TresSugar

"My Boyfriend Wants to Become a Woman"

Tres Community — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:05:00 PDT

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

My boyfriend has revealed to me that he is a woman trapped in a man's body and he wants to do the hormone therapy to change some of his features from male to female. I am in love with him and I want to be with him, at the same time I also don't want to be bullied as a sick freak for staying with him - is that selfish? Every time I think about him doing this it makes my stomach turn. I don't know what to do or how to handle the many emotions going through my mind right now. Please help me!

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

Almost Half of All Transgendered People Have Attempted Suicide

OnSugar Blog — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 10:50:47 PST

Here's a post from OnSugar blog My DISFunkshion.

This is just sad, sad, sad.

According to a survey conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality, 41 percent of transgendered people have attempted to end their lives. What's the national suicide attempt average? A paltry (in comparison) 1.6 percent.

The survey reports that, in general, trans people have experienced overwhelming amounts of discrimination due to their gender identification. 47 percent say that they have been fired, not hired, or not promoted for jobs because of their identification, while 29 percent report being mistreated by police. For those who identified as trans in their adolescence (up through twelfth grade), 78 percent report that they faced harassment at school. It's even more depressing that the harassment doesn't seem to get much better post-high school.

In the wake of the media flurry a few months ago surrounding the suicides of various gay teens, I think we may have forgotten that transgendered people also face this problem to a striking degree, with their own set of associated problems. And maybe this Valentine's Day, we can all cast a little love in that direction.

Want to see more? Start following My DISFunkshion or start your own OnSugar blog. Maybe your stories will be posted here on TrèsSugar!

Group Therapy: The Effects of Growing Up the Wrong Gender

Tres Community — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 06:00:11 PDT

This question comes from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

This is a really hard thing to talk about. I'd appreciate you listening.

I am transgender. I know from reading posts on the Sugar network that a lot of you have no idea what it's like for us. From my very first memories in life every part of my brain screamed that I was supposed to be a woman. When I acted like myself, which was quite effeminate for a boy, I was teased in school and punished by my religious-right family. Developmentally, I became withdrawn and depressed. I had no friends for many years, because solitude was easier than being ostracized for acting like myself. The things many of you take for granted, girlfriends, being able to express yourself in a feminine way or even the pronoun people call you were the things I could only dream of.

Find out what happened after she transitioned here.

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it, anonymously, to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

Speed Read! Transgender Kids Attend Camp Just for Them

TresSugar — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:30:18 PDT

Report from transgender camp for kids - Double X
Lindsay Lohan released from jail after 14 days, off to rehab - PopSugar
Brazil offers asylum to Iranian woman facing stoning for adultery - Guardian
5 maddest moments from last night's Mad Men - BuzzSugar
College kids cannot grasp that using words they didn't write amounts to plagiarism - New York Times
Justin Bieber, 16, coming out with a memoir - Huffington Post
Bankrupt housewife Teresa Giudice films commercial for "Sizzle Tan" - The Frisky

Transgender Woman Offers Fresh Look at Stale Misogyny

TresSugar — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:00:59 PDT

If you were born a woman, you likely don't remember the first time you fielded a sexist remark. But if you're a transgender woman like comedian Juliet Jacques, after you make your transition you begin to learn what it means to face unwanted attention and misogynistic comments.

As a comedian, Juliet knows what public rejection feels like. But as a transgender woman, she explains in her Guardian column this week, she must also confront hecklers off stage. After being called a "tranny" on a regular basis by perfect strangers, Juliet decided to consider "passing" as a woman, something she had thought of as conforming to suffocating gender stereotypes. Once she began conforming more strictly to female gender expectations, a different type of rude comment came in. She writes:

In one of my first lessons in what it means to live as female, I had to consider what types of clothing would draw unwanted attention. This meant trying to avoid the classic male-to-female trap of wearing clothes that looked wrong for my age - one I'd fallen into before transitioning, wearing floral dresses to clubs only to be told by strangers that "You look like my mum."

Luckily, Juliet's sense of humor is one of her best weapons against this, and she's derived a new theorem: "the unimaginativeness of the comment is directly proportional to the unattractiveness of the commenter."

Say What? Chaz Bono Sheds Light on Transgender Experience

TresSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:00:00 PDT

"I always felt like the male from the time I was a child. There wasn't much feminine about me. I believe that gender is something between your ears not between your legs."

- Chaz Bono, the child of Sonny Bono and Cher, explains why he decided to transition from female to male. In his first interview since announcing his decision, Chaz says that he didn't want to wait until he was an old man to enjoy his life in a male body.

77-Year-Old Gets a Sex Change

TresSugar — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT

On Friday most of you agreed that 13 is too young to get a boob job, but can you ever be too old to get a sex change?

Renee Ramsey, 77, has become one of the oldest people to undergo a sex change operation. Renee says she's been dreaming of getting the procedure for decades and that she knew something was "different" about her since she was 13. After saving up money for the pricey operation, she finally went through with it after her second wife died.

Renee, who used to be Richard, was also a Green Beret weapons specialist in Vietnam and served in the US military for over 20 years . . . Don't ask, don't tell.

Cher Supports Chaz's Decision to Transition

TresSugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 04:00:00 PDT

“Chaz is embarking on a difficult journey, but one that I will support. I respect the courage it takes to go through this transition in the glare of public scrutiny, and although I may not understand, I will strive to be understanding. The one thing that will never change is my abiding love for my child.”

- Cher on her child's decision to transition from female to male and call himself Chaz.

China Implementing Strict Criteria For Sex Changes

TresSugar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:45:15 PDT

Are you single? Over the age of 20? Have you wanted a sex change for at least five years? Have you lived and worked as a member of the opposite gender for at least two years? Have you told your family about your wishes? Then you would qualify for the gender reassignment surgery in China.

The Chinese government is set to formalize its first set of sex change guidelines after putting them up for discussion on the ministry of health's website. Once a candidate meets the requirements, he or she will have to have the police sign off on it.

Experts estimate that as many as 400,000 people want sex changes in China, a country where many aren't very open-minded about the procedure. Hopefully, those seeking gender reassignment will find ways to overcome the somewhat emotionally painful guidelines (like getting police approval or having to tell potentially hostile family members) so they can live their lives as they wish.

Source

Sonny and Cher's Child Transitioning From Female to Male

TresSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:30:00 PDT

"Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity. He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones. It is Chaz's hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his 'coming out' did nearly 20 years ago."

- Chastity Bono's spokesperson, Howard Bragman, in a written statement about Bono's decision to identify as male. Transitioning doesn't always mean gender reassignment surgery. According to Mara Keisling, executive director of the Washington-based National Center for Transgender Equality, "It's sort of a general term that encompasses both or either a social transition or a medical transition." Although Keisling said she didn't know Chaz's case specifically, to transition means that he will now be "known, seen, viewed" as male.

Source