co-authoredwith Michael Hurst. Casa Susanna was the inspiration for Harvey Fierstein’s
2014 play Casa Valentina.
9. Diego Sanchez (born 1957)
Sanchez is a global citizen. Born in Frankfurt,
Germany, he grew up in the Panama Canal Zone
and Georgia. Before settling in Washington, he lived
in New York City, Atlanta, Boston, and Milan, Italy.
He came out to his parents as trans at age 5, and
they helped socialize him as both male and female,
just to keep his options open. Sanchez made a name
for himself as a power player in the corporate world,
specializing in communications and PR in the
hospitality industry. Since his foray into LGBT
politics and policy, he’s racked up an im pressive
collection of firsts, including the first openly transgender person appointed to the Dem ocratic
National Committee’s (DNC) Platform Committee and the first openly transgender person to
work as a senior legislative staffm ember on Capitol Hill. He is a founding board m ember of the
National Center for Transgender Equality and currently serves as policy director at PFLAG.
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10. Sandy St one (born 1936)
Sandy Stone started out as a recording engineer after
graduating from St. John’s College inMaryland. She was on
hand for sessions with many counterculture notables,
including Jimi Hendrix. She began publishing science
fiction as Sandy Fisher, and soon took the name Sandy as
part of her transition. She remained on the west coast after
transition and joined legendary wom en’s music label Olivia
Records collective as their engineer. In 1979, she becam e
the target of anti-transgender feminists, m ost notably
Janice Raymond, who attempted to get Stone fired from
Olivia. Olivia Records was aware of Stone’s transition and
supported her, but Stone left following a boycott threat by
Raymond and her allies. In response to attacks on Stone in Raym ond’s book The Transsexual
Empire, Stone penned The Empire Strikes Back: A post-Transsexual Manifesto, described by
historian Susan Stryker as “the protean text from which contemporary transgender studies
em erged.” Stone then m oved into the academic study of m edia, founding the ACTLab at UT
Austin. Since retiring, she continues to tour the country.
35
Humor
An elderly couple were at home watching TV.
Phil had the remote and was sw itching back and
forth betw een a fishing channel and the porn channel.
Sally became more and more annoyed and finally said,
"For God's sake, Phil... leav e it on the porn channel...
you know how to fish!"
Baby's First Doctor Visit
A woman and a baby were in the doctor's examining room,
waiting for the doctor to come in for the baby's first
exam. The doctor arrived, and examined the baby, checked
his weight, and being a little concerned, asked if the baby
was breast-fed or bottle-fed. 'Breast-fed,' she replied..
'Well, strip down to your waist,' the doctor ordered.
She did He pinched her nipples, pressed, kneaded, and
rubbed both breasts for a while in a very professional and
detailed examination.
Motioning to her to get dressed, the doctor said, 'No
wonder this baby is underweight. You don't have any
milk.'
I know,' she said, 'I'm his Grandma, But I'm glad I came.
Sex Research (could be handy)
If sex with 3 people is called a threesome and sex with 2
people is a twosome, now I understand why they call
you handsome!
36
Angels In The Centerfold
Louise
Ginger
37
Suzane Oliva
Tammy Trueheart
Tonya Christensen
38
Mellissalynn’s Tips & Tricks
Wow. It’s February, girls. The month of Valentines and presidents! Not to mention that we’re almost
two-thirds of the way through winter. Spring will be on us before you know it!
I hope that all of my readers in the Eastern US are safe and sound after the mammoth amount of snow
you received. The scenes on the news have been just miserable! M y thoughts are with you all.
Well, I went to the anime conventionin Peoria last
month, and had a gret time! I did a lot of hair and
makeup work on others while I was there, and made a
tidy little sum of money for it. Have I mentioned that I
love my job? I cut and styled several wigs, and turned
one young man into a pretty convincing Wolverine.
This is him in the picture.
We did a similar event with my school just last
weekend. We teamed up with a board game store at
our mall and did a bunch of face painting on kids and
stuff. It was a total blast.
So tell me all about your month, ladies! Share your
horror stories about the blizzard. Tell me about any
vacation plans you may have. Feel free to tell me how
great Wolverine looks!
And of course, any questions, tips or tricks you have
are always welcome. Write to me at
[email protected]. I ALWAYS answer any
and all mail I get, so feel free to tell me about anything
you want to chat about, be it a salon visit or
transgender news, or whatever you like. I love hearing
from you!
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As you all know, one of my resolutions is to lose some
weight, and it is slowly happening. In the meantime
I’m using all the tricks in my arsenal to give the
appearance of being slimmer. Here’s on I wanted to share.
I was playing with my lipstick recently, practicing a new look, and realized just how much plumper I’d
made them appear with the technique I was using. It startled me to see how much slimmer the rest of my
face looked! Here’s what I was doing.
I started with a lip primer, basically a nude base. You can also use a lip liner for this. Then I applied the
color I wanted, in this case a soft pink just a few shades brighter than my natural lips. I took some
39
shimmer powder and placed it in the center of my lower lip, and followed up with a touch of gloss. My
lips looked amazing! I’ll be doing this again the next time I go out.
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I wear a ponytail often in boring boy mode. It’s one of the few hairstyles I can pull off that lets me have
longer hair. I’ve been experimenting with it, trying new things to see if I can make it a little less boring.
Here’s one trick I found.
After putting my hair up in the pony, I dug out two bobby pins. I stuck them underneath the elastic band
toward my scalp. This had the effect of pushing my ponytail up near the base, and made it look much
fuller.
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I want to share a bit of news regarding nail files and your nails. Not all nails benefit from the same file,
girl! For brittle nails, you should be using a smoother metal file that’s gentler on the nail. Soft nails will
do better with a crystal or glass file. If your nails are in great shape, then go with the normal emery
board for some quick shaping.
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Are there any of my readers who wouldn’t want to look like M arilyn M onroe? I’d sure love to! This
next tip will put us all one step closer to looking like M arilyn; it’s a trick she used herself.
Her eyes were always incredible. Her secret? She lined her lower lids with a white kohl pencil. This
would open her eyes and give them a doe-eyed appearance. You’ll need a creamy white kohl liner.
Apply this inside the lower lids and in the inner eye corners, remembering to stay near the waterline. Do
your upper lids in black liner and mascara and you’re ready to go!
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Are you growing your hair out? Are you frustrated by how long that can take? Well, try doing a couple
of yoga-inspired moves. Bend at the waist and touch your toes, or sit and put your head between your
knees, for about four minutes every day. This will increase the blood flow to the scalp, which increases
hair growth. You may even find an increase in thickness! You should see results within a few weeks of
starting this action.
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While I’m on the subject of movie stars, let’s share a trick from M s. Grace Kelly. Her tricks worked so
well that she became a princes! She’s known for her marvelous cheekbones. This is how she did it.
You’ll need two shades of blush. Apply the lighter color near the ears and work down to the outer corner of each eye. The next step sounds funny: suck your cheeks in to create a hollow, and apply the
darker color along the top and just underneath each hollow. Blend the colors well!
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Are you one of those who want to be blasted with hot
water as soon as you wake up? As nice as a hot shower
may feel first thing in the morning on a winter day, don't
make it too hot. This makes it more difficult for your skin
to retain moisture. Watch the temperature, and cool the
water off a bit right before you get out. Your skin will
lock in more moisture, and you'll avoid that nasty cold
shock when you get out of the shower!
Let me add a small side note to this regarding your
moisturizer. Of course, you’re all using moisturizer,
right…RIGHT? Well, if you don't use extra-moisturizing
cream already, switch to it for winter. For extra hydration,
apply it while your skin is still wet.
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This trick is one I found in an older beauty book. The tip
reads "Once you're done applying eyeliner, brush a little
powder shadow in a matching shade over the liner." I
tried this trick and it worked all right, but I really didn't
notice any major improvement. Still it did look pretty, as
I used a shimmery shadow for this.
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I want to talk for a moment about concealers…again. I had a lady come into the salon recently with a
red and puffy nose. She’s sadly been hit by a nasty head cold, and her nose is caught in the crossfire.
She asked what she could do about it, and of course we talked about the normal cold remedies for a
moment. I then said that I thought I could conceal it for her so it wouldn’t be as noticeable. She agreed
to let me do my work.
This is what I did. I remembered that on my color wheel, that red and green are complementary colors.
I used a touch of green concealer and dabbed it onto her nose, blending it well. Afterward, I went with a
just-slightly lighter shade of foundation than she normally wears. The result was that she looked much
more clear-headed and less sick. She called me a miracle worker and tipped me handsomely. I love my
job!
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Ladies, I keep saying spring is coming. I really believe it, even though the piles of snow may convince
some of you differently. Just hang in there, you’ll see it soon! The reason I bring it up is that I want to
discuss the most feminine of colors, pink. We tend to wear pink a lot in the spring. How do we tell
what’s the best shade for us?
41
As always, it’s based on your skin tones. For those with fair or yellow undertones, you’re going to do
best with more delicate colors such as rose beige or petal pink. Cooler undertones with hints of blue will
benefit from colors like fuchsia or magenta. For those of you who kept her tan up over the winter, try
corals or peachy pink hues. And for the darker-skinned ladies, hot pinks or a ruby rose will be your
friends!
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I mentioned tanning a moment ago. I hope, ladies, that none of you are using tanning beds for your
glow. They can be quite dangerous! Remember, that’s the same UV that the sun throws off; be careful
that you don’t end up with a melanoma.
For those who use the self-tanners, they can be tricky! If you don’t apply just right, you’re going to look
streaky, and that’s not a great look. M ake sure that you exfoliate well before you apply your tanner.
This will help take care of spots that might later not be there and destroy your tan. Also, use a natural
sea sponge when applying. This will also help ensure a good application.
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I keep coming back to the subject of moisturizer. We had a conversation about this at school recently. It
turns out that almost none of the younger women are doing this! If you moisturize when you're younger,
your skin will thank you when you're older. Remember, though, when applying moisturizer as part of
your daily routine, make sure not to use it directly around your eyes. This skin is more likely to retain
fluid, and moisturizer will make the under-eye area appear puffier. But do remember to use some on
your neck and throat, as skin can become dry there, too.
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An online friend wrote me recently asking me how she can cover up a double chin. I told her that she
really didn't have one, but that I know a great method for this. To hide a double chin, get some brownish
-rose blush and brush it along your jawline from just below your ears to your chin. Use a very small
amount of white powder on the tip of your chin to complete the slimming effect. As always, blend well!
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On the subject of sleep, I want to talk about my new pillowcase. I was having a lot of trouble with
waking up with a rat’s nest of hair. I mean, yes, I have detangler and know how to use it, but isn’t life so
much simpler when that isn’t necessary? It is!
Well, I went to Walmart and found myself a satin pillowcase. Now, my hair is in much better shape
each day! The satin allows my hair to slip to where it wants to go without creating any tangles. And it
feels good too!
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If you’re prone to blemishes, you may notice they get worse in the winter. This is because your skin gets
dry when exposed to cold air, and produces more oil to compensate. Pretty soon, the whole system is out
42
of whack!
Here’s what you can do to fix this. After washing your face and applying any medication or astringent
you might use, put on some extra lotion to keep your skin moisturized. This keeps the oil glands in your
skin from having to work overtime.
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I keep mentioning that spring is coming! This is so we can all be preparing ourselves fro that beautiful
day when it’s time to venture forth in sundresses and cute sandals once again.
One of the places that you really need to pay attention to now is your feet. To keep your feet from
getting rough, massage them with your favorite oil or lotion before you go to bed, and wear socks
overnight. This makes the lotion much more effective, and you'll notice the difference in the morning.
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I want to share with you all a few uses for coconut oil. It’s very inexpensive and can do a lot of work for
you. Here are a few examples.
Lips! Coconut oil is a great friend to your lips. All you need to do is dab a little on each day. It makes a
great natural lip balm!
Your cuticles will enjoy the coconut oil love as well. It works amazingly well on cuticles. Rub someone
and let sit for five minutes, then use your orangewood stick to gently push back and off the dead skin.
Beat the frizz with coconut oil! You’ll need the oil and an old toothbrush. Lightly dip the toothbrush
into the oil, and brush it at the crown and the sides. No more frizz!
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We’ve reached the end of another column, ladies! I hope you all have found something of value in here.
M aybe something you’ll put to use in your own routines, or just something to experiment with. Tell us
about and show us your results! I’d love to start showcasing some of my readers’ looks in this column.
As I type this, we’re getting ready for Super Bowl Sunday in two weeks. I’m going to some friends’
house for it this year, and I’m really excited. The hard part is, I like both teams this year, so it’s going to
be hard to root for anyone!
Next month is M arch and the actual start of spring. Have I said it enough yet? I’m heartily sick of
winter, so now you all know why I want spring to get here so bad. I hope you’re all as excited for it as I
am!
If you want to tell me about your springtime plans, or about your Super Bowl pick, or share pictures or
tips or tricks, feel free to write me! Sending me mail is the easiest thing in the world to do, ladies, and I
love hearing from you all. You can send it to my e-mail at [email protected]; as you know,
my inbox is always open! You can also hit me up on Facebook; my name there is M ellissa Lynn.
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M ay your February be peaceful and
uneventful, and without more snow! I’ll
talk to you all again next month, with
al-new tips and tricks. Until then, be safe
and be beautiful!
44
The Importance of Balance in Dress
What happens if you put a big kid on one end of a seesaw and a
little kid on the other end? Bam! The big kid hits the ground and
the little kid pops up in the air…and stays there. Game over. No
ride for them. Because a seesaw works best if the riders are of
equal size. They balance each other out.
It’s the same way with dress.
The eye seeks balance unconsciously. So if elements of an outfit
balance each other out, our eyes move over the ensemble easily.
But if they don’t, if there’s too much of one thing and not enough of another, the mind stumbles, trying
to find balance. If we can’t find it, it becomes unsettling. Chaotic. We look away.
Which can be a very big problem if you’re trying to lead. If you want people to listen to you and sway
them to your way of thinking, you need – among other things – to give them balance in your clothes.
Otherwise, they’ll look away.
The ancient Greeks solved this problem mathematically. As noted in the article about proportion,
everything boiled down to math for them, including art, dress, and the human body. So if it was
divisible, it could be balanced. If not, it couldn’t.
For example:
One Half
The body is divided in half, offering equal balance.
One Third, Two Thirds
The body is divided in thirds,
offering one third of one thing, and
two thirds of another.
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One Sixth
The body is divided in sixths, with one sixth offering drama and
impact and the remaining five sixths creating a backdrop for the
attention-grabber.
See how this works?
If you think in terms of dividing your body mathematically, whether
in half, in thirds, in sixths, etc., it makes creating balance so much
easier.
So what are some examples of imbalance?
There is no clear mathematical division here. You see a lot of material, and then your eyes
shift from the necklace to the sandals as both compete for attention. It’s kind of chaotic,
and you don’t know where to look first.
The tall, long-legged blonde is certainly beautiful, but the clunky boots
keep the dress from visually dividing her in half. If she’d worn skin-toned
sandals or pumps, it would look more balanced. It’s not horrible, but you
definitely get a, “What’s wrong with this picture?” vibe here, and what’s
wrong is that it doesn’t add up.
.
Aside from the fact that the delicate crocheted dress and
the clunky boots are two completely different moods,
this ensemble also misses the mark mathematically. The
dress is two thirds, but the boots throw off the remaining
one third balance. They also draw attention directly to
the feet – which is a real shame, given how pretty she is
See why these didn’t work?
There’s no clear mathematical division. When you think
in terms of that, it makes putting together ensembles
much easier.
Now let’s go back to the seesaw example. Two kids of
the same size balance it out. One big kid and one little
kid throws it off. But two little kids and one big kid
balances it out again. It’s the same with dress.
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There are two types of balance in dress:
• Formal
Informal
Formal balance is symmetrical. If you cut a garment down the middle, each half would
be a mirror image of the other. Same collar, same pockets, same color, etc.
Formal balance gives a sense of equilibrium, and makes the wearer seem more stately
and dignified. That’s why it’s the first choice for leaders in business, government, and
the military.
Informal balance is where one element is offset by another
somewhere else on the garment – like the two little kids vs one big
kid on the seesaw scenario. The balance is there, but it’s not a mirror
image.
There’s a lot going on here. The print is bold and would be too
much if it was a dress instead of a top. The black skirt balances it
out. M oreover, the asymmetrical skirt with the hem in the same
colors as the top anchors the skirt and draws attention down. You
don’t get stuck staring at the top; you look at this outfit from head to
foot, yet there is no sense of chaos. Very, very clever.
Here are some other examples of informal balance:
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Because of its artistic approach, informal balance is typically not worn for business. Save it for casual,
cocktail, and evening wear. M oreover, since it requires a certain level of sophistication to pull off, it’s
best suited for women over 30.
See how important balance is in dress? So strive for balance when putting together your ensembles,
especially if you’re in a leadership position. Give people visual appeal, not chaos. Balance helps you hit
that mark.
Diana Pemberton-Sikes is an image consultant and author of Signature Style Blueprint. Ready to find the clothing styles that suit you best and build a wardrobe of
your best looks? Signature Style Blueprint can show you how.
10 Colors You Should Wear More Often
By Cynthia Nellis
Women's Fashion Expert
Pink
Why We Love Pink:Pink is the ultimate fountain of
youth: it adds a fresh glow to any woman who wears it.
Best Way to Wear It: Wear pink head-to-toe if you love
a feminine vibe or in small doses (tie a pink scarf close to
your face) for a less girly look. Pink mixes great with
neutrals and denim; it even translates perfectly to cocktail
dressing.
Violet
Why We Love Violet:A little bit of purple, a touch of blue: this flattering
hue is soft enough to work on any complexion but vivid enough to
brighten features.
Best Way to Wear It: Violet looks great in cozy knits like sweaters and
scarves, and as a bright alternative for cocktail dresses. Violet works
perfectly with dark neutrals, so it's ideal as a color pop under a black, gray
or navy jacket.
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Bright Blue
Why We Love Bright Blue:Sure, it's bright and bold, but blue is such a
wearable color for most skintones that it works (unlike other brights like
lime green).
Best Way to Wear It: Bright blue makes a great after-five color, especially
when it's done up in shiny fabrics. But it also works for everything from
basic tees to wool coats. Bright blue is also the perfect accent color for
accessories.
Deep Purple
Why We Love Purple:A rich jewel tone, deep purple flatters everyone
from dark skin tones to fairer skin.
Best Way to Wear It: Don't save deep purple just for colder months
(although it looks rich in the fall and winter). A darker shade of purple adds
a jolt of sophistication to work wear (pair a purple blouse with a pencil skirt)
and casual wear (purple goes great with denim.)
Teal
Why We Love Teal:Redheads, blondes and brunettes: all look fantastic in
this yummy shade of blue-green.
Best Way to Wear It: On it's own teal makes a delicious rich color, but it's
even better as a print (especially paisley.) Pair teal with neutrals like
chocolate brown or camel for a polished mix.
Burgundy
Why We Love Burgundy:Perfect for drama, this deep red shade of wine
(also called maroon) is a show stopper for evening wear.
Best Way to Wear It: M ix burgundy pieces with luxe prints (brocades,
paisleys, silk stripes) for a regal look. Opt for career separates using
burgundy as a neutral (mixes with colors like charcoal gray and olive).
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Magenta
Why We Love Magenta:M agenta is easier to wear than neon pink or ultrabright fuchsia, but still has plenty of pop.
Best Way to Wear It: Almost anything in the pink family of colors looks
beautiful close to your face, but magenta also works as an accent color for
accessories.
Blush
Why We Love Blush:A pinkish skintone like blush is sexy on for either
delicate or strong skin and hair colors.
Best Way to Wear It: Blush colors translate beautifully to sheer or silky
fabrics, so they work great for dressier occasions. Because skintone colors
can look bare, you're best to skip them for the office.
Bronze
Why We Love Bronze:Silver and gold may steal most of the metallic
spotlight, but bronze looks better on most women because of its warm
undertones.
Best Way to Wear It: A bit of bronze goes a long way, so save it for accent
pieces (a cami or a skirt) or wear it close to your face as a scarf.
Coral
Why We Love Coral:Easier to pull off than bright orange, a soft coral
looks pretty with both tan or deep skin tones and fairer skin.
Best Way to Wear It: Coral is luscious for warm weather and mixes
perfectly with other mid-tone brights like turquoise.
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Fashion for the Maturing Woman
by Tasi Zuriack
I was reading a fashion blog for the 40
plus woman and the blogger was
talking about Brenda Blethyn who
stars in a British detective series,
Vera. DCI Vera Stanhope is a solitary,
obsessed, caustic, brilliant
investigator, and a bit disheveled;
think female Columbo. The blogger
went on to discuss the brilliant way in
which the studio displayed this
disheveled woman in a fashionable
way and it got me to thinking about
the challenges we have in remaining fashionable as we grow older. Not
always an easy task for those of us that crossdress as the sags of the
male body don’t exactly match those of our female companions.
Middle aged women don’t need to look frumpy and our looks don’t have
to scream “middle aged,” either. Women of any age can look pulled
together, sexy, and professional. Fashion for women over 40 has come a
long way. It’s all about incorporating select trends into a wardrobe that
you’ve carefully created with items that fit you so well they seem to have
been made with your body in mind.
With that in mind, here are some tips to help you achieve the look of a chic and stylish older
lady. And believe it or not, it’s far easier to blend in as a mature woman than trying to be a hot
chick.
Stay Age Appropriate
This
Not This
Women of all ages like to feel pretty and feminine, so
there’s no need to drastically limit your style because of
your age. Most women beyond their 20s should probably
skip the tiny miniskirts and cropped tops, but you don’t
have to wear unflattering skirt lengths or shapeless shirts
simply because you think you’re “too old” to wear certain
styles. No muumuus for you. Staying age appropriate
when it comes to fashion for middle aged women means
wearing clothing that fits, flatters, and reflects your
unique sense of style. And yes, you can wear revealing
clothing if it’s done in the right proportion. And you can
wear current trends too by learning to pair them with
more timeless pieces. For example, the fringe look which
you can read about here.
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Go for the Minimalist look
Less is more when it comes to fashion for women over 40. Choose pieces that have fewer
embellishments and cleaner lines, you’ll be able to get more wear out of them, pair them with
more (trendy) things, and accessorize with your favorite jewelry pieces. They’ll also make your
look more polished than some of the busier pieces out there.
Choose Timeless Classics
There’s a way to incorporate trends into fashion
for middle aged women, but it takes having some
staple, well-tailored classic pieces in your
wardrobe. Keeping your trendy picks grounded in
a sea of simple styles will keep you from falling
into the trap of looking as if you’re trying to dress
younger than you are.
Figure Flattering Tips
Become a master of disguise by learning how to camouflage those problems areas such as
sagging, wrinkling skin (especially on the arms and neck) or protruding abdomens. Some tips
to create figure flatturing looks include:
• Two-piece outfits with jackets that fall just below the hip line work wonders at concealing that
area, and tops worn out instead of tucked in may be more flattering than those with fitted
waists or belts.
• The best overall colors for middle aged women are the tried and tested fashion staples: black,
white or navy. Grays or neutrals may cause you to look pale or drawn. But don’t be put off by
color. Consider the many beautiful jewel tones that complement your skin color.
• Accessories such as shawls, stoles or shrugs work double duty by providing a little extra
warmth while concealing the arms, while scarves, turtlenecks or mock turtlenecks are just the
trick for covering up that jowl and neckline area.
Check out the many possible looks on our Sister House Pinterest boards.
Fashion Sense Transcends Age
You can create a wardrobe and style to accommodate fashions for middle aged women that
are still fun, exciting, and sexy without looking too young or out of step with the current trends.
It all boils down to finding simple, figure-flattering pieces that balance out the trendy styles
52
you’re dying to try. Here’sanother Pinterest board that demonstrates this point.
More tips?
1. Pairing tops and bottoms in the same color is a quick,
fool-proof formula for style. A monochromatic look is one of the
easiest ways to create style and opens up a simple piece for day
or night wear by changing the accessories.
2. One slim belt is all you need to refresh structured dresses, to
feminize tailored jackets and suits or to give flat-knit sweaters
worn over skirts or pants a hint of shape. Read All About Belts in
the Sister House Library
3. If you absolutely crave color, b uy classic red. It always looks in
style and brightens mature skin like a dash of blush. Read my
latest piece on the Iconic Red Dress
4. Update your eye glasses, whether they are prescription or just
reading glasses. Changing the style and or color of your eye
glass frames can instantly update your look and give you some
added flare.
5. Update your make up. As our skin changes, so does our need to change the way we do
our makeup. I recently changed my lipstick colors and it made a world of difference in
achieving a more youthful look.
6. Get your eyebrows shaped. Learning to how to shape, changing the shape or dusting a
small amount of colored powder on your eyebrows can completely change your face. See my
article here on Eyebrows Do Make a Difference.
And as you age, remember age is just a number. Many of the most beautiful women in the
world are over 50.
And while we’re all just hoping we live a life of longevity, one
supermodel is giving everyone a run for their money. Carmen
Dell’Orefice, 82, is featured in New You magazine’s spring
issue, transforming simple glam with an all-black look, killer
cheekbones and a fabulous wave of grey hair. I should look so
good at that age
53
Pencil Skirts for Every Shape
Yolanda Wikiel
Any body type can pull of the sleek cut of a pencil skirt with a few helpful pointers.
If Y ou Have an Hourglass Figure
Choose a slim, but not tight, fit that follows the
contours of the body. Opt for a style that hits at or
below the navel. “High-waisted skirts tend to
exaggerate the bust and shorten the torso,” says
Bridgette Raes, a style expert based in New York
City and the author of Style Rx ($11, amazon.com).
To try : The pronounced waistband of the James
Cov iello silk-blend skirt highlights a small waist,
while darting ensures an accurate fit through the
hips.
Wear it with: A close-fitting top, a nipped-in
jacket, or a tucked-in blouse to show off your slim
waistline.
If Y ou Have Full Hips and Thighs
Make sure the skirt tapers, but just a bit. “If it goes
straight down from the hips, y ou’ll resemble a
square. Too peggedand y ou’ll look like a
lightbulb,” says Raes. Pick a dark solid in a
substantial cotton or lightweight wool that has
som e stretch. (Av oid bulky wool, brocade, or
tweed.)
To try : This wool skirt by Brooks Brothers has a
roomy fit through the hips but gently tapers at the
hem. An acetate lining prevents clinging.
Wear it with: A tucked-in button-down or a
belted cardigan will emphasize the narrowest part
of the body. Aimee Wolpin-Evans, the wom en’s
design director for Brooks Brothers, likes to add
opaque tights in the sam e color as the skirt to
create a long, lean line.
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If Y ou Have a St raight Figure
Try a fitted, tapered cut in a pattern or a thick fabric
to make the bottom half look m ore curvy. “Create
the illusion of an hourglass figure with
em bellishm ents like a high waistband, pleats at the
hips, or a belt,” says Ricci DeMartino, a celebrity
stylist based in Los Angeles.
To try : The nubby tweed and the front patch
pockets of the formfitting Nine West wool skirt
“help build up the hip area,” says Raes.
Wear it with: A body -hugging turtleneck or a
peplumed jacket will help define the waist, says
DeMartino
If Y ou Have a Tummy
Select a style with a wide waistband to hold in the
stomach. Keep the m idsection free of eye-catching
details, even belt loops and pockets, says WolpinEvans.
To try : The wide waistband of this skirt by Eileen
Fisher streamlines the midsection. The stretchy
viscose blend provides just enough give through the
middle.
Wear it with: A hip-length flowy top. “Just make
sure to wear a fitted jacket over it. Otherwise you’ll
look bigger than you are,” warns Raes.
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How to Dress for Your Age (MTF Transgender / Crossdressing Tips)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lucille Sorella is a GG (genetic girl) who
teaches crossdressers, transsexuals, and transgender females how
to look, act, and feel like real women. Her goal is to help T-women
express their inner and outer femininity and increase their confidence
as women. She has a professional background in fashion, beauty,
dance, and natural healing and has been working with the
transgender community for the past 12 years. Her website is loaded
with useful information and is located at
http://www.flat2fem.com/index1.html .
You are never too young or too old to express your feminine self.
But that doesn’t mean you should ignore your age!
Dressing inappropriately for your age is a sure way to draw unwanted attention to
yourself.
The good news is that you can look feminine and beautiful at ANY age.
Here are some tips – specifically for crossdressers and transgender women – on
how to dress age-appropriately, no matter where you are in life.
Your 20s
20s: Style Inspiration
20s: Style Tips
Your 20s are a time to play with
trends and be adventurous. You’re
still discovering your style, so take
risks and have fun!
You’re not a teenager anymore.
Stay away from adolescent clothing
like midriff-baring tops, loud colors,
sequins, rhinestones, and skimpy
outfits.
Jenna Talackova
Taylor Swift
Blake Lively
You can get away with short skirts and body-baring styles, but be careful not to
cross the line from sexy to slutty. Good taste is a fashion DO at any age.
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Your 30s
30s: Style Inspiration
30s: Style Tips
Your 30s are the time to start
letting go of your wild past. You
can still have fun, but now’s the
time to add a touch of
sophistication to your look.
Dress less casually than you did in
your 20s and stop shopping in the
junior’s department.
Laverne Cox
Janet Mock
Jessica Alba
This is the perfect time to start
building a wardrobe of classics
while continuing to play with
trendy items.
Your 40s
40s: Style Inspiration
40s: Style Tips
40 is the new 30! However, that
doesn’t mean you should dress
exactly like someone 10 years
younger than you.
This is the age to start thinking
about dressing in more tailored
styles. Consider classic, clean
shapes in bold colors or prints for
added impact.
Candis Cayne
Jennifer Aniston Victoria Beckham
Go for simplicity rather than
complicated details. From now on,
your look should be clean, classy
and sophisticated.
There’s no reason to turn down
your sex appeal once you hit 40.
But instead of baring it all, show off
one part of your body and keep the
rest covered.
57
Your 50s
50s: Style Inspiration
50s: Style Tips
Now’s the time to start highlighting
your face instead of your body.
Classic styles and modest cuts are
your best friends.
It’s especially important to wear
clothes that fit well. Choose tailored
styles that skim your body instead of
clinging.
Kim Cattrall
Sharon Stone
Michelle Pfeiffer As you get older, your clothes should
get simpler. But simple doesn’t have
to mean boring! Accessorize with bold
jewelry, gorgeous bags, and great
shoes.
Your 60s and Beyond
60s and Beyond: Style Inspiration
60s and Beyond: Style Tips
By now you know yourself well and
are past trying to look like a 30-yearold.
Caitlyn Jenner
Diane Von
Furstenberg
Susan
Sarandon
NOW is the Perfect Time to Be Your Best
Femme Self!
The most important thing to know is that
you can look sexy, beautiful, and feminine
at any age. NOW is the perfect time to be
your best femme self, so let’s celebrate
your journey!
Love,
Lucille
Much like a woman in her 50s, it’s
best to stick to the classics, with lots
of interesting jewelry and other
accessories to liven up your face and
wardrobe.
Invest in good quality shoes,
handbags, and jewelry so you can
enjoy them through this decade and
beyond.
No matter how far past 60 you are,
you NEVER have to dress in frumpy
old lady clothes!
58
The History Of Breast Implants & Enlargement,
From Cobra Venom To Silicone Gel
J R THO RP E
Bolt-ons, boosters, boob jobs inflatables:
whatever you call breast implants, they 're
not exactly seen as a medical miracle, or
even a particularly dangerous procedure.
At least 300,000 women are estimated to
have had a breast implant procedure in
2014, and today 's surgeons emphasize a
"natural" look that doesn't look out of
place on the body. You can have them
inserted under the armpits to reduce
scarring, and you can choose from round
or "teardrop" shapes to suit your ribs and body. Today 's unhappy breast owners have
the most surgical choices they 'v e ever had — but their new bosoms have had a very long
and peculiar history.
Breast implants these days are seen as a surgical commonplace, and usually only make
the news when there's something ex traordinary about them — like the resourceful
woman in 2011 who attempted to smuggle cocaine in hers. But if the weirdest story
you'v e heard about breast implants concerns dramatic popping incidents, or
perhaps the "inflatable" ones that you can adjust using a hidden valve, sit tight: the
history of these babies is rife with invention, drama, and some very peculiar materials.
This is not for the queasy — but if you'd like to appreciate that your options for breast
enlargement do not include paraffin injections or implants made of ox cartilage,
this history of breast implants is for you.
59
1895: The First Breast Implant Surgery
Breast implants may be older than you think. The
first implant surgery was done all the way back
in 1 895 at the University of Heidelberg in Germany,
but it wasn't really for cosmetic purposes. The
doctor, Vincent Czerny, took fat from a female
patient's hip and implanted it into her breast, which
needed reconstruction after the removal of an
adenoma, or massive benign tumor.
So essentially the first "implant" wasn't for uniform
enlargement at all, but to reconstruct a breast after
devastating surgery. In his published account of the
surgery, which was successful, Czerny said it was to
"avoid asymmetry " — but the simple quest to make a woman feel more balanced after
surgery created a revolution.
1890s: Paraffin Injections
The first real foreign substance injected into breasts to make them bigger was probably,
horrifyingly enough, paraffin, which comes in both warm and soft versions and is
largely made up of petroleum jelly. Its use for boosting the size of bodily objects was
discovered by an Austrian surgeon, Robert Gesurny , who first used it on a soldier's testicle
to make it a healthier size. Inspired, he then went on to use it for breast enlargement
injections.
The problem? Paraffin has horrible affects on the body. Gesurny 's "formula" (one part
vaseline, three parts olive oil) and variations on it would look fine for several years, but
then everything would go catastrophically wrong. The paraffin could do everything from
forming a large, impenetrable lump tocreating an enorm ous ulcer or causing total blindness, and the patients would often need a total breast am putation to save their lives.
Interestingly, paraffinoma has had a bit of a resurgence in Turkey and India recently ...
in penises. People have been, unwisely, injecting it at hom e as a method of penile enlargement, understandably horrify ing their doctors. Word to the wise: don't do this.
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1915-1943: Everything From Ivory
To Ox Cartilage
According to Walter Peters and V ictor
Fornasier, in their history of breast augmentation for The Journal of Plastic Surgery in
2009, the period from the First to the Second
World Wars was rife with some very weird
experiments in breast implant surgery — and
the materials used will make your skin creep.
They recount that people used "ivory balls, glass balls, vegetable oils, mineral oil,
lanolin, beeswax, shellac, silk fabric, epoxy resin, ground rubber, ox cartilage, sponges,
sacs, rubber, goat’s milk, Teflon, soybean and peanut oil, and glazier’s putty."Y ep. It
was an age of innovation, but unsurprisingly none of these methods caught on, and
there was a serious rate of infection post-surgery.
1940-1950: Liquid Silicon Injections With Cobra Venom
There's ev idence that Japanese prostitutes after World War II attempted to cater to the
tastes of American soldiers by injecting their breasts with various substances, including
liquid silicon. Silicon at that time wasn't produced cleanly, and with other additives in
the process designed to "contain" the silicon inside the breasts — cobra venom or olive oil,
for instance — the results were, unsurprisingly, seriously horrible years later.
The serious worry with silicon in liquid form was that it broke apart, forming
granulomas that could then migrate basically anywhere in the body they chose. Liquid
silicone is still used — very rarely, in microscopic amounts, and only using medicalgrade silicone that's completely sterile — but it's seriously controversial and can have pretty
serious com plications, so feel a lot of sympathy for the women who had a bulk of it
swimming around their bodies.
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1958: Ivalon Sponges & Polyethylene
Tape Are Invented
The late '50s were a golden age for
breast implants — well, sort of. Inspired
by the pointy-breasted aesethic of the
decade, new ideas and inventions for
implant materials popped up rapidly, as
things discovered during World War II
became available for civ ilian use. One
was the Ivalon sponge, made of
polyviny l; another was polyethylene tape wound into a ball and encased in fabric or
more polyethylene. (Polyethylene only started being produced commercially in 1951.)
But while they were noticeably better than paraffin, in that they didn't gradually kill
you, they also weren't great for your breast appearance. After a year of cheerful
buoyancy, they went hard as rocks, and shrank your boobs — often by up to 25 percent.
Turns out their sponginess straight-up collapsed inside the breast. Ouch.
1962: First Silicon Breast Enlargement Surgery Tested — On A
Dog
Breast implants as we know them these days — silicon as a cohesive mass inside a kind
of "bag" — had their debut in the 1960s, developed by Doctor Thomas Cronin and his
colleague Frank Gerow (who reportedly got the idea after a plastic bag of blood felt
weirdly breast-like).
The breast implants were, unbelievably, first tested on a dog. Yep, the first owner of
silicon breasts was a dog named Esmerelda, who kindly test-ran them. She would have
kept them for longer, had she not started chewing the stitches after a few weeks. Poor
Esmerelda was otherwise unaffected by the procedure, apparently (I have my doubts).
The first person to have silicon breast implants was Texan Timmie Jean Lindsey, who
had approached a charity hospital to have some breast tattoos removed but instead
consented to becoming a world medical first. Lindsey, who's now 83, still has the
im plants today .
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1964: First Saline Implants
Saline implants — where saline solution was the chosen filler for the "bag" instead of
silicone — had their debut in 1964, when a French com pany produced them , as a hard
silicone bag that could be injected with saline. The big difference with saline implants
was that you had a choice: you could have them pre-filled before they were implanted,
or the surgeon could "fill" them once the bags had been put in, like they were pumping
air into a tire.
The real time for the saline implants to shine came in 1992, when the FDA issued a
massive m oratorium on all silicone-filled breast implants, worried about their possible
health risks, and eventually stopped companies from selling them altogether. Saline
implants picked up the slack, and 9 5 percent of all post-m oratorium implants were saline.
2006: Silicon Gel-Filled Implants Given
Approval by FDA
After over a decade out in the cold, silicon was
allowed back into breast implants in 2006 —
but in a new form. The FDA, after years of study
and experiments, finally allowed silicone gelfilled implants onto the U.S. market. They and
saline are now your two choices for modern
breast implant surgery.
Today 's silicone gel is designed to feel a bit like human fat: it's very thick, very sticky,
and classified as "semi-solid". It's actually the fifth generation of silicon implant — the
first was the one developed by Cronin and Gerow, and there were various innovations,
including more secure coatings, thicker gels and more natural shapes, along the way.
So what's next? We seem to be returning to the days of the "boob injection," as people
look for surgery-free methods of upping their cup size. An injection of the filler
Macrolane is meant to take a few hours, but the results only last 12 to 1 8 months.
There's been a bit of controversy about it, though:radiologists don't know how to treat
Macrolane-injected boobs if they need chemo.
It looks like, for the moment, implants are here to stay — but stay tuned for what they 'll
invent nex t to boost breasts to stratospheric sizes.
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From
The
Kitchen!
Turkish Chicken Thighs
Active time: 10 minutes | Total: 1 hour 40 minutes (including 1 hour of marinating)
The acidity of the yogurt helps tenderize the chicken and keep it moist. If you can’t find hot paprika,
substitute 2 teaspoons sweet paprika and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne.
8 bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 1/2 pounds total), skin removed, trimmed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons hot paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons dried mint
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Place chicken in a large bowl. Add lemon juice and toss to coat. Whisk yogurt, garlic, ginger, paprika,
mint and salt in a separate bowl. Pour the yogurt mixture over the chicken and stir to coat. Cover with
plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
2. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard
marinade). Place the chicken on a broiler rack and broil until browned on top, about 15 minutes. Reduce
oven temperature to 400°F and bake until the chicken is juicy and just cooked through, about 15 minutes
longer. (Thigh meat will appear dark pink, even when cooked through.) Serve immediately.
M akes 4 servings.
Per serving: 138 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 1 g mono); 82 mg cholesterol; 3 g carbohydrate; 21 g protein;
0 g fiber; 251 mg sodium; 312 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (20% daily value).
Note: Chicken thighs are higher in fat than other cuts, but have the benefit of full-flavored, juicy meat.
To minimize the fat, be sure to remove the skin and trim thighs thoroughly. For quick cooking, choose
boneless, skinless thighs. When slow-cooking, such as braising, bone-in thighs work best because they
will retain their moisture better. Two 2- to 3-ounce boneless thighs yield a 3-ounce cooked portion.
64
Tandoori Grilled Chicken
Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt
3 tablespoons garam masala
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 pita breads
Directions
1 Preheat grill for medium heat.
2 In a large bowl, mix yogurt and tandoori spice. Reserve 1/2 cup for basting. Add chicken to remaining sauce,
and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
3 Brush oil over grate to prevent sticking, and place chicken on the grill. Cook chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side,
basting with reserved yogurt marinade frequently. Serve hot.
Salsa Chicken
Seasoning chicken strips with McCormick® Taco
Seasoning Mix is a great way to spice up dinner.
Sweet and spicy Salsa Chicken is delicious served
with
rice
and
Directions
Ingredients
Serves: Makes 4 servings.
1 package McCormick® Taco Seasoning Mix
1 pound chicken tenders
2 tablespoons oil
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) no salt added diced tomatoes
1/3 cup apricot preserves
5 minsPrep time15 minsCook time
Place Seasoning Mix on plate or in plastic bag. Add chicken
tenders; toss to coat.
Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook
and stir 5 minutes or until chicken islightly browned.
Stir in tomatoes and preserves. Reduce heat to low; cover
and simmer 10 minutes. Serve over rice, if desired.
Cooking tip
Taste for Health Tip: Using McCormick® 30% Less
Sodium Taco Seasoning Mix saves 211mg sodium per
serving.
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Garlic Herb Seasoned Tilapia
Tilapia gets a coating of seasoned lemon butter before
broiling for a quick, easy and healthy dinner.
Directions
5 minsPrep time12 minsCook time
Ingredients
Serves: Makes 4 servings.
Mix butter, lemon juice, Seasoning, onion powder and pepper in
small bowl until well blended.
Place fish on broiler pan. Brush butter mixture over fish.
Broil 10 to 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Cooking tip
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Test Kitchen Tip: Substitute red snapper, striped bass,
1 1/2 teaspoonsMcCormick® Perfect Pinch®
flounder or sole for the tilapia.
Salt Free Garlic & Herb Seasoning
1 teaspoon McCormick® Onion Powder
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Black Pepper, Ground
1 pound tilapia fillets
Crockpot Pork Roast }only 5 ingredients
Author: Le igh Anne
W ilkes
Re cipe type: Main Dish
Se rves: 8 se rvings
Ingredients
2 large sweet o nions, sliced
1 5-6 l b. pork sho uld r oast
2 Tbsp McCormick Grill Mates Backy ard Brick Ove n
Seasoning (garlic, ore gano, red pepper blend)
1 tsp salt
2 C of c hicken broth
Instructions
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
7 hours
Total time
7 hours 15 mins
Grease a 6 qt. slow cooker with cooki ng spr ay.
Place onio ns in bottom of cooker.
Rub pork with seasoning bl end and salt.
Place on top of oni ons. Po ur br oth over r oast.
Cover a nd coo k o n high for 6-7 ho urs or l ow for 9-10 or until meat pulls apart
easily with a fork.
Remove fr om crockpot and shred meat. Remove any large pieces of fat.
Save some o f the juice to spoo n ov er pork when servi ng.
66
How to Cook Basically Anything in Your Crock Pot
Food52 on Yahoo
Picture this: You throw everything into a pot.
Then it’s off to go run errands or even go to
work for the day. Hours later, y ou unlock the
door, and return to a perfectly cooked dish. This
can happen for m ost traditional recipes—
because they can be adapted for a slow cooker.
Don’t believe us? Read on to this refreshed post
to see.
Selecting a recipe.
Look for buzz words like braised or slowroasted or soups or stews. Most recipes that
require finishing in the ov en or any sort of baking make for great slow cooker candidates.
That being said, y ou really can make anything in a slow cooker: y ogurt,pulled pork, chicken
broth, and chili. Get creative and experim ent with y our fav orite recipes, while following a
few simple guidelines.
Survey your slow cooker.
What size is it?
Slow cookers com e in a range of sizes, ranging anywhere from 1 to 7 quarts. Take note of the
pot size when selecting quantities of ingredients and to avoid pot overflow.
Does it have hot spots?
In many slow cookers, the back side tends to be hotter. If this is the case, line the back with
an aluminum foil collar for an added layer of protection.
Prep your ingredients.
As always, make sure to chop all y our
ingredients uniformly, so that they cook ev enly.
Meat: You can use any type or cut of m eat;
however, tougher, cheaper cuts of m eat work
best. We recomm end browning m eat and
draining away excess fat prior to adding to to
slow cooker.
Chicken: Be wary of the cut of meat you are
using; for instance, boneless chicken breasts
take 2 to 3 hours and bone-in chicken breasts
take 3 to 4 hours. The best cuts of chicken to use are chicken thighs, bone-in breasts, or
drum sticks, and wings, as opposed to boneless cuts.
Vegetables: Fresh will turn out better than frozen.
67
Rice: Look for precooked or parboiled rice. In their cookbook solely dedicated to slow cooker
recipes, America’s Test Kitchen recomm ends buying precooked rice.
Aromatics: Sauteing onions and garlic prior to adding will help bring out the flav or.
Strategically place your
ingredients in the pot.
For soups and stews, put vegetables on the
bottom and sides of the slow cooker and place
m eat on top.
Add your liquid.
Any liquid required for a recipe should be
halved; for m ost (non-soup or stew) recipes,
1 cup of liquid is enough (and make sure to
season in proportion with your reduced
liquid). Alternatively, if a recipe does not call
for any liquid, add at least ½ a cup of water
or broth. If y ou’ve accidentally added too
much liquid, sim ply leave the top of the slow
cooker off and let it evaporate.
Regardless of t he sequence in the
original recipe, add t hese ingredient s in the final 30 minut es of cooking:
Herbs and spices: reduce the am ount of seasoning or use whole herbs
Dairy: be careful, as dairy can separate
Quick cooking vegetables like peas, corn or greens
Rice and pasta
Seafood
Cooking Time
If y our recipe requires a certain am ount of time in the ov en, it will require a longer cooking
time in the crock pot. As a general rule, 1 hour of cooking at 350 ° F equals 6 to 8 hours on a
low setting or 4 to 6 hours on high.
Here is a chart to help y our conversions:
St ove/Oven Cook Time
A) 15 to 30 m inutes
B) 3 5 to 4 5 minutes
C) 50 m inutes to 3 hours
Slow Cooker (Low)
A) 4 to 6 hours
68
B) 6 to 10 hours
C) 8 to 12 hours
Slow Cooker (High)
A) 1.5 to 2 .5 hours
B) 3 to 4 hours
C) 4 to 6 hours
Pract ice safe slow cooking!
Bacteria grows ov er tim e and likes lower temperature environm ents. Cooks Illustratedsays
the key is to get the tem perature up to and past 140° F (the temperature in which bacteria
cannot grow) as quickly as possible. Be sure to use a therm om eter when applicable.
1 4 KIT C H EN H AC K S E VE RY O NE W H O C O OK S
S H O U L D K NO W
Knowing your way around a kitchen
doesn't have to take years of practice.
These simple hacks can make life in the
kitchen easier and more enjoyable for
anyone from a professional chef to a first
time cook.
C UT T I N G T O M AT O ES
Q U I C K LY
Place the tomatoes between two plates.
Press down on the top plate to keep the
tomatoes in place and then slice across.
69
F R E E Z I NG FR E S H H ER B S
Herbs can easily be stored for later use by
placing them with olive oil in ice cube trays
and freezing. You can chop the herbs first or
add them in larger sprigs.
Hard herbs like rosemary, thyme and
oregano work best. When you're ready to
cook, just pop the cubes out and melt the oil
in your pan.
F O O D ST U C K ON PAN S
An easy fix to remove stubborn
burnt-on foods is to dribble a bit of
dishwashing liquid into the pan, add
hot water and then bring to a boil on
the stovetop.
This also works great with cast iron
pots and pans but just make sure to
leave out the dishwashing liquid for
these and use plain water instead.
Q U I C K LY R IP EN
B AN AN AS
You can ripen a banana faster by placing
it in a brown paper bag, but if you simply
can't wait pop the bananas in a 300
degree oven and bake for 30-40 minutes.
T RI M T H E FAT
To remove the layer of fat that rises to
the top in stews and sauces wrap an ice
cube in a paper towel and skim it along
the top. The fat will solidify from the ice
making it easier to scoop out with a
spoon.
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T O O M U C H S ALT
To fix soup that's oversalted, place a couple
of slices of potato for the last 10 minutes of
cook time. The potato will absorb any
excess salt. Discard the potatoes after
cooking.
K E E P CUT AP P L E S
F R O M T U RN I N G
BROWN
Apples begin to brown once the fleshy
insides are exposed to air. To prevent
this from happening drop the fruit into
a bowl of acidic liquid such as lemon or
vinegar.
S T U B B O RN T OM AT O
P EE L S
Core the tomatoes then pop them into
boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove and
plunge them into cold water. The peel will
slide right off.
71
T EST I N G EG G S F O R
F R E S H N ES S
Place the whole egg in a shallow glass
of water. Fresh eggs will sink to the
bottom and lie flat. An egg that’s
about a week old will bob slightly in
the water.
A three week old egg will stand on its
end and a rotten egg will float right at
the top.
J U I C Y L E M O NS AN D
LIMES
To get the most juice out of lemons and
limes, keep them at room temperature.
Or you can pop them in the microwave
for 10 to 20 seconds before juicing.
A warm fruit will release more juice.
Q U I C K S O AK Y O UR
B E AN S
Unsoaked beans are not easy for our
bodies to digest but soaking overnight can
be a pain. For a quick soak, place beans
in boiling water. Boil for two minutes and
then turn the heat off and let them sit for
an hour to get the same results as
overnight soaking.
72
N O B RO W N AVO C AD O S
To prevent that browning that occurs
with avocados, brush the exposed flesh
with olive or lemon juice. You can also
chop a red onion and place in a
container with the avocado, peel side
down on top of the onion to store.
K E EP I N G B RO W N
S U G AR S O FT
To prevent brown sugar from hardening
into an unusable lump, place a ribbon of
orange peel in with the sugar and seal in
a plastic bag. A wedge of apple or slice
of bread will soften up sugar that’s
already hardened.
R E U S E C O F FE E
GROUNDS
Don't throw away your coffee grounds
after using if you have houseplants.
Plants like roses, tomato, strawberry
and blueberry love the nutrients
found in coffee and will thank you for
the extra boost.
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There’s Now A Yelp To Help Trans People Find A Doctor
A new Yelp-inspired database of
trans health care resources may
help break challenging barriers
that trans patients regularly face
in the doctor’s office. The Referral
Aggregator Database (RAD)
Remedy, launched in June, now
has nearly 2,000 resources
submitted by providers,
community organizations and
patients across the country.
Like Yelp, users can add reviews
to doctors or clinics based on their
visits. Unlike Yelp, however, this
service doesn’t just act as a handy consumer resource. It’s one of the few comprehensive care
guides for a population in dire need of informed health care providers.
For now, RAD is focusing on rural areas that lack diverse trans health options that are more
available in urban settings.
“We have resources in each state to make sure everyone is reached,” said Bre Kidman, a
member of RAD Remedy’s board of directors. “And volunteers are always adding new
information.”
On RAD Remedy’s site, which is currently in beta testing, users can search for specific care
geared toward their age, gender identity, sexuality, or defining experience (“undocumented” or
“survivors of abuse,” for example) — and filter by specific payment or insurance options. \
And it’s not just a source for basic health services, users can find yoga classes, housing
options, massage studios and other extra services that are both welcome and specifically
geared toward the trans community. The organization is fundraising to grow its database and
improve functionality, and has a long-term goal of providing on-site training for providers across
the country.
74
How to Maximize Your Closet Space
Ten easy ways to make more room for your wardrobe.
By Sarah Yang
If y ou’re discouraged by a small closet, take heart: There are plenty of ways to make your
space m ore streamlined and organized—and even make it seem bigger. With the right
organizing products, a few decorating tricks, anda little patience, y ou might find that tiny
closet is actually just right. (Major bonus: these ideas won’t cost a fortune.) Here, three experts
open the doors.
1. Throw Out Clothes That Don’t Fit
After tossing the pieces you no longer wear or haven’t used in a
year—and the ones that long ago went out of style—zero in on
the clothes that are too tight. “People think hanging on to
smaller sizes will inspire them to lose weight, but you can only
wear the size that fits you right now—y ou never change a size
ov ernight,” says Julie Morgenstern, a professional organizer and
author ofOrganizing from the I nside Out. If y ou have diet plans,
store y our tighter clothes elsewhere and put them back after y ou
reach your goals—the act of swapping out larger sizes for smaller
ones m ight even make you feel m ore accomplished.
2. Remove the Clutter…
…which sometimes m eans m ore than clothes, shoes, and accessories. “Rem ove those plastic
cov erings that com e with y our dry cleaning,” says Lisa Zaslow, an organization and productivity
expert and owner of Gotham Organizers. “They actually don’t protect y our clothes because they
trap the dry cleaning chemicals. It’s also shocking how much space they take up.” Since you
want to maximize every last bit of space, opt for thinner hangers and rem ove excessive am ounts
of empty ones, while leaving just a handful in one spot so they'r e easy to find and use. You
might be tempted to try stacking or “cascading” hangers, but they can be hard to maintain.
Before you invest in this type of product, make sure you can easily grab clothes from them.
3. Remember the Floor Space
“If y ou have lots of long-hanging clothes, the whole bottom of the
closet can becom e a no man’s land,” says Morgenstern. “Group
your short-hanging pieces at one end of the closet and your longer
-hanging clothes at the other—that will open up lots of floor space,
where y ou can place a little dresser or a stacking shoe rack.”
75
4. Add Lighting
If looking into your closet is like staring into the abyss, illuminate it. “Just having m ore light in
the closet will make it seem bigger,” says Zaslow. Swap out y our normal rod for anLED closet
rod, which is m otion activated and battery -operated.
5. Make Use of the Upper Shelf
Sure, y ou can stack storage bins on the upper shelf, but
consider a shelf divider, which turns the space into little
cubbies so clothes and accessories are easy to see and grab.
“You can use them to separate stacks of folded clothing, so that
they don’t topple into each other and create a big mess,”
Morgenstern says. “Or, they can keep your handbags upright
and accessible.”
6. Hang a Mirror or Two
“Mirrors are a great way to create the illusion of a bigger
closet, whether they’re attached to the door or inside,” says
Lisa Adam s, owner of LA Closet Design. “They make the closet
feel like it extends beyond the walls.”
7. Paint It a Lighter Color
A fresh coat of paint is an inexpensive way to add the illusion
of space. “I’d get a durable paint, such as one with a satin or
gloss finish, because the walls will get som e wear and tear from
clothes and shoes,” says Zaslow. “A light color—like white, light
yellow, or pale pink—can make everything seem cleaner and
brighter.” Brighter hues can also make a tiny spot seem m ore
open and airy.
8. Don’t Count Out Corners
“Corners are, too often, awkward and wasted,” says Adam s. “By adding corner shelves or
hanging rods y ou can really maxim ize that space.”
76
9. Use the Doors
“Hang hooks to store handbags, loungewear, pajamas,
scarves or belts on the inside of y our closet door,” says
Morgenstern. “Or, line the door with corkboard to hang your
jewelry on.” If y ou have sliding doors, it can be hard to find
things because a door is always blocking a portion of the
space. Try som e DIY projects to make your closet m ore
accessible: “If y ou own your place, you can replace them with
two doors that pull out or bifold doors," says Zaslow.
10. Maintain the Space
“If y ou’ve maximized y our space and are at capacity, you should probably let som ething go
whenever you bring som ething new in,” says Zaslow. “If y ou’v e left a little room to grow, do
som e seasonal reorganization and put away clothes that y ou’re not going to be wearing during
those m onths.”
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81
The Gossip Fence
Transgender In The News
US states to see more anti-LGBT 'religious freedom' bills in 2016, rights group warns
Anti-LGBT billslikely to be considered in at least 27 statesin the United States this year, the Human Rights Campaign
says in a new report previewing state and local legislative battles for the year ahead. It noted in the report that many of
the more than 115 anti-LGBT bills introduced in at least 31 stateslast year are still pending while new anti-equality bills
may be introduced in other states.
‘2016 will prove a critical year for the fight for LGBT equality in states across the country,’ said HRC President Chad
Griffin.
In 2016, HRCexpectsmore than two dozen state legislatures to consider anti-equality measures. These include
legislatures in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South
Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
The Preview 2016 report says the largest number of anti-LGBT billsintroduced in 2015 were aimed to authorize
individuals, businesses, and taxpayer-funded agencies to cite religion as a reason to refuse goods or services to LGBT
people.
Alabama, the Carolinas and Texas saw proposals that included legislative attacks that sought to allow individuals,
businesses, and government employees to refuse goods and services related to same-sex marriages. In Florida,
Michigan, Mississippi and elsewhere, lawmakers proposed allowing adoption and foster care agencies to discriminate
against LGBT prospective parents.
Other anti-LGBT billslast year sought to restrict transgender people from accessing bathrooms, to eliminate the ability
of local governments to protect LGBT residentsand visitors, and even to promote the dangerous and discredited
practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy.’
On the positive side, efforts to pass pro-equalitylegislation at the state level are expected to continue in 2016. There are
campaigns in many states including Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio and Pennsylvania to
amend existing state anti-discrimination laws to protect against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and
gender identity. Lawmakers in Massachusetts will continue trying to pass a bill to add gender identityprotections to
existing state laws that already include protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in public
accommodations.
In states where there are pro-equality legislative majorities and existing state-level protectionsagainst anti-LGBT
discrimination, the HRC says it expects to see increased focuson bills to address bullying in schools, protect youth from
so-called ‘conversion therapy,’ simplify name and gender marker changes on identity documents, and require LGBT
cultural competency training for medical and social service providers.
(UK) Attacks increase on gay and transgender people
Attacks on gay and transgender people in the West Midlands have rocketed to more than one assault everyday. Data
released under a Freedom of Information request showsa 20 per cent spike in anti-gay and transphobic hate crimes last
year to an average of more than 30 attacks per month.
“Homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crimes are some of the most under-reported crimes in the UK and we
would alwaysurge victims to report attacks to the police.”
82
In one particularly bad month, June last year, there were a shocking 43 homophobic attacks. There were eight attacks
on victimsunder the age of 16, with one victim as young as 10 suffering from anti-gay abuse. The data also records a
71-year-old victim reporting homophobic abuse to the police.
A West MidlandsPolice spokesman said: “Hate crimes cause a great deal of fear among victims and damage
communities. “While we are committed to reducing hate crime, it is vital we close the gap of under-reporting.
“It is for this reason that we urge victimsand witnesses to use the True Vision website and to continue to come forward
so we can bring the perpetrators to justice.”
After a historic year for LGBT rights in US, 2016 may see backlash and complacency
To call 2015 a historic year for LGBT rightsin the US would be, to many, an understatement.
It was the year that transgender people were finally allowed to serve openly in the military. It was the year Caitlyn
Jenner became the face of public transgender acceptance. And it was the year that the supreme court made marriage a
right for all sexual orientations under the US constitution. But advocates caution that these victories were the beginning
of a very long and fraught path to LGBT equality, not the end.
“Without question, 2015 was a banner year for LGBT Americans,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO and president of the
LGBT media watchdog group GLAAD. “But marriage equalityis a benchmark, it is not a finish line.”
In the coming year, LGBT advocates expect to face even greater backlash to these victories, paired with a dangerous
sense of complacency.
Already in 2015, the backlash was evident. Kim Davis, the clerkin Kentucky who refused to issue marriage licenses was
nominated for Time magazine’sperson of the year. In Houston, Texas, sweeping legislation that would have barred all
types of discrimination was rejected when it was rebranded as a bill to allow transgender people in bathrooms. Since
then, Tennessee has proposed a “bathroom bill” to explicitly bar transgender bathroom use.
“[Next year] the fear-mongering will continue,” Ellis said. “And we must redouble our efforts to thwart their fear tactics
and move acceptance forward.”
“Soon, GLAAD will release a new study that reveals startling rates of complacency in this country,” Ellis said, “showing
that many Americans think that we’ve already crossed the finish line for LGBT equality and acceptance.”
This report is expected in mid-January of next year, and organizations plan to use it to invigorate the country to continue
the fight for full equality.
While 2015 may have been a “banner year” for some, for othersit was a year of historic mourning with at least 22
transgender and gender non-conforming people murdered.
The congressional LGBT equality caucus in part acknowledged the issue by holding the first-ever congressional hearing
on transgender violence. The caucus alsocame out against the recent one-year abstinence policy the Food and Drug
Administration implemented after ending its lifelong ban of gay and bisexual blood donors. And members of Congress
introduced a bill in 2015 that would update the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to fully protect people based on gender and
sexual orientation under a new Equality Act.
“2016 is going to be all about moving the ball forward to achieve full legal and societal equality for LGBT people,” the
executive director of the US congressional LGBT equality caucus, Roddy Flynn, told the Guardian. “With all of our
successes in 2016, we were also constantly reminded of how much there is left to do.”
Anti-trans measure won’t qualify for Calif. 2016 ballot
A social conservative group seeking to place an anti-transgender initiative on the 2016 California ballot
announced Monday it failed to collect enough signatures by the deadline to make it happen.
The initiative, dubbed the “Personal Privacy Protection Act,” sought to prohibit transgender people from using restrooms
in government buildings consistent with their gender identity and would have allowed businesses to do the same.
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The anti-trans coalition, known asPrivacy for All, needed to submit 365,880 signatures byMonday to qualify the
measure for the ballot. No where in the organization’s statement doesit say how many signatures it did collect. The
coalition is supported by the Sacramento-based Pacific Justice Institute and other groups in California that passed
Proposition 8 to ban same-sex marriage in the state.
“This initiative was a poorly veiled attackon transgender people that sought to undermine that freedom and single out
for harassment anyone who doesn’t meet stereotypes of what it looks like to be male or female,” Hayashi said. “Today
Californians have made clear these typesof discriminatory attacks on transgender people and our families, communities, and neighborhoodshave no place in our state.”
Had enough signatures been submitted for the 2016 deadline, transgender advocates feared another battle at the
statewide level in California similar to the recent fight in Houston over an LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance
that failed at the ballot. During the campaign in Houston, anti-trans forces ran ads stoking fears about transgender
people using the public restroom consistent with their gender identity.
To improve transgender awareness and understanding in preparation for future attacks, Equality California and the
Transgender Law Center are leading a separate statewide public education campaign to combat widespread public
misunderstanding about transgender and gender nonconforming people.
Illinois takes steps with new laws to protect transgender community
Regardless of the lack of a budget in Illinois, those elected to represent the people of the State have not been sitting on
their hands. With bipartisan majorities, including support from Republican leaders in both the Illinois House and
Senate, January 1st, 2016 will bring three new laws to the State that mark a significant move forward in protections for
the Transgender community.
The first law, HB 0217/PA 99-0411 titled the Youth Mental Health Protection Act, prohibits gay conversation therapy
and referring to homosexuality asan illness when advertising conversion therapy services. Illinois statesin the act that it
“hasa compelling interest in protecting the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender youth.”
The Youth Mental Health Protection Act states that a mental health provider that attempts to use conversation therapy
on a person under the age of 18 may be subject to disciplinary action by the licensing entity which could result in the
suspension or loss of the providers license due to the unprofessional conduct.
On July 20th, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed into law PublicAct 99-0077, an enhanced Hate Crimes statute. For
the first time, gender identity is expressly protected. The passage amends the Criminal Code of 2012 and the Unified
Code of Correctionsby moving away from the meaning of “sexual orientation” referring to only heterosexuality,
homosexuality or bisexuality and now ascribes to the language used in the Illinois Humans RightsAct, which includes
gender identity. The Act also includesprovisions to increase the penalty for persons who knowing and willfully commit
vandalism against organizations and institutions who serve the LGBT community.
The third law that takes affect at the first of the year isone that many people don't think about but corrects something
that worries many transgender individuals. “What will happen to me after I die?” is a question that hauntsmanyin the
community due to no immediate family or fractured family relations. Many transgender men and woman across the
country and globe have had their true identity striped away from them after their death.
The sudden death of Jennifer Gablesin 2014 isjust one of countless examples of the lack of dignity that is shown to
transgender people. Though Jennifer had legally changed her name and gone through transition-related medical care,
Jennifer's friends were shocked to discover that her family, who she was estranged from for some time, cut her hair,
dressed her in a man's suit and buried her under her birth name. No mention of the life Jennifer had after transition was
ever mentioned in her obituary or funeral service.
On January 1st, transgender individualsin the State of Illinois will now be protected from this sort of indignity. House Bill
3552 wasintroduced to amend the Disposition of Remains Act so that a person'slast instructions regarding their gender
identity must be respect by funeral directors. Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-39th District – Chicago) and Sen. William Delgado
(D - 2nd District - Chicago) were the chief sponsors of the bill that went on to pass unanimouslyin the Senate. The bill
passed the House with 79 to 34 bi-partisan approval.
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More Than Tw o-Thirds of Residents in Every State Support Transgender-Inclusive Employment Protections
LOS ANGELES — A majorityof people in every state supportsprotecting transgender people from employment
discrimination even though not every state has such laws, according to a new study by researchers at the Williams
Institute at UCLA School of Law published in Research and Politics.
The study, titled “Transgender Inclusion in State Non-Discrimination Policies: The Democratic Deficit and Political
Powerlessness,” examines whether state laws reflect public support for laws that protect transgender people from
employment discrimination. The researchers found that states are slow to pass such lawsdespite a clear consensus.
Previous studies find that transgender people face disproportionate amounts of workplace discrimination. Passing
statewide non-discrimination lawsmay be one way to reduce these rates.
Key findings from the report include:
• More than two-thirdsof residentsin every state support transgender-inclusive employment non-discrimination laws.
Percentages range from 68 percent in Oklahoma to 87 percent in Maryland. Nationally, more than three-fourths of
Americans currently support such laws.
• Even with thishigh level of support, most states have not passed transgender-inclusive non-discrimination laws.On
average, 81 percent of residentsneed to support such a law before it is likely to be passed, the studypredicts.
• However, three statesare at or above that level of support and do not have transgender-inclusive laws (New York,
Pennsylvania and New Hampshire).
• Ten statesare within 5 percentage points (Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina,
Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin).
• Such lawsare more likely to pass when Democrats are the majority in state legislatures.
“The attitudes people hold about minoritiesgreatly affect the policy discussions relating to minority rights,” said Andrew
R. Flores, Public Opinion and Policy Fellow at the Williams Institute. “But a disconnect between public opinion and policy
may suggest that some minoritiesare politically disadvantaged in the lawmaking process.
All New York City single occupancy bathrooms now required to be gender neutral
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration issued a report last week explaining how they will interpret a 2002
civil rightslaw to accomodate transgender people. The New York Commission on Human Rightsdocument explains the
way the city will enforce the law.
One of the biggest changes listed is the requirement that all single occupancy bathroomsbe clearlymarked as gender
neutral. Several other cities have similar bans on sex segregated restroomsunless they are meant for multiple people at
a time.
The law explicitly states that it is illegal to deny a transgender person access to bathrooms, locker rooms, and other
single-sex facilities. It also requires police, employers, and landlords to use a person’s pronoun and name of choice
regardless of the name and gender marker on their identification.
“The [New York Civil Rights Law] requires that individualsbe permitted to use single-sex facilities, such as bathrooms or
locker rooms, and participate in single-sex programs, consistent with their gender, regardless of their sex assigned at
birth, anatomy, medical history, appearance, or the sex indicated on their identification,” the document reads. “The law
does not require entities to make existing bathroomsall-gender or construct additional restrooms. Covered entities [such
as landlords, city agencies, and employees] that have single-occupancy restrooms should make clear that they can be
used by people of all genders.”
New York City unveils new rules on gender discrimination
NEW YORK — NewYork City’shuman rights commission is rolling out new enforcement guidelines that could lead to
fines for business owners, landlords and employers who discriminate against people based on their perceived gender
identity.
The new guidelines, to be released by New York City’s Commission on Human Rights on Monday afternoon, are aimed
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at making it clear that the city’s gender discrimination law also applies to discrimination against people who identify as
transgender and those who consider themselvesgender non-conforming. The guidelines were provided to The
Associated Press ahead of the official release.
Those caught violating the city’s human rights law could be fined up to $250,000 if officials can prove the violations were
based on willful or malicious conduct. Under the city’s human rights law, it isillegal to treat someone “less well than
others” because of their gender. It also is unlawful for an employer to refuse to hire or promote people who identify as
transgender and illegal to fire or give different work assignment or benefits to someone because of their gender.
The guidelines also warn that businesses cannot enforce rulesabout dress codes, uniformsor grooming standards that
are different because of sex or gender. For example, officials said it isillegal to require employees of one gender to
wear a uniform or to require men to wear ties in order to dine at a restaurant.
(UK) Adults to get the legal right to choose if they are a man or a w oman as new law will end tortuous process
to change gender
Transgender men and women are to be given the right to choose their legal gender under proposals that would
streamline the gender reassignment process. The proposals, based on a report carried out bya committee of MPs,
would allow people to change gender by filling out an application form.
It would be a vast change to the current procedure which makes those who want to change gender have to endure
years of psychiatric evaluations and undergo a hearing before a judge.
At present, transgender people are required to prove that they have body dysphoria and have lived in their gender for
two years before they opt to swap,The SundayTimes, reports.
Britain and the majority of countries in Europe require transgender people to undergo surgery and sterilisation, be
diagnosed with a mental disorder and get divorced if married in order to have their desired gender legally
recognised. Last year, Denmark became the first European country to allow transgender people to self-determine their
legal gender, from the age of 18.
If a new law is put in place, it would follow Ireland'slead which already tookbold steps to change its law on gender.
Statue to pay tribute to transgender victims of violence
A life-size statue dedicated to victimsof violence against transgender people has been commissioned for the
Transgender Day of Remembrance in Palm Springs. The Transgender Community Coalition has hired Heath Satow, a
LosAngeles-based artist, to create the tribute for the annual vigil remembering communitymembers killed across the
country every year.
Thomi Clinton, activist and coalition director, said the statue is intended to raise awareness around violence and
discrimination the community encounters. “Transpeople have a history of being oppressed and hurt,” Clinton said. “The
statue represents the struggles, the hardships, and the victimization the trans community faces.”
The original iteration of the transgender sculpture illustrates a life-size figure, made of steel butterflies, lying on its side.
Where exactly the statue will find a permanent home in Palm Springs is still to be determined.
Researchers say anti-trans laws promote abuse
WASHINGTON — A policy brief released this week by the Fenway Institute and the Center for American Progress
examines controversial state and local legislation that would prevent transgender people from using gendered public
facilities, such as restrooms or locker rooms, that align with their gender identity.
The brief debunks myths about safety concerns regarding the use of these spacesby people who are transgender and
describes negative outcomes that these bills could cause. It also calls on states to pass laws that protect the rights of all
Americans to access public accommodations regardless of gender identity.
”A Texas bill would make it a felony for transgender people to use public restrooms consistent with their gender identity
and would place responsibility for enforcement with those who operate the public restroom,” said Tim Wang, LGBT
Health Policy Analyst at the Fenway Institute and lead author of the brief. “Preventing people who are transgender from
accessing public restrooms consistent with their gender identity could promote abuse and discrimination.”
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In 2015, the state legislatures of Texas, Kentucky, Florida, Minnesota and Missouri all considered bills restricting access
of transgender people to public bathrooms and locker rooms. More recently, Houston repealed an equal rights
ordinance that banned discrimination on the basis of gender identity, among other protected categories. This new wave
of anti-transgenderlegislation followshistorical precedents of using legislation to pre-empt or invalidate laws or ordinances that provide equal rights and protection from discrimination to LGB people.
Proponents of the anti-transgender bathroom bills argue that they are common-sense policy measures to prevent
transgender people from sexually harassing other people in public bathrooms. However, there are no data showing that
allowing people who are transgender to use public restrooms that align with their gender identity will lead to an increase
in sexual harassment or abuse of the other people using the facilities, the Fenway press release said.
Singular ‘they’ voted as Word of the Year
‘They’ was voted the Word of the Year 2015, by over 300 linguists, lexicographers and grammarianson Friday.
Having been used for hundredsof years to describe someone of unknown gender. Its usage to include people who do
not identify as one of the binary genders, or those who do not wish to be identified as so, hasincreased recently.
“There has been a lot of discussion lately about pronounsand people taking on their own pronouns, making that a
matter of choice,” said Ben Zimmer, chair of the American Dialect Society’s new words committee, in a new interview
with the Business Insider. Zimmer notes that media outlets have adopted the use of they to denote those who are not
identifiable using ‘he’ or ‘she’.
The gender neutral title, Mx was among the latest list to enter into the Oxford English Dictionary last year.
The free online dictionary – created by the publishers of the esteemed Oxford English Dictionary – added the words
during itsquarterly update today (August 27). Mx isdefined in the dictionaryas “n: a title used before a person’s
surname by those who wish to avoid specifying their gender.”
In new trend, courts see anti-gay bias as gender discrimination
LGBT people lackexplicit protectionsin federal law against discrimination, but a growing number of courts are
determining anti-gay discrimination constitutes gender discrimination under current law.
U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson, a Clinton appointee, found in a 22-page ruling discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation and discrimination on the basisof gender are one and the same.
“After further briefing and argument, the Court concludes that the distinction is illusory and artificial, and that sexual
orientation discrimination is not a category distinct from sex or gender discrimination,” Pregerson writes. “Thus, claimsof
discrimination based on sexual orientation are covered by Title VII and IX, but not asa category of independent claims
separate from sex and gender stereotype. Rather, claims of sexual orientation discrimination are gender stereotype or
sex discrimination claims.”
Texas issuing new birth certificates for trans people
Texas began giving trans people the option of sealing their old birth certificates and issuing new ones, according to
Dallasattorney Katie Sprinkle.
Previously, Texas issued amended certificatesand those were only issued with a surgeon’sletter. Now, Texasis
sealing old records and issuing newbirth certificates with a court order. That makes getting accurate documents earlier
in the transition process possible.
The change is part of the Texasmarriage equality ruling. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ordered Attorney General
Ken Paxton and the Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics to issue corrected death certificates for same-sex couples
acknowledging their relationship as “spouse” rather than significant other.” That affected inheritance.
As part of that motion filed by a Conroe, Texas gay man, Garcia asked the attorney if Texas was treating LGBT people
differently than straight people on other documents. The attorney said birth certificates needed to be addressed. As part
of its update of birth certificates reflecting both adoptive parents or parents who used a surrogate, Texas updated its
policy on reissuing birth certificates to transmen and women.
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Since a court order can be used to prove a couple are both the parents of a child and should both be on a birth
certificate, a court order will suffice for a trans person to use to get a new birth certificate reissued. And since the original birth certificate in an adoption is sealed, the original birth certificate for a trans person will also be sealed. To get the
original birth certificate unsealed will take another court order, Sprinkle said.
She said trans parents need to update their children’s birth certificates to get the parents’ names correct. Since Texas
updated its rules, parents can be listed asmother and father or parent 1 and parent 2.
Sprinkle said she’s seen vital statistics take four to six weeks to issue new birth certificates, but because of demand, that
time maybe even longer.
Report: Anti-LGBT groups use old claims for new tricks
Social conservative activists are recycling old rhetoric used against the gay community to argue their opposition to
transgender rights, according to a new report from Media Matters.
These groups use the arguments that trans rightsare a “slippery slope” that infringes on “religious freedom” and are a
“treat to kids,” the same “myths and fearmongering tactics” used against gay rights for over a decade, the publication
says.
Similarly, Citizens for Community Values, a social conservative group tied with the Family Research Council and
American Family Association, has called transgender rights a slippery slope that will lead to a refusal to “recognize
gender under the law.”
What Media Matters calls “baseless concerns about religiousliberty”include the Liberty Counsel’s threat to sue a
Wisconsin school if they scheduled a reading of the transgender-themed book “I Am Jazz.”
Perhapsmost damning, these tactics have also used concernsabout the safety of children. In the same way that antigay activists accused gaymen of being more likely to engage in pedophilia, opponents of trans rights have successfully
tied trans rights to arguments that men will sexually assault young girlsin restrooms.
But these myths aren’t new — and journalists should recognize that the talking pointsbeing used to attack transgender
equality are the same bogus, recycled attacks that anti-LGBT groups have been peddling against gay people for years.
HHS New Tool Makes It Easier for Transgender Patients to Find ACA Coverage They Need
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) added a new page to HealthCare.gov directly addressing issues
facing transgender people accessing health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
This page provides consumers with guidance regarding successful application for marketplace coverage, as well as
information describing important new rights of transgender patients under the ACA. Under the ACA market place, health
plansmust provide preventative care including routine shotsand screenings. As this new page makes clear, the ACA
also requiresplans to provide all sex-specificpreventative servicesavailable that are medically appropriate. This means
that under the ACA a plan can't limit a preventative service like a pap smear, mammogram, or prostate exam, based on
an individual's sex assigned at birth, gender identity, or their recorded gender. This page also providesimportant
information for transgender consumers regarding plan exclusions. In addition to encouraging consumers to investigate
a plan's coverage prior to enrolling, HHS also urges consumers to report incidents of discrimination by carriers to the
Office of Civil Rights.
HRC applauds HHS for providing this new tool. Educating and informing transgender consumers about their rights
under the law is critical to fully implementing these protections, and moves us one step closer to ending discrimination in
healthcare.
Welcoming the all-gender restroom “revolution”
TIME Magazine just declared that “The Gender-Neutral Bathroom Revolution is Growing.” This week, San Francisco
joins Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Austin, Seattle, Santa Fe, and New York City in requiring all businesses and city
buildings to designate single-stall restroomsas all-gender. While transgender and gender nonconforming people have
the legal right to use restrooms that correspond to their gender, this kind of legislation is still a relief for people with
disabilities, trans and gender nonconforming people, and families with small children — not to mention women simply
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tired of waiting on line for the women’s restroom while the single-stall men’s bathroom stands empty.
The new legislation introduced by San Francisco Supervisor David Camposand crafted with the support of Transgender
Law Center will be the most comprehensive of its kind in the country, with robust enforcement mechanisms and a
requirement for new buildings to include an all-gender option.
People seem to feel justified in policing gendered spaces and they do so based on their assumptions of a person’s
gender. No one should fear being assaulted or harassed for using something asbasic and necessary asa restroom. It is
my hope this ordinance will increase restroom access for everyone and reduce the anxiety and fear people like me often
experience when forced to choose between sex-segregated facilities that may not be consistent with how others
perceive us.”
Policy brief: “Bathroom bills” threaten trans people's health, opportunities
Washington, D.C. — A policy brief released todayby The Fenway Institute and the Center for American Progress
examines controversial state and local legislation that would prevent transgender people from using gendered public
facilities, such as restrooms or locker rooms, that align with their gender identity. The brief debunks mythsabout safety
concerns regarding the use of these spacesby people who are transgender and describes the many negative outcomes
that these discriminatory bills could cause. Lastly, it calls on states to pass laws that protect the rights of all Americans
to access public accommodations regardless of gender identity.
In 2015, the state legislatures of Texas, Kentucky, Florida, Minnesota, and Missouri all considered bills restricting
access of transgender people to public bathroomsand locker rooms. More recently, Houston repealed an equal rights
ordinance that banned discrimination on the basis of gender identity, among other protected categories. This new wave
of anti-transgenderlegislation followshistorical precedents of using legislation to pre-empt or invalidate laws or
ordinances that provide equal rightsand protection from discrimination to gay, lesbian, and bisexual people.
Proponents of the anti-transgender bathroom bills argue that they are common-sense policy measures to prevent
transgender people from sexually harassing other people in public bathrooms. However, there are no data showing that
allowing people who are transgender to use public restrooms that align with their gender identity will lead to an increase
in sexual harassment or abuse of the other people using the facilities. In fact, research has shown that transgender
people are often the ones who experience discrimination and harassment in public accommodations, and this
discrimination isassociated with a variety of negative physical and mental health outcomes. Discrimination in public
restroomsand other public spaces also has a negative impact on transgender people's access to equal opportunities for
employment, education, and socialization.
"Denying transgender people access to facilities that are necessary for all of us to go about our dailylives, such as
restrooms, contributes to minority stress and can exacerbate negative health outcomesalready affecting transgender
people," said Laura E. Durso, Director of the LGBT Research and Communications Project at CAP. "These efforts
significantly limit the ability of transgender people to fullyand equally participate in civic and public life."
FreeState Legal, Equality Maryland to merge
FreeState Legal and EqualityMaryland on Wednesday announced theyplan to become one organization. A press
release the two organizations released says they “will merge to form a comprehensive, statewide direct legal services
and policy advocacyorganization that addresses the needsof lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ)
Marylanders.” The new group will also continue to “focus on the needs of low-income LGBTQ Marylanders.”
Wednesday’s announcement comes roughly five months after Equality Maryland curtailed operationsamid a growing
budget shortfall. The organization said funding decreased after votersin 2012 upheld Maryland’s same-sex marriage
law and the state’s transgender rights law tookeffect in 2014.
“The new organization will be well positioned to address the political and legal needs of the LGBTQ community of
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Maryland moving forward,” the Montgomery County Democrat told the Blade. “This new organization puts the Maryland
community in a far stronger position than other states like New York, where the state organization just closed.
Transgender veterans have significantly greater prevalence of many psychiatric and medical conditions
The first large, controlled study of health disparitiesbetween clinically diagnosed transgender and non-transgender
patients-based on the medical records of more than 5,000 patients treated in the Veterans Health Administrationshowed that transgender veterans had a significantly greater prevalence of numerous psychiatric and medical
conditions. The specific disordersexamined and the implications of the study findings are discussed in detail in an
article published in LGBT Health, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://
www.liebertpub.com/). The article isavailable free to download on the LGBT Health (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/
full/10.1089/lgbt.2015.0058) website until February 6, 2016.
In the current study, transgender veterans were significantly more likely to suffer from all ten of the mental health
conditions examined, including depression, suicide thoughtsor intentions, seriousmental illness, and post-traumatic
stress disorder. They also had a much higher prevalence of 16 of 17 medical diagnoses studied, with HIV infection
accounting for the largest disparity.
"Employing more robust methods, this study confirms previous reports of transgender health disparities but finds that
these disparities are more global than previously appreciated," saysLGBT Health Editor-in-Chief William Byne, MD,
PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY. "The global disparities compared to matched nontransgender veterans have important policy and practice implications that extend beyond the Veterans Health
Administration."
NY Daily News Identifies The Extreme Legal Group Behind Discriminatory "Bathroom Bills"
The NY Daily News correctly identified the anti-LGBT legal organization behind the nationwide effort to deny
transgender studentsequal access to school facilities, noting the group's historyof defending laws that would
criminalize homosexuality. In a January 12 article laying out the debate over transgender student rights, NY Daily
News reporter Sarah Goodyear identified Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) as the anti-LGBT legal organization behind the national movement to pass "bathroom bills" - policies that would deny transgender students access to
facilities that align with their gender identity.
Palatine, Gloucester and other districts around the country, those opposed to the policy of personal choice in
accommodations for transgender kidshave received their talking points from a deep-pocketed organization called the
Alliance Defending Freedom, which describesitself as "an alliance-building legal organization that advocates for the
right of people to freelylive out their faith."
In December 2014, ADF sent an email to districts around the country arguing that there wasno legal basis for the OCR
guidelines and advising that they should feel free not to comply. The group has offered itslegal services pro bono to any
school district that wants to fight the guidelines, and has followed up with specific communications to districts that are
considering transgender accommodationspolicies or have adopted them, such as the Le Roy Central School District
near Rochester, N.Y. The ADF's lettersinclude the warning that "Granting Students Access to Opposite-Sex Changing
Areas Could Subject Schools to Tort Liability" for violating students' and parents' rights.
Philanthropist donates $US2 million for transgender studies
Chicago: American billionaire philanthropist Jennifer Pritzker has donated $US2 million ($2.9 million) to a
Canadian university to establish a chair of transgender studies, believed to be the only such research position in
global academia. Aaron Devor, a sociology professor who has studied transgender issues for three decades, was
named inaugural chair.
"Far too many trans and gender-nonconforming people still live in poverty and fear," Dr Devor said in a statement.
"As the inaugural chair, I will act as a resource locally and internationally for those needing information for their
own research or for policy development, as well as building linkages between community-based and academic
scholars working in transgender studies."
The Tawani Foundation, a supporter of military personnel and history, is led by Ms Pritzker, who is transgender
and a retired Army lieutenant colonel.
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Much transgender research throughout North America has been supported through philanthropy. Some of the first
pushes for exploring transgender issues came through funding and support from the Erickson Educational
Foundation, according to Dr Devor.
"I am proud of our campus community's commitment to diversity, as well as grateful to Dr Devor, Lieutenant
Colonel Pritzker, the Tawani Foundation and all those who help us continually learn and grow in a welcoming
environment that promotes the rights and affirms the dignity of all persons."
The Pritzkers are a Jewish family from Chicago, best known for the development of the Hyatt hotel chain and
other companies in the Marmon Group.
Breaking News - Statewide Prohibition On Transgender Discrimination Now In Effect
Today marks a historic victory for transgender and gender nonconforming New Yorkers. This morning, Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the New YorkState Division of Human Rights hasadopted new regulations that ban
discrimination and harassment against transgender people.
The Empire State Pride Agenda applaudsGovernor Cuomo'sbold leadership in the creation of these regulations, which
protect transgender people statewide against discrimination and harassment by public and private employers,
businesses, housing providers and creditors.
Governor Cuomo first announced these regulationsat our Fall Dinner in October. The impact of these regulationsis
substantial: transgender and gender nonconforming New Yorkers are now protected under New York's Human Rights
Law. If you feel like you are being discriminated against or harassed in violation of the law, you can file a complaint with
the New York Division of Human Rights: .
Washington Quietly Adopts New Transgender Bathroom, Locker Room Policies
Washington state adoptsa new set of policies regarding sex-specific facilities such as bathrooms, showers, and locker
rooms. (Photo: Peter Thoshinsky/ZUMA Press/Newscom)
One day after Christmas, Washington state quietly adopted a set of new policies regarding transgender individuals using
sex-specific facilities. The rules, adopted by the state Human Rights Commission, make it illegal for business owners to
limit sex-specific facilities such as bathrooms, showers, and locker rooms to persons with the anatomical parts of one
sex.
The rules, which a state legislator told The Daily Signal tookeffect on Dec. 26, apply to businesses with eight or more
employees. They also dictate that schools should “allow students to use the restroom that is consistent with their gender
identity” and in most cases, give transgender students “access to the locker room that corresponds to their gender
identity.”
The Washington State Human Rights Commission has not yet posted the final rules online. The commission also could
not be reached for comment.
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Happy Valentines
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From
Miss February
Andrea Nicole Baker
February 2016
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