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TN Magazine This is the online version of Tovy Nation Magazine (TN Mag) is a Lesbian focused Magazine for the Women in the Toronto Community and the World.
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New Guide Offers Support To Parents Of Trans Youth The Canadian Press (Toronto, Ontario) To the outside world, Jamie was male. On the inside, it was a different story. ``To be honest, I thought everyone felt like I did,'' Jamie recalled. ``I thought everybody just had a major issue identifying with their gender and with sort of the body that they were in, and everybody was sort of dealing with it, so I didn't think I was different that way.'' Now 26, Jamie identifies as female. But the road towards living as a woman wasn't an easy one. When she was younger, Jamie said she would find herself doing research online on where to find hormones and a therapist, but still hadn't quite made the connection. ``I knew that I didn't really know that I was actually going through it, but I always found myself researching it and finding out how to do it,'' said Jamie, who asked that her last name not be used. ``I guess I downplayed how severe my gender identity issues were when I was younger.'' ``It's only since I've started living as a woman in society that I've realized how severe my gender issues really were, and how much better I feel now that I don't have to pretend to be a guy anymore.'' When she first attempted to come out as trans to her family as a 17-year-old, the news didn't take well, and Jamie ended up suppressing her feelings for years until she could no longer ignore them. At age 25, she began transitioning and has been living as a woman since January. Jamie said her family is now ``really supportive'' compared to how they were when she first tried to come out. ``She's just so supportive and great about it now, now that she's educated about it and she's had time to deal,'' Jamie said of her mother. ``Parents have to mourn the death of who they thought their kid was, basically is what it comes down to for them, and so it takes quite a few years for parents to come around normally.'' A newly released guide billed as a Canadian first is hoping to help address the feelings, questions and concerns of parents of transgendered and transsexual youth. ``Families in TRANSition: A Resource Guide for Parents of Trans Youth,'' written and published by Central Toronto Youth Services, provides comprehensive information, advice and words of support for parents of teens and young adults who have come out as trans. Lead author Nicola Brown, a clinical psychologist and researcher with the Pride and Prejudice program of CTYS, said the idea for the guide came from the clients themselves _ the trans youth they were counseling. ``They really needed help coming out to their parents,'' she said. ``They needed a resource, something they could give that would be informative and to help explain what was happening. And we also had families who were calling needing information on support.'' Brown said the guide involved a lot of community involvement in terms of speaking to trans youth about their experiences, as well as parents and other counselors. It includes stories from parents of trans youth, information on terminology, hormone therapy, surgery, in addition to listings for other materials, resources and support groups so that families can help each other through the process. Brown encourages parents of trans youth to take things slowly. ``There's a big learning curve that needs to happen,'' she said. ``This is going to be a process, and it may be at one of any number of stages, so just to know it's going to take some time and to be real, to be as honest as they can about their feelings to themselves and that they get the support that they need.'' After her daughter decided to come out as a male, Joan Wiley tried to find resources for family members, but found there were few. She founded TransParent Canada, a support network for parents of trans children in September 2005, and said she's heard from parents as far away as Ireland. While the questions posed run the gamut, there is often concern expressed by parents for their children's safety _ something Wiley said she can relate to. ``When we first learned, I was terrified for the safety of my son because of the moral judgments and oppression that are levied against minorities _ and this is definitely a minority,'' she said. ``I often say that people who are different in this society are either treated as punchlines or punching bags, and that really concerns me as a parent that my son would be a target.'' Wiley says that while she believes society is slowly changing, there's still a long way to go. Part of what's helped her through the process is recognizing that her son is still ``the same gift to the world'' he has always been _ just wrapped in a different ribbon. ``When you see the essence of your child, then the gender really becomes not as significant,'' she said. ``It's certainly significant to our children because they're the ones who are having difficulties aligning their internal sense with what their bodies are presenting. But keeping in mind that our children are gifts, this has made it easier.'' by The Canadian Press |
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Heir's Adoption Of Lesbian Lover Annulled In Maine The Associated Press (Portland, Maine) An adult adoption involving lesbian partners and a claim on one of America's premier business fortunes has been annulled. At issue is whether it was legal for a judge in Maine to allow Olive Watson to adopt Patricia Spado in 1991. Watson's father was Thomas Watson, who built IBM into a computer giant. Spado and Olive Watson's relationship ended a year after the adoption. Thomas Watson's heirs challenged the adoption in court in 2005. The judge who granted the adoption annulled it last spring on a residency issue. Her ruling didn't come to light until appeal briefs were filed with Maine's supreme court last week. Spado and Watson lived in New York but spent several weeks each summer on an island in Maine's Penobscot Bay |
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365Gay.com Gay Foes See Red Over Pink Golden Arches 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff (New York City) The American Family Association is taking on the nation's largest fast food chain calling on its members to boycott McDonald's over the company's support for the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. It is the latest in a series of company boycotts initiated by the conservative Christian group that has, according to financial analysts, had little effect. Previous boycotts have involved Disney, Ford, Proctor and Gamble and Kraft Foods and a threatened boycott of Wal-Mart. The AFA on its Web Site said that the boycott "is not about hiring homosexuals ... It is not about homosexuals eating at McDonald's ...It is not about how homosexual employees are treated." Instead, the AFA said: "It is about McDonald's, as a corporation, refusing to remain neutral in the culture wars. McDonald's has chosen not to remain neutral but to give the full weight of their corporation to promoting the homosexual agenda, including homosexual marriage: McDonald's recently gave a donation to the Chamber and was invited to have a company representative sit on the organization's board. In a letter to the fast food chain AFA chair Donald Wildmon asked the company to rescind its support for the Chamber and "remain neutral" on LGBT issues. McDonald's is remaining firm. "McDonald's is associated with countless local and national affinity groups here in the United States," said McDonald's Global Chief Diversity Officer Pat Harris in a reply to Wildmon. "We have a well-established and proud heritage of associating with individuals and organizations that share our belief that every person has the right to live and work in their community free of discrimination," Harris said. The AFA previously boycotted Disney for several year's over its support for Gay Days at Disney World, although the company was not an official sponsor of the event. It boycotted Cincinnati-based Proctor and Gamble over the company's support for the repeal of a city charter amendment that prevented Cincinnati city council from enacting any laws that would recognize gays and lesbians. The group boycotted Kraft for its support of the Chicago Gay Games and threatened to boycott Wal-Mart over its involvement with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. The boycotts resulted in little impact on the companies. The AFA boycott of Ford was heralded as a success by the organization which noted that it had resulted in a drop in sales and share value. But most financial analysts said that Ford's problems were really the result of vehicle designs that failed to impress the public. The conservative Christian group launched a nationwide boycott of Ford in 2005 over the automaker's support for LGBT issues, briefly put it on hold and then reinstated it. The AFA claimed victory when Ford began pulling its ads from LGBT publications, but industry observers and the company said the ad pullout was part of a downsizing of expenses. |
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