Monthly Archives: April 2015

New to the Archives: An Original Photo of Coffee with Christine

Christine Jorgensen

Christine Jorgensen, the first of the American “Atomic Age” transsexual women, is one of the most famous transsexual women in history. Born George Jorgensen, she suffered through gender dysphoria until her 20’s, when she traveled to Denmark and had the first of the modern sexual reassignment surgeries performed upon her by Dr. Christian Hamburger (Christine often said she chose her feminine name as a tribute to her surgeon.) I have a page with a collection of photographs and other material at this link, and recently I’ve purchased an original photograph dated March 30, 1953, to add to the collection.

The photograph shows Jorgensen relaxing with coffee at her parents home, possibly from early that March. Jorgensen had many advantages in her life, namely that being the “first” gave her tremendous publicity and uniqueness. One of the biggest advantages which she had was the support and love of her family, which as we all know, can make or break a transition process. She did experience her share of discrimination, as she writes in her autobiography, but overall her life turned out pretty well for her.

You can download a high-resolution scan of it at this link here.

April 2015 Trans Talk on 90.1 KKFI

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Please join us today, April 25 on “Trans Talk,” 90.1 FM, KKFI, Kansas City Community Radio at 1:00 pm central. You can also tune into kkfi.org to listen in via live streaming audio from anywhere with an internet connection.

On this program Luke Harness, Sandra Meade, and myself will be discussing surgery within the transgender community, and all of its ramifications. Our special guests include three local transgender persons: MJ, a transgender woman who has completed surgery; James, a transgender man who is just starting his journey; and Amanda, a transgender woman who is at a critical point in her transition. Luke will kick off the program with some LGBT news for the week, and I will finish up the program with the Community Calendar update.

Please tune in if you can, as we hope this shall be a great show!

Personal Update – Liposuction

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Some have noticed that I’ve not updated the site for a week. The reason is that this week I underwent liposuction surgery, and have spent a lot of time catching up work and recuperating from the pain. I expect to start making updates from the tremendous amount of backlog I have this week. I have received many original historical photographs and documents via the post over the last few weeks, and am way behind in sharing them.

The sole purpose of the liposuction I underwent was to shape my waist area into much more of a feminine hourglass shape, so one could consider this to be part of my gender transition. I was not excessively chunky there – I weighed about 136 at the time of surgery, and am 5’5″ tall. However, I had a small band of tough fat right at my waist, much of which were lipoliths (literally: fat stones) from insulin injections in my waist area when I was younger. These could not be dieted nor exercised away. As such, it’s the first of four procedures I have outlined in my path to completion.

I’ve actually experienced some “blowback” in the community about even describing liposuction as surgery, solely from folks who have undergone SRS but have never undergone liposuction. To them, it’s not “real enough” and doesn’t qualify in their artificial gender transition “pecking order” which they’ve established. I also received a significant amount of criticism from people who advised me I didn’t need it, I was wasting my money, it was too risky, etc. Some of the same people whom I supported wholeheartedly as they underwent their SRS, hysterectomies, breast augmentation, and breast reductions, did not support my personal cosmetic surgery decision. Several acquaintances have offered not one word of support nor even attempted to contact me to see how I am doing since the day of surgery, something which, excuse my proverbial French, I find to be really shitty – especially when I was there for them when they underwent their surgeries.

Setting aside all that psychodrama, let me just convey some facts about abdominal liposuction. Please note that my experience may not reflect yours, or anyone else’s experience, and is merely a sample size of one for you to consider.

In my opinion, liposuction is not nearly as simple as they advertise it on television. Just because they don’t make huge incisions and don’t put you under general anesthetic doesn’t mean your body doesn’t take a lot of punishment. In fact, I wish I had been under general anesthetic, because it HURT LIKE YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE during the start of the procedure. Thankfully after about 15 minutes it stopped hurting, mostly, because I either passed out or succumbed to the massive amount of lidocaine they inject into you. Given that I have large memory gaps, I’m assuming the latter.

They start by putting you on the table, fully awake, and injecting lidocaine into the incision areas. This is a minor pain. Within about 2 minutes they made 5 small incisions with a scalpel, about 3-4 mm in length and perhaps that deep as well. Then the rigid cannula is unceremoniously forced through the incisions, and shoved under your skin to start to “pop” it free from the layers underneath. It’s horrifying to watch your skin move and stretch up from you, like a toned-down version of the chest-exploding scene from Alien.

There is a visceral sound and feeling when they tear through what the surgeon called “gristle,” that sounds like popping bubble wrap under your skin – painful bubble wrap. Then comes the inflation, where the tumescent solution is injected under your skin, and you swell until you appear 4 months pregnant. Shortly afterwards, the suction and motion begins, and you can see what looks like an inordinate amount of dark, bloody tissue being removed by the cannula through its clear hose. About at this point there is a large “SCENE MISSING” sign, and although I have brief flashes of events happening, for most of that first day I remember less than a few seconds of time.

Afterwards they stick what are essentially maxi pads and Poise pads over your incisions to soak up the copious amounts of fluid which will drain from you, wrap you in another absorbent bandage, then put you into an industrial-strength Spanx-type bodysuit, THEN wrap you with a tight binder similar to that used by transgender men to compress their chests. This is intended to make your now loose skin adhere to your body, and to help reduce swelling.

This is where the true pain starts, and the first 2 days afterwards, if you get a complete 360-degree waist reduction, it is difficult to impossible to work, even at a sitting job. By 3-4 days afterwards, light activity is possible. I’m in day 6 now, and doing reasonably well, except for great pain from my ribs to my waist, and a lot of swelling.

The depressing thing is that you will have to wear the tight binder for a full week, and it hurts. The bodysuit stays on for a couple of weeks, then you are fitted for a much tighter bodysuit. While this may help slim your figure itself, it’s intended to really squeeze the last of the swelling out of you. In 1-3 months, maybe 6 (!), you can see your full results. It’s not quick, and it’s not easy. Don’t let the slick advertisements fool you. It’s serious stuff and you will hurt.

Knowing what I now know, I would be reluctant to do it again. I think the pain was very under-appreciated at first, and I was not prepared for it. It was made worse by the fact that I cannot take codeine, morphine, or other strong medication, I avoid acetaminophen because of its liver effects, and they don’t allow you to take aspirin or ibuprofen for a week. I begged for some relief, and they let me start taking ibuprofen after 5 days. But for the first 5 days, I had almost no pain killers at all.

All in all they only removed about 1-2 pounds of actual fat from me. When you take into account fat cells which are damaged or dislodged during the process and which will be metabolized soon, I likely only lost 2 pounds out of 136. Liposuction, as they tell you, is NOT a weight-loss method; it’s a shaping method.

If you are thinking of doing it yourself…think hard. Take it seriously, and don’t let the “pecking order” make you dismiss how disruptive and how painful it can be.

Movie Review: Kumu Hina (2014)

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Kumu Hina is a documentary film about the life of Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (Hina), a teacher of the traditional dance of Hawaii and a transgender woman. The film focuses overtly upon four aspects of Hina’s life: her attempt to teach a group of male students at Hālau Lokahi Public Charter School how to perform traditional Hawaiian dance, her mentoring of a transgender boy (Hoonani Kamai) who is attempting to join the male group, her work as the chair of the Oahu Island Burial Council, and Hina’s relationship and marriage to her Fijian husband, Hema.

But there is a continual subtext of a fifth aspect to Hina, which is the story of the traditional transgender people of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, who are called māhū*. The māhū have been a respected part of Hawaiian culture since antiquity, and were noted as existing by the first Europeans who visited the islands. However, with the influx of European Christianity and its missionaries, several attempts were made over time to demonize and criminalize the māhū out of existence. For Hina, teaching the language, the dance, and working with the young transgender boy is part of her work to preserve the māhū culture.

A complete movie review of this very well-done documentary can be found at this link.

Respecting Non-binary Gender Persons

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When you are immersed so completely in the life of a transgender activist, historian, and scientist, it’s easy to sometimes be filled with hubris and think “I don’t need to learn about this – I know everything about it already.” While that statement may be true for some people in some situations, it can also lead to arrogance and ignorance in the end.

I received an education this week, from the panelists at the UMKC Trans+Allies meeting in the UMKC Student Union. The topic of the meeting was non-binary transgender persons, who are sometimes be known as genderqueer, genderfluid, agender, pangender, demi-gender, and several other descriptors. The panel consisted of 6 individuals who are living a non-binary transgender life, and over the course of the meeting they told us their stories. Topics included how each person developed their current sense of gender, how their gender continues to develop in some cases, and how it has impacted their jobs, academic careers, families, and friends.

But most importantly, they told us how they felt, right down to earth in a language we could all understand.

The genderqueer flag, which is also used by non-binary persons (there is a subtle yet important difference between the two). Lavender, a mixture of blue and pink, representing androgynes and androgyny, and the “queer” in genderqueer. White representing agender identity. Dark chartreuse green, representing third gender identity.

Not having any non-binary transgender persons as close friends, and also being a very strongly binary-gender transsexual woman, I came to the meeting with a somewhat biased attitude. By halfway through the meeting, however, I had that familiar feeling of epiphany. It suddenly dawned on me that I was both lacking in my knowledge, and incorrect in my judgment, of non-binary lives.

Most importantly, I came to the meeting believing that for most non-binary transgender persons their gender was not as important to them as it was for myself. I believe that I based this bias upon the thought that if one’s gender identity can change often, then it must not be that difficult to live on one side, the other, both, or to be non-gendered.

I could not have been more incorrect.

To my gender-binary transgender readers – you know just how awful it is to have a body and clothes and presentation which do not match your brain gender, yes? And for those who have transitioned fully and integrated, you can think back and remember how hard it was to nail down your gender alignment, yes?

Andreja Pejić, born Andrej Pejić. A transgender woman, who until 2014 billed herself as living “in between genders.”

Now, imagine feeling strongly about your brain gender, but in different or alternating ways on a regular basis. How that would confuse you, create friction in your interpersonal relations, and open you up to being misgendered even by your supporters on a daily basis. Or even feeling like an alien in a way, a third-gender or non-gendered person in amongst women and men. Note as well that it’s difficult enough explaining what “transgender” means to everyday folks – consider how difficult it is to explain the concepts of gender fluidity, third gender, or a lack of gender. While your friends, co-workers, and others in your life may adjust to a gender transition over time, think about how they would react if your gender identity and presentation also changed from time to time.

Non-gender-binary transgender persons are therefore exposed to more potential microaggresions and abuse than binary transgender persons may be. Indeed – a study contained within the National Transgender Discrimination Survey showed that non-binary transgender persons were much more likely to be unemployed (76% vs. 56%), suffer physical assaults (32% vs. 25%), experience police brutality and harassment (31% vs. 21%), and opt out of medical treatment due to discrimination (36% vs. 27%) compared to binary-gender transgender persons. In addition, this same study found that non-binary transgender persons were much more likely to be people of color (30% vs. 23%) and younger (under 45) than binary transgender people (89% vs. 68%).

Despite more than 70 years in the popular scientific and cultural view, there is no good estimate of the true number of transgender persons in the United States, or any country. Even less certain is how many transgender persons identify as non-binary gender. According to the International Handbook on the Demography of Sexuality, one reason may be that many non-binary transgender persons do not seek counseling, nor medical transition assistance. Anecdotally, psychologists and psychiatrists note overwhelmingly that both the number and proportion of non-binary gender transgender patients has been steadily increasing.

One thing I do know, however, is that from now on I will work harder to be inclusive of non-binary transgender persons in all that I do.

Join Us for a Free Film Screening and Panel Discussion

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On Saturday, April 11 at 11am, Community Cinema presents Kumu Hina.

Imagine a world where a little boy can grow up to be the woman of her dreams, and a trans boy can rise to become a leader among men. Welcome to Kumu Hina’s Hawai’i.

During a momentous year in her life in modern Honolulu, Hina Wong-Kalu, a native Hawaiian māhū, or transgender, teacher uses traditional culture to inspire a student to claim her place as leader of the school’s all-male hula troupe. But despite her success as a teacher, Hina longs for love and a committed relationship. Will her marriage to a headstrong Tongan man fulfill her dreams? An incredible docudrama that unfolds like a narrative film, “Kumu Hina” reveals a side of Hawai’i rarely seen on screen.

After the film, a panel will discuss recent events impacting KC’s transgender community as well as its history. Una Nowling from Transas City, and community partners from The Transgender Institute will be on the panel.

Please note: The program and film start at 11 a.m., so please plan to arrive at least a few minutes early.

Kumu Hina
Saturday, April 11 at 11am
Tivoli Cinemas – 4050 Pennsylvania Ave Kansas City, MO 64111

You may RSVP by this link.

Transgender History – Georgina (Turtle) Somerset

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Georgina Turtle (born George Turtle, later Georgina Somerset) was a transsexual woman who claimed to be intersex, bearing an ovary and rudimentary womb. She was born March 23 1923, and died November 30 2013. She lived her life in England.

Although her earliest recollections were of wanting to be a girl, these were suppressed as she entered young adulthood being trained in her father’s profession as a dentist. After being called up as the war in Europe ended, Turtle served as a surgeon-lieutenant in the Royal Navy until 1948, at which point she established a dental practice in Croydon. In the mid-1950’s, Turtle began taking estrogen and living as a woman, and underwent her first surgery for gender confirmation in January, 1957. Later that same year she was attacked and raped, an event which she never completely recovered from and which led to a gender back-lash for her.

In 1960 Turtle’s birth certificate was finally corrected to show “him” as a girl named Georgina Carol Turtle. Two years later, she married Christopher Somerset, a design engineer. At her 13 October 1962 wedding at St Margaret’s in Westminster, Gina (as she liked to be called) asked her brother to give her away. When he declined, she asked two uncles, and then her family doctor: all declined. Her landlord stepped in, and the wedding went ahead. The couple settled at Hove, where Turtle ran a busy dental practice until her retirement in 1985.

At the link below, I have collected 8 photographs for my readers, three in high-resolution.

Transas City’s Georgina Turtle Page