If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Four years ago this month, my daughter fearfully looked across a table at me and said the words that would forever change my life: "I want to transition to be a boy."
When Nicole decided to become her authentic self, I was startled and unsure -- but time, education and counseling have made our parent/child relationship stronger than ever. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for our extended family.
With little sleep and lots of self-doubt, I have been trying to collect my thoughts on parenting and the many changes this little person has brought to my life in the five months since we met. In so many ways, being a parent reminds me of being trans.
This week I talked with Laverne Cox, an actress, producer and transgender advocate who is currently appearing in Musical Chairs, a must-see film. I talked with Laverne about the film, as well as about "I AM: Trans People Speak," a national campaign that she is involved in.
Now that the courts are recognizing that sex and gender overlap, and now that Americans realize that gender identity and sexual orientation are rooted in the biology of our brains, we are nearing the moment that the entire LGBT community may be protected under an expanded Title VII.
Reading about the trial of former New York City firefighter Taylor Murphy, who is accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, model Claudia Charriez, I was saddened and infuriated by the attempt of Murphy's legal counsel as well as the press to discredit and delegitimize Charriez.
To call the media's silence on Sage Smith's story deafening would be an understatement. That someone's son or daughter, trans-identified or not, can go missing from their family for nearly 20 days and there be no national or even local outcry is more than enraging; it's terrifying.
Some transgender youth are being called out by members of the trans* community for being "trans-trenders," which is taken to refer to women who take steps to begin to transition to male simply because they do not fit a stereotypical mold of womanhood.
At a time when sensationalism seems to generate high ratings, exploiting the subject of transgender people could be tempting, but that was not our experience.
In the absence of any concrete statements from Manning, it's impossible to know for certain how he prefers to be known, but if his use of a female name was indeed one of the reasons why Manning was placed on a highly restrictive status, that's a very troubling justification.
Trans persons are no longer classified by the medical community as mentally ill, this decision coming 39 years after homosexuality was declassified as a mental illness. I have been involved in many civil rights campaigns, but as a physician, none has mattered more to me than this one.
On Saturday, the APA approved changes to the diagnostic criteria for Gender Identity Disorder. Many trans advocates celebrated the changes, but there are also many advocates with important questions about what it will mean for trans communities and advocacy moving forward.
Since writing my book and describing the injustices I faced within the legal system, I have received letters from transgender inmates within the prison system. Their individual stories are very sad and disheartening. The legal system does not provide equal rights for transgender persons.
In this exclusive interview from the "Trevor Live" 2012 red carpet, Trevor Hero Award honoree Katy Perry talks about the importance of The Trevor Project's mission, her own experiences with bullying, and teasers about her new album in the works.
Last week, after five years of struggle, pain, hard work and hope, a Superior Court judge ruled that the Orono school system did not violate the Maine Human Rights Act when it prohibited my daughter Nicole from using the restroom that matches her gender identity.
While immersing myself in the theatrical film adaptation of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina this week, I couldn't help but think of the historic changes we've witnessed this past year.
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