Category: Reports

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #113, Winter 2007.
by Denise Leclair

1960 Virginia Prince publishes the first issue of "Transvestia."

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #104, Winter 2004.

by Petra De Sutter, M.D., Ph.D.

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis is a technology that screens embryos, obtained through in vitro fertilization, to be screened for genetic status; only embryos without abnormalities are transplanted into the uterus. PGD is currently most often performed for genetically inheritable diseases such as cystic fibrosis or chromosomal imbalances in the parents, as an ethically defendable alternative to prenatal diagnosis and interruption of an affected pregnancy. To date, about 1000 children have been born worldwide following PGD, and many pregnancies are ongoing (Tanner, 2002).

The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) initiated a post card campaign this past PRIDE Week in Boston protesting the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). MTPC is opposed to HRC?s support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), because it fails to include transgender people. 1,000 pink post cards were filled out at The Dyke March Friday night, and at the Pride Parade Saturday, which will be mailed directly to HRC?s Executive Director Cheryl Jacques.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #105, Spring 2004.

by Alison Kemp


It?s midnight and Ayten?s red glossy lips and long black hair make him shimmer in the darkness. He?s not had the operation, so he?s still got his penis and sees no need to get rid of it. He?s just left a regular customer, a married man with children who is so enamored of his sexual forays with Ayten that he wants to give it all up, wear a dress and join his lover on the street.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #105, Spring 2004.

Local Efforts Underway to Open Homeless Shelters to Transgender People

by Lisa Mottet
Legislative Lawyer,
Transgender Civil Rights Project
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force


Ann remembers vividly having to stay at a men?s shelter in downtown Manhattan. Men would bang on her door. She knew if they got through they would try to kill her again. Staff would rifle through her and other transgender women?s belongings and take away their women?s clothing. ?I don?t know what they did with it, threw it away, burned it, whatever. Regardless, we couldn?t get it back.? Latina and transgender in New York, Ann has been unable to keep a roof over her head by herself for over six years. At her most recent job at a factory, her female boss fired her after a week for something she didn?t do, her boss indicating she ?didn?t want people like you working here.?

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #103, Fall 2003.

Part 1 of 2: Melbourne Photographs by Mariette Pathy Allen Text by Katharine Coleman

Mariette was invited to speak at the Fifth International Congress on Sex and Gender, which was held at the University of Western Australia in Perth, October 24-27, 2002?but one doesn?t spend twentysome hours flying just to visit the most remote city in Australia. Such an investment of time justified stopovers in Melbourne and Sydney?all of which Mariette would have done solo had her command of Australian been up to par. But it wasn?t, and since I spoke the language and had a bad case of wanderlust, she let me go along.

Once word got out that Mariette was coming to Australia, she was asked to also speak in Melbourne and Sydney. These occasions, along with the conference in Perth, provided wonderful opportunities to witness different aspects of the transgender communities in Australia. Our experience in each of these cities was different, so we decided to generate two articles?this one on Melbourne, and another on the conference in Perth and the Gay Games in Sydney.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #102, Summer 2003.

by Milton Diamond, Ph.D.

Language is fluid. The use and meaning of words change constantly. In most cases, the new is incorporated with the old, so confusion is rare. The field of sexology, however, seems to have a particularly difficult time keeping up with all the shifts in terminology and usage. This is probably related to the multitudes of words used in sexual contexts, the double entendres that accompany many words, and the symbolic and socio-political nature of much that accompanies language. But there is obviously more to this. And if the terminology is confusing for those dealing with it daily, how much more difficult is it for those who come upon it only occasionally?for instance, reporters, historians, and laypersons?

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #102, Summer 2003.

After more than three decades of governmental hostility towards British transsexuals, there?s good news. Recent decisions by the European Court of Human Rights have forced the U.K. government to grant certain rights to transsexuals. The battle is far from over, but things are at long last looking up. This is primarly due to the efforts of the pressure group (i.e., lobbying organization) Press for Change, of which Stephen Whittle is a principal. ?Ed.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #102, Summer 2003.

LARGEST MULTI-VENUE TRANSGENDER EVENT EVER

The 4th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, held November 20th, 2002, was an event on a scale never before seen in the transgender community. In over 90 different locations across the world, transgendered people and their supporters took a stand against anti-transgender violence.

Events were held in eight different countries?Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Israel, Italy, Spain, and the United States. In the U.S. alone, events could be found in 31 states and the District of Columbia, stretching across the country from Massachusetts to California.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #101, Spring 2003.

What does it mean when an employer agrees not to discriminate against workers or customers based on ?gender identity??

Gender identity has been defined as ?a person?s various individual attributes as they are understood to be male and female.?? In a psychological sense, gender identity refers to a person?s internal, deeply felt sense of being either male or female, which may differ from the person?s anatomical sex.