Sports reporter to undergo sex change

I don't "like" men, although I try not to be prejudiced against them. Why, some of my best friends are men.
I'm attracted to them, now. Have been since about 6 months after my system went haywire. One theory says it's due to the neurotransmitter vassopressin leaving the receptors in the frontal lobes, and the timing is consistent with that. Another theory says I've always been in deep denial, and it was only when my body became sufficiently feminine for it to convince my subconscious that I really was a girl after all, that I allowed myself to feel this.

I think the latter theory is hogwash: male pheremones never did anything for me before, now they have an effect that can't be ignored. It's purely physical. I wish I could be in denial about it, I can't imagine any long-term relationship with someone so Alien.

 

Snap.

Dyss, do you ever get fed up of being in this "standard transsexal narrative" too? We all like to think that we're individuals, unlike any others. And there are differences, you jumped out of perfectly serviceable aircraft, whereas I preferred a nice, safe submarine.

But I could have written the quote above, word for word.

 

Wait ... what does that paragraph mean?

 

Actually, I've traced down 9 of us now. Possibly 2 others.

Background:
In the well-known intersex condition 5ARD, people who look like girls when they're born turn into men at puberty. See the Wikipedia article on it.

Compared with the thousands with this condition, there are a handful where the change is the other way. It happens at around age 45-50, and only to TS women, we think.

This is what I used to look like, 2 years and some 20 days ago. Exactly 2 years ago, I started taking some medication that triggered a spectacular intersex condition. We think. The cause still is not proven.



I'd rather not go into it in front of a pack of journalists. I declined the US ABC network's request to film it as it happened (they have some Very Capable researchers!). I have a son, nearly 6, and have no wish to be on "This Week's Freak" or the National Inquirer. I'm writing a book, but that will no doubt be lost in the sea of other "I was a teenage transsexal" autobiographies.

I would like some scientific work done on this phenomemon, and maybe quiet publicity in medical journals to help those who suffer from it. There's a certain credibility gap, shall we say. But transitioning and trying to lead something like a normal life is difficult enough - as Christine is finding out.

 

Let's make this clear off the bat ... stop refering to this person as him. It is she or her. She is a woman!

 

I apologize, I didn't mean to quote you for that.

And it wasn't just Bomber. Even people on the board who are happy for Christine are saying dude or man or he. It was more a statement for all SJers.

 

I wonder if Red Smith ever had to deal with this.

 

Relax.

People don't mean it as an insult. Mike/Christine (oh no. . . is that OKAY?!?!?!?!?!!?!? Can I call him/her/person that?!?!?!) has been a "he" for 49 years and a "she" for 49 hours.

There will be slips of the keyboard.

 

It would give an interesting new meaning to the phrase "Miracle of Coogan's Buff," wouldn't it?

 

No you are wrong. The whole point of this is that SHE has been a woman for 49 years not 49 hours. I'm just hoping people are aware of that.

 

People have known the person and the byline as Mike Penner for a long time. There will be slips of the keyboard. It's not meant in an insulting way. As you have seen from people asking our guests many questions, some are just trying to wrap their minds around the specifics of what this means.

And we don't need a lecture.

 

Yes, the standarad narrative, in short, sucks.

But, I think, its mostly because its boring to me, lol.

And yes, its ok to say Mike/Christine, and its even ok to make mistakes. Hell, ya'll are journalists -- last times I checked, that gnerally means you are human beings, and well, we all know what wonderfully imperfect creatures they are.

Since we're looking at the "whole story" overall, there's something to remember and keep in mind as well as part of the larger picutre overall.

This is the LA Times. Los Angeles is something of a mecca for TS people. There are several thousand TS people underground in LA, working in the Sex trade since they cannot get a "regular" job, which, naturally, means they are seriously fringe and subject to all the illness that are present therein.

And most of them are extremely young.

The rise of the internet has allowed a wider spread of information that is easier to get to and more readily found. Had it existed 20 years ago, I would have been spared a lot of misery -- I knew then, and attempted suicide, because of it. Had I known *why*, and that something could be done, it would have been no question.

What impact will Christine's story have on the daily lives of the cityfolk of LA -- and in, particular, this population of TS people? Will it help to raise funds for the medical services and outreach programs available?

Once you get past all the jargon (MTF, FTM, pre-op, post-op, non-op, GID, HBS, Intersex, blah blah blah blah) and you get htrough the basics of understanding the "what could cause tis to happen" reaction, you have to deal with wider questions:

Since they are people outside the heteronormative pattern, what happens to them?

I missed the 20/20 special. I hope it was good and informative. My understanding was that it dealt with kids, which is always a dicey question.

Lastly, there is one thing I'd like to put up that's a bit longish. Its called the Non-Trans Privilege checklist. It shows some of the day to day differences trans have to deal with:

1) Strangers don’t assume they can ask me what my genitals look like and how I have sex.

2) My validity as a man/woman/human is not based upon how much surgery I’ve had or how well I pass as a non-Trans person.

3) When initiating sex with someone, I do not have to worry that they won’t be able to deal with my parts or that having sex with me will cause my partner to question his or her own sexual orientation.

4) My politics are not questioned based on the choices I make with regard to my body.

5) I don’t have to hear so have you had THE surgery? or oh, so you’re REALLY a [incorrect sex or gender]? each time I come out to someone.

6) I am not expected to constantly defend my medical decisions.

7) Strangers do not ask me what my real name [birth name] is and then assume that they have a right to call me by that name.

8) People do not disrespect me by using incorrect pronouns even after they’ve been corrected.

9) I do not have to worry that someone wants to be my friend or have sex with me in order to prove his or her hipness or good politics.

10) I do not have to worry about whether I will be able to find a bathroom to use or whether I will be safe changing in a locker room.

11) When engaging in political action, I do not have to worry about the *gendered* repurcussions of being arrested. (i.e. what will happen to me if the cops find out that my genitals do not match my gendered appearance? Will I end up in a cell with people of my own gender?)

12) I do not have to defend my right to be a part of Queer and gays and lesbians will not try to exclude me from OUR movement in order to gain political legitimacy for themselves.

13) My experience of gender (or gendered spaces) is not viewed as baggage by others of the gender in which I live.

14) I do not have to choose between either invisibility (passing) or being consistently othered and/or tokenized based on my gender.

15) I am not told that my sexual orientation and gender identity are mutually exclusive.

16) When I go to the gym or a public pool, I can use the showers.

17) If I end up in the emergency room, I do not have to worry that my gender will keep me from receiving appropriate treatment nor will all of my medical issues be seen as a product of my gender. (Your nose is running and your throat hurts? Must be due to the hormones!)

18) My health insurance provider (or public health system) does not specifically exclude me from receiving benefits or treatments available to others because of my gender.

19) When I express my internal identities in my daily life, I am not considered mentally ill by the medical establishment.

20) I am not required to undergo extensive psychological evaluation in order to receive basic medical care.

21) People do not use me as a scapegoat for their own unresolved gender issues.