Profiled lesbians clash with coaster bus crew over stigmatizing & underhanded comments

Sorry for the late posts but holiday scheduling and DJ duties took up some of my time and a family reunion was also in the mix which had me busy as a bee.

Hope you all enjoyed the season but even in the midst of it crap can happen as this latest entry will reveal.

Well as I live and breathe the holiday season is definitely upon us and I like many Jamaicans were out and about shopping and grabbing last minute household items as the traditional fix-up-the-house fever goes into effect. I was in the Half Way Tree area on the eve of the eve of Xmas and was frustrated with the traffic both vehicular and people so I boarded a coaster bus at the old bus park to downtown to avoid the madness. The usual rude poorly kept thugs both as loader men and conductors were around, bleached skins, tight pants and all the sometimes obnoxious treatment of would be female passengers with inappropriate approaches and such including touching, hope they remember or realise a sexual harassment bill will soon pass into law.

I witnessed this one myself as four ladies approached the shouting loader man encouraging passengers then came the first of many off hand comments which was to the effect “downtown lesbian crew....?” the facial reaction was clear enough especially from a cross looking sister but they eventually ignored the slight and took their seats as I observed keenly wondering if this was going to blow up into something else. The women were obviously being profiled by not only the rude loader man and also the conductor (kinda hard to tell who is whom as between the noise and distraction of getting passengers roles get cloudy) with the very audible comments about one lady of the four who has some masculine features and what appeared to be bleached skin.

As we made our way down Half Way Tree road by the nursing school it was clear drama was going to go down as the music on board was turned up as one of the girls was making a call where she asked for a reprieve to finish it and then the refusal by the crew to oblige until she managed to shout over the volume to make her point. This did not sit well with the so called self described bad man who ‘nuh tek talk from sodomite’ among other tersely worded comments which I will not quote but imagine the colourful deluge. The women soon had supportive company from her colleagues who gave the conductor and indeed the driver a tongue lashing which included defense of their perceived sexuality which came to dominate the exchange to which the impacted women proudly suggested they will take away all the girls from them as men as they are not worthy of them and are poorly kept. The argument went on for good twenty or so minutes as intermittent traffic and bad driving forming a new lane where there was none which had other passengers objected to the indiscipline and sway of the bus thought to be dangerous. However as we say in Jamaica colloquially ‘de gal dem block it’ (the girls blocked it) ‘Blocking it’ is term we use to suggest a victory from some sort of homo-negative event implying bravery and non acceptance of same.

“................Who woulda want you (badwud badwud), yuh work pon bus dutty conductor boi...........”

This and other such comments did not sit kindly with the crew and now other males on the bus and the pandemonium ensued all the way from Cross Roads to downtown with outbursts along the way as the ladies were determined to hold their ground as they are paying for the service not begging a ride on the bus. Then came the usual veiled threats to not only them but homosexuals in general and then the music was turned up at high volume. I tried to signal the ladies to cool it as it made no sense as we approached King Street via the York Park Fire station and as the bus turned that deep bend by Kingston Senior school the usual fare collection procedure happened. That was when the clash took another turn as the money was grabbed by the conductor in supposed defiance of the lady’s resolve in standing their ground; one man said he knew where one of the girls hailed from and that she acts like a man while he also expressed his supposed surprise on how bold homosexuals overall have become.

Upon arrival at the Kingston Parish Church in parade a spot often used as a quasi terminus for robot buses things really got ugly as the vocals went up and the standoff got really tense. I tried to intervene to the ladies to just leave the scene although I do not know them personally as it made no sense after coming so far to only end it in possible physical harm. But the ladies were determined not to be outdone by the slights and insults by the bus crew and others. The aforementioned male passenger who had made remarks was still adamant that he knew one of the ladies and he suggest some sort of threat or exposure of the exchange to her area of origin did not stop the ladies from holding their ground.

Things simmered eventually as other passengers suggested they end it as they disembarked the bus as the driver revved the engine to hasten person’s exit; the ladies eventually went off but with a hot parting shot said among other things suggesting strongly they were not impressed or moved by the projected strength or bravado:

“........ yuh tink se we fraid a unu ............ unu nuh frighten we..........”

In other words they were not intimidated or jolted by the event.

Nuff said.

Peace & tolerance

H

also see previous coaster bus challenges:

Brawl on Coaster Bus from Portmore ... man accused of riding another's ass while in transit

Gay joke goes wrong ... bus personnel escapes thrashing 2011

Alleged Gay advance upsets 'loader man' in Half Way Tree 2014

Why do some lesbians or bi women like gay male porn?

Of course not all SGL women do but this age old question is still left to be answered definitively for me as I have had this post sitting in draft for years literally and what appears to be a similar quandary for several others including a younger generation the question exists, I was stroke how it was openly discussed in a Facebook group recently when gay male porn was raised as a subject. Years ago I remember at the local level both at GLABCOM (gay lesbian, bisexual community) meetings at one NGO where I used to chair them occasionally and sat on its steering committee it was raised by the females in attendance that preferred to socialise with gay men than their lesbian or bisexual colleagues. WomenforWomen’s Friday night lymes and after discussions raised the matter on a few occasions and in one of them I was remember chairing a session which became heated as those for in admiration of gay male porn had to defend themselves from those against with the core of their revolt being the perceived untidiness of the act when anal penetration is the main action.

Oral sex between men ended up becoming the broker for a truce of sorts that faithful evening and a subsequent impromptu AIDS 101 to include anal health (fleet & such) and hygiene how tos as practiced by us as gay/bi men. For some reason that old HIV is a gay disease mantra found its way into the discussion as if to conclude it is automatic with anal sex especially without a condom. Those courses helped to sedate the abhorrence by some of the women especially the more butch identified ones and some studs. The present social media thread seems to have the same variables as the old perceptions arose as talking points in the commentary which grew into an all out debate where the untidiness perception was clearly expressed as persons claimed there would be faecal matter in the mix unbeknownst or unaware of the availability of anal health products so readily on the market these days and despite buggery being illegal. The typical abhorrence laden colloquial question ‘....how man fi a walla in shit pit...?’ (How are men to have untidy faecal exposing anal sex?) anti gay sentiments came up as a reason for opposing the act between men which was interesting to watch as to me it borders on a kind of internalized homophobia within the LGBT populations.

A brief intervention by an obviously more informed woman in the group did help to sedate the outrage or abhorrence by the opposers to the sex of it but ironically some of the same opposers said the site of a man dominating another man looks somewhat interesting; the word ‘hot’ kept creeping into the mix and then I remembered similar comments being made at the aforementioned meetings involving SGL women. I wonder if the attraction is driven by the perceived strength factor in the dominance of the ‘top’ or ‘sub’

The hypermasculine dynamic versus the more docile or sub/passive partner seems to be an almost aphrodisiac for some or is it just because it is sex involving same sex partners and the women are also same sex attracted there is a comparison or connection to the act as a way of confirmation of who one is in terms of sexual orientation? It is hard to measure in terms of SGL sub groups who prefers gay male porn more, butch identified women or studs and that old feud between the two that lingers even in the newer generations. I will declare further interest in this topic as I have had an experimental group sex of sorts several years ago when I was much more adventurous with four males including myself and two women one butch the other a stud and both who use strap-ons. The turn on for the butch woman who did not identify as bisexual was that she gets a kick out of seeing her sub partner in immense pleasure as evidenced for her in audible sounds as she drives home usually in a foot on shoulder position which imposes her dominance psychologically; a similar sentiment expressed by transmen who use strap ons pre-operatively; the aphrodisiac is the domination component of the act which in both groups leads to intense and sometimes multiple orgasms. The group action I was in the stud woman had a distinct advantage as she wore a unique penile strapper device with a specially made ending at the testicular base that vibrates used with batteries that would stimulate her clitoris in the process thus making the act even more pleasurable for her while the action of the squatting action of her sub partner as she prefers it also aids in arriving at multiple orgasms.

The availability of gay male porn online especially African American and indeed Jamaican porn from Jamdownproductions in particular who specialises in hyper-masculine models/actors who play both dominant and sub roles did not go unnoticed as many said the watch and are amazed at the act; some said they would try to stomach watching scenes with one person remarking that the sex was ‘clean’ some persons thought that there had to be a distinct emphasis on roles and the corresponding look of the participants; in other words the ‘top’ should be all man and hypermasculine projecting strength versus the sub or passive partner who is less so or effeminate even in sexual sounds to emphasize submission. Upon seeing two of the same archetypes switching roles seems fascinating for some as it blurs the lines or stereotypes of gay male sex. This reminds me of the long held strong rejection of two butches or two studs involved in sex; that too was raised in years passed at the aforementioned meetings and in most instances had to be quickly differed so as to diffuse heated debates with persons almost coming to blows. The hot topics Fridays at the now defunct Oasis Couture Elements lymes had one such episode when the evening’s subject was bisexuality and short of calling the police the thing descended into a shouting match with hardened positions.

Could it be that the very site of sexual activity does something to us overall? After all the experts tell us that such experiences in real time are burnt more permanently to the brain than possibly anything else; this could be the driver for the attraction and at the same time rejection tacitly of gay male porn by SGL women. Rejection is an aphrodisiac I suppose. After all the porn industry has thrived on lesbian typed porn for decades and even went as far as the spike in so called ‘she male’ porn as well during the eighties when the transition was made from the dominant Caucasian gay porn on the global market to the growing and now popular Black, Latino or Blatino gay porn now as most of the ‘she-male’ actors were.

None of the numerous women in the social media thread openly suggested they would try the aforementioned groupie I was involved in; I guess that would be a stretch for some and the anti male sentiments expressed sexually speaking by some SGL women I guess would also influence that although the interest would be a dominant role by her instead of the other way around. Bearing in mind that most of the members of the group where this thread was located are Jamaicans.

Sexuality is a marvellous thing.

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:

Science Says Women Prefer Gay Guy Porn (And Lesbian Porn, Duh) to All Other Types

Raw Thugs series ' 'Pimp' passed away

Cybersex and relationships 2010

Bad Man Nuh F*** Batty (Masculine Men Don't F*** Ass) (The Fear of The Feminine in JA) 16.04.15 

Lesbian arrested for defending herself!

Another same gender loving sister one of many is displaced as the numbers continue to climb once again and reports keep a coming in rapid succession. She asked whether a shelter or half way house of sorts for lesbians existed to which she was told no but that the women’s crisis centre can help if only for a short period. The end of the year tends to have an usual climb in numbers these types of cases as if to suggest that aggressors do not want to continue the relationships into the new year so edicts are issued or ultimatums are enforced sending targeted persons to scamper or search or reach out for help.

Can you imagine? ..... “picture it” as the character Sophia in that nineties comedy she would say in Golden Girls, a woman in her twenties who lives in western Jamaica with relatives and present as a stud aesthetically meaning she wears some unisexual or sometimes male attire such as shirts, shoes and jeans and she is repeatedly told she needs to wear female attire and look girly/feminine as it is offensive. Worse yet she smokes weed; the anathema for some relatives as she is described as a ‘flex like a man’ or buying into the hyper-masculine ideal and Jamaican gangsterism ideal.

She is constantly harassed in particular by a male cousin verbally at first but then things start to get far more physical than usual with more threats and finger pointing in her face etc. The Montegonian had to endure this mounting pressure for some time until the moment when one cracks comes as it did with her; one such tersely worded exchange presented itself over a month ago and she decided to have none of it, especially owing to the fact she is small in stature and deemed defenceless if and when she is man handled or at least that what her male cousin aggressor thought.

An argument ensued which led to a tussle between the two where she warned him to desist but he persisted in a drive to impose his will on her to change both her mode of dress, actions and lack of male friends or so he thought. A struggle developed and after several shoves, harsh words and a temporary standoff a knife was brought into the picture wherein upon the male cousin’s break in his retreat the woman defended herself with the device that she uses to shred her weed or marijuana stash after purchase. The cousin was stabbed and she then fled from the scene and headed straight to the police station to make the report; however much to her dismay she was instead taken into custody and served a week in a jail cell for simply defending herself. The cousin suffered a stab wound but not fatally and since then things have only gotten worse in terms of the relationship with not only him but other family members and strangers who got wind of the incident. Since then she has been effectively bouncing from pillow to post. The cops said she was wrong to have stabbed the man but instead made a report of the earlier challenges and even suggestions by one officer of her taking a reparative course from her ‘lifestyle’

Charges have not been filed by the cousin although reports suggest he is being encouraged to pursue same instead he is reported to be making threats and what he intends to do when he sees her; strong suggestion of violence presents itself here and that this is by no means over. The cops took the report and she was advised to follow it up. She also made a report to APJ from which flows this entry on the matter. This business of displacements and no real answer to same is disturbing me again as expressed in previous entries and we are told by agencies that have couch surfing avenues which actually turn out to be few and far in between and for young MSM/transgender mostly and not lesbians. Thankfully some forward thinking women have been opening up their doors as evidenced in a previous post on an arson attack earlier this year and the various assistance in sheltering at the community level. Other SGL groups seem more interested in image building on social media more than actually assisting persons in cases such as this even with clearly more resources than other outfits they instead refer to the referral route when such cases come by their radar.

The woman has tried to avoid being seen in the area although she is trying to relocate both her person and belongings and avoid taking phone calls from some family members as the tone of the conversation she is well aware of. She has also been talking to a counselor I have also learned. Hope remains while company is true and thankfully this one did not escalate into something else.

Peace & tolerance

H

Should I Tell Him About My Lesbian Affair?

Another question came in to the doctor on the Gleaner's health page and I wondered. If the answer makes sense, the question is as follows:

Question: 

Hello, Doc. I am 20 years old, and I have just got engaged to a wonderful guy, who is a newly qualified doctor. We have been having sex for around three months, and I have no problems in that area. He is good in bed.

But what is making me fret is this. Four years ago, when I was 16, I had a brief sexual relationship with another girl of the same age. I suppose you could call it an affair.

It only lasted about two weeks. It started with what is called a 'teenage crush'. Then there was a little kissing and breast-touching. Finally, we went to bed, which we did about four to five times. I did not know how to behave at all, but I do remember that she made me orgasm on three occasions. 

I did not understand what was happening to me.

Then it all stopped - mainly because my mother caught us naked in my bedroom, kissing each other. She got mad, and told the other girl's mom. Shortly afterwards, they left the island. I think they live in America now, but I have never been in contact with her and do not want to be in touch.

Don't get me wrong, Doc. I have no lesbian feelings now. I do not want to go with other women, but I want to know if I should tell my fiance about what I did with that girl?

here is the answer

A. Well, studies in the US have shown that a sizeable minority of teenage female students have brief relationships of this sort with other girls. Generally, it is quite a short-lived phase.

So you are far from unusual in having had a short spell of sexual contact with another teenage girl. You would be perfectly justified now in forgetting all about it.

First, should you tell your fiance? At the moment, I can see no good reasons for doing so.

Please understand that men can react in various ways to being told about a spot of lesbianism in the distant past. Some guys get excited about it; others are appalled.

As far as I can see, the only person in Jamaica who knows about that teenage 'crush' of four years ago is your mother, and it does not seem very likely that she is going to start telling people about it.

All in all, I guess you should 'let sleeping dogs lie'.

ENDS

If sexuality is so fluid and discussions indeed understandings of polyamory these days the answer from the goodly doctor seems a little dated to me as it is predicated on the old construct of experimentation while sticking to hetero-normative sexual relations.

What do you think about this one?

In  previous post (Am I a Lesbian?) I had suggested an online test maybe this one can work for this person as well. Or she can try a true professional on this.

Keep chatting folks, there is an online testing mechanism as captioned (I don't know if it actually works) but it seems interesting: Are you uncertain a about your sexual orientation? Than this is the quiz for you! Upon completion, you will find out weather you are straight, bi-curious, bisexual or lesbian: CLICK HERE

What if she is actually bisexual too?

also see:

Sexuality What is Yours? 2015

When Your Lesbian Partner is a Survivor of Sexual Abuse or Incest

On sexual orientation .. "homosexuality and bisexuality are natural phenomenon of the manifestation .......

When she chooses the other woman (third party in a str8 couple's bed)

Peace & tolerance

H

WPATH Results of Member Survey on Gender Incongruence of Childhood (GIC) Diagnosis

Results of Member Survey on Gender Incongruence of Childhood (GIC) Diagnosis for ICD-11

As WPATH members may recall, a survey was conducted in last December and January to tap members’ views on WHO proposals for a Gender Incongruence of Childhood diagnosis, to be employed with children below the age of puberty, and to be placed in ICD-11 (alongside a Gender Incongruence of Adolescence and Adulthood diagnosis) in a chapter called ‘Conditions Related to Sexual Health.” You may recall that much of the debate on the GIC proposal has focused on whether there should be a disease diagnosis for young children exploring their identity, and learning to become comfortable expressing it. The survey examined members’ views concerning the GIC proposal, as well as on an alternative framework employing non-pathologising Z Codes.

Two hundred and forty one members completed the survey. The survey indicated an even split among members regarding the GIC proposal (51.1% opposing and 47.7% supporting the proposal). However, non-US members were overall opposed to the proposal (63.9% opposing, 36.1% supporting). In the event of the proposed diagnosis entering ICD, members were in favor of the proposed name (51.0% versus 13.7% opposed) and the proposed location (41.1% versus 7.5% supporting the idea that it is classified as a mental disorder). Among those expressing a view about Z Codes, there was substantial overall support for their use in healthcare provision for children with gender issues (35.7% of the sample supporting, versus 8.3% rejecting). Support was evident, not only among those who oppose the WHO GIC proposal, but also among those who support it. The support was evident regardless of geographical location, time spent working in trans healthcare, or client age group. WPATH will take account of the results of the membership survey in future communications with WHO on this matter.

A paper including discussion of these results has been submitted for journal publication. If and when the full paper is published, the WPATH Office will issue an announcement to the membership with details.

WPATH Members may also be interested to know that on September 8, 2015, the European Parliament adopted a report (the Ferrara Report on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union, available athttp://www.europarl.europa.eu/plenary/en/report-details.html?reference=A8-0230-2015) which calls on the European Commission and Member States to provide better models to protect human rights, including the human rights of LGBTI people. In particular, the Commission is called to prevent gender variance in childhood from becoming a new ICD diagnosis. The report also “deplores the fact that transgender people are still considered mentally ill in the majority of Member States and calls on them to review national mental health catalogues, while ensuring that medically necessary treatment remains available for all trans people;” (89), among other provisions that protect the rights and dignity of transgender people.

The press release PDF from Transgender Europe (TGEU) concerning this report and the European Parliament’s position will be posted on the WPATH web site for download, and is available through the link below.

HERE

WPATH Symposium 

June 17-21, 2016

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abstracts and Mini-Symposia Announcement

SUBMISSIONS FOR PROPOSALS ARE NOW OPEN!!

Please click here to book your hotel at the Double Tree

Complete program and online registration will be available soon

WPATH
2575 Northwest Parkway
Elgin, IL 60124

Human Rights Day ..........

Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1950, the Assembly passed resolution 423 (V), inviting all States and interested organizations to observe 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day.

This year's Human Rights Day is devoted to the launch of a year-long campaign for the 50th

more HERE

anniversary of the two International Covenants on Human Rights: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 16 December 1966.

The two Covenants, together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, form the International Bill of Human Rights, setting out the civil, political, cultural, economic, and social rights that are the birth right of all human beings.

"Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always." aims to promote and raise awareness of the two Covenants on their 50th anniversary. The year-long campaign revolves around the theme of rights and freedoms -- freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear -- which underpin the International Bill of Human Rights are as relevant today as they were when the Covenants were adopted 50 years ago. For more this year's theme and the year-long campaign, see the website of the UN Human Rights office.

Peace & tolerance

H

Woman beats female lover at court

Oh boi there is never a dull day in Jamaica with drama and intimate partner issues spilling over into the public domain in real time of via twitter-verse. I had heard about this one a day after it occurred via a neighbour who had gone to conduct business at the adjacent parish council office when daily operations were interrupted by the fracas. Now it has also made its way to the Star News since. 

Sadly it's cases such as this that help to define for some the notion that homophobic violence is actually intimate partner violence and so true homophobia does not exist; that belief could not be further from the truth.

Remember this?:

Anyway:

It was high drama just outside the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's Court last Friday after a woman attacked and threw several blows on her female lover who reportedly works at the courthouse.

The incident, which occurred about 11:30 a.m. and in full view of several people, left many in shock as they witnessed the court employee being assaulted by the woman, who accused her of being unfaithful.

"Yuh go gi wey mi sinting last night," the woman said in between a series of punches, as some people called out to her to desist.

concerned

But what happened next caused many of the curious onlookers to drop their jaws in disbelief. A concerned passer-by, in an effort to help the court worker, approached the attacker and asked her to stop, but was shockingly chased away by the employee.

"Yu can't come a di woman workplace and assault har like dat," the man told the attacker as he attempted to intervene. But, before he could go any further, the employee quickly butted in: "Leave her alone, how yu get involved?"

The man simply walked away as the assault continued. Other individuals eventually stepped in and rescued the woman and chased away the attacker. Police eventually arrived on the scene, and counselled the court worker. Up to late yesterday, the assaulted woman had made no report of the incident.

Visitors to the court told The Star that it was not the first incident of its kind to happen in the precinct of the courthouse. Others opined that the women needed to deal with their matter privately instead of out in the open as it was very disgraceful.

In the meantime, The Star has learnt that an investigation has been launched by the assaulted woman's employers to look into the incident and to discuss the way forward.

Pity this had to play out at a court house of all places.

Also check out this related podcast:

World Medical Association Guidelines for Physicians on Transgender Healthcare

here is a reminder from October 2015

New guidelines for physicians to enable them to increase their knowledge and sensitivity towards transgender people and the unique health issues they face have been approved by the World Medical Association.

At its annual General Assembly in Moscow, the WMA emphasised that everyone has the right to determine their own gender and that gender incongruence is not in itself a mental disorder. Delegates from almost 60 national medical associations agreed that every effort should be made to make individualised, multi-professional, interdisciplinary and affordable transgender healthcare available to all people who experience gender incongruence. They approved guidelines explicitly rejecting any form of coercive treatment or forced behaviour modification and said that transgender healthcare aims to enable transgender people to have the best possible quality of life.

The guidelines were proposed by the German Medical Association, which said they acknowledged the inequities faced by the transgender community and the crucial role played by physicians in advising transgender people and their families about treatment.

Delegates said they were aware of the cultural sensitivities in some parts of the world about this issue, but also said it was important for the WMA to stress that cultural, political or religious considerations must not take precedence over the rights, health and well-being of transgender people.

WMA President, Sir Michael Marmot, said: ‘We condemn all forms of discrimination, stigmatisation and violence against transgender people and want to see appropriate legal measures to protect their equal civil rights. And as role models, physicians should use their medical knowledge to combat prejudice in this respect. We would like national medical associations to take action to identify and combat barriers to care.

‘It is important that there is appropriate expert training for physicians at all stages of their career to enable them to recognise and avoid discriminatory practices, and to provide appropriate and sensitive transgender healthcare.'

The guidelines are available to read and download from the WMA below:

WMA Statement on Transgender People Adopted by the 66th WMA General Assembly, Moscow, Russia, October 2015

PREAMBLE

In most cultures, an individual’s sex is assigned at birth according to primary physical sex characteristics. Individuals are expected to identify with their assigned sex (gender identity) and behave according to specific cultural norms strongly associated with this (gender expression). Gender identity and gender expression make up the concept of “gender” itself.

There are individuals who experience different manifestations of gender that do not conform to those typically associated with their sex assigned at birth. The term “transgender” refers to people who experience gender incongruence, which is defined as a marked mismatch between one’s gender and the sex assigned at birth.

While conceding that this is a complex ethical issue, the WMA would like to acknowledge the crucial role played by physicians in advising and consulting with transgender people and their families about desired treatments. The WMA intends this statement to serve as a guideline for patient-physician relations and to foster better training to enable physicians to increase their knowledge and sensitivity toward transgender people and the unique health issues they face.

Along the transgender spectrum, there are people who, despite having a distinct anatomically identifiable sex, seek to change their primary and secondary sex characteristics and gender role completely in order to live as a member of the opposite sex (transsexual). Others choose to identify their gender as falling outside the sex/gender binary of either male or female (genderqueer). The generic term “transgender” represents an attempt to describe these groups without stigmatisation or pathological characterisation. It is also used as a term of positive self-identification. This statement does not explicitly address individuals who solely dress in a style or manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex (e.g. transvestites) or individuals who are born with physical aspects of both sexes, with many variations (intersex). However, there are transvestites and intersex individuals who identify as transgender. Being transvestite or intersex does not exclude an individual from being transgender. Finally, it is important to point out that transgender relates to gender identity, and must be considered independently from an individual’s sexual orientation.

Although being transgender does not in itself imply any mental impairment, transgender people may require counseling to help them understand their gender and to address the complex social and relational issues that are affected by it. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5) uses the term “gender dysphoria” to classify people who experience clinically significant distress resulting from gender incongruence.

Evidence suggests that treatment with sex hormones or surgical interventions can be beneficial to people with pronounced and long-lasting gender dysphoria who seek gender transition. However, transgender people are often denied access to appropriate and affordable transgender healthcare (e.g. sex hormones, surgeries, mental healthcare) due to, among other things, the policies of health insurers and national social security benefit schemes, or to a lack of relevant clinical and cultural competence among healthcare providers. Transgender persons may be more likely to forego healthcare due to fear of discrimination.

Transgender people are often professionally and socially disadvantaged, and experience direct and indirect discrimination, as well as physical violence. In addition to being denied equal civil rights, anti-discrimination legislation, which protects other minority groups, may not extend to transgender people. Experiencing disadvantage and discrimination may have a negative impact upon physical and mental health.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The WMA emphasises that everyone has the right to determine one’s own gender and recognises the diversity of possibilities in this respect. The WMA calls for physicians to uphold each individual’s right to self-identification with regards to gender.

The WMA asserts that gender incongruence is not in itself a mental disorder; however it can lead to discomfort or distress, which is referred to as gender dysphoria (DSM-5).
The WMA affirms that, in general, any health-related procedure or treatment related to an individual’s transgender status, e.g. surgical interventions, hormone therapy or psychotherapy, requires the freely given informed and explicit consent of the patient.
The WMA urges that every effort be made to make individualised, multi-professional, interdisciplinary and affordable transgender healthcare (including speech therapy, hormonal treatment, surgical interventions and mental healthcare) available to all people who experience gender incongruence in order to reduce or to prevent pronounced gender dysphoria.

The WMA explicitly rejects any form of coercive treatment or forced behaviour modification. Transgender healthcare aims to enable transgender people to have the best possible quality of life. National Medical Associations should take action to identify and combat barriers to care.
The WMA calls for the provision of appropriate expert training for physicians at all stages of their career to enable them to recognise and avoid discriminatory practises, and to provide appropriate and sensitive transgender healthcare.

The WMA condemns all forms of discrimination, stigmatisation and violence against transgender people and calls for appropriate legal measures to protect their equal civil rights. As role models, individual physicians should use their medical knowledge to combat prejudice in this respect.

The WMA reaffirms its position that no person, regardless of gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, medical condition or disability, should be subjected to forced or coerced permanent sterilisation (WMA Statement on Forced and Coerced Sterilisation). This also includes sterilisation as a condition for rectifying the recorded sex on official documents following gender reassignment.
The WMA recommends that national governments maintain continued interest in the healthcare rights of transgender people by conducting health services research at the national level and using these results in the development of health and medical policies. The objective should be a responsive healthcare system that works with each transgender person to identify the best treatment options for that individual.

The hunt for the perfect condom continues

Condoms prevent the spread of disease and, of course, unwanted pregnancy. Globally, more than 5 billion are sold each year, but is there still room for improvement?

Since 1988, the 1st of December has been dedicated to raising awareness, fighting stigma and commemorating those lost to the disease.

World AIDS Day was the first global health day, and each year since 1995, the president of the United States has made an official proclamation.

By the end of 2012, there were 3.5 million people living with HIVglobally and an estimated 2.3 million new HIV infections.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the worst hit by the epidemic. In some countries, 20% of the population are infected. However, nowadays, Central Asia and Eastern Europe are experiencing the fastest spread of the disease.

On a positive note, since 2001, new infections have fallen by 33% and the number of children newly infected by HIV has dropped by 52%.

The battle is clearly not over. Science is dedicated to discovering better treatment, more effective prevention and, eventually, the cure for this most pervasive and destructive disease.

Mahua Choudhury, PhD, assistant professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, is part of this push.
The future of condoms

Chowdhury has come up with an ingenious and revolutionary design for a new condom. Rather than latex, which many people are either allergic to or simply dislike, she plans to use a hydrogel infused with plant-based antioxidants.

The hydrogel in question is a strong, elastic polymer that consists predominantly of water. It is already used in contact lenses, so the challenge of safety testing is at least partially removed.

What makes this condom particularly special is the addition of a plant-based antioxidant. This compound has been found to have anti-AIDS properties. If this innovative condom breaks, the antioxidant is released and prevents the virus from replicating.

But the innovation does not end there. These particular antioxidants - flavonoids - are also predicted to heighten sexual enjoyment.
What is a flavonoid antioxidant?

Flavonoid antioxidants are found in many fruits, vegetables, leaves and grains. Some types of flavonoids, like quercetin, are already available in supplement form.

These flavonoid antioxidants can enhance feelings of pleasure by promoting the relaxation of smooth muscle and raising arterial blood flow. Thirdly, flavonoids help keep nitric oxide levels elevated, which work to stimulate and maintain erection.

Chowdhury's mission was to create a condom that would not only be an effective AIDS barrier, but also something that people would actually want to use. She says:

"If you can make it really affordable, and really appealing, it could be a life-saving thing."

Funding will come from the Grand Challenge in Global Health award courtesy of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The award was set up to fund individuals working to solve pressing global health challenges.

The competition this year was focused on finding an extremely low-cost, latex-free condom. Choudhury was one of 54 applicants selected out of 1,700 to receive the funding.

The condom is not yet ready for market - extra testing is needed - but the product is well underway. "We are trying to find how fast the enmeshed antioxidant can release, and we don't know if it will automatically release, or if you have to apply pressure," Chowdhury says.

Over the next 6 months or so, the final testing will have been completed. The potential benefits of a condom that people actively want to wear and that protects against AIDS with a double-edged attack are obvious.

also see:

World’s first condom specifically designed for anal sex 2013

Non-Daily PrEP Study Raises Doubts of Its Real-World Applicability

Researchers have published in the New England Journal of Medicine their findings from the IPERGAY trial of an intermittent dosing schedule of Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among men who have sex with men (MSM). Preliminary results from the study, which found that the non-daily dosing protocol reduced the risk of HIV infection by 86 percent in the double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, were presented at the February 2015 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle and the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia, in July 2014.

In the published study, the study investigators cautioned that PrEP’s effectiveness in this trial may have been exaggerated by the fact that the placebo arm was discontinued early. The relative brevity of the time participants spent in the placebo phase—a median nine months, compared, for example, with 1.2 years in the global iPrEx study of daily PrEP—may have inflated the results, as the participants may have become less adherent if more time had passed.

The researchers also cautioned that the IPERGAY findings may not apply to individuals who follow the study’s PrEP dosing protocol and take fewer than 15 pills per month, which was the median number of pills the men in the study took. Previous research has estimated that taking four daily doses of Truvada per week confers maximum protection against HIV. The protection the men in IPERGAY’s Truvada arm experienced may be more related to their taking the drug at about that frequency, rather than the particulars of the actual dosing schedule.

Participants were recruited at six sites in France and one in Canada between February 2012 and October 2014. Four hundred MSM were randomized into two groups; 201 received a placebo and 199 received Truvada. At enrollment, the participants all reported condomless anal intercourse with at least two partners during the previous six months.

The participants were instructed to take two doses between two and 24 hours before intercourse, or one pill if the most recent dose was taken between one and six days before. If intercourse did occur, they were to take one dose every 24 hours after that first dose, until they had taken two pills since the last time they had anal sex. The participants all received enough tablets to take one per day throughout the study.

Participants made clinic visits four and eight weeks after they were enrolled in the trial and then every eight weeks after that. At each visit they received a comprehensive package of HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention services, including counseling, free condoms and lubricant, STI and HIV testing, and any necessary STI treatment.

The researchers measured use of Truvada or the placebo by having participants bring their pill bottles to each study visit so that unused tablets could be counted. The first 113 people to be enrolled also had their blood tested for levels of the two components of Truvada. The test could detect if at least one pill had been taken within nine days. Adherence was also measured through computerized interviews.

On October 23, 2014, the trial’s independent data safety monitoring board, after determining that those in the Truvada arm were experiencing a considerable reduction in HIV risk, recommended the discontinuation of the placebo arm. The current analysis reflects data collected during the double-blind phase of the trial, through January 2015. The study has since continued under an open-label protocol in which all participants know they are receiving Truvada.

Forty-nine participants (12 percent) dropped out of the study. All told, participants contributed 431 person-years of follow-up (person-years reflect the cumulative years participants spend in a study), with a median of 9.3 months per person. (The 25th percentile was 4.9 months and the 75th percentile 20.6 months.)

The participants in both arms of the study took a median 15 tablets per month, with a 25th to 75th percentile range of 11 to 21 tablets in the Truvada group and 9 to 21 tablets in the placebo group. There was considerable variability in the individual and overall patterns of pill taking during the study.

Eighty-six percent of the participants in the Truvada arm had detectable tenofovir at the study visits, and 82 percent had detectable emtricitabine at the visits. Eight people in the placebo group (4 percent) had detectable Truvada, including three that were receiving post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

According to the computer interviews, 28 percent of the participants did not take Truvada or the placebo at all, 29 percent took the assigned drug at a suboptimal level, and 43 percent took it correctly.

The computerized interview findings contrast the drug-testing figures, for one, because only the first 113 of the 400 participants who enrolled had their drug levels tested. According to the study’s lead author, Jean-Michel Molina, MD, chief of the department of infectious diseases at Paris’s Hôpital Saint-Louis, these particular participants may have been more likely to adhere because they enrolled earlier. Also, since the drug tests only indicate that someone took at least one pill during the previous nine days, a test showing detectable drug may be indicative of an individual who fell into the suboptimal category or the ideal adherence category.

The participants did not report changing their sexual practices during the study.

Forty-one percent of those in the Truvada group and 33 percent of the placebo group were diagnosed with an STI during the study. Thirty-nine percent of the STIs were rectal infections. Eighty-one participants (20 percent) were diagnosed with chlamydia, 88 (22 percent) with gonorrhea, 39 (10 percent) with syphilis, and 5 (1 percent) with hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Research suggests Hep C can transmit sexually among MSM, and there isconsiderable evidence of an emerging epidemic of sexually transmitted HCV among HIV-positive MSM. HIV-negative MSM appear to be at lower risk, for reasons that are poorly understood. Two people out of more than 600 MSM receiving PrEP through a San Francisco clinic have contracted hep C, apparently sexually, leading to a call from physicians for regular screening of the virus among PrEP users.

Sixteen participants contracted HIV during the IPERGAY study, two in the Truvada group (for an incidence of 0.91 per 100 person-years) and 14 in the placebo group (for an incidence of 6.6 per 100 person years). This meant the Truvada group had an 86 percent lower risk of HIV. The estimate range for this risk reduction was wide, 40 to 98 percent, which means that the true risk reduction may lie anywhere in between those figures.

The two members of the Truvada arm who did contract HIV were not taking the drug at the time: At the visits when they tested positive for the virus, they returned a respective 60 and 58 of the 60 pills they were given at the study visit eight weeks prior, and neither had detectable Truvada in their blood.

No one in the study experienced grade 3 or 4 adverse health events. Gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and other GI disorders, occurred among 14 percent of the participants in the Truvada group, compared with 5 percent in the placebo group.

Thirty-five members (18 percent) of the Truvada group and 20 members (10 percent) of the placebo group experienced elevations in serum creatinine levels, an indication of potential problems with kidney function. All but one of these elevations were grade 1 and none led the participants to discontinue participation in the study. Two participants (1 percent) in the Truvada group had a transient decrease in creatinine clearance to below 60 milliliters per minute.

To read the study, click here.

Aphrodite's P.R.I.D.E Jamaica, APJ Launches website

visit the site HERE 

the website was made possible by donations from individual supporters in 2015 via fundraising activities

 

closing ceremony of Seizmic Project training, also see: Aphrodite's P.R.I.D.E Jamaica's 'Seismic' Project wraps .

audience members at website launch chat a bit before the screening and after discussions

Founded February 14th 2010 by a group of lesbian and transgender individuals and straight allies with some thirty years experience combined to address the then invisibility of said groups in the general sphere of representation on community issues and TBL advocacy.

the aims included in its original outlook:

About Us

We are Aphrodite’s PRIDE. We operate as a Non-Profit Organization in Jamaica focusing on issues as they relate to the Jamaican Lesbian, Transgender (M→F & F→M) and Female Bisexual (LTB) Communities. 

Our Mission 

Our Mission is to create an environment conducive to positive intra and inter-community relations, encourage personal development (AGENCY) and improve self-esteem and create behavior change. We hope to achieve this by utilizing various methods of engagement and interventions. 

Our Core Values 

We are guided by our core values of Ethics & Integrity, Accountability, Mutual Respect, Compassion, Social Responsibility, Empowerment, Team Work and Balance

Our Priorities 

Our priorities include but are not limited to issues as they relate to Outreach, Personal Development, Enterprise Training, limited Crisis Intervention & limited Healthcare within the Lesbian, Transgender & Female Bisexual Communities. 

Our Core Competencies 

We seek to address intra and inter-community relationship issues by trying to find creative realistic solutions while promoting the celebration of our diversities. 

Our Impact 

We acknowledge the importance of thinking ‘Outside the Box’ in terms of achieving our goals; so through programs and community education we hope to set important precedents which will help our efforts in creating an environment conducive to such. Also, by encouraging involvement in sporting & cultural activities we hope to promote healthier lifestyles and encourage more social responsibility. In creating a Safe Zone it is our hope that we will positively influence the lives of all in our community; particularly survivors of isolation, marginalization, discrimination, victimization or silenced by society’s restrictive gender norms and socialization. 

visit their website HERE 

Peace & tolerance

H

Sex reassignment surgery may protect metabolic health of transgender women

Transgender women who undergo sex reassignment surgery and hormone therapy may be less likely to develop metabolic disease than those who receive hormone therapy alone. This is according to new research recently presented at Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases: Physiology and Gender - a conference of the American Physiological Society, held in Annapolis, MD.

Sex reassignment surgery combined with female hormone therapy may protect the metabolic health of transgender women, researchers suggest.

Previous research has suggested that transgender women are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, compared with men and women among the general population.

Some studies have put this increased risk down to female hormone therapy; therapy with the female hormoneestrogen, for example, has been linked to high blood pressure and increased risk of stroke and heart attack.

For this latest study, lead author Michael Nelson, PhD, of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, and colleagues set out to determine whether this metabolic risk varied depending on the type of therapy used make the male-to-female transition.

The team enrolled 12 transgender women to their study, four of whom were receiving female hormone therapy and eight of whom received a combination of female hormone therapy and bilateral orchiectomy - in which both testicles are surgically removed.

The researchers measured the insulin resistance and the accumulation of fat in the liver of each participant. They explain that insulin resistance is a key sign of poor metabolic health, and build-up of fat in the liver can cause nonalcoholic fatty liver disease - which studies have suggested can increase heart disease risk.

Bilateral orchiectomy may benefit metabolic health

Compared with transgender women who received female hormone therapy alone, those who received both female hormone therapy and bilateral orchiectomy were found to have better metabolic health.

Specifically, the team found that transgender women only receiving hormone therapy had greater insulin resistance and greater accumulation of fat in the liver than those who received both surgery and female hormone therapy.

Transgender women who had the highest levels of testosterone were found to have the poorest metabolic health, according to the researchers.

In addition, the team found that the amount of fat build-up in the liver was linked to the level of insulin resistance; whether the two are associated is an ongoing subject of debate in the medical world.

Overall, the researchers say their findings indicate transgender women who undergo bilateral orchiectomy may be protected against insulin resistance and fat build-up in the liver, while the two conditions are more likely to develop among those who receive hormone therapy alone.

Earlier this year, Medical News Today reported on a study that found transgender children do not have a hormone imbalance. - udy published in the Journal of Adolescent Health has revealed that the hormone levels of transgender youth are consistent with the gender they were assigned at birth.


A transgender symbol.

The term transgender is typically used to describe individuals whose gender self-identification does not match their birth-assigned gender.

"We've now put to rest the residual belief that transgender experience is a result of a hormone imbalance," says study author Dr. Johanna Olson of Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). "It's not."

The study conducted by Dr. Olson and colleagues is concerned with assessing the safety and effectiveness of treatments to help transgender patients bring their bodies closer in alignment to their gender identity.

Children who have reached puberty can be treated with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs - synthetic hormones that suppress those produced by the body during puberty in order to delay physical changes to the body.

Such treatment is sought following the development of gender dysphoria - a sense of distress and anxiety that can occur when an individual feels dissonance between their gender identity and the sex they were assigned at birth. More and more young people are seeking treatment for this condition every year.

"Although transgender youth are known to be at high risk for depression, anxiety, and suicidality, there are no data available describing the physical and psychosocial characteristics of transgender adolescents seeking sex reassignment in the United States," the authors of the study write.

To amend this, the researchers have enrolled 101 transgender participants aged 12-24 years old for their prospective study. Of these, 51.5% were assigned "male" at birth and identify as transfeminine and 48.5% were assigned "female" at birth and identify as transmasculine.

After measuring a number of physiological parameters, the researchers discovered that the participants' hormone levels were in line with the normal ranges of the same assigned sex nontransgender youth population. Transmasculine participants had the same average hormone ranges as cisgender females and transfeminine participants had the same as cisgender males.

The researchers noted that many of the participants were overweight or obese, leading them to hypothesize that transgender individuals might use increased body fat to hide undesirable physical features.

Transgender youth aware of gender identity at early age

On average, the participants identified a discrepancy with their assigned gender at the age of 8. They did not tell their families until reaching, on average, the age of 17 years.

Alongside this, the researchers found that 35% of the participants reported symptoms of depression and that more than half had thoughts about suicide - significantly higher than the prevalence among general youth.

"Considering that transgender youth in this sample did not disclose their authentic gender to their families until 10 years after discovery on average, it might not be surprising that many are using maladaptive coping mechanisms to manage such a profound undisclosed element of their core selves," the authors write.

The prevalence of these mental health problems among transgender youth indicates that timely and appropriate intervention could be hugely beneficial to this group.

Having now established the baseline characteristics of the transgender participants, the researchers will continue to assess them over time, tracking the safety and efficacy of any medical interventions they receive as well as their impact on quality of life.

"My goal is to move kids who are having a gender-atypical experience from survive to thrive," Dr. Olson states. "With this study we hope to identify the best way to accomplish that."

The researchers will continue to publish follow-up data as they collect it, and they recommend that other medical centers providing care to transgender should consider collecting information and publishing their experiences as well.

A study published earlier this year demonstrated that the gender identity of transgender children is deeply held and consistent rather than the result of confusion as many people have previously maintained.

Finally Published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, the study of more than 100 transgender youths found that their hormone levels between the ages of 12-24 were consistent with the gender they were assigned at birth.