Trans Canadian Military Dress Codes, Transgender Insurance Coverage, etc. [trans news]

From the National Post:
As U.S. politicians continue to debate whether to let gays serve openly in the American military, the Canadian Forces have issued a new policy detailing how the organization should accommodate transsexual and transvestite troops specifically. Soldiers, sailors and air force personnel who change their sex or sexual identity have a right to privacy and respect around that decision, but must conform to the dress code of their “target” gender, says the supplementary chapter of a military administration manual.

In other transgender news, according to Joanne Herman, more employers are going to start covering transgender surgeries, but new hurdles are to be expected.

Also, Brian Katcher, a 35-year-old Missouri dad, has won the second Stonewall children's book award for his tale of transgender love.

Transgender Woman Killed in Minneapolis [trans news]

This saddens me to even have to write this, but a fellow transsister, Krissy Bates, was found dead in her Minneapolis apartment on January 11th around 3pm; she had been murdered. A 40-year-old male suspect has been arrested for her murder.

She was the first murder victim of this year in Minneapolis, and to my knowledge, the first transperson to be murdered this year in the US. She will be honored on Transgender Day of Remembrance in November.

The US isn't the only place transpeople, especially transwomen, are victimized. Killings of women, especially transgender women, has been on the rise in Honduras, according to vivirlatino.com.

In the last four weeks the bodies of five transgender women in Honduras have been found. The murder of women, especially transgender women, has been on the rise following the June 28, 2009 coup. According to the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission, prior to the most recent murders, there have been 31 deaths of LGBTI people in Honduras in the last year and a half.

Violence against transpeople has to stop - there is a need for awareness and education; that is why I remain visible and do what I do.

Facial Hair Growth [five years on testosterone]

Someone recently commented on my New Year's video complimenting my facial hair growth. I just noticed yesterday it was getting quite thick myself, so I thought I'd document it before I shave it all off!

Even being over five years on testosterone, I can only grow decent sideburns, and I don't get nearly as much hair on my cheeks as I do on my chin and neck. I can grow a decent chinstrap and an even better goatee and neck beard. I still have some patchy spots on my chin where I don't think it will ever fill in.



Facial hair doesn't always grow in evenly, and some guys don't get it at all. Here is a video I did on patchy facial hair growth followed by a video on dysphoria caused by lack of facial hair.





I tried to participate in "No Shave November" this past year, and document my troubles "holding out" in this video:



I'll leave you all with a classic shaving video - it's shaving time!.