Trans Archives

Four months ago the great Buck Angel released a fantastic PSA encouraging transmen to get an annual pap test in order to check for precancerous cells. I posted about this a while back while discussing some of my favorite PSAs in terms of STD awareness.

Recently Drew Deveaux worked with Buck Angel to create a new PSA encouraging trans women to get prostate exams. If a trans woman takes estrogen therapy, her chances of prostate cancer are reduced, but there is still a risk. Get yourself checked!

Drew wrote a fantastic blog post about her PSA. Drew is one of the few, but strong, queer porn activists. She fucks well on camera and educates a diverse range of people on trans rights. I particularly enjoy her work on developing the term “cisnormativity,” which you can read more about in her blog post.

For more information, click here for a quick fact sheet on health and wellness for trans women by LGBThealth.net.

As much as I’d like this post to be “yay! awareness and sex and love!” It should be noted how much shit Buck Angel, along with many others, puts up with due to his work and who he is. Recently Buck published on his twitter feed a response to his PSA:

“You fucking suck You fake piece of shit. Your twisted amusement damages too fucking much. I can’t get proper medical care because of the perversion you have taxed the doctors with Your lies, for your Halloween costumes. Men don’t have pussies it is incompatible with male chemistry asshole”

I wanted to post the hate that Buck receives to keep everyone aware. Sometimes hate and discrimination are in your face, and other times it’s a little more subtle. Get your pronouns right, people. Respect the pronoun a person uses. And don’t assume you know the pronoun. Furthermore, everyone has a right to proper health care, everyone has a right to live how they see fit. This isn’t Halloween, this isn’t for twisted amusement. This is life.

Keep yourself in check, and get checked.

Example of a Full Body Image

Last year the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began discussing the use of full body scanners as a form of heightened security. With this scanner, agents can see everything, and I do mean everything. Just look at this picture! It seems as though this man on the right has a catheter connecting his junk to his gun so that he shoots his leg every time he urinates, damn terrorist. Now due to recent terror alerts, the TSA has begun implementing full body scanners at every major airport. While there has been a somewhat underwhelming cry for privacy rights, most people are simply falling in line and doing “whatever is necessary to protect us against terrorists.”

What is of concern to me is what will happen to a trans person when they step into the body scanner. What will the TSA see? How will they react? With the recent attempted underwear bombing on Christmas, the TSA will most likely be focusing their attention on the peoples junk. With these new scanners, TSA agents will be able to see binding material and genitals, causing concern that the TSA agents may pull the trans person aside for further investigation/searching.

I met with Jackson Bowman, a researcher for UCSF, homeless youth advocate and tran about town, to discuss issues regarding full body scanners, trans rights and privacy. After enjoying our libations at a dimly lit bar and catching up, Jackson said “so you want to know my thoughts on trannies and body scanners?” To begin with, Jackson said he doesn’t understand why cisgendered people aren’t completely upset by this invasion of privacy. Full body scanners are not just something that should concern trans folk, but these should concern all people.

When asked about his current experience going through airport security, Jackson noted that he already sweats bullets when he flies. He recently went to Europe, and due to the trip he got a new passport. Even though he went through the process of changing his birth certificate, ID and passport to match his gender he became worried every time he handed someone his passport. He would think they had a super scanner to find out that something was “off” about his passport, and even though he knew this wasn’t true, he would still get anxious. “It’s fine, everything has been changed,” he’d think, only to be followed with “what if they find out its been changed?!”

Jackson stated that he’s afraid that someone will accuse him of being “inauthentic,” or hiding “the truth,” something he finds himself coming across on occasion when meeting others. In this case his concern is that if the TSA accuses him of being inauthentic or hiding something, then they may search further.

Jackson is not only concerned for the confusion that TSA agents may have when they see genitals that they do not believe to match the person’s gender, but also for a trans man who is packing. Whether it’s a trans man who is wearing a softie or a trans woman who is wearing falsies, it may appear to the TSA agent as if this person is trying to smuggle something on the plane. This would also be an issue for a breast cancer survivor who had a mastectomy and is wearing falsies.

It’s been claimed many times that the images from the full body scanners are not connected to the persons identity, that they are viewed by agents in an office far away and are immediately deleted after first view. However, in early February the famous Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan quickly found out that the images from his full body scan were passed around by security agents in the very airport he was in. Two of the female agents even approached him right after the full body scan with the print outs of his naked body in hand, asking for his autograph. If this kind of behavior happens for celebrities, whats stopping the same thing happening to trans folk?

Will there be competency training for TSA agents? My pessimistic side says most likely not. But I would like to see more of a push for such training. Overall, I’d like to see this type of invasion of privacy to put away for good.

For more information:

Transgender Equality Whole Body Image FAQ

In Bend, OR, the famed “pregnant man” gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Thomas Beatie, who was born biologically female had undergone surgery to remove his mammary glands and take testosterone, is legally a male but had decided earlier on to keep his female reproductive organs because he had always wanted to have a child. Born through c-section, the baby girl is healthy.

For more info: LINK

(c) wired.com

No longer will old cars and Buena Vista Social Club be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Cuba. In another move towards a more liberalised set of policies, the new president of Cuba, Raul Castro, has authorized offering Cuban citizens free sex changes. Already signed by Cuba’s health minister, Jose Ramon Balaguer, the surgery will be covered by the country’s universal health service. Mariela Castro Espin, daughter of Raul and head of the National Centre for Sex Education initiated this very progressive move. She is also working towards the legalisation of same-sex unions in Cuba, which if approved, would make Cuba the most liberal country in South America in terms of sexual rights. The physicians who will be in charge of said surgeries have been trained by some of the best surgeons from Belgium. Furthermore, a health clinic will be created exclusively for such procedures.

This is a big step away from Cuba’s past LGBT rights infringements such as the Mariel Boat Lift in 1980 where amongst other Cubans, gay men and trans-women were told that they can either leave Cuba or go to jail.

For more information on Cuba offering free sex changes: LINK

(Via advocate.com)

Thomas Beatie, a loving husband in a quiet town in Oregon wrote his first person account of deciding to carry him and his wifes first child. Thomas is a transgender male who had gone through a mastectomy and began taking hormones years ago. Legally he is a male, therefore he is legally married to his wife Nancy. He and his wife decided to have a child, however Nancy was unable to carry a child to term. With great consideration, Thomas decided to cease his testosterone treatment and carry their child.

In this first-person account Thomas explain the process he went through, including being faced with discrimination from doctors, health care professionals, and receptionists.

What I thoroughly enjoy about this first-person account is how Thomas explains that his male gender identity has not been compromised by his pregnancy.

To read the account click HERE.

Does the discrimination Thomas and his wife faced surprise you? What about Thomas explaining that his male identity has not been compromised? Your identity is who you are, your identity is something you do. It is constantly moving and shifting, at any given time you are negotiating with it.

This is not just a story about a trans-man who is pregnant, it’s a story about reproductive rights, about identity, about family, about societal norms and values.

I wish Thomas and his wife, Nancy, the best, I truly hope that they do not face any more discrimination, but are left to be in a healthy family that they have worked so hard to be in.

News Article

After one city employee went through a sex change operation, the city of Berkeley
is considering an unprecedented move to include such operations as apart of
their health plans. An operation, which normally costs in the tens of thousands of dollars, may be offered on the city’s dime. This is a fantastic move on the part of Berkeley, I must say. However, if you read the article linked above, the transwoman states that the reason such an operation should be covered by health plans is because gender/sex mismatch is a “birth defect.” I am fine with a person stating their beliefs on what they are going through. I have no idea what their lived experience is like. However, I have a problem with creating this into a pathology, or a disease. It’s sad that the only way someone can be recognized and respected is if they fit into the western medicine disease vocabulary.

Do you believe this should be included in health plans from employers?