Word of the Gay: "Zie"

"Zie" is a gender neutral pronoun replacing he or she that is used within the genderqueer community.

Bill O'Reilly Mocks Genderqueer Mayor in Oregon

Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly has long been an outspoken conservative who maintains anti-gay and transphobic viewpoints. In his latest segment he invites Megyn Kelly to discuss and ridicule Silverton, Oregon mayor Stu Rasmussen who identifies as a heterosexual transgender male for violating the city dress code in front of a presentation in front of children. The mayor fits the bill of someone who is genderqueer, preferring male pronouns, and female attire.

The segment below shows the discussion between O'Reilly and Kelly.


O'Reilly says "it's so bizarre" in referring to the story and calls Oregon a "secular progressive heaven with left-wing loons like Stu."

O'Reilly chuckles at the story, and acts surprised that "Stu has a girlfriend"

He ends with the question "do children need to be protected from the likes of Stu?"

O'Reilly acted immature and transphobic throughout the program. We do applaud Megan Kelly for not stooping down to his level and saying that "transgender people are part of society, and they are not bad people, and that people need to learn about them."

Email Bill O'Reilly and tell him to be ashamed for mocking Mayor Rasmussen.

Email Megyn Kelly to thank her for standing up for transgender people.

Blog Spotlight: The Freezing Flames

The Freezing Flames is the blog of a genderqueer butch teen from India who refuses to conform and defies stereotypical notions of gender and sexuality.

Web Spotlight: GenderQueer Revolution

GenderQueer Revolution is breaking down barriers and gender dichotomies and allowing people to express themselves as they see fit. They realize that for some people gender lies on a continuum while for others gender is irrelevant completely. The website offers ways to connect, information, resources, and events.

Surveys for FTM Population & Their Partners

Jamison Green the former President of FTMInternational is interested in the sexual health and satisfaction of all transmen, whether or not they have had hormones or surgery, and in the experiences of their partners. He will use the data as raw material for a book, tentatively entitled "The FTM Guide to SEX," plus academic presentations and journal articles to educate medical and therapeutic service providers about trans lives.

The surveys are designed for FTM or trans men and their partners. Partners do not have to be in a current relationship, and if a FTM person or trans man has been partnered to another FTM person or trans man they may of course take both surveys. In order to take the surveys you must be 18 or older. For these surveys the proctors are using the following definition for FTM or trans man: “a person who was born with a female body--and assigned female or intersex at birth--and who plans to initiate, has initiated, or has completed medical treatment to masculinize his body”, some examples of identities may include FTM, trans man, genderqueer, or intersex man.

Here is the survey for partners of FTM folks and trans men. It takes between 20-40 minutes based upon your life experience. Partners

And here is the survey for FTM folks and trans men. Again, takes between 20-40 minutes based upon your own life experiences: FTM folks

Crossposted via Coffee and Gender.

Word of the Gay: "Genderfluid"

"Genderfluid" is the dynamic mix of male and female attributes that make up ones gender identity. Some "genderfluid" people constantly display characteristics of both genders, while others feel and express themselves differently from time to time.

Blog Spotlight: Genderqueer Community

The Genderqueer community is for those who don't fit the binary gender system in use by most of society. Ungendered, many gendered, a gender other than the one society thinks you should be? Do you express your gender(s) in nontraditional ways? You just might fit in here! The beauty of the Live journal blog is anyone can post if they are a Live journal member, so you get a variety of viewpoints.

Open Forum: Sexual Fluidity

Studies show that sexuality and gender are not black or white concepts. These aspects of identity formation lie along a continuum where on one end people strongly feel heterosexual or homosexual with regards to sexuality, and male or female with regards to gender identity.

Most people lean towards and identify more with their male or female gender and their heterosexual orientation. Whereas gay, bisexual, asexual, and transgender people have a mental notion of where they lie on the continuum and firmly establish that as their identity.

What about those who don't lie firmly on the continuum? Some people experience sexual fluidity, and this concept is forcing us to reconsider our ideas about sexuality and gender identity.

There are some people who experience more homosexual desires one day or for a period of time, and then reverse for a period of time to have more heterosexual desires. Are these people simply bisexual? Bisexuals have a consistent orientation of being attracted to both genders, but for the sexually fluid their identity seems to change frequently. Those who blur gender lines, are fluid as well, they may decide to embrace more of a female identity one day, and a male one the next.

Sexual fluidity is real, and there are probably people who will comment here who can attest to that experience. If we accept the notion that some people will be shifting, we need to ask ourselves why this is? If some people shift, we must accept that it is natural for some people to shift from gay to straight and straight to gay over the course of their lifetime.

What do you all make of sexual fluidity? All comments are welcome, but please ensure that nobody is being attacked for their respective identities.

Diversity Lesson 101: GenderQueer/Intergender

We have talked extensively on the blog about how society has constructed a gender binary system of male and female, we are each expected to fit the roles of our biological sex. For the majority of people this is a non-issue and they conform well or closely to their aligned role. Some people who are intersexual do not have a clear biological sex, they are to some degree male and female internally, externally or both, and this can pose a dilemna for how they self-identify with regards to gender identity. The other group of people are transgender, they are biologically male or female but their identity does not match their body parts and so they seek to bring harmony between their mind and body through either living as or having elective surgery/hormones to bring their mind/body closer to their gender identity.

This brings us to the subject of Genderqueer AKA Third Gendered/Intergender, which has been gaining steam as a movement but also as an alternative label for self-identification. These are individuals who don't want to self-identify as male or female. Some identify more with one gender than the other but live a line of blurred gender. For example a muscular biological male who is athletic but feels comfortable putting make up on, would be an example of someone who is blurring the gender roles, or a womyn who seeks to wear a dress yet also take testosterone to develop more masculine features.

Individuals who self-identify as gender queer may consider themselves to be both male and female, androgynous, being neither male or female, or falling completely outside of the gender binary spectrum. Queer is a broad terminology that encompasses different identities and thus genderqueer can be a range of different gender identities in which people experience.

How do I deal with someone who is Genderqueer?
Please never presuppose someones gender if you are uncertain, it is better to ask how they feel comfortable with you referring to them as opposed to you putting a label on them. It can be a simple question of asking name and what pronouns they feel comfortable with.

Genderqueer Pronouns
Some genderqueer people may feel more comfortable being referred to by a more prominent gender role they seek such as he/his/him, or she/her, hers. Others however may prefer a gender neutral terminology such as "ze", "per", "zir", "sie" and "hir", "zhe", "hir", "zes" or singular "they" instead of her/his. Other individuals feel comfortable alternating between the masculine/feminine pronouns. There is not one clear cut answer since genderqueers as a group comprise of several gender identities and each person has their own unique variation.

What is their sexual orientation?
This is a common question. First, its important to note that sexual orientation and gender identity are completely seperate. You can be a butch female and be heterosexual, or an adrogynous bisexual. The way we express our gender is seperate from our sexual orientation, ex: take Ru Paul a famous drag queen who self-identifies as heterosexual. Intergender people may be straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, or asexual. Some genderqueer people prefer to see themselves as pansexuals which means they are open to all genders sexually. Thus someone who is pansexual would have no problem being in a relationship with someone who is male, female, genderqueer, or transgender.

Thank you for your openness on gender variant people and please seek to spread knowledge and love on the subject matter and on other issues of importance to the broader Queer community.

Below are some helpful links on/for the Genderqueer community:
http://www.genderqueerrevolution.com/

http://unitedgenders.org/

http://androgyne.0catch.com/

http://www.t-vox.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

Some YouTube videos on the subject:

Open Forum: Transmen and Their Invisibility In The "T"

The "T" in LGBT is supposed to represent crossdressers, drag queens/kings, transvesites, transsexuals, and those who are genderqueer. Often you find that not only is the transgender component of LGBT non-existant or minimal, but amongst the transgender community there seems to be a lack of attention to issues faced by trans men.

As an outside observer it seems a lot of transgender advocacy and resources is designed for male-to-female transgender individuals, and that there is a lack of information for people who are female-to-male.

Do you find that there is some sort of discrepancy in the amount of effort placed on the f2m dynamic of the transgender movement? Is this transsexism, or are m2f's more privileged because they started off as males, and males are more privileged in our sexist, male dominated society?

Transgender - What Does it Mean?

The following is a great video explaining what it means to be transgender and covering many terms related to the gender-variant community. Great resource, for trans people and allies.

Please copy the html code at the bottom and post to myspace or your site/blog and beyond so we can educate people about trans-folk.
<object width="400" height="330"><param name="movie" value="http://www.videojug.com/player?type=interview&id=ec835c2c-64e3-5a2e-1e9e-ff0008ca4cbe"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><embed src="http://www.videojug.com/player?type=interview&id=ec835c2c-64e3-5a2e-1e9e-ff0008ca4cbe" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="400" height="330"/></embed></object><br/><a href="http://www.videojug.com">VideoJug</a>: <a href="http://www.videojug.com/interview/transgender-what-does-it-mean">Transgender: What Does It Mean?</a>

Mapping Gender Neutral/Unisex Restrooms

Transgender, Genderqueer, and Intersexual folks often face difficult decisions when it comes to something as simple as going to the restroom. They face the reality of being attacked, discriminated against, arrested, or feeling very uncomfortable when choosing a bathroom that is specified for a specific gender.

Now, thanks to the Safe2Pee Resource, gender variant people can find gender neutral/unisex bathrooms around the world. You can also add any bathrooms to the database that would be suitable.

"The goal of the project is to create a resource where people who do not feel comfortable with traditional public restrooms can find safe alternatives, and to support advocacy and research to further the cause of gender free, inclusive bathrooms."

Word of the Gay: "Gender Blind"

"Gender Blind" is a term used to indicate that an accommodation or activity is open to all genders. Traditionally the term used was unisex, however linguistically the term means one gender. There is an ever increasing number of "gender blind" bathrooms, college dormitories, and other facilities and services.

In some scenarios people use the expression "gender blind" to indicate that they are open to a romantic and/or sexual relationship irregardless of gender.

Word of the Gay: "Bi-gender"

"Bi-gender" people express their masculine and feminine sides of their personality. Someone who is "bi-gendered" will express facets of both genders and/or changes their role depending on a situation and context.

Word of the Gay: "Pangender"

"Pangender" is a term used to describe people who do not feel they can or should be labeled as male or female. Their gender identity is often a mix of the two or non-gendered in nature at all.

National Survey on Transgender Experiences of Discrimination in the U.S.

You are invited to participate in a research project regarding transgender and gender non-conforming people in the United States. Your responses will be part of an important report on transgender people’s experiences of discrimination in housing, employment, health care and education.

"This is an absolutely critical national effort. We urge all transgender and gender non-conforming people to take the survey to help guide us in making better laws and policies that will improve the quality of life for all transgender people. We need everyone's voice in this, everyone's participation." Mara Keisling, Executive Director, National Center for Transgender Equality

https://online.survey.psu.edu/endtransdiscrim/

Word of the Gay: "Genderqueer"

"Genderqueer" refers to individuals who self identify and may consider themselves to be both male and female, androgynous, being neither male or female, or falling completely outside of the gender binary spectrum.

Word of the Gay: "Androgyny"

An "androgynous" person is one whose gender identity is a combination of both male and female, or whose gender expression blurs the lines between masculine and feminine attributes.

Diversity Lesson 101: Transgender

Transgender is a term used for people who do not fit the gender role assigned at birth (male or female), as well as the role traditionally held by society.

Sex Does NOT Equal Gender:
People often get these two terms confused because they are similar yet in reality they are entirely different. Sex is the biological genitalia we are born with, either male, female, or intersex(combination of male/female genitalia). Gender is how we identify and is a social/biological construct, so one may have the parts of a male yet their mind, body, and spirit identifies as a female.

The Gender Continuum:
Like sexuality, gender identity lies on a continuum. Most people identify with the gender corresponding to their biological sex of male or female. However, some people fall along this continuum. For example one may be fully comfortable in their female gender identity but they may exhibit more masculine traits. In reality there are as many genders as there are people on the planet, we each view ourselves and our roles differently and there is no unifying code of gender.

*Male ------------------------------------------------------Female*

Transgender is an umbrella term for people exhibiting gender variant behavior and is used for transvestites, drag queen/kings, transsexuals, and sometimes genderqueer.

Definitions:
Transvestite-Someone who wears the clothing of the opposite sex (AKA - Crossdresser). An individual whose gender identity may or may not match their birth sex.

Drag Queen/King-A drag queen is a biological male who impersonates a female, and a drag king is a biological female who impersonates a male. Drag is usually done for entertainment purposes and does not necessarily reflect the persons desire to live as a male or female.

Transsexual-A person who desires to live as the opposite sex. Some choose to undergo elective surgery or take hormones to have their sex match their gender identity. Pre-operative Transsexuals are those who have not undergone surgery. Post-Operative Transsexuals have undergone surgical procedures. Non-operative are transsexuals who choose not to undergo surgery. Most transsexuals who have transitioned classify as male or female but some identify as transman, or transwoman.

Genderqueer-Individuals who self-identify as gender queer may consider themselves to be both male and female, androgynous, being neither male or female, or falling completely outside of the gender binary spectrum.

Sexual Orientation Does NOT Equal Gender Identity:
Sexual orientation and gender identity are two completely separate concepts. Transgender people can be gay, straight, bisexual, or asexual. Just the same that gay/lesbian people may have no issue with their gender identity and their gender fits their biological sex. One's gender identity or sexual orientation has no influence on the other.

Transphobia:
This is the fear of gender variant people. Many people do not understand transgender people and are disgusted, scared, or don't understand, instead of seeking to educate themselves on the topic they look to harass, tease, or physically cause harm to trans-folks.

Transgender Resources:

Susan's Place

National Center for Transgender Equality

Sylvia Rivera Law Project

Sylvia Gender Public Advocacy Coalition

International Foundation for Gender Education

Transgender Awareness Videos (20/20 Video 1-5):

Dallas, Texas Gay Bar Bans Drag Queens

"David Moore, co-owner of the Crews Inn, claims he can legally keep transgender people out of his gay bar on Fitzhugh Avenue in Dallas if their appearances don’t match their photo IDs.

A demonstration of solidarity from the community is planned for the 26th of July in front of Crews Inn at 10:00pm."

H/T to Planet Transgender for the story.