Dulce (not her real name) grew up in the macho culture of Honduras knowing that she was “different.” From the time she was a little boy, she wanted to dress as a woman and had no interest in male games or activities. She suffered constant
‘This sort of a life’ Janice Josephine Carney‘s Purple Hearts and Silver Stars is unique among transgender memoirs for many reasons. First, it is not written in narrative form. It includes poems, essays, short stories, journal entries, play excerpts, and “rants.” Secondly, these various writings
As of late I have had a sense of feeling lost in a nation full of subcultures. I sense that this is part of the polarization of American culture. There is no real American culture outside of the Native American traditions. The county is divided
I spent the first weekend in August at an inspiring conference – Together in Faith – hosted by the American Friends Service Committee. From the opening reception – put on by the First United Methodist Church of Ypsilanti – through the closing plenary my dreams,
In the 14 years that my wife and I have been jointly dealing with the issues of cross-dressing and discrimination, we have been guided by two principles: 1) Take lots of small steps, and 2) Reach agreement prior to taking any step. As I look
There has been significant turmoil at my church for several years, and it finally reached the point where I felt compelled to resign my membership. That decision was clear to me, but the subsequent steps weren’t so clear. Initially I assumed that I would simply
During the course of their lives, many intelligent people drift away from the religion in which they were raised. Why would they do that when they obviously care about spiritual matters? Are faith and critical thinking mutually exclusive? Do we have to check our brains
The Story of Richard and Rachel I have vivid recollections of cross-dressing since the age of five. Virtually every reference I heard or read was derogatory, so it seemed prudent not to tell anyone. Instead, I attempted, unsuccessfully, to submerge my feelings and drive them
I have recollections of cross-dressing from age five. Virtually every reference was derogatory so it seemed best to hide the truth. I attempted to submerge my feelings and drive them out of my life but those efforts failed and the secret became unbearably heavy. In
Humans have always longed to change our bodies: to become swift as horses, hard as bulls, high as eagles, as if the purpose of life could be found by bending the laws of nature and stepping into a world where imagination becomes reality. The desire