Epicure table at FurEh
So I’m at FurEh this weekend peddling my Epicure wares. I’ve only been here since 1130 and I think this weekend has already been worth it.
Being my first furry convention ever, I’m quite stoked and I’m hoping this convention allows business to pic up for me.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see how business goes!
Re: Oldham: Deny Kosilek’s sex change
WHile I understand what Theresa Oldham is saying in her post regarding
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/opinions/letters_to_the_editor/x1752169086/Oldham-Deny-Kosileks-sex-change – Oldham: Deny Kosilek’s sex change
I feel I must point out that it doesn’t matter what a person has done, whether it be cheating at cards or murder, they are still entitled to basic human rights. This includes being referred to in the proper. I understand where Theresa is coming from, and understand her frustration, but perhaps she should sit down one morning and make a decision to be a man and live in that life for a year. This includes the following:
- Coming out to family: Telling them you are a man in a woman’s body
- Dressing and presenting as a man
- Testosterone injections
We are in a century where individuals can trample all over the rights of another and not think twice about it, yet complain when someone else speaks up and claim discrimination. I implore you to put yourself in Kosilek’s shoes. It has been medically proven that if a person has to live with the wrong hormones plaguing the brain that it will drive you insane. Men cannot deal/do not know how to deal with the influx of estrogen and emotion, just like testosterone is linked with anger, rage, sometimes completely uncontrollable.
Those of us that grow up in this environment are faced with intense persecution from people who dont want to help those who are in need of “Cosmetic” surgery. Let me pose you a question:
Gender Dysphhoria/Gender Identity Disorder is considered a mental disability by many standards. Don’t you find it odd that a mental disorder can be cured by simple “cosmetic” surgery? Yes, I understand your stance that it is a choice, but for most of us, it is a choice between life and death.
We are expected to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to simply be who we are, and are most often than not, turned away from proper medical attention because we do not fit the “gender norm”. We cannot expect proper medical attention when you can walk into a hospital with a mild case of flu and be treated for it.
The point I am trying to make is Kosilek is apparently trying to take care of the issue which landed HER in jail in the first place and get rid of the somewhat uncontrollable agrression. In my opinion, this is one of the first steps towards re-habilitation and perhaps after this, she can afford to live her life as a normal member of society. Please have some respect and try and put yourself in her shoes.
Respesctfully
Blazewing
Bill c-389 and the Religious Right
So, Bill c389 has passed by a slim majority and now the “religious right” is calling for the Senate to “flush the bathroom bill” before it causes serious harm.
I have to stop and laugh at this garbage spewing from their mouths. They should really research their topics first before trying to fight them. They try to lump us in the same categories as pedophiles, rapists and all that good stuff. How much of the condition do they actually know?
In response to: http://www.lifesitenews.com/?/news/canadas-house-of-commons-passes-transgender-bill
GID is THE ONLY “mental Illness” that can be reportedly cured by “cosmetic surgery”. Don’t you find that a bit odd? It is also recognized by health officials WORLD WIDE as a curable condition, but there is only one cure, which the religious right would more than love to see us stripped of and have us suffer, just like they did with their OWN MESSIAH!
I find that people often attack what they are afraid of/don’t understand. The “christian” (which by the way means Crist-like, which I don’t see here at all) mass is not known for it’s tolerance or understanding, but is known, infact for it’s blatant starting of wars i God’s name. Christan crusaders have been forcing the word of their god down everyone else’s throat for MILLENIA and every time someone says please stop, they either kill them or claim anti-christian bigotry. I for one am tired of being considered a sub-human.
If a business decides they wish to fire me for not other reason than the fact that I’m a transexual (and you’d never know, I walk among you. I look THAT good), they can get away with it. This bill will ensure I have the same BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS as every other HUMAN on the face of this planet.Do not tell me that because some religious cult has decided I’m not worth the time, effort or privileges of being considered human, I must suffer.
I refuse to be a victim any longer Burn down my rights, I’ll burn down your church with word, which can be a double edged sword. A famous writer once said “The pen is mightier than the sword.” I believe this to be true, which is why I embrace knowledge instead of hiding it shamefully under the rug, which is what alot of you seem to be doing. Get over yourself and get a clue, please.
I believe that if we stand up against the religious bullies who wish to see us dead more than anything that we can beat them. We can back them into the corner we have been in for AGES and say enough is enough. We will not stand discrimination any more. Your religion does not dictate our lives, so leave us alone!
SNL’s Trans SKit
So, alot of you by now have either heard of or seen SNL’s Estro-Maxx skit. I’vew seen alot of rage and rage quitting over this skit, and I have to wonder……….Why?
What is the big deal? Saturday Night LIve is a SATIRICAL comedy show. This means they are going to make fun of situations and people. Why should we, the transgender community be any exception? We are becoming a sight more in mainstream media these days and the fact that shows like SNL takes the time to actually make fun of us should be taken as a compliment, I think.
It means we are accomplishing what we’ve set out to do as a community. We are being noticed. We are being recognized and while some peole may not like it, skits like this, may actually enable others to inform themselves about us, or seek out information. Why the huge kafuffle? Yes, it’s offensive, yes, it’s derogatory, yes it’s cruel and mean, but that’s what satire is. It’s a form of communication. All the skits SNL has done on various presidents or political figures and I don’t see the majority of them running off and demanding SNL remove the skit from recording and demanding an apology. That would just make them look like paranoid freaks
Yeah, that’s right. I’ve called the majority of the TS/TG community paranoid freaks. You’re so worried about the bad press you receive and in trying to control it, you make your own bad press. Kind of a catch-22 isn’t it? Time to break the cycle.
Oh, FYI, I’m a transexual, and I found the skit FUCKING HILARIOUS.
-Gina 
Bathroom Bills in Canada
Bathroom Bills in Canada
11/17/2010Gina Renee Bennett
Billc-389 is a bill that will make is a jailable offense to discriminateagainst transexuals and transgender individuals based on genderexpression/identity. Personally, I find the fact that the government isgoing for this as completely awesome and inspiring, actually. Thismeans people such as myself in Canada will no longer have to worryabout the de-humanizing letter we need to carry around, just to makesure we don’t get our asses handed to us for having to pee.
Unfortunatelyfor those of us who do not identify as our birth gender, is has come tomy attention that the Catholic Church has a problem with us peeing.They seem to think that we are miscreants, “homosexuals, predators andperverts.” They have a strong feeling apparently, that we are going torape and gangbang their children, despite there not having been ONESINGLE documented case since transitioning went public.
Fromwhere I am standing, the Catholic Church promotes hate, bigotry and ageneral sense of narrow mindedness. If you do not agree with thechurch, you are prety much doomed to hell. I find it hilarious that achurch that is part of a religion that was supposed to be founded onlove and respect is capable of such discriminitory and hateful acts ofconsidering part of the HUMAN RACE as nothing more than animals.Animals not worth of BASIC RIGHTS that come with being human.
WhenI walk into a bathroom on a daily basis, I am scared shitless. Becauseof a birth defect I must live with, if I am found out, I run the riskof not only being called every name in the book, but of having mybrains smashed in while being severely beaten or killed because ofpredjudice like this.
I find it highly amusing that if we toldthe church to Shut The Fuck Up (STFU), they would cry discriminationfaster than Fred Phelps slamming shut and welding his own closet door.I once saw a cartoon about this. There is a Christian hitting a GLBTQperson over the head with a wooden stick repeatedly. The GLBTQindividual asks the Christian to “Please stop, that hurts.” What is theChristian’s response? “That’s anti-christian bigorty!”
Does nota representative of the Catholic Church calling myself and every otherTG individual “predators and perverts” violate two very basic laws oftheir precious bible? Matthew 7:1 “Judge Not Less Ye Be Judged.” andone of the Ten Commandments “Love Thy Neighbour.”?
For centurieswe have been ridiculed, slandered, lied about and killed again andagain because of one little book that was written by a human being.History again repeats itself because we refuse to learn from it. TheIrish, african americans, gays and lesbians, and yes, even women wentthrough this.
I just wanna live my life and be able to pee in peace without having to fear for my life.
God Vs Transition
Gina Ookami
October 27 2010
Alot of you Christians point outthat transitioning goes against what you believe. I challenge you toshow me where in the bible it says transitioning is against God? Sure,the bible says that God created man and woman in His own image and thatHe created us in the womb. Yeah. I firmly believe this, but alot of youare using this as a basis to say that changing from male to female is ablashpeme against God. Fine, let’s look at this from a logicalstandpoint within religion
Changing the body from male to femaleis a purely physical change. What about mentally? Psychologically? Whatif it already differs, causing possible bodily harm? Time has provenagain and again that praying this away is not going to work. Boot Campwill not work and neither will reparative therapy. The only provencourse of action that can solve this dilemma is crossing the genderlines in alot of cases. If God created us man and woman and i his ownimage, then did he not create our mental and psychological conditionstoo? DO you not think He knew what He was doing? How do you explainintersex individuals, or those with ambiguous genetalia? Hell, even theanimal kingdom has examples of gender bedning and even completechanging! Just look at this:
A West German research team reportsthat females of two related frog species can become males withouthormonal or surgical intervention. So complete is the transformation –observed so far only in the laboratory — that the newly male frogsbreed successfully with members of their former sex.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_n9_v137/ai_8784789/
Somespecies are known to change sex, including reproductive functions, inspecial circumstances, such as the clownfish. A school of clownfish isalways built into a hierarchy with a female fish at the top. When shedies, the most dominant male changes sex and takes her place
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_change
Oneof my favorite stories is that of Crepidula fornicata, a littleslipper-shell limpet. These limpets live in stacks of up to 5 on theshells of other snails. The oldest (and largest) animal is at thebottom of the stack, and is a female. The ones on her back
tendto be males. If the oldest one dies or gets knocked off, very oftenthe whole stack dies with her. But, if one of the small males managesto stay attached to the snail shell, he will develop into a female, andothers will stack on her back. This is an example of protandroushermaphroditism.
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2001-02/982369617.Gb.r.html
DidGod not also create these? There are many other examples of animalswithin the animal kingdom that have this ability too, so it’s not likeit’s unique. It’s also kind of hard to imagine that God created themall, especially when you’ve grown up believing in just the simplefluidity of the gender binary. Believe me, I found it hard to acceptand I ended up being one of those who changed genders. Not because Iwanted to, but because I had to. I couldn’t have lived otherwise. Itwas like a compulsion, something I couldn’t ignore, something writtenwithin my very being.
Alot of fundamentalist Christians believeI am committing the ultimate act of Blasphemy against God, but I tendto believe I am honouring Him and doing what He wanted me to do. I amfulfilling my role in life and He is rewarding me by allowing me to seethings that not many get to see. Life from both sides of the coin. Ibelieve I have been gifted, having been allowed to live this life andjust remember: if it wasn’t His ultimate plan, it wouldn’t be happening.
TDOR
A little background on the Transgender Day of Rememberance
The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgendered — that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant — each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgendered people.
We live in times more sensitive than ever to hatred based violence, especially since the events of September 11th. Yet even now, the deaths of those based on anti-transgender hatred or prejudice are largely ignored. Over the last decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate or prejudice, regardless of any other factors in their lives. This trend shows no sign of abating.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgendered people, an action that current media doesn’t perform. Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds non-transgendered people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who’ve died by anti-transgender violence.
http://www.gender.org/remember/day/what.html
Two spirited. Intersexed. Transgender. Transexual. Bigender. All ofthese terms meant we were blessed by the higher powers as far as thenative communities were concerned. People identifying as such were heldin places of high power and esteem. Then the white man came andbasically said it was sinful, immoral and wrong. They bullied andmurdered us by the droves. Now we have a list. This list grows withevery year as more and more names are added. This list also existsbecause of things like medical mishaps and suicides. Unfortunately,this is the reality of what it is to be part of our community. Westrive to kill this list, to make it stand still where it is, butthings like stress and transphobia fight back at every turn.
Most times the transphobia comes from people we know and trust. Friends,family, coworkers, employers and even landlords. The way these peopleare sanctioned, pardoned and generally smiled upon is extremelydisturbing and terrifying. There was a case that caught my eye thisyear in the middle east. A male to female transexual was murdered byher own brothers because of her supposed “immorality”. Her father,being the head of the house, forgave her brothers and the judge thathandled the case gave them one and three years in jail, the rest oftheir sentences having been suspended.
We even see fightingand violence within our own community. Personally, this frightens me.If we cannot pull together as a community and make THE LIST, theviolence and the fighting in the community stand still, how can weexpect to put up a united front against attacks from outside thecommunity? How can we expect to say no more? How can we expect to offeran open hand to those just coming out, to those struggling in the pathto be themselves? How can we offer advice and expect to be takenseriously? I urge you all to quell the hate, the fear and the generalbitterness from stupid quarrels so we can show the world we are notgoing to stand for this anymore.
-Gina Renee Bennett
October 03 2010
Epicure page updated
Epicure page updated – April 20 2013
Support Day Of Silence
How you can support Day of Silence in your area.
Call your local schools and ask whether they permit students or teachers to remain silent in the classroom on Day of Silence.
IMPORTANT :
Do not ask any administrator, school board member, or teacher if the school sponsors, endorses, or supports DOS. Schools do not technically sponsor the Day of Silence. Technically, it is students , often students in the gay-straight alliance, who sponsor it. Many administrators will tell you that they do not sponsor the DOS when, in fact, they do permit students and sometimes even teachers to remain silent during instructional time. Also ask administrators and teacher (seperately, as sometimes not all teachers are informed correctly as to what is going on on school premesis) whether they permit teachers to create lesson plans to accommodate student silence.
If you or your child plan to participate in the DOS, make sure you find out which day the school is holding it. Sometimes schools hold the DOS event on days that differ from the international observance day.
Remember to write the school, and the schoolboard and thank them for standing up for the rights of the LGBTQI community in holding these events as it helps create awareness for the hostile environment to which some children are exposed to.
Explain to your child why this day is important.
1) Everyone is entitled to be who he, she or they are. No one has the right to be bullied or told who they can be
2) Schools should foster an open learning environment which includes freedoms of all people, regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. They should strive to educate individuals about ALL life paths so said individuals can decide for themselves which path is right
3) No belief system or religion should trump one’s right to be oneself. Anything less than this is nothing more than religious superiority and can be considered a hostile environment, if not elitism
4) In order to overcome bullying, one must stand up to them. Any form of oppression should not be tolerated and should be met head on.
The DOS is not designed to be disruptive, but rather used as a tool to educate individuals in hopes that they will realize that not all individuals have a choice in being heard. It also helps draw attention to the violencs the LGBTQI community faces on a day to day basis, which studies have shown are higher than the herterosexual and cis-gender populations.