1 Pretty T Girls January 2017 The Magazine for the most beautiful girls in the world

A publication of Pretty T Girls Yahoo group 2 3 In This Issue

PAGE Editorial by: Barbara Jean 4 5 Transgender Americans On the Hardships of Transitioning 5 This Trans Couple is Teaching Their Children About Gender 9 Transgender History Part 2 10 7 Makeup Trends Women Over 40 Shouldn’t Be Afraid To Try 13 10 Life Changing Makeup Tricks 18 Basic Nail Rules At New York Fashion Week 20 Teri Lee Ryan 21 The Adventures of Judy Sometimes 23 Módhnóirí 24 A Few Photo Tips From Barbara Jean 26 10 Years by: Heather 27 Musings 30 Humor 37 Angels In The Centerfold 38 Mellissa’s Tips 42 Diana Sikes 48 Tall Women 55 Tasi’s Fashion –A Return to Elegance 56 Friday Charm School 60 Ladylike Laws 62 Lucille Sorella 63 The History of The Bra 66 From The Kitchen 68 5 Marinades Easy to Remember 71 Go To Meetings 73 The Gossip Fence 77 Shop Till You Drop- 87 Calendar 99 4

A Game of Chess An Editorial by: Barbara Jean

North Carolina has been in the spotlight ever since March of last year. In March the city of Charlotte passed a non discrimination ordinance that included the LGBT. For those of us who are transgender it included public accommodation. Immediatelythe North Carolina legislature in special session passed a law that prohibited the cities from passing any non discrimination ordinances and struck down Charlotte ordinance. Known as House Bill 2 (HB2) it ignited a national firestorm with entertainers, sporting events and businesses boycotting North Carolina. As a result North Carolina lost well over six hundred million dollars in revenue and many people in North Carolina lost personal income as a result of the lack of work that resulted by this boycott.

North Carolina said it would repeal HB2 if Charlotte repealed it’s non discrimination ordinance. Charlotte said no. Now a game of chicken begins. Who will cave in first?

In December the city of Charlotte voted to repeal it’s non discrimination ordinance on the condition that North Carolina repealed HB2. North Carolina 1, City of Charlotte 0.

Why did the city of Charlotte give in, especially since the republican governor Pat McCrory lost the election to democrat Roy Cooper who vowed to repeal HB2?

The boycotts against North Carolina I think hurt the city of Charlotte far more than it did the rest of the state of North Carolina. But whynot wait another month when democrat RoyCooper takes office? Sadly the legislature of North Carolina is still republican and they hold a veto proof majority. Even though some of the republicans in the legislature have said they were willing to vote to repeal HB2 even without the condition that Charlotte repeal it’s ordinance, the question comes would there be enough to make a majorityvote to repeal?

Of course with the repeal of HB2 the city of Charlotte would be again free to pass another non discrimination ordinance, but it is unlikelythat any new ordinance will include the LGBT, and if we are included one can bet public accommodations will not be included in the new ordinance. Transgender 0.

The cityof Charlotte stood byit’s end of the bargain but did the North Carolina legislature? NO theydecided that theywere going to keep HB2 on the books. Now North Carolina 2, Cityof Charlotte 0

So where do we stand in this game now? Either this month or next the supreme court is expected to hear oral arguments in the case of Gavin Grimm, a transgender boy who is suing 5 for the right to use the boys bathroom at school. At this time the supreme court is short one justice and it is expected that President Trump will select a conservative to replace the late Anthony Scalia. The question also comes if the case is heard before or after a new justice is seated.

The Obama administration has ruled that the transgender were covered by Title VII and Title IX of the civil rights code and some of the lower federal courts have agreed. It is expected that the Trump administration will rule that we are not covered. As a result the case of Gavin Grimm will determine if we are or are not covered.

With a republican president and congress still being in control by the republicans it can be expected that we will not see anynew gains in LGBT rights for at least two years and wemay alsoseemanyof the previous gains that we hadmade lost.

It’s a game of chess and we the transgender are the pawns.

5 Transgender Americans on the Hardships of Transitioning, Then and Now Stories from an emerging population's earliest generation.

Transgender men andwomen have lived openly for decades in America. Most of them transitioned before it was remotely acceptable to the wider culture—and somade possible the social transformation in gender identity that we are seeing today. The three women and two men on these pages lived much of their lives as one sex and then, along with thousands of others, have lived long, accomplished (and dangerous) lives as another. They are a comment on the abiding nature of thehuman impulse to change sexual identity (at a moment when it's almost regarded as a fad) and also emblematic of those who did so when it was somuch harder. Jamison Green, 66 Speaker and consultant in San Francisco; President, World Professional Association for Transgender Health; Author of Becoming a Visible Man. Transitioned in 1988.

"I havea couple of theories about the fascination with male-to-female people, and the first one is: We are such a paternalistic and male-focused culture that a man willing to cut off his dick is sort of fascinating to people. But then if a woman wants to becomea man—well, that's expected. Why wouldn't a woman want tobeaman? I really do think it's just that stupidly basic. For a long time, the official statistic was that one in 6 thirty thousand men would be a male-to-female transsexual and one in a hundred thousand women would become a female-to-male transsexual, though I don't think that's true. What happens is a lot of female-to-male peoplehistorically didn't get the genital reconstruction, so they wouldn't get counted. The technology wasn't there yet, and it was very expensive. It wasn't until Iwas in my mid-thirties that I even saw someone whowent through [female-to-male reassignment surgery]. I finally realized that it was possible, and what pushed me over the line [to begin the transition]was having kids. It was the eighties, when the world saw me as a masculine woman, and my partner and Iwere part of the lesbian baby boom. Wewere just thrilled to havethis little baby girl that my partner gave birth to, and we had gone to the sperm bank to get a donor that resembled me as much as possible. We had this wonderful little baby girl who startedto call me Daddy.Then when we decidedwewanteda secondchild, I thought: How amI going todealwith ason?How canI get him toseewhoI am? That was what pushedme over the line, and I started the medical transition in the fall of 1988. Nobody noticed me anymore. I was just a guy walking down the street, and the energy that I had always had touse thinking about how other people were responding tome, all of it got redirected in ways that were much more productive."

Christina Kahrl, 47 Writer and editor for ESPN.com in Chicago; Cofounder of the Baseball Prospectus. Transi- tioned in 2002.

"A benefit and a hazard of being trans is you can end up talking about being trans all the time, which can become kind of self-alienating. I'm visibly trans, I am out as trans, there was noway I was ever gonna hide being trans, but I'm not talking about being trans unless people wanna talk about it. For me, I preferred to focus on the things that Ihad in common with others. I al- ways joke that sports is the ultimate social lubricant: It's the harmless subject; it's the thing that almost everybody has some facility with. Which, ify ou're at the ballpark, we're all talking about the ballgame. When Igo into a Major League Baseball locker room, I'm just another schlub with a mic. And then that ends up being something of a transgressiveact, because people real- ize: 'I met a trans person, and they 're kind of like me.' This is an awesome moment in history, but it's also kind of a very transient moment. Making sure that trans people get all the same benefits of citizenship in this country, that's something that we will be working for lifetime after lifetime. Trans people, we don't get a blow-up-the-Death-Star moment. We're not going to get ev erything we need all at once. It's going to be a long haul."

Renée Richards, 81 Ophthalmologist in New York; Former tennis player And coach; Plaintiff In Landmark Richards V. Usta court ruling, which allowed her to compete professionally as a woman in the U. S. Open; Author of the memoir Spy Night & Other Memories. Transitioned in 1975.

"In my day, of course, everything was done secretly and quietly, and if somebody went through the transformation, they did it privately. It was called 'woodworking': You merged into the woodwork after y our transformation and you tried to lead a new life without people knowing what y our previous life had been. And that's 7 what Itriedto do. Ichangedmy name, Imovedthreethousandmilesaway, Istartedmy new life. Iwas taken care of by my friends and by my employer, whotook me on as an assistant ophthalmologist. I tried tomerge into the woodwork, and my undoing came when I played in a tennis tournament in California.

"I am my stified to this day by the celebrity part of [being transgender]—with Chaz Bonoand now Caitlyn Jenner, and people going on television announcing that this week I'm Christopher and next week Iwill be Christine. These were things beyond my imagination when Iwas trying to becomeacceptedasa woman andIwas found out andbecamea public figure. Inever wantedto beconsidered somebody whowasa trans-something. I've had a wonderful life, and I can't complain, and Ihappily spent forty years as a man and then happily forty years as a woman. But would I wish I would never have been born a transsexual or transgender? Yes. I don't wish being a transgender individual on anybody. The transgender community gets battered on both ends. They get battered by society from people whoare hostile tothem, and they need the protection of the law against violence andassault, and they get battered on the end of their own families, a lot of whom don't accept them and don't understand them. The work that needs to be done is primarily societal and legal, but from my standpoint as a scientist, as a physician, Iwould love toknow whether there is some prenatal or hormonal or genetic preconditions that set it up for someone to announce when they're only twoyears old that they are a girl rather than a boy. If y ou could prevent the condition from ever getting started, that would be desirable. I don't like the world of yellows and browns and grays. I like the world of blue and pink. I think that the spice of life is the fact that there are men and women. And I think that if there could be no transgenders in the next one hundredyears, I wouldgo for it."

Kylar Broadus, 52 Attorney and college professor in Washington, D. C.; Co- founder and executive director, The Trans People of Color Coalition. Transitioned in 1994.

"I grew up in what we called the buckle of the Bible Belt, and I prayed every day after school, asking God to fix me. I neverunderstood why peoplerelatedtomein a female sense—I've always been a man, I've never thought different in my head. Until the Internet took off, [transgender] people felt they were alone, in their own little silo, and really most people thought they werementally ill, because that's what transgenderism was considered: a mental illness. My folks—meaning brown and black folks—have traditionally transitioned much earlier in life, andwe face the stigmatism of having transitioned early as well as our race and ethnicity. Those barriers are hard to overcome in this society. Even though I was older doing the transition, it was awkward for me in corporate America. The mid '90s, [gender identity] just wasn't anything to be talked about, and Iwas a go-getter, Iwanted to be top in the corporation, and I couldn't be that being in the position I was in. Being me was a problem, and when I lost my job and went job hunting, as soon asthey found out who Iwas, nobody wastrying togivemea job. Ineverthought Iwould 8 live bey ond the age of thirty-two or thirty-three. Because being trans, living a trans life, is very difficult, and my life has been in danger several times. Although we now see more trans feminine people being killed, if y ou're identified as any kind of trans, anywhere, and people don't like y ou, y ou're going to be killed. We've made tons of strides, but let's not be fooled— we've only broken some of the barriers."

Marci Bowers, 57 Gynecologial surgeon in Burlingame, California; Pioneering sexual-reassignment surgeon. Transitioned in 1996.

"I took out extra life insurance when I started doing these surgeries because Ihadthreeyoung kids. Wehada bombthreat [whereI practiced] in Colorado, andI hadthis fear that peopleon the extremes might see us as some sort of threat to society. All the people coming up today, and probably even Caitlyn: She'll probably be a wonderful spokesperson, and she is bringing visibility to thecommunity, but all duerespect, if shehaddonethis twelve years ago, I'd have even more respect for her. It was so difficult back then. She and many of the others whocome out today, they do so much more easily—they stand on the shoulders of all of us whowent earlier. The standard of care in the1970s, it was like a witness-relocation program. People were forced to divorce, they had toav owthemselves to be exclusively heterosexual, and in general people were required to leave their area. In fact, when Iwent for my second opinion [prior to sexual- reassignment surgery], the doctor was kind of shocked: 'You're gonna leave, aren't y ou? You needto start over.' Thiswasa psychiatrist whowasvery well known, and Iwas just floored. I said, 'No. In fact, I'm gonna stay with my family [a wife and three children].' In my first few years of practice [in Colorado in the early 2000s], I used tohave women [patients] who just disappeared and erased everything. People used to burn their own photos, and now Irarely see that—there's family and intimacy support that just wasn't there not very long ago. It's exciting to see all sorts of people proudly standing out, but people often forget history. It wasn't very long ago that Berlin, Germany, was themost liberal place on earth as far as LGBT issues—it's where the modern transgender movement, the world's first transgender surgery, all that happened in pre–World War II Berlin. And when Adolf Hitler came to power, the LGBT community was singled out even before the Jewish community, hence the Pink Triangle. That's my fear: If y ou fly toohigh, there can be backlash. I don't think it's gonna happen, though. I'm an optimist." 9 This trans couple are teaching their children about gender in the sweetest way

'Sometimes men have babies, and sometimes mommies can’t have babies’, explains father who gave birth to his sons by Mel Spencer A transgender couple from Georgia, USA, are looking forward to telling their children about their pasts – and how it was their father, not their mother, who gave birth to them.

Nick and Bianca Bowser married each other in 2011, and decided to put their gender reassignment surgery on hold so they could spend the money on raising a family.

This meant that Nick, who had spent seven years previouslyliving as a man, had to use his female reproductive organs to carry and give birth to his sons, with Bianca providing the sperm.

[Photo: 'We're the same type of family everybody else is'] The couple now have two children, Kai and Paxandsaytheyare looking forward to explaining the twist to their sons’ ‘where do babies come from?’ story.

‘We’re different, but we do the same things that everybody else does; we’re thesame type of familyeverybodyelse is,’ Nick explained,speaking to ABC News.

‘Our children do not see us as transgender people, we aremommyand daddy.’

Bianca said she didn’t know when or how she would tell her children about who gave birth to them, butshe and Nick are prepared to talk to Kai and Pax, explaining their unique situation graduallyas theyask questions. ‘I mean, that’s when we tell them sometimes men have babies, andsometimes mommies can’t have babies,’ Nick said.

‘We’re telling them the truth, and I think that’s themost important thing, and in a waythat they can understand.’ 10 Transgender History: Part 2 - The Rise of Hatred (the Middle Ages)

By: Mercedes Allen

The advent of class divisions, the acquisition of wealth and power, and the ownership of property fed a movement toward patriarchal governing that ultimately became threatened by the existence of female and transgenderspiritual leaders. While patriarchal societies were graduallyable to synthesize and later entrench the notion that females should be subservient, gender-variant persons posed a more puzzling quandary, because of their uniqueness. It was for this reason that patriarchal religions, which reached their epitome with the Roman Catholic Church, felt that theyhad to stamp out transgender people (and also gay/ lesbian people, who were often thought of as mixed-gender of a sort in earlysocieties) and demonize their legacy.

This helped to facilitate the development of patrilineal inheritance, keeping the reins of power in hands that grew ever more elite. The status of women was degraded, and byso doing, leadership also typicallyportrayed anysign of gender variance as "less than male." Dual- spirited gods and goddesses, thought at one time to be doublypowerful, were turned into contemptible, "weak" entities.

For the "Greater Good"

In 186 B.C., when Rome banned the bacchanalia (a pleasure-centered festival to Dionysus), an oppressive campaign followed in the Greek territories, keyed on preventing the lower working classes from seeking their own happiness and betterment, and pushing them to focus on the enrichment of owners, employers and country, and / or to become willing to go to war for patriarchal society. The system became an efficient, self-propagating machine, later evolving into one in which war drove the economy and power trumped reason.

Gender-transgressive and same-sex amoury existence, although greatly reduced, still existed to an extent in Roman culture, but was tolerated onlytentatively-- and onlyif it came from the ruling class or coincided with the agendas of the leaders and generals. Around 60 AD, Emperor Nero reportedly had a young slave boy, Sporus, castrated (eunuching, in early times, was believed to be the primary mechanism of gender change -- "eunuchs" ranged in form from males whose testicles had been removed to those also given a total penectomy), and took him as a wife in a legal public ceremony (Sporus was from then on clothed as an Empress, and accompanied Nero as such).

Birth of the "Homosexual Menace" Campaigns

When factional battles would break out, homosexual and transgender tendencies or loves were often used to justifythe destruction of enemies. In 218 A.D., Elagabalus (or Heliogabalus) became emperor of Rome, and was later assassinated, mutilated and dragged through the 11 streets (222 A.D.) before being thrown into the Tiber River. Justification for the overthrow was found in Elagabalus' penchant for wearing womens' clothing and makeup, in his reportedly prostituting himself, in his offering a largesum of moneyto anyphysician who can give him female genitalia (never claimed), and from declaring one of his male lovers to be his husband.

When Constantine I arrived in 342 A.D., his fusion of religions (the Roman Catholic church was a synthesis of earlyChristianitywith Mithraism and worship of the sun god, Sol), and fusion of religion with the state strengthened anti-trans sentiment as it bolstered slavery (which had by then become the lot of most gender non-conformists and adherents to older traditions) and set the stage for feudal witch-hunts. These later evolved into the Crusades and the Inquisition, in which any evidence of early matriarchal and transgender-venerating paganism was stamped out. Repressive laws which aimed to crush gender variance and same-sex love evolved into part of the Corpus juris civilis, the Roman bodyof law upon whichmanylegal systems were later based, including those of England and America.

This occurred because it was necessary to the land-owners (chief of which was the Roman Catholic Church) to break the spirit of the serfs toiling on their behalf, thus pre-empting uprisings. Communal bonds had to be erased, and the idea of communalism had to be demonized. Pagan tradition was reinvented as "witchcraft," and quashed with impunity.

Transgender Saints and Joan of Arc

But in true subversive fashion, what couldn't be completely suppressed was absorbed and reinvented to conform with the new ruling ideal. Early cross-dressing heroes idolized by the peasantry were canonized, with the church reshaping the reasoning behind the admiration of those historical figures, thus co-opting them. Saints Pelagia, Margarita, Marinus (Marina), Athanasia (Alexandria), Eugenia, Appollinaria, Euphrosyne, Matrona, Theodora, Anastasia, Papula and Joseph (Hildegund) were canonized transfolk who were female -bodied but lived as male, along with bearded women Galla, Paula and Wilgefortis (Uncumber). Pope Joan (John Anglicus) appears likelyto have been a legend, but this legend was likely cultivated for the same purpose. There are no known male-to- female equivalents of transfolk elevated to sainthood,so it is quite likely that MTFs suffered a zero-tolerance agenda.

In 1429, at the age of 17, Joan of Arc dressed in male clothing, gathered several peasant followers and presented herself at the court of Prince Charles, declaring that her mission and dress were compelled upon her by God, said mission to be to drive out the English from France. The heir to the French throne put her in charge of an army of 10,000 peasants. Ultimately, the drive would be victorious, butshe would be abducted byEnglish sympathizers (who called her "homasse," or "man-woman") and turned her over to the Inquisition in England. Although the French king had the opportunityto payher ransom, he felt threatened bythe emotional swayshe had over the peasantry, and left her to her fate. Eventually, the Inquisition decided that there was not enough evidence to have her convicted of witchcraft, but she was 12 burned at the stake on May 30, 1431 for wearing men's clothing, which the Church referred to as "idolatry." The steadfastness with which she refused to recant and revert to female clothing, and the fierce loyalty from the peasantry over what her cross-gender expression symbolized to them paints a dramatic picture of old tradition resisting stubbornly under the boot of the now- entrenched patriarchal authority.

Into Hiding

Little by little, gender transgression became more limited, at first to peasant festivals, and then one byone, those festivals were outlawed. Halloween, or All Hallow's Eve, which was rooted in early matrilineal Celtic society (drawn from celebrations surrounding Samhain), is the most recognizable event still surviving today. The Celtic Winter Solstice (Christianized as the "Feast of Fools") did not fare as well, because it developed into a trans-inspired mocking of the Church.

Yet even the Church itself appeared to assimilate some transgender motifs into its trappings, such as the floor-length gowns, jeweled trappings for hierarchy and such (having a son join the priesthood, after all, used to be referred to sending him "into skirts"). It mayalso have been that trans priestesses had somehow inspired the practice of recruiting Castrati for Church choirs, even though Roman Catholic rule had technically forbid the castration of youths.

While much of this change relates to medieval Europe and rule that spread at times to Asia, the Middle East and northern Africa, similar transformations happened in some other cultures, or were later imposed on those cultures by patriarchal conquerors or their influence. Native Two-Spirit tradition would persist until the arrival of the white man in North and Central America, and the genocide and cultural subversion that followed. Trans traditions did still persist somewhat in other parts of the world though, such as Japanese Noh dramas, which find their root in the harvest folk dance, dengaku. And in a few untouched places, notablyamong the Polynesian Islands (parts of Samoa, Tonga and Tahiti), communal and trans-affirming traditions would survive to this day. 13 7 Makeup Trends Women Over 40 Shouldn't Be Afraid to Try Whoever said you can't do a bright lip? They were so, so wrong.

By Sam Escobar

Women are constantly told what we should and shouldn't wear — whether it's a sexy bikini or a bright eyeshadow palette. You're too old being top among the list of annoying reasons why. Here's the deal: If you want to try something new, you should go for it, especially in terms of your beauty routine.

"When it comes to makeup, it's important to use it as a way to show your own individuality and creativity — it's all up to you and your personal interpretation," explains makeup artistLavonne Anthony. "I'm going to be 41 this year, and honestly, as long as you follow basic guidelines of corrective beauty, you can use makeup to enhance what you already have instead of changing who you are."

Translation: If you like bright colors, wear 'em! If you want to go heavy on the liner, give it a try. Don't limit yourself just because you're not 26 anymore. Start with these seven trends that are universally wearable, no matter your age.

Bright Blush Blush is one of those magical products that turns your face from simple to simply gorgeous — all with the quick sweep of a makeup brush. "When you have a pop of color on the cheeks, it's going to make you look more alive and awake," explains Anthony. And it looks fantastic

Model: Meaghan Murphy, Executive Editor, Good Housekeeping 14 The right hue can totally brighten up your look. Want to find the perfect shade of bold blush for your skin tone? Follow our easy, pro-advised guide.

Shimmer Shadow So what if your prom was dec- ades ago? Doesn't mean you have to skip the sparkly stuff en- Model: Shelly Watson, Executive Assistant to Jane tirely — you just need to think a Francisco, Editor-In-Chief, Good Housekeeping little more strategically. Shimmery shadow can look delightful on bright brown eyes like Shelly's.

"There's a difference in the types of glitter out there, depending on the size," explains Anthony. Chunkier, denser glitters tend to enhance the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, so she recommends picking a finely- milled powder to give your lids an even glow.

Pink Lipstick Model: Laurie Jennings, Deputy Editor, Good Housekeeping 15 Love bright colors? Own it. Anthony agrees: "Be yourself and do whatever makes you feel comfortable." Bonus: Bold, vivid colors can brighten up your smile — just look at Laurie's gorgeous grin!

If you want to give bright pink lipstick a go but are self conscious of any fine lines around your mouth, Anthony recommends using a lip liner and blending, blending, blending. Then, apply your lipstick and add a little powder for extra staying power. As for the formula, Anthony advises picking cream or matte colors, but if you opt for the latter, be sure your lips are hydrated with lip balm.

Colorful Eyeliner A little rock and roll is the perfect vibe for a Friday night. Try a flash of metallic jewel- toned eyeliner, which will add just the right amount of edge to any look.

Model: Ruth Peyser, Graphic Designer and Filmmaker

If you really want to make your eye color stand out, opt for a contrasting shade of liner. For example, pretty brown eyes like Ruth's can try turquoise; blue eyes look great with bronze; green eyes look fantastic with amethyst. Just like that, your eyes will shine like a diamond. 16

Bold Brows Your brows define your whole face, whether you're going dramatic or subtle with the rest of your makeup. After all, as Anthony says, "The eyes are the windows to the soul — and you need to have good curtains." See the difference just a little filling and combing makes?

See? Your face can be totally transformed with a few quick flicks of a brow pencil and strokes of a spoolie brush. No more makeup necessary.

Strobing While the contouring craze adds dimension by playing with light and dark shades, strobing is simply the highlighting component — and it's so simple. "Strobing gives skin a luminous, healthy glow," says Anthony.

If you want to try strobing for yourself, Anthony recommends highlighting where the light would naturally hit: the high planes of the cheek bones, bridge of the nose, Cupid's bow, inner eye corners, and arch of the eyebrow. As for the formula, use a liquid and intensify it with powder if you so choose. 17

Smokey Eye A sweep of dark makeup looks chic and sultry at any age, and with any skin tone or hair color.

If you want to keep your face marvelous, not messy, Anthony suggests applying your eye makeup before concealer and foundation so you won't wind up with tons of dust on your cheeks. "You can also use more neutral tones like browns, taupes, and grays rather than black to change things up," says Anthony. Just be sure to blend the color well with youreyeshadow brush — you don't want any harsh lines, just a seamlessly sexy smokey eye.

Want to try these trends all year long? Pin this list to your beauty board and they'll stay top of mind. Follow Good Housekeeping onPinterest and Instagram. 18 10 Life Changing Makeup Tricks I Learned by Attending Charlotte Tilbury’s Masterclass Victoria Moorhouse Iread and write aboutbeautyall daylong and consider myself somewhat skilled at creating a glowy, fresh makeup look, but I still have m y weaknesses. For starters? Achieving crisp, precise top liner has always been struggle city for me and Ishould probablylog in a few hours practicing eyeshadow blending... for the sake my attempts at wearing smoky eyes.

So when an invite popped into myinbox for a masterclass with Charlotte Tilbury, makeup artist to celebrities and models like Kim K.W and brow queen Cara Delevingne, not to mention the creator of a badass and hugely successful namesake collection, I knew I had to be there. This woman is a legend in the beauty industry, a woman who says her husband has never even seen her without her sexy, smudgyeye makeup. She's THAT known for it. I was 100 percent going to learn valuable information.

Here are a few tricks (and interesting tidbits) I'm tucking away for good. Oh, and I left with some pretty bomb eye makeup by yours truly (plus some help from a pro MUA), if I do say so myself.

1. The easiest way to contour is to suck in your cheeks (think about making a fish face) and then "follow the hollow," as Charlotte says. Apply the contour powder in her the Filmstar Bronze & Glow compact ($68; nordstrom.com) along the shadow you'll see on your face after sucking in your cheeks. Life. Changing. Oh, and the contour issuuuuuper subtle.

2. Wanna look like you just left a relaxing, rejuvenating vacay? Charlotte says to dip a brush into the "Sculpt" shade and place it on your temples or anywhere the sun would naturally kiss you, like across your face and nose. Voila, healthy glow!

3.Ever heard ofbrow mapping? That's how you figure out where to start and stop your eyebrows. According to Charlotte, you place the pencil vertically near your nose so it's slightly touching.Where ithits near the eye, you make a dotand that's where you begin the eyebrow. Then, you take the pencil and lay it diagonally across your iris, and that's where Charlotte says the arch should be. Finally, you should finish byplacing the pencil diagonally across to the end of your eye (though one side ofthe pencil should still be touching the side of your nose), and that's where Charlotte notes the brow should end.

4. Always comb up your brows. Charlotte explained doing so will reveal your natural shape, and then you can properlyfill them in. You'll also wantto keep the beginning ofthe brow a bit lighter than the arch. 19 5. Charlotte said the shimmery, sparkly eyeshadowshade in her palette "Uptown Girl" is one of the most expensive eyeshadows in the world because it's apparentlypacked with emollients and oils to smooth out your skin.

6. So I've never, ever been good at blending out darker eyeshadow that's meant for the crease, but Charlotte actually really helped. Charlotte told us to take the Enhance shade and find your socket and then "nestle it" and lightly brush the pigment onto your skin backwards and forwards with a blending brush.

7. When doing eye makeup, Charlotte always "drags the eye out" to elongate the eye and "cheat a little bit of length." That means she takes the eyeshadow out further than just on the eyelid.

8. If you have a love affair with Charlotte's Magic Cream ($100;nordstrom.com), and I do, you can actually use it as a makeup remover when you make tiny mistakes in your eye makeup.Dip a cotton swab in the teeniestbitand use it to remove product or shape your cat eye.

9. To really increase the elongation of your eyelashes, you should first press the mascara wand into the base of the lashes and then pull the wand and formula outwards through your lashes.

10. I'm partial to Charlotte Tilbury's Miranda May Lipstick, but apparently, Bond Girl ($32; nordstrom.com) is the top-selling product. Charlotte said that Amal Clooneywore it on her wedding day, too. 20 Basic Nails Rule at New York Fashion Week Annie Tomlin

While fashion week’s over the top makeup and dramatic hairstyles are fun to see, we’re on the lookout for tips and tricks we can actually use at home. This season, over-the-top nail art has yet to make an appearance; designers are favoring simpler looks. In fact, the manicurists backstage are using the most basic tools—top coat, base coat, and remover— to create next-level looks. Here, three from-the-pros ideas for using what you already have in totally new ways.

Use base coat to tone down color At Alexander Wang, manicurist Michelle Saunders layered Essie’s Ridge Filling Base Coat ($8) over two coats of Au Natural, a sheer beige, to tone down the hue. “It’s like putting a Valencia filter on the nail,” she explained backstage. “It neutralizes the color and cuts out the gray.” The result: a your-nails- but-better manicure.

Create effects with remover. We picked up this shortcut for a marble-manicure look at Opening Ceremony, and it’s so easy. CND creative director Jan Arnold followed three layers of candy-colored Vinylux polishes with a drop of acetone remover. Voiià: the effect literally creates itself, no special nail-art tools required.

Simplify ombré with topcoat. All you need for a gradated effect are a few nail polish shades and a topcoat. For Rebecca Minkoff’s “freehand watercolor” look, Saunders painted the lower half of the nail with a cornflower blue before layering a mint green on the upper half. A thin red “fault line” was brushed in the middle of nails. While the nail polish was still wet, Saunders applied Essie’s Good To Go Topcoat ($10) over the entire nail, blending toward the tip. “The nail needs to be wet,” she emphasized—so this is best done one or two nails at a time.

Use negative space as nail art.

“This season is all about simple nail art and negative space,” said Jin Soon Choi backstage at Prabal Gurung. “My hand was shaking this morning, but thankfully the new nail art is an imperfect look.” She said you can skip a base coat if you’re in a hurry, and just paint horizontal lines up the side of the nail. For Prabal Gurung she used Sally Hansen shades in a peachy coral, lavender, and white and sealed with a topcoat, leaving the majority of the nail exposed under clear polish. At Creatures of Comfort, Alicia Torello for Zoya painted only the tip and bottom of the nail. “Like a bare midriff, negative space is now being incorporated into the body of the nail, not just at the moon area like in the past,” Torello said. At Nonoo, nails were painted a creamy white while a thin vertical stripe was left bare. 21 What is the Future for the Cross-dressing Community? by Terri Lee Ryan

The Cross-dressing community may be taking a backseat in the public dialogue on transgender women. With the reveal of Caitlyn Jenner as a transgender woman, the media coverage and the large number of trans shows on TV, there has been a breakthrough for the transgender community in creating awareness. Supported by government legislation in recent months, it appears that the trend for acceptance and equal rights will continue, even if there are bumps along the waythat may slow down the process.

Yet, whyis it that manyof the cross-dressers who affiliate with the transgender community feel as if they are left out of the “party” and compelled to fend for themselves? They are seeking the same acceptance and rights as the “full-time” girls, but often find themselves in a difficult situation because of their bi-gender status. For them, being a full time woman is either not possible based on their life circumstance or may be that they are comfortable being in both their male and fem roles; not everyone needs to transition.

So what is the future for the cross-dressing community who are fortunately coming out more often in public presenting as their fem self, while sharing their long-heldsecret with their loved ones? How do they garner the same acceptance as their transgender friends who are living life full-time as a woman and who for many it has been a life-long dream?

I certainly don’t have the answers, yet I do believe the term cross-dresser needs to be tossed away since it confuses most people who are not educated on what a cross-dresser really is. This term has included the fetish/sissy cross-dressers who, in my opinion, are sexuallymotivated bytheir fem side. Look on the Internet and there are umpteen photos of close-ups of crotches in panties. This image doesn’t help the cause for cross-dressers, as it only confuses the public as to what a cross-dresser really is.

I like the term bi-gender, as it more accurately describes most of the cross-dressers I know who are comfortable with their dual-gendered life. When theyare presenting as a woman, theyare a woman and expect the same respect and rights as the full-time girls who self- identifyas a trans woman. And it appears, for the unsuspecting public Sissy Cross-dresser that “passing” is more important for both groups. 22 Even with the new term bi-gender, the workplace is a slippery slope, not to mention traveling with an ID that represents one gender thatmaybe not the one theyare presenting as. Our societywants us to be one gender. Being bi-gender has its challenges, as you well know. Yet, what the cross-dressing community needs is to do first is unite under a new name and brand identity as a community. Only then can they receive the acceptance, understanding, respect and rights that they well deserve.

About Terri Lee Ryan

Terri Lee Ryan’s journey with cross-dressing began with her ex-husband who was a frequent dresser. Needing to understand and know more about what cross-dressing is and the profound effect it has in a relationship led her on the path to her own self-discovery.

She is the Executive Producer of the documentary, I Married a Cross- dresser, which aired on Sky Living Channel in the U.K. November, 2014. She writes a popular blog for the Chicago Tribune Chicago Now site. Shades of Gender offers insight on the current state of the cross- dressing and transgender community and the many faces of this group.

She has been featured and/or written articles for the Chicago Sun-Times, Desert Woman magazine, Entrepreneur magazine, Frock magazine, Repartee magazine, and the Transgender Group (TG) Forum. She has made appearances on ABC-TV, WLS-AM-890, WGN-AM-720 radio and numerous radio stations across the country.

New Book On Amazon Kindle By Barbara Jean Jasen

Allen Gorman lived in Council Bluffs Iowa. He started life as a normal boy, but about age 9 he experimented first trying on some lipstick thensome high heels. Soon he was completely crossdressing. A stint in the army, college and then Allen got a job as an accountant. A co-worker discovered Allen’s crossdressing and he was fired from his job as a result.

Allen decided to move to California and found a job out there, but when his new perspective employer found out the reason for Allen being fired he put a strange requirement on Allen, Allen would have to live and work as his femself Alicia. This was a big life changing event for Allen.

Now living as Alicia and now in her 40’s Alicia is involved in a car accidentthatputher in a coma. While in that coma she has a couple of dreams, dreams that solved a crime that happened a few months before Allen was born and once again changed her life forever. 23 The Adventures of Judy Sometimes By: Judy Daniels

The Unexpected Gift

TodayI celebrated Christmas withmyimmediate family... or should I saythe boydid. As you may recall I decided to ask for a gift certificate from the Dressbarn, Lane Bryant or Herbergers whenmymother asked what I wanted for Christmas. As expected, I did not receive a gift certificate from any of those places, but was presented with a long sleeve, NDSU Bison t shirt from her. OK, was I disappointed, yes, very muchso, but what happened during the course of our 3 hours togethermore than made up for getting a lump of coal.

Present at my brother's home were; my wife and I, my brother and his wife, his daughter and her two children,mysister in law's mother andmymother, all, with the exception of mymother, have seen or have been outwith me while dressed.After a bitofchitchatwe dug into the Christmas lasagna mybrother had prepared and opened a couple bottles of wine. After dinner the two little ones played Santa Claus and distributed gifts to their rightful recipients and the presents were opened. As the dust settledmyniece disappeared, then returned with a bag of goodies she had not wrapped that were to be gifts divided among the ladies in the room. Turns out she is a consultant for Perfectly Posh products, basically a full line of skin care, hand and foot creams, soaps and hair care products. Each lady chose a couple items while my niece started explaining how wonderful they smelled and how great the products worked.

Some how the conversation eventuallyturned towards pedicures and manicures and mywife, without reallythinking,said "we" like to go to FantasyNails for our pedicures. This peakedmy mother's attention as shesuddenlyblurted out, "we" ? as she looked at me andsaid, you get pedicures ? I said, yes, of course, I've been getting manis and pedis for about 6 years, surely you've noticed mynails as I held myhands up andshowed hermyFrench tips. Yes, I have noticed and I can't figure out wayyou would want to do that, I said, well, it looks better when I wear a dress. That drew a chuckle from about half of those in the room. Needless to say, my mother just shook her head in disbelief. Up until her question to me I hadn't joined in on the girl talk, but now that the door was open I felt comfortable doingso and with the help ofmywife, sister in law and niece we talked about everything from getting facials, shaving legs and getting our hair cut, colored and styled. I couldseemymother was a bit uncomfortable with the whole thing,butIfiguredsince Ihad mostofthe room on myside Iwas going to go with it.

I'm notsure ifbythe end ofour visitmymother had her eyes opened a bittowards my dressing or it onlymade hermore against it, but in anycase the conversation that took place this afternoon was one of the nicest gifts I have ever received ... at least where familyis concerned.

Judy Lynn 24

Módhnóirí.. THE CORRECT WAY TO POSE FOR A STANDING PHOTO WHEN ‘ENFEMME”

BY: BARBARA MARIE DAVIDSON

Ladies, this is a topic that many of you may have never really thought about. When posing for a standing photo, you may not have really thought about the end results. But what one expresses to others if they are standing incorrectly is Hey ! Iam a guy in a dress.. Many men stand facing the camera with their legs apart, maybe slouching slightly not knowing what to do what their hands . Their hands are either crossed in front of the crouch like they have something to hide or they are either just dangling at their side, in their pockets or behind their back. Think about it the next time you are having a standing photo taken. Not a candid off the wall shot but a true posed shot.

Then take a look are how a female stands or what she does with her hands. They are usually very poised and “en femme” appearing most of the time. (Candid shots aside.) I learned very quickly in Decem- ber of 2007 and January of 2008 when I was coming out and was a new member of Sigma Epsilon (The Atlanta Chapter of TriEss, which is still a very active group of cross dressers that meet one weekend a month in the Atlanta area.) An older and respected member of the group took me aside and pointed out the mistakes that I was making when “posing for photos” that pointed out that I was not what I was trying to portray After that time I learned my lesson and began to “pass on my new found knowledge to other new bees (new members or visitors). .

This past weekend (October 1st 2016) I went to a nursing school reunion (Note, Our school opened in 1902 and closed their doors in 1968 having graduated 652 nurses including three males (of which I was one) during the 66 years the school was open. Bear in mid that the younger nursed are now in their late 60’s and early 70’s. as the school has been closed for 48 years now. Now we have “reunion” every 2 years as the living graduates are getting smaller and smaller. One of our recent losses was a graduate that was 98. The oldest living graduate at this reunion was 93. I am 73 plus now. One of the male graduates passed away 2 years ago, The other one is in a nursing home now. I digressed slightly but now back to the subject.

At the reception, which was on 30 September, including my self there were three others of our class of 16 who graduated in 1967. (we have lost 2 of our class so far) We had a group shot of the four of us posing (standing) and guess what, one of the ladies was standing like a guy(very un lady like). I was very quick to give her a crash course in the finer things of posing more lady-like when standing for a photo or when in a group photo. She had never really thought about it before as she just did what she 25 always did. Since there were four of us, I pointed out that two of use were turned inwards slightly with our right shoulder leading. The other lady was turned slightly inwards with her left shoulder leading . The fourth lady was just standing there facing the camera as a guy would. Using my best diplomacy, I pointed out the error of “her” ways and what she was doing wrong in the photo. The other two quickly agreed with me as I explained to her what she was doing wrong.

So, Ladies, here is/what would be my suggestion for the proper way to stand for a photo. Turn slightly so that that shoulder on your good side would be forward of the rest of your body. Feet at a 45 degree angle with your good foot forward with your heel about mid foot of the other one i.e. right foot forward if your right side is your best and vice versa for the other side., stomach in, chest out (to show your best figure) head tilted slightly partially looking at the camera to get you facial aspect which will or should show a thinner but very attractive you. If there is more than one person in the photo as there was with us, two would slightly face the other two, feet a a 45 degree angle, stomach in, chest out and lots of smiles. (It might take away several pounds and make one look slightly smaller than they really are). If there are only three or an odd number than the odd person has their choice of which way to be facing It just makes for common sense as you want to have your best presentation possible. Also some ladies, especially the younger generation, will cock one knee in front of the other one again depicting a more feminine pose.

When I explained this to the individual with a demonstration, she agreed that is did make a lot more sense. The other two backed me up of what I had said. Thus when we took the second photo with her in a more ‘normal” stance of a female, it (the photo) made a more presentable photo than the first one as every one was very happy with the second one. The remark was also made here we have been doing this since we were little girls and not really knowing why. Then along comes a transgendered/transsexual M2F that actually tells us why. Every one gave me a thumbs up for the info and demonstration as well as the much improved photo of the four of us.

As mentioned earlier, hand position is another dead give a way. Many women (especially the younger generation) may place one hand on their hip. Others will have their hand down by their side fingers together and slightly “cupped” and elbow slightly bent. Again take a look at how ladies are standing when individual or group photos are taken and you will understand what I am writing about.

So ladies, try it sometimes and you might be surprised as to the results of your photo(s). With that I bid every one to have some nice fall days as fall is upon us. Before long it will be the Holiday season.

Barbara Marie Davidson 26 A few Photo Tips From Barbara Jean

As I look at Barbara Marie’s article on taking photos, I would like to enter a few tips of my own. The first and formost tip has to do with how you orient the camera. Almost everymonth when looking at cover girl photos I find a few that are taken in landscape mode (wider than higher) Now for cover girl,this justdoes notwork as Idon’tfitthe page ofthe magazine right. In addition landscape mode gives less of you and more of the background. Hey you are suppose to be the subject, not the background!

To correct this without the need to crop the photo when you take the picture turn the camera sideways. This should put your photo in portraitmode (higher than wider) Now there is more of YOU in the photo and less of that background. Of course the background and the outfit that you are wearing all work to enhance the photo, but still you should be themainsubject of the photo.

While many do like to use their smart phone for a camera today, I still prefer the point and shoot type for manythings especiallywhen taking aselfi photo. Most point andshoot cameras have a little screw hold for mounting to a tripod and also have self timers built in which is perfect for taking selfies. Some of the better more expensive cameras may even have a remote control for the shutter. Trying to use that smart phone and a mirror simply does not make for verygood photos. 27 10 Years By: Heather

It's hard to believe that it has been 10 years since I made the decision to walk out that front door, and Heather was born. I've had the opportunityto experience quite the journeyin that time. I've grown and learned quite a bit about bothmyself andsocietyin that time.

10 years ago I was a very closeted cross dressing guy who in no way could even think of being passable. I dressed in the bedroom and around the house, and that was it. I never dreamed i'd ever walk out that front door and do the things ordinarywomen take for granted, like shopping, getting their nails done, etc.

Itwas New Years Eve and we had justwatched the ball drop on TV. Itwas now 2005 and as others weremaking the New Years resolutions that none of them will ever keep, I made the decision that I wanted to see just how passable I could be, if that was even possible. I started wearingmore of what I thought were everyday women's outfits, and less of the fetish andslut wear. I thought I looked prettygood, but in hindsight, I looked like a blind person had dressed a guyup for Halloween those first few months. Being a guy, I had no concept of "fashion", since Western society doesn't teach guys this. I made an ugly woman, to be sure.

Over the next year or so, I began to refinemylook and wearmore appropriate clothing. Instead of looking like a 70's disco reject, I started to look like a woman of the 2000's. I was still wearing skirts, stockings, and heels everywhere I went because I thought that was what it meant to be feminine. I'm sure I stood out from the crowd on many an occasion. I certainlydidn't "pass" most of the time. I was also very timid when out, and when I did, it was short trips to the ATM, maybe Wal-Mart late at night if I was feeling brave. I wouldn't think of going out in broad daylight where lots of peolemight see me.

I would look forward to the occasional business trip, where I could dress at the hotel and go outwith a local group ofthe "girls" when Icould find one.Istill remember a trip to Boston where Imetthe Sisters ofBoston,and Ido have to saythey were a very welcoming group. We all went to a dance club, which was a new experience for me. I had a blast, but I'm sure I looked like such the dork because I had no clue on how to actually dance. After all, guys aren't allowed to do this either in Westernsociety. I also realized that carrying a purse to a dance club was a bad idea. How did women manage it?

We had a local "girls night out" once amonth, which did wonders for myconfidence, to be sure. I got to dress up and be all girly in a safe environment. I still had no clue how to blend in during the daytime, though. Sure, I looked good in a leatherskirt and heels, but that wasnt exactly appopriate for going out to the storeshopping.

At some point I decided I wanted to get mynails done, but theyneeded tostill be sort of neutral. I did some research and discovered gel nails could be made to look natural. I found a local nail salon (not the one my wife used, so as to not embarrass her), and called 28 to make an appointment. I was up front with them because I didn't want to have an issue. Theeytold me it was fine, and set an appointment with one of the owners, James. He was a nice guy and didn't even flinch at the idea of doing a cross dressed guy's nails. I was so parnoid about how they'd look, but when he got done, theylooked natural. For the next 2 years or so, I never considered having color on mynails. When I had a night out, I'd paint them, and then take the polish off the next morning.

At some point,itstarted to click thatI"passed",or atleastthatwas how Isaw it.In hindsight, it was more tolerance, and maybe acceptance, but to me it was "passing". It felt good to be treated like a woman for a change. I find it amazing how differentlypeople treated me. If I was a guy, people wouldn't give me asecond thought, but as a woman, peoplestarted going out of their wayto be nice to me.

As time went on, myfashionsense evolved. I started paying more attention to how women dressed in certain situations, and on occasion I would wear jeans, shorts, or go bare legged with a denim skirt and t-shirt and dress it down. I started to realize that not only could I feel feminine while dressed like this, I could look good doing it. I started reserving the stockings and heels for the night out, and instead opted for cute sandals, flats, and boots. I discovered that I reallylove wedge sandals.

I worked from home a few days a week, so those days started to become "Heather days". I'd get up, and Heather would come out as soon as I got dressed. I started taking my daughter to the bus stop as Heather, going to the store as Heather, basicallydoing whatever I needed to do as Heather for that day. I even went places like Home Depot and bought lumber as Heather. If it was a "Heather day", I did exactly whatt I would do if it weren't a "Heather day". It no longer made a difference how I was dressed that day.

I alsostarted gettingmynails colored when I got them filled, and kept the color on, even if it wasnt a "Heather day". This is when I reallystarted to noticesomething interesting. People didn't seem to care about the guy with the nails. Women started complimenting me on mynails when it wasn't a "Heather day". It felt kind of weird. This was when I started to learn the difference between "passing", "tolerance", and "acceptance". I was starting to move from tolerance to acceptance. People were beginning to accept me as me.

As timemoved on,Igotrid ofmostofthe dressyheels as theywore out,and replaced them with flat sandals, ballet flats, boots, and the like. I find it kind of interesting, as I had always associated the dressy heels as "feminine", and then one day I realized I owned veryfew of them anymore, yet I still felt veryfeminine. I was more prone to wear jeans or shorts, t-shirt, andsneakers on a "Heather day" as anything else. This was when the next epiphanyhappened. I realized that on most of my"Heather days", the clothing I was wearing could just as easily be worn as an androgynous guy. Sure, they all were all from the "women’s" department, but theylooked good onme as a guytoo.

This was when I realized that it had nothing to do with being a girl, and everything to do with wearing what made me comfortable. I started wearing "girly" clothing as a guy on manyoccasions. I would wearmyheeled boots under myjeans, sometimes I even was so bold as to wear an ankle length (but notso girly) skirts. Womenstarted complimentingme on myboots andskirts, as well as mynails. This felt weird, but it was acceptance. I even 29 stopped emptying mypurse after a "Heather day" and just carried it all the time. I've been carrying a purse everyday for about5 or 6 years now,and wonder how Imanaged to function without one before this.

About a year ago, I finallybraved the office enfemme, and have been totallyaccepted by my coworkers (mostly female) as Heather. They treat me like one of the girls. Now, Heather days are whenever I feel like it at work. Most days I'm the best dressed (not necessarily dressed up) woman in the office. Some days it's skirt, pantyhose, heels, others it's leggings, boots and a tunic, but it's all good either way. I've started buying dressy, but work appropriate heels. I find it funny that now, when I wear a skirt, pantyhose, and heels, I take them off and change into yoga pants and a t-shirt, or just my cami for around the house.

The past 10 years have been quite the adventure. I can't wait to see what the next 10 years bring.

New Book by Carollyn Olson and Tawni Bonds

Now Available on Amazon Kindle

Carollyn Olson and Tawni Bonds are at it again, writing great transgender fiction. Here we have a sequel to their best selling book “Crowning Glory”. If this is anything like the other books that these two girls have written, it will definitelybe a must read for anyone who likes transgender fiction.

In the book “Crowning Glory” Aaron is a partner at a struggling San Francisco advertising agency which is in need of a big boost or it will face bankruptcy. Follow Aaron's adventure to land amajor client in a veryunusual way.

Now with their new book “Crowning Glory: The Saga Continues” Ryan, Aaron (Erin) and Tyler are back with the rest of the cast from the best-selling original Crowning Glory novel. The firm of Smith, Smyth and O'Reilly has grown to become a national advertising power, but with that power comes conflict between Ryan and Erin and a personal struggle for Ryan. Will the firm collapse under the pressure, or continue the climb to the top? Will Ryan finally get his act together? The answers are between the pages 30 Tasi’s Musings, November- December, 2016 Greetings from Merida

Turkey was on Mexican menus 1,500 years ago. Thanksgiving Day, millions of Americans will sit down to enjoy a traditional turkey dinner. Although the U.S. holiday is only a few centuries old, actually dating back to 1621, archaeological evidence suggests that in Mexico’s central valleys of Oaxaca, turkey was on the menu much earlier — starting at least 1,500 years ago. In fact, the amount of turkey remains found at a site inhabited by the Zapotec people suggests that turkey meals back then were “second only to dog” in popularity. Read what the researchers found here (http://www.livescience.com/56966-turkey-domestication-archaeological-evidence.html Actually Merida is an amazing place to live meshing the new with the old. One of those newer traditions is the Red Dress Run (top picture) which is an Annual Charity Run -- the Merida-based Hash House Harriers join runners all around the globe in an annual Red Dress Run to raise money for charity and have a spanking good time! Anyone can come along as there is a walkers trail (majority walk) and a runners trail. Walkers about 3k, runners about 5k. The event was in November and yes, guys run in red dresses too.

The middle picture is the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya, our major museum on Mayan history. It’s one of five major museums on the city’s museum tour and an architectural wonder.

The last picture is El Festival Electrónico Más Grande de Colores en Mérida or the Electronic Grand Festival of Colors to be held in December this year which will be an absolutely visual extravaganza of color, sound and dancing in Merida. 31 As Christmas is just two days away, I’m reminded that our favorite turkey meal is also a traditional dish at Christmas time here in Mexico as other many other American tradi- tions. You can read about Mexican Christian traditions here https://www.mexperience.com/christmas-in-mexico/

In the News National Geographic Features Transgender Kid on the Cover. http://www.attn.com/ stories/13572/national-geographic-features-transgender-kid-on-cover? utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=internal

National Geographic is taking a historic step for transgender visibility. Entitled "Gender Revolution," the issue accompanies a documentary developed in partnership with Katie Couric for the National Geographic Channel. The film explores the transformative role of gender in everyday life from genetic, cultural, and neurological perspectives. The documentary will air Feb. 6, a representative of National Geographic told but be sure to pick up the January issue of the magazine as well

U.S. transgender people harassed in public restrooms -landmark survey. http://news.trust.org/ item/20161208050520-ehs3c Almost 60 percent of transgender Americans have avoided using public restrooms for fear of confrontation, saying they have been harassed and assaulted, according to the largest survey taken of transgender people in the United States.

The survey of 27,715 respondents reached an estimated 2 percent of the adult transgender population in 2015, seeking to fill a gap in data about a severely understudied group whose experiences and challenges from medicine to law to economics and family relations are poorly understood.

The findings by the National Center for Transgender Equality on public restrooms counter the message of mainly conservative politicians and religious leaders that transgender people are the antagonists preying on others. It found that 12 percent of 32 transgender people were verbally harassed in public restrooms within the previous year, 1 percent were physically attacked and 1 percent were sexually assaulted. Nine percent said someone denied them access to a bathroom. Why women may cheer Shanghai's gender -free public toilet. http:// www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia- Pacific/2016/1119/Stalled-out-Why-women- may-cheer-Shanghai-s-gender-free-public- toilet China's financial capital opens its first such facility Saturday – World Toilet Day – in hopes it will address a key gender disparity in access to sanitation: wait times. An interesting article on gender identity and some of its more practical aspects. Transgender People in Mexico City Resort to Dangerous Unsupervised Procedure. In Mexico, nearly half of the transgender people surveyed who had used medical intervention to change their bodies did so without medical supervision, according to one study published in July in The Lancet Psychiatry, a scientific journal. The results were in some cases devastating as might be expected. Read more about these dangers here as they echo for all that do not consult a physician when taking body changing drugs. Don’t be one of them. http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/250289423/transgender-people-in-mexico-city- resort-to-dangerous-unsupervised-procedures

Books, Movies, Theater, and Television

Netflix to release documentary about transgender girl https:// www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/12/15/netflix-to-release-documentary-about-transgender-girl- in-190-countries/ Netflix is planning a worldwide release for a documentary about a transgender six-year- old girl. Mathis’ case sparked the war over transgender bathroom rights when her family launched a lawsuit against a Colorado school district, after school officials refused to allow Coy to use the girls’ bathrooms.

The Colorado Supreme Court eventually ruled that the treatment was discriminatory, 33 and that Mathis should be allowed to use facilities appropriate to her gender identity. The film, which will be released globally on Netflix on January 6, follows the Mathis family through the case and their day-to-day life. Young Boy Turns Himself Into Disney Princesses. As a young boy, Richard Schaefer was bullied a lot because of his androgynous appearance, But – as often the case with bullying – the victim eventually had the last laugh. Years later Richard decided to reclaim his pride by becoming a renowned makeup artist. Richard rose to fame when he started sharing his incredible creations through his Instagram account TheOfficialAriel, where he quickly amassed a huge following. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABcVpmDb8Fw

The Trans List http://time.com/4581350/janet-mock-trump-election-trans-list touches on being outed, being judged, dealing with parents, doing drugs, society’s genital obsession, the bathroom question, going to jail, suicide attempts, taking hormones, sex work, the military, fame, court cases and shopping for clothes. Among other things.

The film, debuting Dec. 5, features the stories of 11 transgender people who each cover fertile ground in 5-minute vignettes about their lives. the story is about what it means to be yourself and fight for yourself and struggle in the body and identity that you have in this world. For me, it wasn’t so much about what it means to be trans but what it means to be these 11 individuals who happen to be trans—across all kinds of different intersections, whether that’s time, race, age, location or occupation.

Fashion

Barbie finally becomes a real woman – with a more realistic figure. https:// www.theguardian.com/ lifeandstyle/2016/jan/28/barbie-finally- becomes-a-real-girl-with-more-realistic -figure-and-skin-colours With her tiny waist, stick thin legs and petite frame, the Barbie doll has been accused of promoting an unhealthy body image for over five decades. But now, in her biggest update since 1959, it’s out with the skeletal frame and thigh gap, and in with the curvy hips and thighs. With four body shapes, seven skin tones, 24 hairstyles and 22 eye colors, Mattel’s new Fashionistas range has expanded the options for its famous dolls. Mattel 34 says it has ‘a responsibility to girls and parents to reflect a broader view of beauty’. Photograph: Mattel

6 Tips to Help You Save When Shopping at Target. http://budgetstyle.about.com/od/Where -to-Shop/fl/5-Tips-to-Help-You-Save- When-Shopping-at-Target.htm? utm_campaign=stylensl&utm_medium =email&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_cont ent=8147103&utm_term

Target is one of my favorite stores, though shopping there can be quite dangerous because the impulse shopping factor is quite high. Anytime I stop in there I leave with an item or two or three that I had not intended on purchasing. Recently I have really made an effort on having a strategic shopping plan whenever I go to Target and cutting down on my impulse shopping.

Here are 7 of my favorite tips for saving when shopping at Target

1. Shop the end of the aisle sales. Whenever I have some extra time to spare at Target, I like to take a walk around the perimeter of the store. The end of many of the aisles is where many of the best sales and most discounted items can be found. I have pur- chased everything from shampoo to cookie mix to a lamp to notebooks from an end of the aisle sale at a small fraction of the original retail price.

2. Look for Coupons on the Target Website. Although they are not advertised, there are coupons on the Target website that can be printed off and used in-stores. While there are always quite a few grocery coupons, I always like to check out the "beauty" and "apparel & accessories" coupons. They occasionally offer coupons like "$5 off any $30 apparel purchase." Since I don't think I have ever walked out of Target with less than $30 in clothing, shoes, and accessories in my cart, these coupons end up being quite valuable!

3. Use Manufacturers Coupons at Target. Per the Target coupon policy, Target coupons can be used in addition to manufacturers coupons! While this will not usually apply to clothing or shoe purchases, the dual coupon stacking can lead to some big discounts on groceries! Thankfully, you do not even need to subscribe to the paper to get coupons anymore. Check out Coupons.com for constantly updated coupons that can be 35 printed from home.

4. Look for Gift Card Deals. Target food items will often include incentives like "purchase 4 to receive a free $5 Target gift card." While I do not encourage purchasing 4 items just because (especially if it is an item you would never use), coupons can normally be used to purchase these items for less. Kashi usually has a coupon or two available, so there have been a few times that I have been able to get 4 boxes of Kashi cereal for $1.50 or so each after all coupons have been applied, and then also received a $5 gift card.

5. Use the Target Red Card. I am not here to promote credit card use, but the Target Red Card is actually a debit card that withdraws directly from your checking account. (A credit card option IS available if you prefer that.) When you make purchases (either online or in-store) using a Target Red Card, you will get an additional 5 percent off your entire order total. If you are shopping online, all orders purchased using the Red Card will also ship for free.

6. Download the Cartwheel App. With the Cartwheel App you can save Target coupons to your smartphone that cannot be found anyplace else. Cartwheel coupons are constantly changing, but there are always great deals to be found. When using the app, you will add the discounts that you want to use to your queue and then present your smart phone to the cashier when you check out.

Note: There is a social aspect to Cartwheel, and the first time you register everything you do may appear on your Facebook wall. Be sure to limit this app's ability to broadcast your data otherwise you could share all of your intended purchases with everyone you know! Target is genuinely a pretty awesome store, but the best thing about all of these different ways to save when shopping at Target is that almost all of the savings techniques can be combined! For instance, apparel coupons on Cartwheel can becombined with apparel coupons from the Target website for double the savings, and that's before paying with a Red Card!

The prices at Target are generally pretty low, but with so much impulse purchase tempta- tion, all of these little ways to save at Target can sure help cut down on that final bill!

Clothing for Big Busts. http://hourglassy.com/clothing- for-big-busts/ Don’t let D+ dressing drive you to despair. This page puts you in the driver’s seat for finding clothes that fit your large breasts without hiding the rest of you. 36 Humor

Groom in gown, bride in tuxedo. The wedding guests were in for a surprise – they were not expecting the bride and groom to swap their wedding dress. But for Wu Shuai and Ou Qian this was more than just swapping costumes, it was a gesture of love. When Ou was concerned about her weight and worries that she couldn’t pull off her wedding gown, Wu proposed the move: he would wear the gown and she would wear a tuxedo. For the wedding guests in Nanchong, Sichuan Province, it must have been a wedding to remember, but for the couple it was the beginning of a new relationship.

The Queen of Tupperware!! https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_d5G1beRgE

The Ugly Truth - 4 Rules for Women https:// www.youtube.com/watch? v=htyDkxfdaLc

So until next month,

Hugs……Tasi 37 Humor 38 Angels In The Centerfold

Alexis Taylor

Kristi O’Connor Ginger 39 Angels In The Centerfold

Rachelle

Breanna Henderson

Suzanne W. Jefferies 40 Angels In The Centerfold

Dawn Tammy Trueheart

Bobbie Vance 41 Angels In The Centerfold

Mellissa Lynn

Miranda Michelle 42 Mellissalynn’s Tips & Tricks

Welcome to 2017, girls! This is the first column of the year, and good riddance to the last year. Too many good people have left us, too many bad events have happened, and generally I'm just sick to death of 2016.

My new job is progressing well. More importantly, I've managed to get my spouse employed again as well, in the same place (although not right where I am). We're in a small dry patch at the moment until she starts getting paid, but when that happens, we're going to be sitting pretty good for money again. That makes me happy, as I have many bills that I'd like to put in my rear-view mirror.

I have a convention to attend this month! And we all know what that means: multiple days worth of woman- hood for Mellissa! This convention is called Anime Zap; it takes place in Peoria, Illinois. My daughter and I leave on the morning of January 6, and don't return home until January 8. I'll have pictures to share, of course!

Friday is our formal dance, which means a ball gown of some sort. Saturday will most likely be a Supergirl day, and Sunday...well, Sunday is still up in the air. I may be doing my Link costume again, or maybe my Starfleet outfit. I haven't decided. It will be a small mystery, to be revealed in next month's column! I like to give you all something to look forward to as you while away the month waiting for our next issue...

So talk to me, girls! Tell me about your 2016 memories, or your sports favorites (even Cardinals fans will be an- swered), dish with me about a great shopping trip you've had recently, or a great outing en femme in general, or tell me how your month has been, or share other news. You’re ALWAYS welcome to share tips and tricks, of course!

Write to me at [email protected]. You can hit me up on Facebook; my username there is Mellissa Lynn. I ALWAYS answer any and all mail I get, so feel free to tell me about anything you want to chat about, be it a salon visit or transgender news, or whatever you like. I love hearing from you!

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So, for our first tip of 2017, let's talk about a neat hair trend that's going on right now, that you can get in on without going broke. Jeweled headbands are popular right now, and not very expensive. The best news is that they work on any hair length! You'll want a flexible headband that has elastic at the nape.

Even better, here's a DIY way to make one for yourself out of a chain necklace! You'll need a necklace 43 that is at least twenty-four inches long and some bobby pins. Start by hooking a bobby pin through the first link in the chain and fasten it behind your ear. Place the necklace across the crown of your head, and pin behind your other ea, and repeat this until you run out of chain. You'll have a chic headband that no one else will have and look fabulous wearing it!

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Are you feeling the winter blahs and need a fast pick-me-up? Try a bit of dried (or fresh) rosemary in your next meal, or have a cup of rosemary tea. Rosemary will give you an instant boost in both your creativity and alertness; and best of all the tea tastes like mint!

How does this work, you ask? Well, the rosemary is infused with natural mood-enhancing chemicals that will stimulate the nervous system. As a bonus, it also aids in memory retention and recall. If you're feeling really brave, add a candy cane to the equation. Peppermint will also boost your energy!

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If you're using a cream under-eye treatment, or a moisturizing lotion, or in fact almost any such product, you'll find that it works best at night. Apply right before going to bed. And remember, if you use a lo- tion or moisturizer on your face, it's a good idea to use it on your neck and arms, too.

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I received a letter from Marlene, a regular reader, who said to me in her letter, “Mellissa I need your help! I have more chins right now than Chinatown! How can I conceal this?” Of course, after reading this, I sprang into action! After a bit of investigating, I found that Marlene was exaggerating her situa- tion, but went on to tell her about contouring the chin area. This is a small visual illusion created by sweeping a bit of bronzer along the underside of your jawbone. The bronzer will define the jawbone a bit more sharply and creates the appearance of a more angular chin and a slimmer neck. Marlene tried this trick and wrote to tell me that she loved it!

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Did you know that tomato juice can be a beauty aid? I found this trick in a book of old home remedies and had to test it for myself, It works!

Tomato juice can be used as an astringent to unclog pores and help to control oils. To use it, mix a teaspoon of tomato juice with three tablespoons of distilled water in a reclosable bottle and shake well. Put a few drops of this mixture on a cotton ball and wipe your face down. This mixture will be good for two weeks. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

I have a girlfriend, Bianca, who is very into yoga. She and I were talking the other day and somehow came around to the subject of hair growth. Well, she says that she has a trick from her yoga exercises that helps boost hair growth.

She went on to say that, if one were to bend over at the waist and reach for her toes, or instead were to sit with her head between her knees, for four minutes, that she would see increased hair growth. This is due 44 to more blood getting to the scalp, which is of course good for stimulating and encouraging hair follicles to get busy. Done regularly, she says, one could see serious boosts in hair growth within a few weeks.

Are there any yoga practitioners out there? If so, I'd love to hear more about this! Please write in and let me know if Bianca is correct; I'm very curious.

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So here's a thought to sleep on, girls. Bedtime is the most important time to wash your face, to get rid of any dirt you've picked up during the day. Use a circular motion when scrubbing, and wash with cold water. Walnut scrub is great for oily skin (try to find one that isn't abrasive!), and dry of sensitive skin would benefit from baby oil or wet cleansing pads afterwards.

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Have you ever noticed that we talk about lemon juice a lot when it comes to your skin? That's because lemon juice is awesome! It contains citric acid, which will help to promote cellular turnover and fade dark spots caused by age or trauma to the skin.

I want to share a DIY lemon-scrub recipe. This is primarily for your hands, but could be used elsewhere o your body as well. You'll be mixing ½ cup of sugar, a teaspoon of lemon juice, and a teaspoon of sunflower oil together to make this scrub. You should massage the mixture over your damp hands, and make sure to focus on the cuticle and knuckle areas. This is good for a one-time use.

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As we all know, it's now winter, and getting your feet ready for spring isn't really on your mind at the moment. Well, girl, this is the time! By doing good preparatory work on your feet now, your springtime will be so much more rewarding when you get the strappy sandals out to show off in.

One thing you can do to aid in beautifying the feet is a fruit-acid peel on your heels. Japanese girls are leading the way with this tip by wearing booties laced with citric and glycolic acids break down the desmosomes that hold dead skin cells together. You can now get booties laced with the same ingredients in the US.

This is how they work. You slip on the booties and chill for an hour while they do their thing. After the hour is up, rinse your feet. Ina few days, you'll notice the heel starts peeling, and mean seriously! Within a week, the hard dry skin will be gone, leaving silky-soft, feminine soles. During this week, remember to wear some clean, SOFT socks!

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I found a neat little tip recently, girls, that I'm sharing here and now. Did you know that you can use body butter on your hair? Yep! It works amazingly well as a deep conditioning agent. Take a dollop of body butter and work it through clean damp hair. Wrap a towel around your head and relax for fifteen to twenty minutes. For thicker hair, just rinse it out; if you have finer hair, you may want to shampoo and rinse. 45 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

As a diabetic, blood circulation can be a problem for me. One way I've found to keep myself in better shape regarding this is to do some self-massage, particularly in the extremities. One thing I do to stimulate circulation in my hands is to rub the palm of one hand over the back of the other, then repeat with the other hand -- something like washing your hands. In addition to stimulating circulation, it also warms my hands, and feels good, too.

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Quick quiz: should you apply lip balm before or after lipstick? If you said before, that's the wrong answer! You should apply your color first and the lip balm on top. Why is this, you ask? Because the lipstick will adhere to your lips better if they have nothing on them (or a lip primer, but that's a separate story). Apply your balm over the top of the lipstick for best results.

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Factoid: a recent study found that 56% of women are in better moods, are nicer to people, and are more confident when they feel they're having a good hair day.

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Do you know the difference between moisturizing and hydrating your skin? Well, in the esthetics world, moisturizing is referring to oils in the skin, as opposed to hydrating, which, as the name implies, is about increasing the skin's water contents. Good, healthy skin requires both of these things!

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This is a nifty new way I've found for getting rid of the under-eye baggage. Try using some aloe! You'll need an ice cube tray and aloe vera gel to do this. Oh, and a freezer too!

Fill the ice cube tray with the gel and let freeze solid. Once the gel is solid, you can use it as a compress under the eyes to work on the bag issue. The aloe will penetrate the skin faster than water, and sends natural amino acids into the skin and tightening it.

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Here's a cheap way to get a little more use out of your mascara, ladies. Close the tube completely, making sure it's sealed. Get a mug of steaming-hot water. Place the tube into the mug of water and let soak for awhile, maybe an hour. 46 The hot water will soften the contents of the tube, liquefying it again. This will let you get a few more uses from it. Pinch the pennies until they squeal! This will save you a bit in the long run.

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Winter is, as George R. R. Martin predicted in Game Of Thrones, upon us, girls. And winter is a harsh mistress to our skin, as well as to our nails. We must provide a bit more TLC to our nails in the cold and bitter winter months.

Brittle nails are a common issue in the winter. If your nails are brittle, you may not be getting enough calcium. Make sure you get plenty in your diet, both in the food you eat, as well as vitamins if necessary. Also, check the labels on your scented or perfumed hand lotions; these tend to contain alcohol, and can make brittle nails worse.

Another cause of brittle nails can be housecleaning. Sometimes you just forget to wear rubber gloves when you clean around the house. Don't! Cleaning agents can be very harsh on hands, and especially nails. Your nails actually swell up a bit when exposed to water for long periods of time, and then shrink up when they dry. This, combined with harsh cleaning agents, can lead to brittle and broken nails.

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And with that, the first column of the new year is complete. I hope you've enjoyed reading the tips and tricks, and maybe have learned something in doing so. This column is always educational for me!

Now that we're in the cold harsh months, I want to remind you all to bundle up well and take care of your skin! The cold dry air is harsh and can cause blemishes and chapped skin, especially on the lips. Remember to moisturize and hydrate!

Talk to me, lovely ladies! Share your Christmas stories, or your election thoughts, or vacation plans, or your happiness that my Cubbies are the world champions this year! In fact, if you want, you can write to tell me about your month, or about your funny vehicle experiences, or give me your opinion on my new middle name (Andromeda), or share pictures or tips or tricks. PLEASE feel free to write me! Send- ing me mail is the easiest thing in the world to do, ladies, and I love hearing from you all. You can send it to my e-mail at [email protected]; as you know, my inbox is always open! You can also hit me up on Facebook; my name there is Mellissa Lynn.

I’ll talk to you all again next month, with a whole column of tips and tricks. Until then, be safe and be beautiful! 47 In Memory

Word has come down from Barbara Marie about the passing of LadyChablis. Lady Chablis was a transsexual and a well know impersonator in Savanna Ga.

In his best selling novel “Midnight In The Garden of Good & Evil John Berendt wrote about his firstmeeting with Lady Chablis, as a result Lady Chablis rose to stardom, staring as herself in the Clint Eastwood Movie by the same name alongside Kevin Spacey and John Cusack. She was a guest on Good Morning American and interviewed by Oprah. She was a class act at “Club One” starting with the opening of the club andshe paved the wayfor other female impersonator entertainers. None were able to outshine her though.

She wrote a book about her life called “Hiding My Candy” in 1996. She loved to cook and included several of her favorite recipes in the back of the book.

LadyChablis was a giver to her community, raising thousands of dollars for the American Diabetes Association andshe was a headline entertainer at the Savanna Pride inaugural celebration and at the Miss Gay Pride Pageant hosted there. She contributed to many LGBT causes.

She will be missed by Savanna’s LGBT community and many others who knew and loved her 48

Why Global Clothing Sales Have Plummeted

If you’ve been watching recent fashion headlines, you know that world- wide, clothing sales have tanked. The economy is finally recovering, people are finally starting to spend money again, but not on clothes. They’re spending it on electronics and novelty items, like drones.

It’s no mystery why.

The key word here is novelty. People like new stuff. The newest high tech car? Waiting list. Newest iPhone? Lines out the door. Latest clothing lines that look just like last year’s and the year before that? Crickets.

Yet clothing retailers are scratching their heads, wondering where all their buyers have gone. It’s not rocket science. Let me count the reasons why:

1. Clothing Styles Are Boring Right Now Let’s face it: nothing new and exciting has happened in fashion in over a decade, not since skinny jeans, low waist trousers, and Juicy Couture track suits. If you look back at the 20th century, you see that each decade is clearly defined by the fashions of the time. From clothing and hairstyles to cars and décor, all it takes is a picture to know which decade you’re talking about. Each had a distinct look:

Not so in the 21st century: 49 Everything looks very similar.

While there have certainly been some trends here and there – the aforementioned trousers, different tops and coats – most women just seem to wear either a form-fitting dress or a top and trousers and call it a day. Those who dislike current fashion can be found reviving old trends via the Hipster, Victorian, or Goth movements, or spending their money on tattoos, shoes, and unnatural hair colors instead.

It’s going to take some- thing spectacular to knock people out of their ennui and get them excited about clothes again.

2. Clothes Don’t Fit Correctly

If you’ve ever walked into a dressing room with 8 pieces and walked out with none that fit, you understand this frustration.

Women’s bodies are complicated. Most retailers’ sizing options aren’t.

If you fall outside of the “average” parameters of being 5’4” – 5’8” and a size 2- 14, you’re going to have trouble finding clothes. Even if you fit those parameters and have a large bust, short legs, long arms – or anything out of the ordinary – you’re going to have trouble. We’re not all small, medium, or large. The only way to get proper fit is to get a tailor involved. Since that falls outside most women’s budgets and interest level, they just pass on new clothes and continue wearing what they’ve worn. Because styles haven’t changed that much, so why bother?

3. Clothes Are Expensive The average American woman makes about $38,000 per year. If she budgets 6% for clothing and accessories, that gives her $2,280, or about $190 per month for fashion-related purchases. If she has to share that with a spouse and kids, it cuts it even more.

Which means she’s thinking VERY carefully about her clothing purchases. If clothes don’t fit properly or are poorly made, she’s going to pass.

Clothing retailers were upset that last winter was so mild because it kept women out of stores. Which means most women didn’t buy sweaters or coats last year because they didn’t have to. They could get away with NOT buying them…and no one noticed. 50 Which goes back to issue #1: clothing styles are boring right now.

4. Clothes Are Immodest Bare arms, low necklines, bare midriffs, short skirts.

Not everyone wants to show that much skin. I get emails all the time from women looking for modest clothes. Some are very religious, some are very conservative, most just want to leave something to the imagination once they walk out the door.

But current clothing styles make that difficult.

If they’re not showing skin, they’re made of a sheer fabric. If the arms are covered, the decolletage is low. Or, they’re so tight that you can see every nook and cranny.

What happened to fashionable, modest clothing?

I’m not talking burka or traditional nun’s habit.

I’m talking reasonable coverage that allows you to walk, sit, and bend over without showing everything you’ve got.

It’s a challenge to find.

And yet another reason why global clothing sales have plummeted. 5. Movies Don’t Set Fashion Trends Any More

Once upon a time, Hollywood movies created fashion stampedes. Costume designers like Edith Head, Orry-Kelly, and Adrian whipped up amazing movies clothes for the top stars of the day, and as soon as the final credits were rolling, women would leave the theater and head to stores to buy what they’d just seen. Many department stores set up “cinema shops” after Macy’s sold 50,000 copies of a ruffled dress Adrian designed for Joan Crawford as Letty Lynton in 1932, at the height of the Great Depression:

Retailers quickly learned that great movie fashion meant great sales for them. 51

So from Jean Harlow… …and Elizabeth Taylor To Audrey Hepburn…

…movie fashion set the fashion of the day.

Every girl in my high school got a pair of Candies after Olivia Newton-John wore them at the end of- Grease (1978), and my ballet master outlawed sweat- shirts in the dance studio after Flashdance(1983) made them popular. But when was the last time women really followed a movie fashion trend?

…and Diane Keaton

The Matrix fashion?

The Indecent Proposal dress? 52 It’s been a minute, and few and far between. Television hasn’t been much better. While Sex and the City (1998-2004) and Gossip Girl (2007-2012) certainly got fashion lovers drooling, most couldn’t afford the clothes. They had to content themselves with watching or finding knock off versions instead.

Then there are the musicians. While Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga have all had some influence, their clothes are either too outlandish, too expensive, or Gladiator clothes and sandals? The Hunger Games? too immodest for most women to follow. Again, fashion lovers either just watch, or color their Like fashion trends, ever decade has its style icons, the women hair an unnatural Katy Perry everyone watches and tries to emulate: shade. 53 I limited myself to four for the 1920s thorough the 1990s. I had trouble coming up with four in the 2000s and 2010s. That’s because during the Golden Age of Hollywood, celebrities were taught to create a glamorous image and maintain it whenever they left the house. From movie stars to socialites, directors’ wives to up-in-comers, dressing well became a habit for people in the public eye.

Today, most celebrities rely on stylists to help them dress for red carpet events and they look like ragamuffins the rest of the time.

Ever see those “celebrities without makeup” posts? It would never have happened fifty years ago, because stars would never have left the house without makeup – especially with paparazzi around. They understood the value of image and strove to look movie-star glamorous at all times.

In looking over the list of style icons, notice how both Sarah Jessica Parker and Blake Lively made the list. What do they have in common? They were in television shows that emphasized fashion (Sex and the City and Gossip Girl, respectively). They learned how to dress through their characters, and kept it up once they left those roles. It has extended their time in the spotlight indefinitely.

Did you know that in the early 1960s, Jacqueline Kennedy’s influence was so strong that even store mannequins were made to look like her?

Today, The Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) has similar influence. Everything she wears or dresses her children in instantly sells out. She’s been responsible for more than $10 billion dollars in clothing sales since she became engaged to Prince William in 2010.

But she and Mrs. Obama and a handful of celebrities can’t do it all.

Neither can the red carpet season. Because becoming a style icon is all about dressing well consistently without have a personal stylist on speed dial.

Anyone can look good for a special occasion.

But the day-to-day? That takes work. Especially if you’re a do-it-yourselfer.

Which is why…

7. Many People Have Stopped Caring When you roll out of bed and do your coffee run in your pajamas, it’s obvious that dressing well is not a priority.

When you wear the same clothes for work, church, cocktails, and the ball game, it’s clear that “what to wear when” is not on your radar. 54 But when you trade in your power clothes for comfortable clothes, you forfeit the power that goes with those clothes. You also tend to gain weight. In the 1950s, the average woman’s BMI was 23.6; today, it’s 27.6, or roughly 25 pounds heavier. That’s like a 5’5” woman going from 142 pounds in 1955 to 167 pounds today. Since fashion has never been kind to fuller figures – that’s why corsets, girdles, and shapewear were invented – finding fashionable clothes above a size 16 can be difficult. Which is why many full figured women have stopped even trying to look. Combine that with a much more casual culture where everyone feels comfortable dressing down, and you’ve got people spending their clothing budgets on other things instead.

Which is unfortunate. Because even though we’re told “not to judge a book by its cover” and that “beauty is only skin deep,” the reality is that most people DO judge others by their appearance and treat them accordingly.

Clothing has been used as a status marker since ancient times. It’s like a language all its own.

Which means that if you don’t “speak clothes,” you’ll be left behind by those who do.

That’s why this whole global clothing sales plummeting news is alarming on so many levels.

It means that: 1. Sales aren’t being made 2. Stores are closing 3. People are losing their jobs 3. Customers aren’t dressing as well as they should 4. So they’re not making the kind of income or impact that they should be See how it all goes together?

So what’s the solution?

A style revolution.

Cute, modest clothes that fit well and fit our budget. Great movie fashion. Lots of style icons. It used to be the norm. Now it would be a novelty. What do people like? Novelty. So clothing retailers, listen up and take note.

There’s a reason why people have stopped buying clothes. 55 I just gave you seven of them.

If you want to reverse the trend, you have to do something different than what you’ve been doing. Because the “same old, same old” isn’t cutting it any more.

Give us something new, exciting, wearable, and affordable.

Then maybe we’ll start buying clothes again. Diana Pemberton-Sikes is an image coach who helps women upgrade their careers by upgrading their image. Ready to get the attention, respect, and income you deserve? Here’s How to Create Your Ideal Image so you can reach your goals.

TALL WOMEN

[There's a reason why the world's finest designers model tall women.

The fashion worldsets up tall, slender women as the “ideal” type. In response, women around the world buy high-heeled shoes (and ignore the discomfort) in order to gain a few inches.

Tall women attract attention. When a group of women walk into a bar,most eyes turn immedi- atelyto the tallest one in the group — simplybecauseshemight be the first face theysee.

And when men interact with tall women, as Roger Dobson explains for The Independent, the outcome is generally positive.

According to Dobson, “both men and women judge a tall female on first sight as more intelli- gent, assertive, independent and ambitious.”

Dobson further explains thatmen view tall women as being wealthier and more successful.

These initial impressions don’t guarantee a lasting relationship. But theydo give tall women a leg up (no pun intended). Although these judgements mayseem superficial, I understand where they come from.

Whenever I think of a tall woman, I almost always picture Uma Thurman or Maria Sharapova — tall, blonde, alpha females.

Both happen to be veryassertive. And while I wouldn't expect every tall woman to be as strong -willed as the two I just mentioned, stature can indicate personality. 56

Dobson explains thatmenmake manyconclusions about a woman based on her height.

Psychologists from the Universities of Liverpool and Central Lancashire set out to gain a better understanding of height discrimination, a tendencythat has influenced male-male competition since the beginning of human history.

But heightism is not confined to ego battles betweenmen. It also plays a large role in a man’s choice of mate.

In one study, men were asked to judge the characters of women whose pictures had been digi- tallyshortened or lengthened.

These findings served as “the first direct evidence that female height influences perception of their character,” Dr. Simon Chu, who was involved in the study, explained.] http://elitedaily.com/dating/short-vs-tall/1104880/

A Return to Elegance Tasi Zuriack

Casual Friday taken too far just reflects the ongoing trend to Minimalism in America today or what some have interpreted to mean comfort at any cost. And If you’re getting tired of this ultra-streamlined, monochrome, minimalist look dominating fashion today, then change may be coming with a return to the Feminine and a return to Elegance.

The street styles that surrounded the 7 days of New York fashion week and the curated looks of magazine editors, models, style bloggers, and industry professionals certainly had much to say as the tides of street style have changed, and we saw a resurgence in feminine styles. 57

Meet Jenny Walton, the modern-day street style icon is bringing back our absolute favorite fashions from bygone eras. Walton is a freelance illustrator and the current fashion director at The Sartorialist. Her signature feminine skirts, quirky heels, and unique vintage finds are enoughto have us board. Ribbons, oversize dangling earrings, swoon- worthy pumps, and midi skirts galore, a modern-day Audrey Hepburn. And, she knows the key to great fashion: choosing what looks great on you. This is hardly a secret, but it’s all too often forgotten among all those trendy fashions

With this move towards more feminism, the elegant and sophisticated lady is again coming into style. Being a feminine woman should be celebrated for she is strong, but also delicate, intelligent yet still humble, kind and well mannered, and graceful, with a wonderful presentation. However, we must learn how to be elegant through interest, reading, watching, and emulating the correct forms. It’s not easy but the guidelines are there for the taking and Sister House is your all-inclusive source on feminine presentation, From our Stylish Crossdressers to our highly informative articles on the Psychology of Clothing, the Body Shape Compendium and the many forms of Feminine Presentation, we start you on the right path. Then our authoritative All About series on any article of clothing leaves no stone unturned in giving you the history and the how-to’s on selecting what fits your style followed by our section on Putting It Together by the best of our style icons in the trans community.

But what is the image of an elegant lady. Most people tend to think that image means how you dress. But that’s only part of it. Image really consists of three elements: how you look, act, and speak. If all three are awesome, the sky’s the limit. If not, you won’t get very far.

If you look around any crowd these days, you’d be hard pressed to find any one person with all three elements. They may look good or they may be polite or they may speak intelligently. But to have all three? 58 Rare.

That’s because most people only focus on one or two elements — if any at all.

Dress in particular has taken a hit in the last 25 years as we become more and more casual. Fifty years ago, you weren’t considered properly dressed without a hat and gloves. Today, people leave the house in their pajamas and think dressing up means “the good jeans.” Manners and speech have become just as sloppy.

Want to get ahead? Do the opposite. Go old school and dress, act, and speak with purpose. Not only will you stand out, you’ll also leapfrog ahead of just about everyone else, because being the “Total Package” is about as rare as being a unicorn. And unicorns always get special treatment.

In some ways, I feel we’re in two camps. Those that understand good presentation, manners, and speech and those that don’t. These elements effect the world’s perception of you. Think about it.

Are you likely to be accosted in the street or in the bathroom if you are perceived as an elegant lady?

Elegance is Timeless. Here are a few examples of timeless elegance. Nautical print tops, white linen pants and shorts, dark wash jeans, silk scarves, and beautiful, yet simple shoes. These few outfits can be worn for years and will never go out of style. These pieces are classics! Do not be flamboyant with col- ors, seek simplicity in your wardrobe. Simple, elegant, quality, and timeless should be the 4 words you remember when shopping

Elegance is also sexy. A lady does not always have to be conservative and “buttoned up” to be fashionable and elegant. There are many ways to have sexy elegance and seen to be sophisti- cated and desirable. Wear just one of these outfits out in public and watch the attention you receive! You can be in the grocery store, leaving work, or having a drink at an upscale bar. Men and women will be checking you out because you have elegant sex appeal. 59

You are always being watched. Perfecting these behaviors is key to presenting well in public and when you think no one is watching you.

About Tasi Zuriack: Tasi is transgendered, married, and a lifelong crossdresser. She’s the founder of the Ladies of the Blue Ridge transgender group in Roanoke VA, a prolific writer, commentator and blogger including fashion articles for Tri-Ess, TG Reporter, Repartee, and Pretty T-Girls magazine. Tasi currently resides in Merida, (Yucatan) Mexico. Her new website, Sister House and her blog, the Fashionable TG Woman are dedicated to fashion and style for the transgendered woman. Please visit her. Tasi’s new book, "Top Ten Fashion Mistakes By Crossdressers and How To Fix Them" is available on Amazon or on her site free to subscribers. 60 Friday Charm School

Modern Foundation Garments to Make Your Vintage Dresses Fit Correctly

I had a lot of requests for suggestions about where to findmodern foundation garments like the vintage styles I featured yesterday. Jenifer is correct when she says that the elastic and fabrics of most vintage foundations have degraded with time and do not support as well as they once did. And Gladys is spot on whenshe says you can't find this type of foundation garment in most stores today. No matter what others say, Spanxis just a body smoother, not a proper foundation that controls and supports.

I've been doing some research for you this morning, and have found several modern foundation garment manufacturers that look like theywill meet the needs of those of you who want to wear vintage clothing.

First, and perhaps best known, is Rago Shapewear. Rago offers many styles in various control weights from light all the way up to extra firm. In business for over 50 years, Rago produces garments with exceptional attention to shaping the female form.

Other manufacturers to look for are Custom Maid, Grenier, and Crown.

So, where can you buy modern foundation garments from these manufacturers? There are lots of online shops that offer them. I have not purchased from any of these online sites, so none of my recommendations can be considered a personal endorsement, but in doing my research this morning, these sites carry the best selections, and most have customer service numbers so you can get help with fitting and questions:

A Slip of a Girl sells lots of vintage lingerie styles on Amazon, including this open bottom girdle by Rago

Girdle Bound offers a huge selection of new foundation garments in vintage styles. Theywill also custom dye your piece in any color you chose for an added fee. 61 Secrets in Lace has been in business since 1984, and offers a wonderful selection of foundation garments in regular and plus sizes.

American Shapewear carries the entire Rago product line.

If you prefer to shop in person, check your local yellow pages for "Foundation Garments". Keep in mind that most lingerie stores, like Victoria's Secret or Fredericks, will not carry the type of girdles you're looking for. You want to find the store that's been around for years and years, then look for the older woman who has worked there forever. She knows what you want. You can also try your local Sears or Macys, but you'll be on your own, as most sale clerks there won't be trained in fitting you. Coming In March "David de Alba's LIVE Tribute to Judy Garland". Finocchio Club's Legendary actor, singer-impressionist David de Alba steps one more time unto the stage in 2017, breathing life, drama, and humor to his LIVE tribute to Judy Garland

"We Love You Judy!" "David de Alba's LIVE Tribute to Judy Garland." MVIG Cultural Arts Center Inside The Boulevard Mall 3528 S. Maryland Parkway Las Vegas, Nevada 89169 Sunday, March 12th, 2017 at 3:30 pm. Ticket price (all seats): $20.00 For more information call: Ixela Gutierrez at 702-339-0948 (& leave message) Or e-mail David de Alba at [email protected] 62 The Ladylike Laws Manners Matter by Lauren Conrad I have always found matters concerning etiquette fascinating. Different customs, traditions and pillars of decorum vary widely across cultures and I love learning about them. (I guess you could say I’m a closet enthusiast of cultural anthropology. And maybe I’m feeling inspired after having read The Help.) Needless to say, in our need-it-now, “Sorry I’m Facebooking!” I’ll-tweet-you-later world, manners have been left by the wayside. So why should we care? Etiquette makes social situations easier to navigate. Furthermore, having good manners is key to showing and gaining respect. By knowing what’s uncouth, you will be more confident in yourself and likely more adored by others! And who doesn’t want to be liked?

In a nutshell, etiquette is a set of social rules adopted by a society or culture over time (Thanks, Emily Post!). Most rules are simply known, while others are documented.

Remember all those books we read before starting school?“It is not okay to poke your friends in the eye or kick them in the shins as ameans ofhello.” Most likely, we wouldn’t knowthis unless we weretaught otherwise.The bottom line here is etiquette setsthe norm for how people treat each other (and want to be treated). It’s the unwritten “Howto Interact with Other People Guide for Dummies.”

I bet you have engaged in a dozen variations ofproper etiquette today. For starters, you probably woke up this morning, brushed your teeth and got ready forthe day.Proper hygiene and timeliness are both ways you exercise etiquette on a daily basis. You also probably greet friends, family and loved ones with warmth and kindness. There it is again– etiquette lurking… All of our daily interactions are in one way or another based on some standard of decorum. It’s when we come upon new, awkward or uncommon social situationsthat knowing your manners truly matters: first dates, hugging, interviews, wedding gifts,texting, bridal showers, eating sushi, emailing, even pinning on Pinterest (who knew?)…Every aspect of social engagement requires some level of courtesy to others. Here’s where I come in.

I’m not pointing any fingers. I’m guilty of some of the worst offenses. I text during dinner, I forget to writethank you notes, I’m usually running late…Needless to say, I figured this series would be a fun and informative way for us to learn about the general dos and don’ts of modern life. (Queue Rocko’s Modern Life theme song…now.) Now, I’m not going to tell you howto live per say. I am, however, going to provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to navigate uncomfortable and unfamiliar (and a few basic) social situations with a little finesse.

Over the past few weeks, I have finally tackled my stack of etiquette books and am excited to share all the discoveries with you… Did you knowyou’re not supposed to take home a doggy bag of leftovers on your first date? Ever. Wish I had knownthis back in high school…Together we will learn all the laws to being amodern day lady! Get excited! XO Lauren 63

5 Femme Photo Posing Mistakes to Avoid (For Crossdressers and Transgender Women) By Luc ille Sorella ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lucille Sorella is a GG (genetic girl) who teaches crossdressers, transsexuals, and transgender females how to look, act, and feel like real women. Her goal is to help T-women express their inner and outer femininity and increase their confidence as women. She has a professional background in fashion, beauty, dance, and natural healing and has been working with the transgender community for the past 12 years. Her website is loaded with useful information and is located at http://www.flat2fem.com/ index1.html .

Photos are a great way to express your femme self. Whether you take selfies or go to a studio, beautiful images can be a real confidence booster.

Fortunately, you don’t need supermodel genes to look great in photos. It’s all about skill – and avoiding some common mistakes.

Read on to learn about 5 common photo posing mistakes… and how to fix them!

1. Shooting shoulders straight on

If you have broad shoulders (like most crossdressers and transgender women), you should angle your shoulders away from the camera to create a slimmer look. This downplays their width, creating more feminine-looking body proportions. 64 2. Holding your body too straight

There’s nothing worse than looking stiff and awkward in your photos. The se- cret to flattering, feminine photos is to create softness and curves with your body. Experiment with bending your arms and legs slightly, tilting your head, pushing a hip out, and relaxing your fingers.

3. Shooting in unflattering light

Lighting makes all the difference in the world in photos. The #1 rule is to avoid strong overhead or side lighting since this creates ugly shad- ows on the face. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

If you’re indoors, move away from overhead lights and try placing a couple lamps with soft lighting around you.

If you’re outdoors, avoid shooting in strong midday sunlight. The best time of day is to shoot at dusk or dawn when the sun has a soft, diffused glow. If you take selfies, try a selfie light ring that attaches to your phone. This allows you to take flattering photos in low light settings.

4. Placing the camera below eye level

Nobody wants to rock a double chin in their pho- tos, so never pose with the camera below eye level. The lens should be at or above eye level to diminish a double chin and downplay a large jawline. As an extra bonus, this angle also makes your eyes look bigger. 65 5. Not engaging your mind

I love watching America’s Next Top Model because it shows that modeling is as much about mindset as it is about natural- born beauty. If you’re not feeling fabulous, it WILL show up in your photos.

So how can you increase your confidence when taking photos? An easy trick is to imagine that you’re portraying a character (either real or imagined). For example: Gisele Bundchen, Cleopatra, or Sophia Loren. “Modeling” somebody else is a great way to channel their energy in photos.

Let’s see your best shot!

Taking great photos is only the first step. Sharing them with the world is where the real magic happens!

On that note, I’d love to see the photos you’re most proud of. Please share your femme photos in the comments below!

Love, Lucille 66 The History Of Your Bra By Melissa Pandika

Women today breathe a little easier — thanks to aWorld War I metal shortage.

Before then, women squeezed themselves into corsets that molded their figures to fit the Victorian ideal: a voluptuous bosom atop a teensy waist. But since corset frames were mostly made of metal, which was needed for ammunition and other military supplies, in 1917 the U.S. War Industries Board asked American women to stop buy- ing them. Around the same time, the mod- ern-day bra emerged, freeing up wartime steel and women alike. ‘Bring me two of my pocket handkerchiefs and some pink ribbon,’ she told her maid….

The first-ever bra most likely dates back to ancient Greece, when women wrapped a band of wool or linen across their breasts, pinning or tying them in the back. Corsets didn’t show up until around 1500 and quickly became mandatory for middle and upper class women in Western society. Just as quickly, physicians started blaming corsets for ailments ranging from fainting spells to muscle atrophy, while feminists attacked them for restricting women, both physically and symbolically.

Caresse Crosby patented the first modern bra in the U.S. in 1910. While primping for a debutante ball, she donned a stiff corset and tight corset cover beneath her sheer evening gown. But the corset cover — which she described as “a boxlike armour of whalebone and pink cordage” — pokedthroughher gown. “Bring me twoof Mary Phelps Jacob, also known as my pocket handkerchiefs and some pink ribbon,” she told her Caresse Crosby maid, who helped her sew the materials into a simple brassiere.

Crosby’s invention was the talk of the party; other girls crowded around, asking how she danced so freely. When she unveiled her creation, they immediately asked her to sew bras for them, too. When strangers offered a dollar for one of her bras, she decided to start a business and patented her “backless brassiere” in 1914. She managed to attract a few orders from department stores, but her startup fizzled. At her husband’s insistence, Crosby sold her patent to the Warner Brothers Corset Company in Connecticut for $1,500.

Back to the War Industries Board’s corset ban, which freed women to work at physically demanding factory jobs — and 28,000 pounds of steel, enough to build two battleships. By the time the war ended in 1918, corsets were fading fast, and following World War II and another severe 67 metal shortage, American busts were free at last. Lisa Lindahl, Hinda Miller and costume designer Polly Smith created the Jogbra out of two jock straps.

Except for bras, that is, which quickly replaced the corset. At first, they were one size fits all, fashioned from stretchable material. Some historians credit William and Ida Rosenthal, founders of Maidenform, with introducing the A-, B-, C- and D-cup system in the late 1920s or early ’30s, while others claim it was S.H. Camp and Company. Regardless of who slapped letters on women’s chests, the system caught on with other bra manufacturers.

As fashions evolved, so too did the humble bra. When the androgynous flapper look came into vogue in the Roaring Twenties, so-called bandeau bras — which flattened the breasts — became the popular choice. In the 1930s, the bra industry took off, thanks to the adjustable elastic strap, padded cups and other innovations. Frederick Mellinger, founder of Frederick’s of Hollywood, was the genius behind the front hook bra and the “Rising Star” — today’s push-up bra. Nearly three dec- ades later, childhood friends Lisa Lindahl, Hinda Miller and costume designer Polly Smith created the Jogbra, the first sports bra that was originally made out of two jock straps.

Today, nearly 95 percent of women in Western countries wear bras, which translates to a billion-dollar industry dominated by Victoria’s Secret and corporations like Hanes. Designers are now challenged to satisfy the demand for minimal bras that accommodate plunging necklines and increasing bust sizes. (In the past decade, the most common size in the U.K. jumped from 34B to 36C.)

Is the bra destined to meet the same fate as the corset? Danish fashion historian Rudolf Kristian Albert Broby- Johansen certainly thinks so. He predicted the bra’s demise as far back as 1969 in his article “Obituary for the Bra.” And then there’s the recent #FreeThe Nipple movement, committed to fighting the stigma against human nipples that’s credited with helping launch the TaTa Top, a nude-colored bikini top painted with two nipples.

Perhaps the over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder may soon be … just plain over.

This story originally misstated the weight of the amount of steel the corset ban saved. The correct amount is 28,000 tons. 68 From The Kitchen

5 Ingredient Chicken Salad Crush the ramen noodles and slice the green onion ahead of time. Place them in separate sealed containers. Just before serving, mix with the remaining salad ingredients. This salad does not hold well once the salad dressing has been added.

BAKED GARLIC PARMESAN POTATO WEDGES

GARLICANDPARMESAN SEASONED POTATO WE DGES OV EN ROASTED TO GOLDEN Try this super-quick mix of preparedingredients, TEN DER PERFE CTION ! including ramen noodles, frozen cooked chicken breasts, and coleslaw for an easy entréesalad.

Ingredients

1 (16-oz.) pkg. 3-color coleslaw blend 2 tablespoons slicedgreen onions 1 (9-oz.) pkg. frozen cooked chicken breast strips, thawed 1/3 cup purchased citrus-flavoredvinaigrette dress- IN GREDIENTS ing 3-4 LARGE RUSSET POTATOES, SLICED INTO 1 (3-oz.) pkg. chicken or oriental-flavor ramen noodle WE DGES soupmix 4 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL 2 TEASPOONS SALT Directions 2 TEASPOONS GARLICPOWDER 2 TEASPOONS ITALIAN SEASONING 1 In large bowl, combine coleslaw blend, onions, ½ CUP SHREDDEDPARMESAN CHEESE chicken and salad dressing. OPTIONAL: FRESH PARSLEY (OR CILAN- 2 Discardseasoning packet from soupmix; coarsely TRO), RANCH OR crush noodles.Addnoodlestosalad; stir gently tomix. Serve immediately. Expert Tips INSTRUCTIONS PREHEAT OVEN TO 375. LIGHTLY GREASE A This salad can also be made with a two-color slaw LARGEBAKINGSHEETANDSETASIDE. mix. It won't be as colorful, but will still taste great. PLACE POTATO WEDGES IN A LARGE BOWL. You can use chow mein noodles in place of the ramen DRIZZLE WITH OLIVE OIL AN D TOSS TO COAT. noodles. IN A SMALL BOWL WHISK TOGETHER SALT, GARLIC POWDER, AN D ITALIAN SEASONING. SPRINKLE POTATO WEDGES WITH THE 69

SHREDDED CHEESE, TOSSING TO COAT, THEN immediately. SPRINKLE WITH THE SEASONING MIXTURE. PLACE POTATO WEDGES ON PREPARED BAKING Southwest Ranch Turkey Burgers SHEET IN A SINGLE LAYER WITH SKIN-SIDES- DOWN . BAKE FOR 25-35 MINUTES UN TILPO- TATOES ARE FORK-TEN DER AN D GOLDEN . SPRINKLE WITH FRESHLY CHOPPED PARSLEY AN D DRESSING FOR DIPPING.

Cheesy Taco Cereal Nachos

Looking for a twist on your family's traditional turkey burger? Try these; they are delicious and incredibly moist!

Ingredients

1 package (20 oz) lean ground turkey Nachos like you'venever seen them before! Chex ½ cupranch dressing cereal is the basefor these super shareable taco style 1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso™ tacoseasoning mix nachos. 4 slices (0.7 oz each) Cheddar or pepper Jack cheese 4 burger buns, split Ingredients Directions 3 tablespoons butter, melted 1 tablespoon Old El Paso™ tacoseasoning mix 1 Heat gas or charcoal grill. In large bowl, mix turkey, (from 1-oz package) ranch dressing and taco seasoning mix. Shape mixture 5 cups Corn Chex™ cereal into4 patties,about 4 inches wide and 3/4inch thick. 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (8 oz) ¾ cup shreddedlettuce, roughly chopped 2 Place patties on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; 1 plum (Roma) tomato, chopped cook 13 to15minutes, carefully turning once,until 3 tablespoon choppedfresh cilantro meat thermometer insertedin center of patties reads 3 tablespoons sliced ripe olives at least 165°F. Top each burger with 1 slice cheese and Salsa,if desired place buns, cut sides down, on grill; cover grill and Sour cream, if desired cook 1 to2 minutes oruntil cheeseismelted and buns arelightly toasted. Directions 3 Place burgers on bun bottoms. Cover with bun tops. 1 Heat oven to 400°F. Line15x10x1-inch pan with cooking parchment paper. In large bowl, mix melted Expert Tips Mmm! Top with slices of avocado butter and taco seasoning mix. Add cereal;toss to coat. and pico de gallo for a fresh take on these easy Spreadmixture in singlelayer in pan. Bake 3minutes. burgers. 2 Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake 3 to4minutes or until cheeseismelted.

3 Top with lettuce, tomato, cilantro andripe olives. Drizzle with salsa and sour cream. Serve immediately.

Expert Tips

Prepare toppings before baking so you can serve 70 Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Roast Dinner Slow Cooker Poppy Seed Chicken

Makea meat-and-vegetable casserolein themorning Try this easy recipe of slow-cooked creamy chicken, andforget about it until dinnertime. sprinkled with buttery cracker crumbs for a delicious dinner. Ingredients Ingredients 1 lb small potatoes (6to8), unpeeled, cut into1 -inch pieces (3 cups) 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 lb) 2 cups ready-to-eat baby-cut carrots 2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) condensed cream of 1 cup frozen small whole onions (from 1-lb chicken soup bag), thawed 1 cupmilk 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 1/4 lb) 1 tablespoon poppy seed ½ teaspoon salt 36 round buttery crackers, crushed 1/8 teaspoon pepper ¼ cup butter, melted 1 jar (12 oz) chicken gravy 1 ½ cups frozen sweet peas, thawed Directions

Directions 1 Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken in slow cooker. In medium bowl, stir 1 Spray 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. soup,milk and poppy seed with whisk;pour over In cooker, place potatoes, carrots and thawed onions. chicken. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; place over vege- tables in cooker. Pour gravy over top. 2 Cover; cook on High heat setting 1 hour. Reduce 2 Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours. heat setting to Low. Cook 3 hours longer. 3 Stir in thawed peas. Increase heat setting to High. Cover;cookabout15minuteslonger or until peas are 3 In small bowl, mix cracker crumbs andmelted but- tender. ter, until crumbs are moistened. Sprinkle over chicken Expert Tips just before serving.

Chicken thighs are an economical choice for the slow Expert Tips cooker. They stay moist and tender during the long cooking process. Don’t be tempted to sprinkle on the cracker-crumb Place the peas in the refrigerator to thaw when you mixture while the chicken is in the slow cooker; con- start the slow cooker in the morning. They’ll be ready densation will make it soggy. to add at the end of the cook time. 71 5 Marinades Easy Enough to Memorize From lemon herb to teriyaki, these are the classic marinades you need to master this summer.

Clockwise from left: Teriyaki; Balsamic Garlic; Lemon Herb; Fajita; Garlic

We’re kicking off grilling season in style with five of our all-time favorite marinades (recipes listed below). All are a snap to make and use pantry staples and herbs you might have planted or grabbed at the farmers’ market. For the teriyaki, fajita and lemon- herb marinades, simply mix all ingredients in a shallow glass or plastic dish—or resealable food storage plastic bag—and add your meat of choice and refrigerate, turning the meat occasionally, for at least 1 hour but no longer than 24 hours.

For the garlic and balsamic garlic marinades, heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic, stirring frequently, until golden. Stir in the rosemary, mustard and soy sauce; remove from heat. Stir in vinegar and sherry (or balsamic vinegar for the balsamic garlic marinade); cool. Pour marinade into a shallow glass or plastic dish—or resealable food storage plastic bag—and add your meat of choice and refrigerate, turning the meat occasionally, for at least 1 hour but no longer than 24 hours.

Teriyaki Marinade 1/4 cup water 3 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper 1 clove garlic, finely chopped Yield: ½ cup

Fajita Marinade ¼ cup vegetable oil ¼ cup red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon chili powder ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper Yield: ½ cup 72

Garlic Marinade ¼ cup vegetable oil 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed ½ teaspoon ground mustard 2 teaspoons soy sauce ¼ cup red or white wine vinegar ¼ cup dry sherry or apple juice Yield: ¾ cup

Balsamic Garlic Marinade ¼ cup vegetable oil 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed ½ teaspoon ground mustard 2 teaspoons soy sauce ½ cup balsamic vinegar Yield: ¾ cup

Lemon-Herb Marinade 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoons dry vermouth, dry white wine or beef broth 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or ¼ teaspoon dried sage leaves 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or ¼ teaspoon dried oregano leaves ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper Yield: 2/3 cup

A few other helpful marinade tips from our test kitchen: Mix marinades—and marinate foods—in glass or plastic containers or food-storage plastic bags because these containers won’t react with acidic ingredients like vinegar, wine or lemon juice. Use ¼ to ½ cup marinade for each 1 to 2 pounds of food.

Marinate all foods except fish in the refrigerator up to 24 hours; if you let it marinate longer, food can become mushy. Marinate fish only 15 to 30 minutes or it will become mushy. After you’ve removed meat from the marinade, the remaining marinade needs to be boiled to be served as a sauce (if not boiled, throw it away). In a 1-quart saucepan, heat marinade to boiling, stirring con- stantly; boil and stir 1 minute. 73 74 75 76 77 The Gossip Fence Transgender In The News

Wal-Mart Joining Corporate Surge to Protect LGBT Employees

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. added insurance coveragef or transgender workers this y ear, joining more than 500 companies taking a bigger role in advancing the rights of LGBT employees in a competitive market for labor.

"Corporate America has risen to the top in terms of being a high-impact influencer” on LGBT rights, said Deena Fidas, director of the workplace equality project at the Human Rights Campaign, the largest advocacy groupf or lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. “We have corporations going on the record at the federal level, at the judicial level and certainly at the state lev el speaking out against what we would call anti-LGBT bills.”

The Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, an annual list that indicates how companies are doing on LGBT- friendly policies, will be released this week. Wal-Mart was among a total of 517 companies, the most ever, that earned a perf ect score of 100 points, the group said, up from 407 last y ear. Wal-Mart, which scored 90 points the last two y ears, has moved upf rom 40 points in 2011.

Some companies, including Salesf orce.com Inc., PayPal Holdings Inc. and Dow Chemical Co., have also started working with LGBT rights advocates on plans to take on expected anti-LGBT legislation at the state level. The group met in San Francisco last month, the companies confirmed, decliningf urther comment on specific states or tactics. In Texas alone, as many as 50 related bills may be introduced in 2017, said Matthew McTighe, executive director of Freedom for All Americans, who attended the meeting. The Washington D.C.-based organization aims to defeat laws seen as anti-LGBT.

More than 1,000 companies, including Whole Foods Market Inc. and Marriott International Inc. are poised to speak out against Texas laws seen as hostile to LGBT people, said Jessica Shortall, director of the group Texas Competes, which coordinates business response to the laws. Wal-Mart has been among those speaking out against anti-LGBT laws at the state level, helping defeat a 2015 rule in Arkansas. Large companies such as Dow and Salesf orce were key to beating back more than 150 laws in more than 30 states, although North Carolina did pass a law that forbids transgender peoplef rom using the bathroom of their choice.

Wal-Mart, the largest private employer in the U.S. and the world’s biggest retailer, has been trying to improve its image to appeal to more customers, particularly on the east and west coasts, where its reputation for low wages and poor benefits has hurt its ability to open new stores.

Which LGBT rights are on the chopping block?

Since President Obama took office in 2008, LGBT rights have expanded. Now that there will be a new administration, many attorneys around the country are receiving questions f rom their clients as to what changes may come, and what, if anything, they should be doing as a result.

Much is related to how the legal protections were enacted. Court f indings based on constitutional doctrine provide the highest reliability . Statutes passed by Congress can be repealed or amended by Congress. Administrative practice or interpretation can be modified relatively easily by a new administration if little weight is placed on continuity. Executive Orders are also in this category and officials in the Trump administration have their sight on repealing certain Obama Executive Orders in thef irst days in office.

Perhaps thef oremost question that is asked is whether couples that are married will have their marriages “undone,” or if couples planning on marrying should do so before Jan. 20. It is important to point out that it is extremely unlikely that the Supreme Court will undo marriage equality, and even less likely that those couples who are already married will have their marriages terminated..

Couples that have already obtained second-parent or stepparent adoptions f or their children should be confident their rights to their children are safe. It is still advisable that anyone who can obtain such adoptions or parentage orders in their current states should do so, because it continues to be the best way to secure equal parentage rights that are backed by court order, no 78 matter where in the country or the world someone travels or moves.

There are, however, areas of expanded rights that may well be in jeopardy under a new administration because they are not established by court precedent but by executive order, legislative action or administrative guidance. Although much remains unknown, there are some actions that people can take to secure some of the protections that currently exist.

First, transgender members of the community are currently able to obtain passports with the correct gender marker, and without proving what, if any, surgeries they have had. They can also change their gender marker with the Social Security Administration, again without the burden of proving the particularities of their medical treatment. These policies could change accurately reflect who they are. It is wise to secure a passport and change gender markers in SSA before the new administration takes office; f undraising efforts through social media are underway to assist those who may not be able to afford the costs of obtaining or updating a passport. Whitman Walker and FreeState Justice provide local legal assistancef or name and gender change matters to those who meet their financial eligibility criteria.

Many in our community are also immigrants, people of color, practitioners of many f aiths including Islam and Judaism, and children, and it is important to remember that they will be impacted by changes in immigration policy, changes in employment protections, changes in education policy and changes in all aspects of our current health care laws.

Other civil rights protections, including non-discrimination in employment, education and public accommodations, have been expanded by the current administration’s interpretation of federal law to include gender identity and sexual orientation protections under the doctrine that prohibits sex discrimination. This trend could be undercut or reversed if the leadership of the Department of Justice, the Department of Education, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) decide to pull back these interpretations.

There has also been a national movement to expand “religious freedom” legislation that would defend discriminatory actions on the basis of religious liberty. These laws, at the state and federal level, could not only protect bakeries refusing to provide a wedding cake, but also doctors who do not wish to treat LGBT people, and may reach any public accommodation or place of employment. This will be where much legislative effort by LGBT and allied organizations will likely be conducted, and indiv iduals should be conscious of the scope of many potential changes.

A repeal or replacement of the Affordable Care Act could jeopardize access to healthcare for millions of Americans, and could undo the current ban on LGBT discrimination protected under Section 1557, including the provision of transition-related care to transgender people. So, too, could we see changes in the military, where the rights of transgender people to serve in the military are still being implemented. It is less likely that the rights of gay and lesbian service members to serve equally and openly will be disrupted, due to their now-established service. Nonetheless, LGBT organizations are watching for dev elopments.

Finally, the Obama administration established non-discrimination policies by Executive Order for both federal employees and f orf ederal contractors, both of which could be undone by subsequent Executive Order or legislation.

Although this is not a comprehensive list, it is clear that while marriage equality and state court-based adjudications f or establishing parentage will not change based on a new presidency, other protections could change dramatically. Moreover, changes in the law generally f ollow changes on the ground. We all should be vigilant to all forms of change in the civil rights climate and not be bystanders to bigotry, bullying and marginalization. Major survey of transgender Americans finds pervasive bias

The largest-ever survey of transgender Americans paints a grim picture of pervasive discrimination and harassment, to the point that many of them attempt suicide at some point.

Released by the National Centerf or Transgender Equality, the survey assesses input received in 2015f rom 27,715 respondents f rom all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories. The largest previous transgender survey, conducted by the center and a partner organization in 2008-09, had 6,450 responses.

There hav e been some important gains f or transgender rights in the years between the two surveys, but the new survey showed little or no improvement in terms of transgender people’s day-to-day experiences with bias.

One f inding remained virtually unchanged from the earlier survey: 40 percent of the respondents said they had attempted suicide at some point. Researchers have estimated that the overall attempted suicide rate in the U.S. is less than 5 percent. Another notablef inding: 59 percent of survey respondents said they avoided using a public restroom in the past year because they were afraid of confrontations or other problems. About one-third said they limited the amount that they ate and drank to av oid using a restroom.

“Discrimination and violence threaten transgender people’s ability to have even the basics: f ood, a place to sleep, or a job,” 79 said Mara Keisling, executive director of the national center. “This survey demonstrates that there is a lot of work ahead to achieve simple parity andf ull equality for transgender people.” According to a recent estimate by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, there are about 1.4 million transgender adults in the United States.

In they ear prior to completing the survey, 46 percent of the respondents reported being verbally harassed and 9 percent said they were physically attacked because of being transgender. Forty-seven percent said they had been sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime. The abuse can start before adulthood. Of the respondents who were out or perceived as trans- gender while in school, 24 percent said they were physically attacked because they were transgender and 13 percent said they were sexually assaulted. Seventeen percent said they left school because of severe mistreatment.

The survey f ound significant economic disparities, with 29 percent of respondents saying they lived in poverty — roughly double the percent of the overall U.S. population. The unemployment rate among the respondents was 15 percent, three times higher than the national rate at the time of survey was conducted. Only 16 percent of the respondents said they owned their own home, compared to 63 percent of adults nationally. And 30 percent of the respondents said they had experienced homelessness at some point.

According to the survey, problems of discrimination were particularly high for transgender people of color, those with disabilities, and those living in the U.S. without legal documentation.

More than one-third of the survey respondents identified themselves as “non-binary” — a term used to describe people whose gender identity is not exclusively male orf emale.

Karen Parker, director of the Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office at the National Institutes of Health, hailed the survey as “an unprecedented and comprehensive insight into the experiences of transgender people.”

In an email, she also said the survey’s detailed findings on health care could potentially help ease the barriers that sometimes deter transgender peoplef rom obtaining appropriate care. Nearly one-quarter of the respondents to the survey said they did not see a doctor when they needed to because of fear of being mistreated.

The report’s release comes at a time of uncertainty f or transgender Americans. President Barack Obama’s administration has taken many steps to expand transgender rights — including some workplace protections and a directive advising public schools to let transgender students use restrooms and locker rooms based on their gender identity. Transgender activists fear that some of those initiatives might be slowed or reversed after President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

They also are concerned by possible developments at the state level — such as a proposed bill in Texas that would limit trans- gender people’s bathroom access. The Texas proposal is similar to legislation enacted in North Carolina in March that trig- gered an extensive economic and political backlash.

Study: transgender bathroom bill could cost Texas economy $8.5 billion annually

AUSTIN — Texas' main business lobby launched its most pointed attack Tuesday against Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's crusade to pass a transgender bathroom bill, releasing a study that f ound anti-LGBT measures could severely hamper the state's economy.

The study f rom the Texas Association of Business f ound that proposals targeting transgender and gay Texans could cost the economy $8.5 billion ay ear and put at risk up to 185,000 jobs, resulting largely from a projected downturn in the state's tourism and travel industry.

“Protecting Texas f rom billions of dollars in losses is simple,” said Chris Wallace, president of the TAB. “Don't pass unnecessary laws that discriminate against Texans and our visitors.”

Conducted by researchers at St. Edward's University in Austin, the study gives business groups new ammunition to push back against Patrick's bathroom bill ahead of the legislative session that starts next month. Business groups around the state plan to f ight the measure, fearful of the economic f allout that occurred in North Carolina after a similar law went into effect in March restricting access f or transgender people.

According to the study, legislation targeting transgender and gay Texans could make it more difficult to recruit and retain workers and to attract entrepreneurs, while also discouraging businesses f rom relocating or expanding in the state.

The Legislature is expected to debate af lurry of anti-LGBT proposals during the legislative session, including measures to repeal city ordinances that provide protection from housing and employment discrimination and to allow businesses to refuse to serve gay couples based on religious opposition to same-sex marriage.

Patrick, however, has made the contentious bathroom bill one of his top goals for the legislative session — and it is already 80 shaping up to be one of the nastiest f ights awaiting state lawmakers at the Capitol.

Patrick has shrugged off suggestions that major sporting events would stay away from Texas if his proposal became law. But those fears have been heightened in San Antonio, which is set to host the NCAA Final Four in 2018.

After North Carolina passed its v ersion of a restroom law, the NCAA moved seven college basketball championship games out of the Tar Hell State, the NBA canceled its All Star Game and the Atlantic Coast Conference withdrew its college football championship and woman's college basketball tournament, along with other events.

Large companies such as PayPal and Deutsche Bank also dropped expansion plans in the state.

“I think the evidence is crystal clear that the NCAA will not host anymore championships in Texas if we were to pass a law similar to North Carolina,” said state Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio. “I don't need any more proof than seeing what they did in North Carolina. Why would they treat Texas differently? Why would they give us a special pass?”

Transgender rights may depend on Supreme Court makeup

Prior to this y ear’s gubernatorial election in North Carolina, it seemed like the state’s anti-LGBT HB 2 law was stealing much of the spotlight and driving the conversation on who should lead the state.

The law is currently being challenged in two separate lawsuits, one brought by the department of justice, and another by students and staff members at the University of North Carolina. But the UNC case has been placed on hold while the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on the case of Gavin Grimm, the Virginia transgender high school student who is suing his local school board to be allowed to use the boys’ restroom.

Because Virginia and North Carolina are both under the jurisdiction of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a ruling by the Supreme Court on Grimm’s case would influence the outcome of the HB 2 case.

With the election of Donald Trump as president, it is all but expected that the Justice Department, under the leadership of the new Attorney General, will drop its opposition to HB 2 — although the second suit, dealing with the UNC students and staffers, would continue to challenge the law. What the decision may come down to then, is timing, as well as the makeup of the Supreme Court at the time Grimm’s case is heard.

Oral arguments in the Grimm case are expected to take place in February or March, according to The Daily Press. The court could either decide to hear the case with eight members, or delay it further until a ninth member is seated — which will depend on how rapidly the Senate confirmation process goes.

If the court were to hear the case with only eight members, either a 5-3 decision or a split 4-4 decision would allow Grimm to use the boys’ restroom. As a result, judges in states covered by the Fourth Circuit — Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland — would be inclined to rule in favor of transgender plaintiffs in any cases similar to Grimm’s.

In that case, HB 2’s provisions requiring transgender people to use only f acilities that match their biological sex at birth could be f ound to be unconstitutional.

On a nine-member court, the outcome would depend on which individual Trump selects f or the high court. He is expected to name a socially conservative justice in the mold of Scalia, who would likely rule against any transgender plaintiff, along with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas.

The f our Democratic-appointed justices are expected to favor transgender rights.

Free Legal Help Available for Transgender Nevadans, Post-Election

LAS VEGAS – Legal advocates in Nevada are offering free help to transgender people who want to change their name and gender marker before the new administration takes office. Nevada Legal Services said they've received a major uptick of calls since the electionf rom people who say they're concerned that legal protections that transgender people currently enjoy in the Silv er State may come under attack.

Kris Bergstrom, directing attorney f or Nevada Legal Services' Las Vegas office, saidf or many transgender people, a name change can be anything but simple. "A lot of them live below the poverty level, so they can't afford a lawyer to represent them," she said. "They may have been kicked out of their home, and so they might not have access to their original documents. They may have been using a different name informally f ory ears, so their documentation will have many different names on it, which can make it a little more difficult to change their name." 81 Getting a job, in particular, can be difficult if your name doesn't match your Social Security card. The f ree legal help is available in Las Vegas and Reno. More information is online at NLSLaw.net.

Bergstrom said many in the LGBTQ community became alarmed when the Obama Justice Department had to sue to stop the state of North Carolina from nullifying a nondiscrimination law in the city of Charlotte.

Nevada is one of about 20 states that prohibit discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment and public accommodations. "When we say 'public accommodations' in Nevada, that includes the right to use the bathroom that best matches your gender," she added. "And so, I think people are worried that if some sort of f ederal law passes, that it might nul- lify Nevada's law."

There are 1.4 million American adults who identify as transgender. A national website, translawhelp.org, provides a list by state of attorneys who offer pro-bono help to transgender people.

Nevada passes the most progressive birth certificate gender change policy in the nation!

Under Nevada’s new regulations, an individual born in Nevada can get a new birth certificate issued with a corrected gender marker if they submit (1) their own affidavit stating their gender and requesting that the gender marker should be corrected on their certificate, and (2) a second affidavit f rom someone else who knows them, or other verifiable evidence, confirming the f acts in their affidavit. The second affidavit can be from anyone who has personal knowledge of the applicant’s gender, meaning anyone who knows the applicant’s gender firsthand through a personal, familial, medical, or professional relationship. These aff idavits can confirm transition-related medical or mental health treatment or otherwise confirm an individual’s gender identity and the gender they live as every day.

The new policy replaces Nevada’s old standard that required a court order establishing the individual had a ‘sexual transf orma- tion’ to update the birth certificate.

South Dakota may vote on transgender bathroom access in 2018

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A ballot measure that would require transgender students to use bathrooms corresponding with their sex at birth may go before voters in 2018, Attorney General Marty Jackley said Tuesday. Jackley announced that he has filed an explanation of the measure with the secretary of state’s office. If supporters gather 13,871 signatures f rom registeredv oters by November 2017, it would be placed on the ballot f or the 2018 election.

The proposal revives a heated fight f rom the 2016 legislative session over a similar bill, which Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard eventually v etoed. The state House failed to override the rejection in March.

Under the plan, schools would have to provide a “reasonable accommodation” for transgender students, such as a single- occupancy bathroom or the “controlled use” of a staff-designated restroom, locker room or shower room.

The regulations would set up transgender students to get bullied, said Terri Bruce, a 53-year-old transgender man who f ought against the bill earlier this y ear.

American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota executive director Heather Smith said in a statement that putting the rights of transgender children upf or a popularv ote is another “shameful attempt” to put discrimination into state law. The organization is prepared to fight back against such proposals, she said.

Advocacy groups, law firm launch New England transgender ID project

BOSTON — GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition and the global law f irm Ropes & Gray are collaborating on a "Transgender ID Project," they announced Monday.

The project will offer legal guidance to transgender people living in any of the six New England States in completing legal name changes and updating identity documents such as birth certificates, Social Security cards, U.S. passports, driver's licenses and state identification cards to reflect proper name and gender.

Transgender people seeking to update their legal names and gender designations onf ederal and state documents can receive free legal representation through this program. To sign up, visit glad.org/ID, call GLAD Answers at 1-800-455-GLAD, or send an email to [email protected]. Financial assistancef or government f ilingf ees may also be available.

Legal Clinics, Transgender Job Fair and the 9th Annual Symposium

TransOhio and it’s fabulous community partner, Equitas Health, announce the details for their Free Legal Name and Gender 82 Marker Change Clinics to be held around the state of Ohio in the upcoming months. The dates are as f ollows:

01/05/17 – Dayton – Equitas Health,15 W. 4th St. Suite 200, 6-8 PM 02/01/17 – Akron/Canton – Equitas Health 1815 W. Market St. Suite 207, Akron, OH, 6-8 PM 03/01/17 – Cleveland – ACLU Office – 4506 Chester Ave. 6-8 PM (Community Partner – ACLU) 03-22-17 – Columbus – Equitas Health (See above) 6-8 PM 03/29/17 – Cincinnati – Heartland Trans Wellness –103 William Howard Taft Rd. 6- 8 PM (Community Partner – Heartland Trans Wellness) April 2017 – Toledo – 6- 8 PM – Location TBD May 2017 – Youngstown – 6- 8 PM Location TBD 06/13/17 – Dayton – Equitas Health – 15 W. 4th St. Suite 200, 6-8 PM

TransOhio has received two grants and is in the process of getting thesef unds as well as applying for an additional grant. These grants are designed to provide financial assistance to community members who need funds to help complete the process of name changes through sponsorship of court f iling and publicationf ees. An applicationf or such funding will be posted in next few weeks to our website and social media as well being available at the clinics set forth above. We are working on securing a third grant to assist as well.

TransOhio and community partner Equitas will host a Transgender Job Fairf or the Greater Columbus area on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at Columbus Public Health. If y ou know of an employer we should add to to the list of invites, please let us know. There will be workshops in the morning for resume building and review and tips on job interviews etc. Light lunch and bev erages provided and the afternoon will involve the job fair to network and talk with employers f rom the greater Columbus region.

The 9th Annual TransOhio Transgender and Ally Symposium is shaping upf ollowing the announcement of our theme: Trans Activism: Reaching Underserved Communities. We have securedf ive presenters and key note speakers for the Symposium from all around the country and region. These will be announced shortly in emails, facebook and website. Be sure to like and check out the separate Facebook pagef or the Symposium as well. Callf or presenters and call for topics will forthcoming in the next thirty days. The dates f or the Symposium are April 28-30, 2017 on the campus of OSU. Providers Day is April 28th and will f eature continuing education credits for various providers to the community.

TransOhio | [email protected] | TransOhio, Inc. | PO Box 14481 | Columbus, Ohio 43214

Minnesota judge lifts coverage ban for transgender surgeries

Lifting a decade long ban by the state, a district court judge ruled this week that transgender people on medical assistance hav e the right to gender transition surgeries. Monday’s decision by Ramsey County Judge William Leary will now allow 64- y ear-old Evan Thomas, who sued the Department of Human Services, to proceed with surgery that state law had previously denied him.

Leary rejected the state’s claim that the coverage ban was because of budgetary constraints and that change to the federal medical assistance program in January that will allow such surgeries made the suit moot.

The suit was f iled in December by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota (ACLU) on behalf of Thomas and the adv ocacy group OutFront Minnesota. It challenged the state’s Medical Assistance and MNCare programs f or public insurance f or low-income residents. Those programs won’t pay f or surgeries such as hysterectomies, mastectomies, v aginoplasty and phalloplasty, among others, if they’re related to gender assignment. But they do cover the same surgeries f or other medical needs. The suit alleged that the law discriminated against people who are transgender, infringed on transgender people’s right to privacy and violated the state Constitution.

In a statement Wednesday, the Department of Human Services said it supports the court’s decision to strike down the law.

Christian charity might be booted from state scheme over homophobic campaigns, lack of any actual charity work

The anti-gay American Family Association might be booted out of a charity scheme in Connecticut –f or likening homosexuality to paedophilia and waging war against gay people. One of the largest anti-LGBT organisations in America, the AFA maintains tax-exempt charitable status, meaning taxpayers effectively subsidise its f requent anti-LGBT boycotts and homophobic witch hunts.

Howev er, the group may be dropped from a state charity scheme in Connecticut, after concerns were f lagged about its policies. The State of Connecticut Comptroller’s Office wrote to the AFA this week related to the Connecticut State Employee Campaign for Charitable Giving, which allows state employees to donate to charities through a payroll deduction.

The letter warns: “All organisations must submit an anti-discrimination certificate each year as a condition of participating In the 83 CSEC. However, despite certifying your compliance, there are several indications that the AFA may be violating these anti- discrimination prohibitions.

“The AFA, on its website claims that it seeks to ‘hold companies accountable’ that ‘attack traditionalf amily v alues’. However, a rev iew of AFA’s statements indicate that its so-called attempts to protect family values involve ‘combating the homosexual agenda’ by boycotting companies that promote equal treatment, tolerance and acceptance of all families and marriages.

“The AFA’s efforts have included a nationwide petition to boycott Target for the company’s inclusive transgender restroom policy , and denouncing Zales f or “normalizing sin” by advertising wedding bands to same-sex couples.

“The AFA has also spoken out against gay and Muslim individuals serving in the U.S. military, and has equated homosexuality with paedophilia, disease and violence. These actions and statements are extremely troubling.”

The damning letter continues: “The AFA’s statements and mission not only appear to discriminate against the LGBTQ communities…it remains unclear what actual charitable services the AFA provides that qualifies it to participate in the CSEC.” Noting that the AFA’s participation in the scheme will be reviewed, the letter requests that the group clarify which of its many anti-LGBT boycotts and campaigns actually qualify as charitable action.

Former preacher Kenneth Adkins indicted on 8 counts of child molestation

BRUNSWICK, GA. | A Glynn County grand jury indictedf ormer Brunswick and Jacksonville preacher Kenneth A. Adkins on eight counts of child molestation —f ive of them aggravated — two counts of enticing a child for indecent purposes and one count of influencing a witness. The grand jury returned the indictment late last week in Glynn County Superior Court against Adkins who has been held in the Glynn County jail without bail since Aug. 26 on two counts of child molestation.

The indictment accuses Adkins of child molestation by watching a couple, bothy ounger than 16, have sex and by placing his hand on the genitals of a girl younger than 16, both in the office of his Greater Dimensions Church when it was located on G Street in Brunswick. Those acts occurred between Aug. 1, 2009, and Jan. 21, 2010, when Adkins enticed the two teens into the church office for the purpose of committing indecent acts, the indictment says.

The charge of influencing a witness arose from a telephone call Adkins madef rom the Glynn County jail. The phone call was taped and in it Adkins is heard telling a friend of his accuser that someone needed to contact him and handle it. The indictment says that Adkins threatened to reveal secrets about the friend’s f amily if he did not contact Adkins’ accuser.

Those identified in the indictment as children under 16 at the time are now adults. Adkins accuser, who was 15 at the time, is a 21-y ear-old soldier who had told Army sex abuse counselors that he had had sex y ears earlier with his former pastor, according to court testimony. Army investigators referred thef indings to Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents, who secured arrest warrants for Adkins after conducting their own probe.

Adkins has said he was the pastor of churches in Brunswick, Atlanta and Waycross. Preachers from Tampa, Jacksonville, Waycross and Atlanta all came to testify in his behalf in the bond hearing Wilkes conducted. No pastors from Brunswick testified. Adkins was a major opponent of efforts to pass a Human Rights Ordinance in Jacksonville that would extend protection to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Cooper says he can carry out agenda, roll back HB2

RALEIGH - North Carolina’s incoming Democratic governor said Wednesday he’s optimistic he’ll be able to repeal the law limiting state and local LGBT protections, v owing to pull back the conservative agenda of a Republican-dominated legislature.

Roy Cooper told The Associated Press in an interview - two days after Republican Gov. Pat McCrory conceded - that he wants to assemble issue-specific bipartisan coalitions on such matters as education, renewable energy, criminal justice reform and ending House Bill 2. That law known as HB2, signed by McCrory, also directs transgender people to use restrooms in schools and government buildings corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate.

Republicans still will command veto-proof majorities in the House and Senate in 2017, so Cooper will be hard-pressed to block Republican legislation. Just af ew GOP lawmakers now say they want the bill repealed, but Cooper believes more would be willing as thef allout of a national outcry continues to impact the state.

“I believe that most or all of the legislators understand the severe economic impact of House Bill 2 that it’s having on us and that something needs to be done,” Cooper said in the phone interview.

GOP legislative leaders continue to defend the law, saying it provides privacy and protectionf or children using restrooms and locker rooms. 84 On other issues, GOP lawmakers would still have the power of legislation and appropriating funds. Cooper told the AP he would also promote his policy agenda through executive orders and department rule-making.

He takes office on Jan. 1.

Harlem to Have City's Only Public Clinic Offering Gender-Affirming Surgery

EAST HARLEM — A specialized clinic dedicated to the needs of transgender patients will be opened at East Harlem's Health and Hospitals Corporation and Metropolitan Hospital, the city announced.

The hospital’s LGBT Health Center will now offer gender-affirming surgeries and access to hormone therapy. The hospital said it will work with transgender patients referred by their primary care physicianf or breast augmentations and implants, or chest masculinization surgery — also known as “top surgery.”

Health and Hospitals Corporation, which also goes by NYC Health + Hospitals, partnered with Metropolitan Hospital at 1901 First Avenue in 2014 to open a health center for the transgender community.

It is now one of only a few hospitals in the city — and the only one within the city’s public health system — offering gender- affirming surgeries, the hospital announced.

The hospital’s new specialized clinic will also offer hormone therapy.

Employers Keep Expanding Trans-Inclusive Health Care

Last week our partners at the Human Rights Campaign released their 2017 Corporate Equality Index, which rates 887 of the nation's biggest employers on their commitment to equality f or LGBT employees in the US and around the world. The results show big progress, driven by a combination of growing public support f or trans equality, internal advocacy by employees, strong support f rom medical professional associations, and the development of stronger protections in federal and state laws.

Nearly all--98%--of companies rated by the CEI had a GI(Gender Identity)-inclusive nondiscrimination policy, and 74% had inclusive health benefits f or transgender employees and dependents. Not all large companies are rated by the CEI, but looking at all Fortune 500 companies, 82% now have GI-inclusive EEO policies and 50% now have trans-inclusive health benefits. In addition, hundreds of companies in the CEI have developed positive guidelines for workplace gender transitions.

We know that not everyone is able to get health insurance through a job. If you are uninsured or currenty have a plan through Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act), open enrollment is happening now--and there are more options than ever that cover the care trans people need. Find out more at http://out2enroll.org and https://www.healthcare.gov/transgender-health-care/.

National Geographic Magazine Puts Young Transgender Girl On Cover

The January 2017 issue of National Geographic, focusing on “the gender revolution,” features a 9-year-old transgender girl, believ ed to be the first trans person on the 128-year-old publication’s cover. “The best part of being a girl,” says Avery Jackson in the accompanying caption, “is, now I don’t have to pretend to be a boy.”

We f irst encountered Avery in June, when she worked with Topeka’s Planting Peace to turn a house across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church compound into a safe space for trans people. Avery began her transition at age 4, and her parents hav e become her staunchest advocates.

Mrs. Jackson says Avery is on the cover of the subscriberv ersion of the January issue—the newsstand version will have a different cover. It’s not clear why, though concern over a trans-friendly cover not selling as well could have been af actor. Inside, the accompanying feature does f eature other trans y outh.

Netflix to release documentary about transgender girl in 190 countries

Netf lix is planning a worldwide releasef or a documentary about a transgender six-year-old girl. It was announced that the online streaming giant has acquired the documentary ‘Growing Up Coy’, which follows the journey of six-year-old schoolgirl Coy Mathis.

Mathis’ case sparked the war over transgender bathroom rights when herf amily launched a lawsuit against a Colorado school district, after school officials refused to allow Coy to use the girls’ bathrooms. The Colorado Supreme Court eventually ruled that the treatment was discriminatory, and that Mathis should be allowed to use facilities appropriate to her gender identity.

The f ilm, which will be released globally on Netflix on January 6, f ollows the Mathis f amily through the case and their day-to- 85 day life.

“This is a real opportunity for people across the US and the world to watch this f ilm at a time when so many ‘bathroom bills’ and policies are being considered by lawmakers and school administrators who may have very little first-hand knowledge of the transgender experience. “Not to mention our Supreme Court justices will weigh in on the issue this March or April!”

Director Eric Juhola told Deadline: “”I don’t think there’s any other distributor that could get it in front of that many eyes on the same day.

“We’re v ery excited. The whole point of making this f ilm was to try to make a difference in trans rights and trans y outh rights. “One of the ways to do that is for people to actually see thef ilm and get an understanding of the transgender experience.

“When we were doing ourf estival tour, we learned that coming to a screening in a public place can bev ery intimidating for transgender people. “So by being able to live-stream thef ilm in their living rooms, it gives those who f eel that way a safe place to v iew it, especially in states and countries where there are anti-transgender laws and discrimination.” 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

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