Hello everyone it’s great to be back, things have changed for us over the last few weeks a small minority of people have come onto our estate and in recent weeks things have deteriorated a lot I’ve had the car vandalised twice and shouts of paedo from youths who are fully aware that I’m not a paedo but being a member of the trans community is not always acceptable to some people and labels and stigmas are attached to my lifestyle by un educated people ,thankfully this has been a blessing in disguise as we are moving into a city centre location soon and hopefully this will mean a much more easier lifestyle for us as I will be able to walk out of the front door in whichever mode I wish without any hassle.

All of this has given me an insight as to how difficult life can be for members of the L.G.B.T. community who may be subject to similar prejudices because they are different.

Examples appear weekly in the worlds press

A transvestite from Denmark with Bosnian roots has been attacked in the Croatian town of Koprivnica after attending a handball game.

Adnan Buljubasic – who goes by Sandra and whose shocking story of childhood abuse has been featured in Croatian media – was walking back to his hotel after a game when a group of young men attacked him. They first insulted him verbally and then started to beat him.

A driver passing by saw what was happening and came to Buljubasic’s aid.

„Who knows what would have happened had he not seen what was happening and stopped, helped me and defended me," Buljubasic said.  He added that he was disappointed as he thought Koprivnica was a more tolerant town.

The police are investigating the incident, the daily Jutarnji List writes.

Then we have an update there’s been an arrest

Croatian police have arrested a man responsible for beating the 34-year-old transvestite Adnan Buljubasic in Koprivnica.

The 25-year-old from Stalingrad identified only by his initials T.G. is said to have first verbally insulted and then attacked Buljubasic, a transvestite from Denmark with roots in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Buljubasic – who goes by Sandra and whose shocking story of childhood abuse has been featured in the Croatian media – was walking back to his hotel when he was attacked.

A driver passing by saw what was happening and came to his aid.

Misdemeanour charges against the alleged attacker have been filed, but the police say they cannot charge him for a criminal offence as Buljubasic’s injuries were not severe and have not been medically documented.

So it seems he will get away lightly grrrrrrr

Then in the UNITED STATES

A 20-year-old transgendered woman who says she came to San Francisco hoping "there would be more safety than [she] found," fell victim to a publicly witnessed hate crime that occurred on a busy Friday night near the 16th and Mission BART Plaza. According to KTVU the woman, who asked to be identified as Mia, says she was attacked by two men who verbally harassed her, grabbed her smartphone and then brutally beat her. One witness says she heard the two men saying things like "Oh, I hate men dressed up as women" before the violent attack that sent Mia to the hospital to be treated for cuts and bruises. At least one other witness trailed the two suspects, helping SFPD make a swift arrest.

The public beating was also captured by security cameras in the area and the two suspects have been charged with robbery, conspiracy and aggravated assault along with an additional hate crime allegation. They are scheduled to appear in court next Tuesday.

Mia told KTVU2 she doesn't want sympathy, only respect for transgender people

Being gay is an illness it seems? Especially in Malaya

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian authorities have sent 66 Muslim schoolboys identified by teachers as effeminate to a four-day camp where they will receive counselling on masculine behaviour to discourage them from being gay, an official said Tuesday.

Gay rights advocates decried the measure as a symptom of widespread homophobia in this Muslim-majority country where gay sex is illegal.

The boys between 13 and 17 years old reported Monday for what is officially being called a "self-development course" after their schoolteachers in Terengganu state identified them as students who displayed effeminate mannerisms, said Razali Daud, the state's education director.

They will undergo religious and motivational classes and physical guidance, Razali said. He declined to give further details.

The camp is meant "to guide them back to the right path in life before they reach a point of no return," Razali told The Associated Press. "Such effeminate behaviour is unnatural and will affect their studies and their future."

It is the first such program in Terengganu, a conservative state. Over the years, Terengganu's officials have held programs aimed at promoting Muslim morality, such as offering free honeymoons to save the marriages of couples considering divorce.

Razali denied the boys were compelled to attend the camp, saying they were simply "invited" to do so. After it ends, their teachers and parents will monitor and continue advising them.

"It is not an overnight cure," he said. "We can't force the boys to change, but we want them to know what their choices are in life. Some effeminate boys end up as a transvestite or a homosexual, but we want to do our best to limit this."

Pang Khee Teik, the co-founder of a Malaysian sexual rights awareness group, called the camp "outrageous."

"If we don't do anything to stop the rot of homophobia ... I worry it may get worse," he said.

Gay Malaysians say they face discrimination from government policies such as a law that makes sodomy punishable by 20 years in prison. The law is seldom and selectively enforced, but some states also impose jail terms for public cross-dressing.

Last year, a young gay Malaysian who posted a YouTube clip defending his sexuality received online death threats. Government authorities accused him of insulting Islam, though no official action was taken.

Malaysia's most high-profile use of the anti-sodomy law involves opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is on trial on charges of having sex with a male former aide. Anwar, who is married with six children, insists the charge was fabricated to smear his reputation. The government denies plotting against him.

Sentenced to jail for two months, she endured the most appalling abuses a person could undergo. She was treated as subhuman, a zombie and experienced torment, both emotional and physical.

“I was told to walk through the cells topless,” she relates. “Every day, vulgarities were thrown at me – the words they use are unimaginable.”

She was forced to take a “boyfriend” to protect her so she would not have to “serve” the other inmates.

When asked why the wardens didn’t help, she gives a wry grin.

“My ‘boyfriend’ was a warden.”

Her name is Nisha Ayub, a programme coordinator with Pink Triangle Foundation (PT), an NGO which works with communities affected with HIV. PT caters to sex workers, drug users and transgenders.

Nisha is tall and very attractive – dark hair with gold highlights, high cheekbones and a ready smile.

Biologically, she was born male, but her gender identity is that of a woman: she is a Mak Nyah.

The Mak Nyah community in Malaysia is, as minorities go, not small. Estimates say there are between 10,000 and 20,000 transsexual people in the nation.

Studies also show that about half of them have been caught by the police and religious authorities for “indecent behaviour and cross-dressing”.

Nisha finds this ridiculous. And why shouldn’t she? As far as she’s concerned, she is a woman.

In fact, the Mak Nyah community does not appreciate terms such as “drag queen”, “transvestite” or “cross-dresser”, because that is not what they are. Transsexualism is an individual’s identification with a gender that is not their biological sex.

I spent an afternoon with four PT employees to hear their stories: Brenda Sulastri, manager of PT’s transgender programme; Rina, manager of the female sex workers programme; Manis, who works in PT’s outreach programme; and Nisha.

The women were friendly, charming and personable. We joked about boys, talked about their work. It was a humbling experience, and I am immeasurably privileged to be one acquainted with such empowered and resilient women.

A lack of tolerance

The Mak Nyah community is often disregarded, ignored, or met with a range of emotions from disgust to shock.

“Society doesn’t consider us human,” says Manis. “We’re here to be bullied, laughed at. They think we don’t know our rights. It’s due to their ignorance, which is instilled by society, media, religion, parents, peers…”

She refers to the various indignities that the community endures, such as harassment from the police or religious authorities and, indeed, the common man on the street.

Adding to this, Nisha relates how the police tend to misuse their powers.

“If we’re caught in club, we’ll be the victims of extortion. We’re asked for money. If arrested, there have been instances of women being molested in cars, asked for sexual favours – it’s like they think we don’t have rights because the law is against us.”

She tells the story of a friend of hers, nicknamed “Amoi”, who was found lying dead in a storm drain in Setapak. She had been robbed, beaten and stabbed to death by a group of young men. The case is still pending, but no real action has been taken.

Brenda cuts in, saying that “because she was a Mak Nyah, no action was taken. It was swept under the carpet”.

The religious authorities, too, seem intent on stamping out what they see as deviant behaviour.

“We have a very unhealthy relationship with the religious authorities because they refuse to accept us,” Manis explains. “They still consider us men. I’m a ‘bad Muslim’ because of my actions – but this is under syariah law which is man-made. The holy book has no specific rule about this. I perform my prayers. I recite my Quran. So what’s the problem?”

The religious authorities have even suggested a sort of rehabilitation programme for the Mak Nyah, in order to “fix” them.

A better future

They are truly wonder women, fighting for basic rights in a nation where the majority of folk choose to not understand or respect them.

“Five years ago,” Manis says, “there was a suggestion in parliament that the Mak Nyah be rounded up and given testosterone. They think this will make us ‘male’.”

What many do not understand is that transsexualism is not a disorder or an illness.

“We can’t be changed like we’re from a factory,” says Manis.

“We’re okay with who we are,” Brenda explains. “This is who I am. We’ve accepted ourselves, but society refuses to. We’re born this way.”

Rina tells me about the stereotypes which plague the community: that they are all sex workers, cross-dressers, deviants.

Her tale is a heart-breaking one – disowned by her family at 13, she was homeless and was forced to turn to prostitution and fell into drug use to dull the pain.

“What did I do wrong? I didn’t follow some sort of trend. I didn’t ask God to make me this way. It’s who I am.”

Rina took her destiny in both hands and turned her life around, eventually going on to earn her Diploma in Architecture. A few days before she would earn her diploma, her mother called with news that her father was dying.

Rina wanted nothing more than to return with her paper qualification in hand and show the man whose acceptance she had craved her whole life what she had made of herself. However, in a heart-breaking twist of events, he passed just three days before she received her diploma.

She worked as a draughtsperson for a brief period before turning to social work in order to help others who were going through what she had suffered.

“I don’t want anyone going through what I did. We’re here to fight for the new generation. Of course, I could leave the country and go somewhere more accepting, but what I want is in Malaysia.”

PT, which is funded by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, has a variety of measures by which to do this. It has a drop-in centre which operates during the day, giving the Mak Nyah a place to rest. Classes on HIV prevention, sex education, and religion are held regularly – and of course, a large helping of care and support from the organisation.

The social workers strongly advocate more comprehensive sex education in schools and the decriminalisation of gender fluidity.

“We’re not asking for special rights. We want equal rights,” Rina tells me. Her greatest dream is that one day a Mak Nyah will stand in parliament and speak for the community’s rights.

It is a fervent hope – not just among the Mak Nyah, but the Malaysian LGBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) community in general – that one day, things in Malaysia will change.

That their voices will be heard. Hear hear!!!

Miss Carla Jackson, Raven Mandela, Anja, Cheryl Hole, Miss Orry and others beware before setting off on your world tours here’s one place to avoid! 

CAUGHT for impersonating a woman, a popular singer in Kelantan said he would rather die than assume the role of a man, Harian Metro reported.

Kajol, a transvestite celebrity who claimed to have recorded at least 25 albums in his 11-year singing career, was nabbed by anti-vice officers from the Kelantan Islamic Affairs Department while performing at an expo site in Tanah Merah on April 15.

He was charged with impersonating a woman and dressing in an indecent manner at a public place.

Following his arrest, which was reported by the tabloid on Monday, Kajol confessed to the paper on Tuesday that he had lived as the opposite sex since childhood.

“I have felt like this since I was young and there is no way I'm going to change just because I was detained,” said Kajol, who is reputedly famous for his dikir barat and Bollywood-style songs.

He said he had initially rejected the invitation to perform at the expo because he was just recovering from a road accident.

Kajol said he has now become the “joke of the town” and vowed not to perform in Kelantan again, claiming he has a tight schedule to meet

Found some fashion tips for hairstyles

TIPS FOR YOUR HAIRSTYLE PART 1:

1. Get a cute haircut

The first thing you need is a great haircut that can be styled in different ways. Choppy layered styles are very “in” right now and look great in both male and female mode.

Ask your hairstylist to show you different options for styling your hair. Layers that are swept towards the face are very feminine and flattering. Curls are another great, girly option.

2. Try hair accessories

TG women with short hair look fantastic with barrettes and headbands, so this is an easy way to feminize a short haircut.

You can wear hair accessories at any age, but choose something appropriate. Stay away from girly bows or headbands after age 30. Instead, go for something sophisticated like a beautiful barrette or a pretty flower for your hair.

3. Wear a hat

Hats aren’t very popular with women these days, but thanks to Kate Middleton they’re on their way back. The soon-to-be Princess has been photographed in some incredible hats and is sparking a hat trend around the world.

Hats are the easiest way to feminize your hairstyle. In fact, you don’t even have to do your hair! Just throw on a pretty hat and you’re good to go.

Be sure to consider the season when selecting a hat. I know this sounds obvious, but I’ve seen girls wear knit hats in the summer and straw hats in the winter and it just looks ridiculous. Felt hats can be worn year round except for the hottest months.

PART 2

Want to look younger, prettier, and more feminine? Try changing your HAIRSTYLE! I can’t think of a faster way to improve your appearance.

The trick is to choose a hairstyle that not only looks great, but flatters your facial features and overall body shape.

Classically beautiful female faces tend to have small features, large eyes, and full lips. That means you need a hairstyle that plays down your nose, brow bone, chin, and jawline – while playing up your eyes and lips. Your hair should also be in proportion with your body.

Here are my top 6 hairstyles for transgender women: (Note: these rules apply whether you wear a wig or style your own natural hair.)

1. Side swept bangs

Bangs are a great option for transgender women since they draw attention to your eyes while hiding a prominent brow ridge. Bangs also have an anti-aging effect. Straight bangs highlight a large nose and strong facial features, so go for soft, side swept bangs instead.

2. Layers

Layered hairstyles are much more flattering than hair that is all one length. Face framing layers soften your features and add texture and volume to your hair.

3. Soft waves

Soft waves are super sexy and feminine. Waves also add volume to your hair, making thin hair appear fuller. Most transgender women look great with full, wavy hair that balances out strong facial features and a larger body frame.

4. Shoulder length hair

Shoulder length hair is the best option for most women, including transgender women. Hair that’s too long drags down your face and looks “old Barbie” after a certain age, while hair that’s too short can look masculine. Shoulder length hair is very feminine and conceals a strong jaw and thick neck.

P.S.: I realize that you may need to keep your hair short. A lot of girls have asked me to recommend short feminine hairstyles, so I promise to talk about this in next week’s blog post!

5. Side parts

Middle parts are an absolute DON’T for most TG women since they make your face look longer and highlight a big nose and chin. Side parts are much softer and can be worn by anybody with any face shape.

6. Highlights

Finally, don’t forget about colour! Highlights brighten your face and look softer than a single block of colour. There are lots of options besides blonde highlights – women with dark hair look fantastic with light brunette or auburn highlights.

LEEDS PRIDE 2011 FUNDRAISING

Many of the venues have started fundraising in earnest and GAYLEEDS.COM will keep you updated on what’s happening check in daily as the site is updated regularly

THE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!

YES IT’S TRUE THEY WANT YOUR VIEWS

talking last night with Matthew Wharton and Stuart Andrew last night who are members of the L.G.B.T. tory group and we discussed a few things including the gender status of members of parliament at the moment Stuart is the openly gay MP for Pudsey Leeds and he was telling me there is a lesbian MP too these people are openly out about their sexuality and proud of it hopefully more and more members will admit their sexuality over the next parliaments term as being gay is becoming more socially acceptable

As for a trans MP? well we know they are out there it’s going to be a massive step when one finally admits to the country and will no doubt make front page news for all the wrong reasons

The government have a survey out at the moment for members of the trans community about what we would like to see the government do to make things better i urge everyone to complete it

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3DVWS8S

This is genuine and not a wind up!!!!

Finally for this week a big thank you to the editor who has been working on a huge story that will be breaking soon it’s taken a lot of preparation and checking for legal reasons but it’s a very important issue for the Trans community of Leeds watch GAYLEEDS.COM for the news!!

Love and kisses

SUSAN PLATT