Tschan Andrews' TedX Talk

Tschan Andrews is a former model, activist, writer and former model who in this TedX talk tells her story and experience as a Black trans woman, and how these two facets of her identity intersect.

She is also one of our international trans sisters based in London, and talks about the trans experience from a much needed Black international perspective.   She is willing to use any platform to campaign for the inclusivity,  awareness and human rights for not just that group of the population, but for all. 

This is her TedX talk at University College London that was posted on January 18 entitled 'Transploitation: The Reality of Being A Black Trans Woman'

Britain's Next Top Model Gets Its First Trans Contestant

Isis King broke this ground back in 2011  as the first trans contestant on America's Next Top Model, and two trailblazing trans models in April Ashley and Caroline Cossey were both British.

So it's not surprising for me to hear that when Cycle 11 of Britain's Next Top Model kicks off on March 16, there will be a girl like us competing in it for the first time .

She's 22 year old Talulah-Eve Brown from the town of Burton-Upon-Trent.   The 5' 8" Brown is a blogger and trans advocate who transitioned in 2014, and was crowned Miss Transgender Birmingham in 2015.

She's also a black belt in karate, so don't mess with this sister.

She wrote in a post on her Instagram account:  "I never thought a girl like me would find a place on a show like this and compete against such beautiful girls.  But I guess all you have to do is believe."

"Life isn't about finding the label that fits you best.  Life is about finding you!  And it's that journey that is incredible. Appreciate the bad just as much as the good"

Your trans siblings around the world hope that part of appreciating the good in life is you and all of us around the world celebrating you winning this cycle of Britain's Next Top Model 

Trump Gets Snubbed By British Parliament

One of the lies that Trump told during his scampaign is that President Obama was 'hated around he world' and he would bring honor and respect to the presidency.

Really?  President Obama left office with mad respect in much of the world,  a Nobel Peace Prize and a 57% approval rating at home.

It only took Trump eight days to undo the eight years of hard work President Obama has done to restore our international rep damaged by the GW Bush presidency.  World leaders were horrified about the prospect of you becoming POTUS even before you got elected.

There were protests across the planet including Antarctica specifically aimed at you just one day into your mispresidency.  

It must be galling to Trump, his massive ego and his fact free minions that he will not get to do something that President Obama did during his first POTUS term in speaking to a joint session of the British Parliament at Westminster Hall

President Obama, BTW was the first American POTUS ever to be given that honor.

.

John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, has announced that because of his racist and sexist attitudes, he will not be extended an invitation to speak to a joint session of Parliament.  .

Speaker Bercow said he was 'strongly opposed' to Trump speaking to the House of Commons and that being invited to speak before Parliament is not an 'automatic right' but an 'earned privilege'.

In addition to this being a huge embarrassment to Trump, it's also a political headache for British PM Theresa May, who invited him come to Great Britain during her US visit    This also comes as 2 million Britons have signed a petition urging that the state visit not happen

Somewhere in northwest DC President Obama is probably laughing at you.

And so am I.

India's Now Reporting The News In The UK

Some interesting news (pun intended) coming from across The Pond about a British TV news reporter for ITV who has transitioned at age 51 and by doing so, has according to a report in The Mirror become the first out trans television reporter in the UK.

India Willoughby was a longtime reporter familiar to millions of viewers on the ITV Borders regional news program.

But as many trans people are all too familiar with, she was unhappy not living as her true self, and in 2010 started taking the evolutionary steps in becoming the person she is now.

She changed her name and quit her dream high profile television presenter job at ITV to transition. She spent the next five years working in Newcastle for a public relations firm.  After her GRS last year, she decided she wanted to get back into television news, and was hired by ITV Tyne Tees.

She has no plans to go back on air, but she's happy with the person she sees in the mirror now and wouldn't be opposed to one day be reading the news on air again as India.

And hope that happens for you sooner rather than later.
 

Miss SaHHara Places In Top 5 In 2016 Miss Trans Star International Pageant

In case you're wondering how my British sis via Nigeria Miss SaHHara fared in the just concluded Miss Trans Star International pageant in Barcelona, she ended up placing in the top 5 finalists for it.

But along the way to her top 5 finish in Spain, she also shed light on the horrific way that Nigeria treats trans folks like herself and same gender loving people there by jailing them for up to 14 years.

She dealt with imprisonment, anti-trans street harassment. two suicide attempts and transphobic bullying from her family in her native Nigeria before leaving for London in 2004.  She is a singer-songwriter, model and the founding director of the TransValid  NGO.

"There is no way I could have survived in Nigeria.  That is why I had to leave."

After arriving in London, she performed at Madam Jojo's Kitsch Cafe until it closed in November 2014, earned a master's degree in digital media from London Metropolitan University, has walked the runways of London Fashion Week in addition to competing in trans beauty pageants around the globe.

Along the way Miss SaHHara is becoming an internationally recognized voice when it comes to eloquently discussing gender identity issues and as she has said, 'being a voice for the voiceless in Nigeria'.

Nigeria's loss of her talents and intellect because of their transphobic idiocy is Great Britain's gain.

"London gave me my opportunity to pursue my dreams and be my true self." Miss SaHHara said in an interview. "I'm hoping that by speaking out and coming to Miss Star, I will try to influence people or perhaps my government to revoke 14 years of imprisonment for LGBT people in Nigeria."

Miss Brazil Rafaela Manfrini was crowned Miss Trans Star International 2016.  Ta'alin Abu Hanna of Israel was first runner up.

As for what's next for Miss SaHHara?  Stay tuned.

I have no doubt that whatever this talented woman puts her mind to accomplishing, she will achieve it.

Do We Finally Have Trans Olympians Present In Rio?

The IOC is declining to say whether that history has happened, and neither is the British Olympic Association or the Great Britain delegation, but the Daily Mail is reporting that a pair of unnamed British trans feminine athletes back in July were being considered for inclusion on the British Olympic team.

Trans athletes since 2004 have been eligible to compete in the Olympics, but starting with these Rio Games, provided they meet certain parameters, can compete without having genital surgery.

The two trans feminine athletes have represented Great Britain at a European championship event, and one of them has been described by Delia Johnston of Trans in Sports as 'a potential medal winner'.  According to Johnston both potential Olympians transitioned long ago, and their respective international sporting federations associations are aware of their trans status.

Their consistent sporting performances would quality them for inclusion on the team, and once selected by their sporting association would need the assent of the British Olympic Association in order to officially become part of the team.

But they are so afraid of the negativity and publicity that would inevitably come with being the first trans feminine competitors  Johnson said that one of the unnamed potential trans Olympians stated that if she were in position to win a medal, she'd hold back on her performance

I'm sorry, that's bull feces if that comment is truthful, and if this unnamed British trans athlete really feels that way, she doesn't deserve to be selected by the BOA to compete in the Olympics.  

Should you be selected, we as an international trans community deserve nothing less than you going all out for Olympic glory because you are not just competing for yourself, you are representing the hopes and dreams of a marginalized community.

It would be an insult to I and everyone around the world and our trans allies who fought tooth and nail and advocated in the IOC and international sporting federation ranks for trans athletes like you to be able to do so,  That would be an insult to the out trans athletes who have taken slings and arrows like Fallon Fox, Kye Allums,Chris Mosier  and others who want nothing more than to be able to compete in the sports they love to the best of their ability.

It would be an insult to the trans kids growing up around the world who their parents and trans elders are instilling with pride in their trans selves and the belief they can accomplish anything they wish to do, including standing on the top step of an Olympic medal platform.  

I hope that if you British trans athletes are wandering the Olympic Village in preparation for your event, congratulations for making that history, and you bear in mind you're not only representing yourselves and your country, but the entire international trans community..

2016 Williams Watch- In The Wimbledon Semis!

I told y'all the All England Club was the personal tennis playground of the Williams sisters, and in this 2016 Wimbledon tournament they are proving it.   For the first time since 2009, the Williams sisters, who have eleven singles titles combined, are in the Wimbledon ladies singles semifinals at the same time.

World number one Serena won her Centre Court quarterfinal match with Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to punch her ticket to the semifinals against another Russian in Elena Vesnina.

Meanwhile over on No. 1 Court, eighth seeded Venus was pushed a bit and was down 2-5 in the first set tiebreaker, but regrouped and won in straight sets against Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 to make it to her semifinal match with number five seed Angelique Kerber

It was the first time since the 2010 US Open that she has made it to a Grand Slam semifinal,

We'll see on Thursday if both Williams sisters make it to the ladies singles final on Saturday.

They are also still in contention for their first 'Williams'-don doubles crown since 2012, and dispatched the Czech duo of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 6-4, 6-3 in their third round ladies doubles match

They will face in the ladies doubles quarters the winner of the Barbora Strycova/Michaella Krajicek - Elena Vesnina/Ekaterina Makarova match.

TransGriot Update:  They will face in the Wimbledon doubles quarters the number four seeded Russian duo of Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova.

2016 Williams Watch- Serena And Venus In The Wimbledon Quarters!

The Williams sisters are still alive in this rain delayed 2016 edition of 'Williams-don' and are both in the ladies singles quarterfinals cruising toward a possible All-Williams Wimbledon finals matchup for the first time at the All England club since 2009.

Number one tournament seed Serena handled her third and fourth round business by blitzing Germany's Annika Beck in straight sets 6-3, 6-0 and 13th seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 6-0 in the same fashion on Centre Court.

The Kuznetsova match was noteworthy because it was Little Sis' 300th Grand Slam match win, and ensured she would keep the number one world WTA ranking for the 300th consecutive week.

Serena will now face 21st seeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who knocked off Yulia Putintseva, 11th seeded Timea Bacsinszky, and 27th seeded Coco Vandeweghe to get her shot at the world's number one player.

Should she get past Pavlyuchenkova, she would face in the semis the winner of the Dominika Cibulkova- Elena Vesnina match.

Meanwhile eighth seeded Venus, after surviving two three set matches, found herself in the fourth round facing 12th seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro.   She had to endure a first set tiebreaker, but this time finished her business in only two sets and closed out her match serving for triple break point.  

Big Sis' 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 sent her to a quarterfinal matchup with Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova, who has knocked off Julia Gorges, 17th seeded Elina Svitolina, Sabine Lisicki and 28th seeded Lucie Safarova to get to the quarterfinal round.

Should she get past Shvedova, Venus' semifinal match would be another tough one.  She would have to face the survivor of a quarterfinal match between number 4 seed Angelique Kerber and number 5 seed Simona Halep.

The Williams sisters are competing for their first Wimbledon ladies doubles title since 2012 as a warmup for the Rio Olympic tennis tournament, and are now in the third round of this doubles competition after knocking off the Belgian duo of Elise Mertens and An-Sophie Mestach in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.

They will face the sixth seeded Czech duo of Lucie Hradecka and Andrea Hlavackova for a spot in the ladies doubles quarterfinals.

So far things are looking good for them at their 'Williams'-don playground, and we'll have to wait and see if my fave tennis playing siblings are hoisting trophies this weekend at SW19.

2016 Williams Watch- Still Playing At Wimbledon

We've reached the first weekend of The Championships, AKA 'Williams'-don as I love to call the third Grand Slam of the tennis season because of my fave tennis playing siblings utter domination of it,

While it has been a little bumpy at times for both number one seed Serena and number 8 seeded Venus, they are still around and still playing at the All England lawn Tennis and Croquet Club as the ladies tournament seeds keep falling.

Number 2 seeded Garbine Muguruza?  Gone in the second round along with No. 7 Belinda Bencic (retired due to injury), No. 14 Samantha Stosur, No 15 Karolina Pliskova, No. 16 Johanna Konta, No 17 Elina Svitolina  No. 20 Sara Errani, No. 22 Jelena Jankovic, No. 30 Caroline Garcia and No 32 Andrea Petkovic.  They join  No. 23 Ana Ivanovic and No. 31 Kristina Mladenovic who went out in the first round and third round casualty Daria Kasatkina

Serena started her quest for her 22nd Grand slam title by dispatching Swiss qualifier Amra Sadikovic in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 to move on to her second round match with fellow American Christina McHale.  

That match was tougher than she expected, because McHale not only took Little Sis to a first set tie breaker, but snatched the first set from her. Order was restored in the tennis world as as a pissed off Serena resumed her usual dominance and punched her ticket to the third round clash with Germany's Annika Beck with a 6-7 (9-7) 6-2, 6-4 win over the plucky McHale

On the other side of the ladies singles bracket, Venus was also dismissing her first round opponent Donna Vekic of Croatia in straight sets 7-6 (7-3) 6-4, but had to endure a first set tiebreaker to do so.

She then sent qualifier Maria Sakkari of Greece packing with a 7-5. 4-6, 6-3 three set win to send her to a third round clash with Russia's Daria Kasatkina.

That match featured a marathon third set, but she survived again 7-5,4-6, 10-8 to face No. 12 seed Carla Suarez-Navarro of Spain in the fourth round.

As they did in the French Open, they are also playing doubles, and got thorough their opening round ladies doubles match with their 7-5, 6-3 straight set win over the Slovenian duo of Andreja Klepac and Katarina Srebotnik.   They face in the second round of the doubles tourney Belgian qualifiers Elise Mertens and An-Sophie Mestach

Will Serena keep rolling to another final and FINALLY get that 22nd Grand Slam title?  Will Big Sis continue surviving and advancing through the bottom half of the 'Williams'-don ladies singles bracket?

Stay tuned.

BBC Free Speech 'Things Not To Say To A Trans Person' Video

On BBC Free Speech, several of our British trans siblings, Paris Lees, Fox Fisher, Veronica Blades, Adeleh Sasansara, Munroe Bergdorf, Dani Gibbinson and Harry Taylor were asked to randomly pick out of a bowl some questions they and by extension many trans people are asked. .  

Here's the results.

UK Issues Travel Warning To NC and MS

It's getting harder every day for Gov. Pat McCrory (R) and the conservafool movement to claim that North Carolina has suffered 'no repercussions' for passing that unjust human rights monstrosity that NC NAACP President Rev. Dr. William Barber II calls Hate Bill 2.

Concerts are being canceled, conventions are being pulled, Cirque de Soleil has canceled all its performances in North Carolina, and corporations are canceling plans to add jobs in the Tarheel State.   Even Duke University has called for HB 2 to be repealed.

The latest blow to North Carolina is coming from across The Pond.   The UK Foreign Office has issued a travel warning for its LGBTQI British citizens traveling to North Carolina or Mississippi similar to the ones they issue for travel to Russia, Turkey or other anti-TBLG hotspots around the world.

The UK Foreign Office travel advisory to British LGBTQI citizens published today on its website reads::

The US is an extremely diverse society and attitudes towards LGBT people differ hugely across the country. LGBT travelers may be affected by legislation passed recently in the states of North Carolina and Mississippi.

 Before traveling please read our general travel advice for the LGBT community (link above). You can find more detail on LGBT issues in the US on the website of the Human Rights Campaign.’

Gotta be embarrassing to the GOP controlled NC government when Great Britain is putting your state in the same class as other anti-democratic and repressive human rights regimes around the world.

No matter how hard you try to deflect and not take personal responsibility for this mess, you own it because you caused it.  You can also fix it by repealing Hate Bill 2.

Say Hello To UK Judge Dr. Victoria McCloud

We have two trans judges here in the United States in Victoria Kolakowski of California and Houston's own Phyllis Frye, and Canada's first one in Kael McKenzie in Manitoba.

Was pleased to discover that across The Pond in the UK, we now have a trans judge sitting on the bench there in Dr. Victoria McCloud.

She has declined to speak publicly about her history making status, but she is at age 46 the youngest person to ever become a High Court Master judge and has presided over some high profile cases since her appointment in 2010.. .

While she may be reluctant to talk about it, a British judiciary spokesperson told the Daily Mail that 'British courts have an increasingly diverse workforce, and now judges come from all walks of life reflecting society in general.'

The British courts finally reflect one segment of British society in the transgender community, and by doing so, may be inspiring the next generation of British trans kids to dream big and follow those dream..

1965 Baldwin vs. Buckley Debate

"It is a terrible thing for an entire people to surrender to the notion that one-ninth of its population is beneath them.  Until the moment comes when we, the Americans, are able to accept the fact that my ancestors are both black and white, that on that continent we are trying to forge a new identity, that we need each other, that I am not a ward of America, I am not an object of missionary charity, I am one of the people who built this country-- until this moment comes there is scarcely any hope for the American dream.  If the people are denied participation in it, by their very presence they will wreck it.  And if that happens it is a very grave moment for the West."
-James Baldwin, 1965 Cambridge University debate    

50 years ago writer James Baldwin  accepted an invitation from Cambridge University's Cambridge Union Society to debate William F. Buckley, Jr., the father of modern conservatism and the young founder of the conservative leaning National Review magazine.

The debate topic was 'Has the American Dream Been Achieved At The Expense Of The American Negro?' 

Baldwin in addition to being a prominent writer, was one of the intellectual voices of the Civil Rights Movement.  Buckley was had voiced his opposition to desegregation in the pages of the National Review in 1961 but was a few years from his status as 'The Father of Modern Conservatism'.

Both got their opportunity to argue their points, and when it was over the Cambridge Union Society members voted on the proposition.   Baldwin trounced Buckley 540-160.  

Enjoy this debate, because sadly, many of the points Baldwin makes are still valid in 2015 and explain much of the racial animus we are currently dealing with.

British Trans Woman May Not Be Getting Locked Up With The Cis Boys

One of the problems we have had when trans women have been incarcerated for law violations is that far too many prisons operate based on the genitalia you possess and not gender presentation

For trans women, that is a problem that leads to them being mistreated by guards and inmates alike and walking targets for sexual assault. Combine that with a documentation issue, and you have a recipe for disaster

26 year old British trans woman Tara Hudson was harshly sentenced by magistrates in Bath to 12 weeks in the all male Bristol prison after admitting to headbutting a bar manager.   Never mind the fact that she has been on hormones, lived as Tara for six years, had reconstructive surgery, and been declared by her medical doctor as a woman.   But because she doesn't have a Gender Recognition Certificate, a document that confers legal recognition of her gender and it time consuming and expensive to get, she is facing having to do time in a prison in which according to an inspection report, levels of violence have risen since the last inspection and not enough was done to protect vulnerable prisoners.

And we can visualize the hell that would ensure for her if she was thrown into that situation.

After 122,000 people around the world signed a Change.org petition asking for Hudson to be moved to a women's prison, that request is not only being considered, but her case is being reviewed.

Her mother is hoping that the sentence will be reduced so that she can spend it at home on an electronic monitoring tag.

But Hudson should have never been put in this dangerous situation in the first place. It's time for Britain to listen to its trans citizens and consider changes in the 2004 Gender Recognition Act hat would allow self declaration of gender identity without the bureaucratic hoops and fiscal burdens that come with the current policy.

TransGriot Update:  Hudson will be transferred to a women's prison to serve her sentence. 

2015 Williams Watch-Serena Slam!

I repeat, how like her now haters?

Serena Williams ended her business trip to London on a successful note as she captured her sixth 'Williams'-don title, her 21st Grand Slam championship overall, and her second Serena Slam with a 6-4, 6-4 straight set victory over Garbine Muguruza of Spain.

But the 21 year old Muguruza, who knocked Serena out of the French Open last year in the second round and was confident she could pull off the upset again, and was determined to not roll over and hand the Venus Rosewater Dish to Little Sis.  

She was planning on making Serena earn the trophy, and she did..  Muguruza broke Serena's serve in the opening game of the first set and built a 4-2 lead before Serena kicked it up another level and won the next five games to take the set and go up 1-0 in the second set.


Williams built a 5-1 lead in the second set before the nerves and magnitude of what she was about to accomplish briefly affected her, and she dropped two service games with a chance to serve for the title as Muguruza fought to stay alive in the match.

Muguruza closed to 5-4 with a chance to serve to knot the set at 5-5.   But Serena would wake up and build a 40-0 lead and watch Muguruza hit a forehand shot wide to get the break and her sixth Wimbledon title.

In addition to winning her fourth straight Gland Slam title since the 2014 US Open, she is now seven wins away from capturing her first calendar year Grand Slam, tying Steffi Graf with 22 Grand Slam title wins and only three Grand Slam title wins from catching Margaret Court. 

The queue for the strawberries and cream flavored Haterade forms to the left.  

See y'all in New York next month for what may shape up to be a historic US Open.

2015 Williams Watch- Playing For The Serena Slam!

It's the 'Williams'-don semifinals, and Serena Williams was going for her 8th Wimbledon ladies final appearance against a foe in Maria Sharapova who hasn't beaten her since 2004.

And she wouldn't do it today either.

Williams and Sharapova were meeting for the 20th time, and Serena has owned her with a 17-2 record in their head to head meetings.

Make that 18-2.    Serena beat her for the 17th straight time since that shocking 2004 straight set Wimbledon finals loss,.  Little Sis was on her A+ game and made quick (1:19)  6-2. 6-4  straight set work of Sharapova to get to her 8th Wimbledon final, the 25th Grand Slam final of her career and win her 26th straight Grand Slam match.

The win over Sharapova keeps her quest alive for a Serena Slam.  This will be if she wins Saturday  in addition to her sixth Wimbledon ladies singles title, her fourth straight Grand Slam title since she captured the 2014 US Open.   With a win Saturday at Centre Court Serena will also set up a chance to accomplish a calendar year Grand Slam at the US Open and tie Steffi Graf with 22 Grand Slam wins.

How you like her now haters?  Here's some strawberries and cream flavored Haterade for you to drink. Hater tots will be coming soon for you to munch on.

She will face 21 year old Garbine Muguruza of Spain, who knocked off 2012 Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2.3-6, 6-3 to become the first Spanish woman since Arantxa Sanchez Vicario did so in 1996 to advance to the Wimbledon final.

And you can bet Serena won't be sleeping on Muguruza.   If that name sounds familiar to you, it was none other than Muguruza who upset Serena in the second round of the French Open last year.

While Muguruza is capable of doing it, she'll probably get a Serena who is on her A+ game,  remembers what happened last year. at Roland Garros and is ready to atone for it..  

But unfortunately for Muguruza, this ain't Roland Garros, it's the All-England Club, the Williams sisters personal tennis playground.

Should be fun to watch this tennis history unfold for the greatest tennis player of all time as she attempts to win her sixth 'Williams'-don ladies singles title and another Venus Rosewater Dish for her trophy collection.  

I also love the fact she's on the verge of doing so 40 years after Arthur Ashe won his Wimbledon title.

Happy 80th Birthday April Ashley!

Across The Pond today is the milestone birthday of one of our trans community icons.  Today April Ashley, MBE was born on this date 80 years ago in Liverpool, England.  

No wonder I love her.   She's a fellow Taurus!

She had a challenging childhood and grew up to become one of the first people in Great Britain to undergo SRS with Dr. Georges Bourou in Casablanca, Morocco in 1960.

She was a Vogue fashion model, worked at the famed LeCarrousel trans club in Paris in which she rubbed elbows with Ernest Hemingway, Jean Paul Sartre and Bob Hope, was an actress, and enjoyed the romantic attention of actor Peter O'Toole and famed painters Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.

She has also worked tirelessly to advance the human rights of trans people in Great Britain and awarded her MBE in 2012.

In September 2013 the year long April Ashley: Portrait of A Lady exhibit opened at the Museum of Liverpool focused on her amazing life.

Ashley received a Lifetime Achievement honor during the 2014 European Diversity Awards.

Happy 80th birthday, April!   To me. April Ashley's life is a testament to living well being your best revenge as a trans person.  

And living long enough to celebrate eight decades on this planet definitely qualifies as living well.

Rev. Carol Stone Passes Away

Some sad news to report from the other side of The Pond concerning a trans pioneer.

The Rev. Carol Stone lost her battle with pancreatic cancer and passed away at age 60.

Rev. Stone was ordained under her previous name as a Church of England vicar in 1978.  After serving in several positions she announced her intention to transition in 2000.  

Although she feared at the time she wouldn't be allowed to speak from the pulpit, the Right Reverent Barry Rogerson, then Bishop of Bristol stated there was no ethical or ecclesiastical reason why she couldn't do so.    She was also supported by her parishioners and received a standing ovation when she returned to the pulpit after her surgery.

Rev. Stone was also a regular radio contributor, and in 1979 received an award from the Sandford St. Martin Trust.

The Right Rev  Lee Rayfield, the Bishop of Swindon in his remarks about Rev Stone said: "She and her colleagues really worked hard and overcame one setback after another, 

'She really was a true priest who overcame a huge amount in her life and a huge amount with other people, and I'll remember her with great affection.' 

Rest in peace Rev. Stone.

Happy Milestone Birthday, Caroline!

Today is the milestone 60th birthday of model, trans advocate and Bond Girl Caroline Cossey who was born on this date in the UK in 1954.

She was one of the more well known trans women of the 80's and 90's and has a variant of the intersex condition Klinefelter's Syndrome in which instead of the XXY pattern that many people with the condition usually have, she was born XXXY.

Cossey broke ground as a fashion model under her stage name Tula, authored two autobiographical books published in 1982 and 1991, was a Bond Girl in the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only, and a September 1991 Playboy magazine centerfold.  

She also fought for trans marriage rights in Great Britain.   She won her European Court of Human Rights.case in 1989 and lost it on British government appeal in September 1990.

Since 1992 she has been married and living in the ATL metro area with her husband David Finch.

Happy milestone birthday to one of our transfeminine pioneers who helped push the knowledge envelope abut us during the 80's and 90's.   May you have many more.  

British Soap 'Hollyoaks' To Have Trans Character

The British soap opera Hollyoaks has been broadcast on Channel 4 since October 1995, and is about to start another trans storyline.

Hollyoaks had previously done a trans storyline in which teen Jasmine Costello, portrayed by actress Victoria Atkin, transitioned to living as a young gay man named Jason.from August 2, 2010 to December 1, 2011.

Show regular Modupe Adyeye plays Blessing Chambers, one of the new characters on the long running soap that made her first appearance on February 21.   She is set to reveal next month to Tony Hutchinson (played by Nick Pickard) that she is a trans woman.  

This character inspired by Laverne Cox.is being loosely based on British writer and activist Paris Lees.  

Blessing will reveal that she spent time in a young offenders institution before transitioning and moving to Hollyoaks to start a new life.  At the same time her family, who has not seen her since the transition, hires a private investigator as they start looking for her.  

Adeyeye said: ‘I found researching the character of Blessing really inspiring and I hope that her story of a young trans woman who is loud and feisty and unapologetic proves to be a good role model.

‘I hope that the people who need to be touched by her story will be.’

- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/hollyoaks-reveals-new-transgender-storyline250414#sthash.a4YxLSv8.9G7SHESV.dpuf

While the show's writers worked with The Gender Trust and All About Trans to ensure a sensitive and realistic portrayal of the upcoming storyline, and Adyeye earnestly wants to do a quality job playing this tarns story, the chatter in the British and international trans community on social media is asking the question why wasn't a trans actress hired to portray a trans person?

I guess we should thank the producers for the small favor of not putting a man in drag in the role, especially since this Hollyoaks trans character is a person of color.  .

Adyeye said in an interview, "I found researching the character of Blessing really inspiring and I hope that her story of a young trans woman who is loud and feisty and unapologetic proves to be a good role model. I hope that the people who need to be touched by her story will be."

The trans community of Great Britain and their trans cousins around the world sure hope so.