Skin Deep: On Set With A Trans Fashion Model

transqueery:

Arisce Wanzer is a fashion model living and working in New York City — and she’s also a trans woman. A behind-the-scenes look at a day on the job.

Copy & Paste The Link For Photos Of Arisce Wanzer:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/saeedjones/skin-deep-on-set-with-a-trans-fashion-model

Will Philadelphia Introduce Gender-Neutral Bathrooms?

neutrois:

A Philadelphia city councilman has sponsored a bill that would require newly constructed or renovated city-owned buildings to have gender-neutral bathrooms in addition to men’s and women’s restrooms, as the Philadelphia Daily News notes.

This is why I think it’s completely reasonable and achievable to enact gender-neutral bathroom ordinances in the entire country:

The act wouldn’t cost Philadelphia additional money because the city already requires single-use wheelchair-accessible bathrooms in all of its buildings, according to Rue Landau, executive director of Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. 

If buildings are already required to provide wheelchair-accessible restrooms, why not require these to be gender-neutral? In fact, I think it would be a relief for more than just trans* people.

wherethequeerthingsare:

The “Assigned Sex” Documentary Project:

  • Identifies problems within the transgender community
  • Develops awareness and empathy for individuals that don’t conform to the male/female gender binary
  • Takes action to end discrimination against those that vary from culturally defined gender roles
  • Identifies support resources for transgender individuals that are located within New York City

6 DAYS LEFT TO DONATE.  Help fund this film about trans people of colour.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE A DOLLAR TO SPARE…. SHARE THIS POST WITH AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN. THEY NEED OUR SUPPORT!!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/assignedsex/assigned-sex-a-documentary-film

(via fauxmosexualtranstrender)

Source: wherethequeerthingsare

How to be an Ally to Trans* People

journeyintomanhood:

In my books allies are great. I enjoy when cisgender people are my allies. I see a lot of people asking on here and other spaces on how to be an ally to trans* people. So here is a list of how. 

1) Educate Yourself 

Trans* people don’t want to have to constantly educating people. The internet is a great place to find the basic information about trans* people. That way you can find out what things like dysphoria, top surgery, and hormone replacement therapy are without having to ask your trans* friends. 

2) Respect names and pronouns 

Make an effort to always use the right name and pronoun. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve known that person just put a real effort in. Does this mean you can’t mess up by accident? No, everyone makes mistakes. Just make sure you apologize and move on and that you are truly making an effort. 

3) Be there to listen 

There is a good chance that the trans* people in your life might not have anyone to talk to. Be there for them. Listen to them rant, cry, etc. Your job isn’t to fix their problems, rather just be there to listen to what they have to say and be a friend. 

4) Don’t push the conversation 

Most people don’t want to talk about being trans* all the time. In fact a lot of the time they might just want to be able to forget about it/ignore it. So don’t push the conversation. Don’t ask them about their transition or bring up trans* topics. Rather make sure they know that if they do want to talk, you’re there to listen to them.

5) Don’t ask invasive questions

 Before asking someone a question think; do I need to say this? do I need to say this now and here? why do I want to as this? would I want someone to ask me this?  

6) Ask before you ask 

If you do have a question you want to ask your friend, and you think it’s appropriate to ask them then and there ask if you can ask them a question. A simple “hey I have a question about you transition and I was wondering if you would mind me asking, you can say no or not answer the question” will show you respect them and not force them into answering something they don’t want to answer. 

7) Don’t enter trans* only spaces 

Trans* only spaces are rare and should stay trans* only spaces. Even if one or a few people tell you it would be fine for you to go you still shouldn’t. One trans* person does not speak for all trans* people and sometimes people are just being polite by saying it’s fine. There are spaces where you can learn about trans* issues and hear trans* stories that aren’t trans* only spaces, so there is no reason to enter a trans* only space.

8) They aren’t just trans*

Remember, they’re more than a trans* person. First and foremost, their a person. They have interests, hobbies, and lives outside of their transition and make sure you treat them that way. A person is so much more than their trans* status. 

10 Reasons It’s Not Okay To Out Him

translygazette:

1.      Safety.

  •  Everyday Trans* people face violence simply for being who they are. Outing someone can severely compromise their safety. Violence against them occurs on many different levels, every day. You cannot predict how anybody will react to this information, let alone how whomever they tell will act. If you want to look up some high profile cases of violence I suggest using google and looking up Colle Carpenter, Lance Reyna, and Chrissy Lee Polis.

2.      It’s private information.

  • The steps they must go through to transition are legally recognized by health organizations. Information about their status should be held as private information just like anyone person’s medical issues/treatments. This should only be disclosed to people that he says are okay.

3.      He doesn’t want to be an activist 24/7.

  •  Some guys don’t mind being in the public eye, especially if he really is an activist. But some guys just want to live their lives, no differently than anyone else. And even if he is out in the public, it doesn’t mean he always wants to be in that position. It’s best to just leave it up to him as to when he wants to disclose his trans status.

4.      Match Making

  •  Let’s say a cisgender person knows your trans* friend, and decides they would like to get to know each other better. You’re first reaction might be to tell him/her about your trans* friends status. Perhaps you think that the trans* person’s body might not be what the other person expects, but unless you have seen them naked, you don’t know what their body is like either. And who says that they won’t find it appealing? Or maybe you think you’re sparing them from a negative reaction you’re sure they’ll receive once they disclose their status. But what you might consider to be a deal breaker, might not be a problem for them. Many people don’t even make it past the first stages of a relationship for reasons that have nothing to do with their trans* status. Let him/her disclose this information when they think it should be.

5.      Being trans is not who he is.

  • Being trans is not who he is. It is a part of him, yes. But it does not define him. It is a medical condition and not a definition of them. They should not be identified by it.

6.      “Diversity Training”

  • If you have an urge to teach someone about diversity and you want to enlighten and educate them in order to help them be a better citizen and a more accepting human being, and to do it, you are going to tell them all about the trans* person you know, stifle that thought.  Unless you have asked the trans* person involved whether they would mind being the subject of someone’s education on humanity, it would be best to leave the trans* person out of the lesson.

7.      It doesn’t matter if he is out.

  • It might seem like he is out to a lot of people, and that might make you think that it is okay because they don’t mind. But as with other assumption, it’s best not to because you might be wrong.

8.      Rendering them invisible

  • One minute they’re no different than anyone else, then poof, in the minds of some people, they’re immediately transformed into their birth assigned gender, or seen as a fake, or somebody who’s been trying to fool everybody. In some cases, to the person told, the trans* persons true self can disappear.

9.      Disclosing birth names.

  • What some people do not realize is that some trans* people guard their birth name and would consider it’s disclosure to be hurtful/offensive. For some their birth name represents a period of their life that they would like to put behind them.

10.  Whose business is it anyway?

  • Ultimately, the bottom line is that their status is their personal information, their history, their story, their life. It is nobody else’s place to disclose it.

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