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NEWS ITEM - Transsexual wins rights case
Canada - The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal has ordered a Vancouver rape crisis centre to pay a transsexual $7,500 for injury to her dignity and feelings after she was denied work as a volunteer counsellor. The award to Kimberly Nixon, handed down Friday, is the largest the human-rights adjudication body has ever made. Nixon, now 44, complained she was hurt, humiliated and even contemplated suicide after she was removed from a training program run by the Vancouver Rape Relief Society in 1995 because she was not born a woman. In an interview Friday, Nixon said the ruling was final vindication in a battle that has lasted more than six years. "If you believe in yourself and you're doing it for all the right reasons, nothing can really stand in your way," she said. "That hopefully will provide hope for others." Nixon, who had sex-change surgery in 1990, said she went to the society's crisis centre to help women who were victims of male assault because she had suffered abuse by her male partner. But she was asked to leave after the staff member conducting the training course learned that Nixon had once been a man. Nixon, a former airline pilot who used to wear women's clothing under her uniform, told the tribunal she was hurt and humiliated by the rejection. "She felt worthless, hopeless and helpless and that she was not a part of society; she did not fit in," the tribunal noted in its ruling. "She contemplated suicide." Nixon's lawyer, Barbara Findlay, said Friday the rejection brought back the feelings she experienced of living as a woman within a man's body. "To have people say they don't believe that you're really a woman is the hardest thing to hear," Findlay said. The rape relief society provides counselling and operates a women's shelter. It bans men from working for it because "members agree that women's oppression is a result of a social order in which men, from birth, because of their place in the social order, control women," the tribunal ruling observed. The tribunal rejected the non-profit society's request to be exempted from the rules governing employees because Nixon was a would-be volunteer. It also asked that any damage award be minimal because the society is a non-profit group. But tribunal chairwoman Heather MacNaughton said the $7,500 award ($1,000 higher than any previous award it has made) was appropriate. She also ordered the society to stop discriminating against transsexual women who want to volunteer, but rejected Nixon's demand the group's members be forced to take "transphobia" workshops. The tribunal's ruling is consistent with other decisions concerning 'trans-women," such as another B.C. case that overturned a nightclub's ban on transgendered females using its women's washroom, said Findlay. "What's important is that this decision is about participation by 'trans-women' in women-only spaces," she said. "The argument by rape relief was essentially that Kimberly wasn't a real woman and this case established otherwise." The tribunal also rejected the society's argument that Nixon's past as a man made her an unsuitable counsellor for women victims of male violence. Nixon was trained in violence issues affecting women by another group, Battered Women's Support Services, the lawyer noted. "The evidence from the people who worked with her was that she wasn't just a good counsellor, she was an exceptional counsellor for women who were survivors of violence," said findlay. Nixon now works with another rape-crisis group, Women Against Violence Against Women, Findlay added. The Rape Relief Society holds a minority view about transgendered women, she said. But the society, which may appeal the ruling in the courts, said it had no regrets about defending its expulsion of Nixon. "We've held that being a woman is a combination of social conditioning and biology," said spokeswoman Suzanne Jay. "It's not just about your genitals. It's about how women are treated throughout our lives as we develop through girlhood and into womanhood."; Nixon said that reaction suggests the group remains in denial about transgendered women, with a view based on "stereotypes and generalizations." "They know nothing about me or my experience," she said. Jay said the legal battle, fought with financial help from supporters, has stretched the society's resources. It may have trouble raising money to pay the $7,500 award, she said. The fight continues to take a toll on Nixon, too. Publicity, including hearings over the last two years, has made Nixon unemployable, said Findlay. Her employment insurance recently ran out.
NEWS ITEM - Police boss walks the walk with TVs
Christine Nixon's profile has risen so high that a group of blonde-wigged transvestites marched in the police commissioner's honour yesterday. The high-heeled and short-skirted "Drag Squad" were paying the ultimate compliment for her decision to join Melbourne's Gay Pride March alongside other on-duty colleagues. It was the first time a police commissioner has joined a gay event in the nation and the first time uniformed police have marched in the seven-year-old event in Melbourne. Civilian law enforcement workers and federal police joined their Victorian colleagues among more than 80 community groups marching along Fitzroy Street in bayside St Kilda, and roused the largest cheer from the thousands of spectators.
NEWS ITEM - TV candidates run in Hungary
As Interior Minister Sándor Pintér swore in the officers of the newly-formed 36-member National Election Commission, which will administer the forthcoming general elections, several public figures announced their intention to run for office. Hot on the heels of Hungarian-born former Italian porn queen Ilona Staller (known as La Ciccolina) announcing her intended candidacy at the upcoming elections, x-rated actress Monique Covet revealed her own plans to run as a candidate of the "Free Freedom Party," which she jointly founded with transvestite performer Károly Rácz (better known as Terry Black). Rácz shot to fame last year after his controversial adoption of a baby. Announcing his own candidacy, former AIDS activist Rácz stated that his party aimed to legalize prostitution and compel prostitutes to make income tax contributions. He added the party hoped to win the 5% of the vote necessary to gain places in Parliament. Rácz said his party did not intend to enter into any cooperation agreement with Staller.
NEWS ITEM - Transvestites Invade Paraguay
Local newspaper, The La Cuarta, reports that 200 transvestites are preparing to cross the border. Transvestites in Paraguay fear that the arrival of 200 more sex workers will flood the market and affect their income. Piter Balbuena, leader of the Paraguayan homosexual organisation, warned there was no room for any more transvestites in Paraguay. "This is also a tough market. Things aren`t much better here and we will do what we can to stop them coming in. Transvestites nowadays have to work twice as hard as before just to pay their expenses. And clients have either disappeared or aren`t paying as much as they used to.
NEWS ITEM - Fake TS doctor cons US hospitals (02/01/2002)
A bogus psychiatrist who disappeared from Nelson more than four years ago has been working at a substance abuse hospital and an adolescent welfare agency in the United States. Linda Astor, a transvestite, was arrested in New Hampshire three weeks ago on immigration matters and could be deported to her home country of Poland this month. Astor conned the New Zealand Medical Council, Hutt Valley Health and Nelson Marlborough Health Services to gain work as a psychiatrist before disappearing in 1997. A New Hampshire newspaper, the Keene Sentinel, reported yesterday that Astor was working last year as admissions director at Beech Hill Hospital, a substance abuse centre in Dublin, New Hampshire. She began work there last January and left in May. She later worked as a case manager at the North Eastern Family Institute, an adolescent welfare agency in Brattleboro, Vermont. As admissions director at Beech Hill, she supervised the arrival of new patients and directed them to proper care. She called herself Linda Astor-O'Neil. New Hampshire law requires that admissions directors be certified as registered nurses. State inspectors noticed at Beech Hill that Astor was not a nurse at the time she left the staff, and the hospital was cited for employing uncertified personnel. The Sentinel reported that state documents showed Astor signed medical files at Beech Hill as "MD", claiming to be a doctor. The paper, quoting unidentified staff, said she then went to work for the North Eastern Family Institute, staying there for about six months before her arrest on immigration matters last month. The institute declined comment. US immigration authorities said Astor was a transvestite, but she has also been described as a transsexual. She is now in the custody of the US Immigration and Naturalisation Service, after it was alerted to a routine shoplifting arrest on October 20 at a grocery store in Keene. In 1996, Astor was responsible for discharging Hutt Valley Health patient Leslie Raymond Parr from a court-ordered treatment regime. The following year Parr killed and decapitated his girlfriend, Fiona Maulolo. Astor moved to Nelson in April 1997 before her lack of psychiatric credentials was exposed. She is believed to have originally trained in Poland as a doctor. Her movements immediately after leaving Nelson remain a mystery, but before her recent arrest she was living in Westmoreland, New Hampshire, apparently after moving there from Connecticut. Neighbours said they had never heard of or seen Astor, but her landlord, Walter Derjue, recalled a 1.85m tall woman with long, blonde hair, heavy make-up, a deep voice and thick European accent. Accompanying her was a middle-aged man, who identified himself as her husband, Richard Bergman, a car salesman. A man of that name was with Astor during her time in Nelson and also disappeared in 1997. She and Mr Bergman lived at Mr Derjue's house until last month, when Mr Bergman told the landlord they needed to move immediately because Astor had a medical emergency. "It was urgent. She had to get to the hospital for cancer treatment. So I gave them a break on the lease," Mr Derjue said. "Supposedly they owned a house in Connecticut and were moving back [so Astor could be near] a hospital in New York." She and Mr Bergman paid their rent on time and kept to themselves, Mr Derjue said. He spoke to them only when they wanted something fixed in the house. "Gosh, she'd complain about little things they wanted done," he said. "She was a fusspot, in my opinion. I don't mind that they left. "Because of that deep voice, one of our neighbours once said, 'Is she a he?' I said, 'I don't know'." After she was arrested on the shoplifting charge, Astor's fingerprints were entered into the Keene Police Department's fingerprint identification system and forwarded to a federal database for comparison. Her removal from the United States is automatic because she has been deported from the country before, says Gary Cote, acting deputy district director at the US Immigration and Naturalisation Service office in Boston. He declined to comment about when or why she was deported previously, or where she was now being held. Astor remains on Nelson police files as "wanted for interview" over the supply of false information and documents to the Medical Council.
NEWS ITEM - Transvestite banker found unfit to stand trial over £220m fraud
A former City fund manager, who nearly died after repeated attempts to castrate himself and become a woman, has been found unfit to stand trial for an alleged £220 million fraud. Peter Young, a father of two, who now calls himself Beth and dresses as a woman, was overwhelmed with stress after bosses began probing his dealings four years ago. The bespectacled six footer and diagnosed schizophrenic began to think he was a woman in a man's body. He grew his brown hair below his shoulders and added pink dresses, blouses and high-heeled shoes to his wardrobe. London's Southwark Crown Court was told that the once brilliant Oxford graduate, who used to manage investments totalling £1.2 billion as a fund manager for Morgan Grenfell Asset Management, finally began hearing voices. The 42-year-old told psychiatrists that one of the voices was male, while the other belonged to a female called Sarah who kept telling him to become a woman. In the end, his 'passion' to change sex resulted in the former high-flier suffering appalling injuries as he variously used a craft knife, a length of fishing line and, finally, a pair of scissors in a bid to rid himself of the manhood he had come to hate. On one occasion, he sat for two days bleeding from a gaping wound before he finally sought help, although it was too late to save one of his testicles. After the last bout of self-mutilation, in August, he suffered a severe infection and nearly died. An initial "trial of issue" hearing at the Old Bailey to decide his fitness failed to produce a verdict. But this time the jury of six men and six women, who had spent a fortnight listening to often complex medical evidence, took just five hours to unanimously decide that he was "under such disability of mind" he was not fit to stand trial.
Twice-married Young, who once earned £300,000 a year and now lives at an undisclosed address in Surrey, showed no reaction as the foreman announced their decision under the 1964 Insanity Act. Minutes later, he left the court in a cerise top, grey-flecked skirt, high-heeled shoes and carrying a purple shoulder bag. He now faces a further hearing next week when a separate jury will be asked to decide if he "did the acts" alleged against him. Such a finding would enable the court to order medical treatment for him. The court heard that concerns about Young's dealings were raised when he allegedly began speculating for personal gain and in areas Morgan Grenfell would not have approved of. According to the Crown, he used some of the cash - £350,000 - to buy the former family home in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.
NEWS ITEM - Transsexual suing a south Wales church
A transsexual former clergyman is suing a south Wales church after she was banned from using the ladies' toilets. Dian Parry - once known to his congregation as the Rev Bill Parry - is claiming sexual discrimination because she was told to use the gents.Father-of-three Ms Parry, 62, turned up for the prayer meeting at the Vine Christian Centre in Maesteg. But pastor Alex Ashton ruled that despite her sex-change operation she was born a man and must use the men's toilets. Ms Parry, from Croeserw, near Port Talbot, has been living as a woman for three years and underwent her gender realignment in February 2001.It is not the first time she has had to fight for her rights. In July 2000, she won £6,000 in an out-of-court settlement from Swansea College after claiming she had been discriminated against on a beauty therapy course. The former non-conformist minister who once sported a beard wanted to learn make-up skills to help her look more like a woman. She was expelled from the course after complaining she was not supplied with suitable models to practice on for the qualifying exams. Three months later, she won the right to join the Welsh-language equivalent of the Women's Institute. The all-women organisation Merched y Wawr - "Daughters Of The Dawn" - asked Ms Parry to leave when she turned up for her first meeting. But it changed its membership rules after talks with the Equal Opportunities Commission under pressure from Ms Parry. In October 2001 a Bridgend clothes store apologised to her for refusing to accept a cheque written in Welsh, her first language Ms Parry was forced to resign as the non-conformist minister in Croeserw when she started to live as a woman. But she and her wife of 41 years, Anita, who is standing by her, wanted to carry on worshipping. They went to the Vine Christian Centre but Ms Parry was recognised immediately and when the duo tried to attend a women's prayer meeting at the centre they were told they would not be welcome. She said: "I use the ladies at public conveniences, while I'm shopping at Tescos and at my local doctor's surgery. "In the eyes of the world I am a woman but unfortunately the Christian centre does not see it that way." Ms Parry is taking the centre to Cardiff County Court next month under the Sexual Discrimination Act of 1975. She is claiming the Christian centre has breached the act by banning her from the prayer meeting and from using the ladies toilets A spokeswoman for the centre said: "We are aware of the case and it is in the hands of our solicitor".
NEWS ITEM - Volunteers swap Gender Identity for TV
Channel 4 is to carry out the ultimate test to find the difference between the sexes by getting men and women to swap gender for three months. Eight volunteers embark on a 90-day mission to swap sex for their roles in three-part series Boy Meets Girl. But they don't all make it to the outside world. In Boy Meets Girl four men and four women are followed on their progression from one sex to the other. "None of them had any desire to change their gender. They weren't transvestites or transsexuals," said a Channel 4 spokeswoman. "It is more an exploration of what it is like on the other side of the fence and seeing life from the other direction." In the first episode they are psychiatrically assessed and visit a gender consultant and two are eliminated from the experiment. They are then given training, physically and psychologically, and change their wardrobes. By the final episode, only four volunteers remain. "That's when they go out properly into the outside world to see what it is like for the opposite sex," said the spokeswoman.
NEWS ITEM - Woman and transsexual obtain marriage licence
A woman and a transsexual who was born a man have obtained a marriage licence, taking advantage of a court ruling that defines gender only by chromosomes. Jessica Wicks and Robin Manhart Wicks, who took Jessica's surname this year, were allowed to pay $36 to get their licence, even though they consider themselves a same-sex couple. However, because of a state appeals court ruling that said chromosomes, not genitals, determine gender, the two will be able to wed on September 16. Phyllis Randolph Frye, an attorney for the Wicks, said the couple has advanced the rights of gays, lesbians and transsexuals across the country. "We feel that this could open an equal protection argument from a legal standpoint because lesbian and gay couples can argue, 'Well, if this lesbian and gay couple can get married, why can't we get married?' Mr Frye would not disclose whether Jessica Wicks has actually had a sex-change operation or if she simply is taking hormones. The Wicks, who live in the Houston area, had been denied a licence in their hometown by a clerk who considered their union to be same sex. But in San Antonio, Bexar County Clerk Gerry Rickhoff said the couple met the legal requirements for a licence.
NEWS ITEM - Minister faces transsexual challenge
A former NHS nurse has began a legal challenge against Health Secretary Alan Milburn over the refusal to allow her transsexual "husband" to benefit from her pension when she dies. She is arguing that the operation of the NHS pension scheme discriminates against herself and her partner, who was born a woman, on the grounds of his sex. The case at the Court of Appeal also embraces European human rights legislation on family life - UK law bars transsexuals from altering their birth certificates, and they therefore cannot marry a person of the same birth gender. The court has ordered anonymity for the nurse, who sat at the back of the courtroom without her partner. The pair are both in their 40s and live in the West Country. She and the partner went through an adapted Church of England marriage ceremony conducted by a minister with the approval of a bishop who knew their case.
Miss Laura Cox QC, representing the nurse, told Lords Justices Aldous, Brooke and Sedley that the case had been referred to them by the Employment Appeal Tribunal because of the "fundamental human rights" elements. "This court must rule on the extent to which the respondent (the Secretary of State) violates European Convention rights," she said. She says her client, a nurse and care manager for 20 years, is being backed by the legal rights pressure group Justice, and the Equal Opportunities Commission, which believe that the refusal to allow her partner to take the pension is direct sexual discrimination.
NEWS ITEM - RAF navigator has sex change
An RAF flier has had a sex change operation and will return to the skies as a woman. Flight Lieutenant Eric Cookson, 39, became Caroline Paige, the RAF's only transsexual, and is now known to colleagues as Caz, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said. The helicopter navigator is on sick leave recovering from the £18,000 operation, which she paid for herself, and will shortly undergo medical tests to see if she is fit to fly again, the spokesman added.The 5ft 10in blonde told The Sun newspaper: "I had always been Caroline in my own mind. "When I joined the RAF in 1980 I didn't encounter any problems because nobody suspected my inner feelings. "But about two years ago things got worse as I realised I was not living my true life - so I decided to do something about it. "Now I can't wait to get back to flying. "Flt LT Paige trained as a navigator when she joined the RAF and flew regular sorties in Phantom F4 and Hawk fighter planes", the MOD spokesman said. She switched to helicopters in 1992 and served as a navigator on Puma and Wessex helicopters before qualifying to fly. She also served in Bosnia and the Gulf, he added. Two years ago Flt Lt Paige told RAF doctors she wanted the operation to become a woman and was given permission to dress as a woman while she waited for surgery.
NEWS ITEM - Christians call for sex-change surgery ban
A Christian group says sex-change operations should be banned in a controversial report. The Evangelical Alliance, which has a million members in Britain, says the operations are unnecessary and those planning them can be healed in other ways. The report, which includes contributions from doctors, lawyers and theologians, suggests transexuals should be given holistic treatment to improve their spiritual health, reports the Daily Telegraph
NEWS ITEM - Transsexual man jailed in women's prison, 'McRae' is regarded by jailers as a woman
A transsexual has made custodial history by becoming the first biological male to be jailed in a women's prison. Lawyer Alexandra MacRae, 57, formerly a rugby prop forward called Stephen, was sentenced to 15 months at Dundee Sheriff Court for embezzlement. She will serve her sentence at Craiginches Prison in Aberdeen, which is a men's prison with a small women's wing. Former Scottish National Party candidate McRae had failed to repay £16,000 embezzled from a client two years ago, leaving Sheriff Brian Scoullar no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence. Medical considerations Mr Scoullar had already given McRae two years to raise the cash, because he believed she faced physical danger in prison. She recently lost her job and was subsequently declared bankrupt, making it impossible for her to return the entire sum. A spokeswoman for the Scottish Prison Service said: "We had to base the decision strictly on our encounter with the person and also from medical considerations. "We were quite happy to accept that she is a woman." Craiginches was chosen in preference to Scotland's only all-female prison, Cornton Vale, because its small number of female prisoners - three - makes special cases easier to handle. MacRae, who had sex change surgery in 1984, is the son of a Church of Scotland minister and was formerly married to a Ghanaian woman.
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