This from today's (4.26/07) LA Times Sports Section:
Longtime sportswriter Mike Penner is taking a vacation -- upon returning he'll become sportswritier Christine Daniels.
LA Times Sportwriter Announces Sex Change
LA Times links turn into pumpkins in 7 days so you'll want to check this out ASAP.
Having lived in LA for awhile, its actually pretty cool this is happening to someone I've been reading for years. It just was announced this morning so it will be interesting to see the reaction / fallout.
Full Version: Sports Writer Comes Out as Transsexual
Yeah for Christine...Good for her!
Great article.
What a beautifully written, heartfelt, and inspiring article. Life is too short to waste harboring an unhappy soul. Congratulations on your courage, Christine, and best of luck.
Mike Penner of the LA Times is now Christine Daniels. Our story here.
I heard this on the radio this morning. This is a pretty amazing story to follow. How will the athletes she will now cover react to this? How will her readers react? All of this will be most intriguing to read about and to follow up in a few more weeks and months.
Glad to see Outsports covering it in step with the LA Times. I wish Christine the best of luck on this next part of what's already been a long journey.
From the Outsports article: "Penner, 48, is married to fellow Times sportswriter Lisa Dillman. The couple has no children." What does this mean for the marriage? Assuming both parties want to stay married, is it still legally binding?
QUOTE(Joe in Philly @ Apr 27 2007, 05:28 AM) 
From the Outsports article: "Penner, 48, is married to fellow Times sportswriter Lisa Dillman. The couple has no children." What does this mean for the marriage? Assuming both parties want to stay married, is it still legally binding?
Someone messaged me wanting to know how 'sex changes' were done. The technical name for these procedures are sex reassignment surgeries. The first 'sex change' operation was performed in Germany in the twenties. It was a crude procedure compared to what came later. Prior to the nazis rise to power, several sex reassignment surgeries were performed in Germany each year. The late Magnus Hershfield and his sexology Institute were pioneers in this field and the field of human sexuality in general. The first sex change that received public knowledge however was the case of Christine Jorgensen. Christine was born George and served in the U.S. Army. Jorgensen was not the first sex change as was commonly believed but was the first to receive hormonal therapy prior to SRS. Christian Hamburg of Denmark performed penectomy and castration on Christine. She named herself Christine in honor of Hamburg. She did not have an artifical vagina created till much later. The artifical vagina was finally created and lined with tissue from the small intestine. Most attest to the fact that Christine was never happy with the artifical vagina. In SRS male to female surgery most of the penis and the testicles are amputated. A cavity is created between the prostate and rectum. This is lined with penile skin or from tissue taken from the intestine. The scrotal skin is used to make artifical labium. Sometimes the glans penis is placed inside the body or used to create an artifical clitoris. Of course the female clitoris is truly impossible to replicate in an authentic manner. After surgery the artifical vagina must be dilated to keep it from closing up. It is in affect a surgical wound and must be kept open. Penile intercourse is often insufficent to keep the neo vagina from closing up. Some male to female transsexuals have breast implants if estrogens are insufficent in making adequet breast growth. The outcome of the surgeries vary greatly. As with other forms of 'cosmetic surgery' some patients are satisfied while others are regretful. In female to male SRS the patient is placed on a regime of male hormones. This causes deepening of the voice and facial and other body hair. Then a total hysterectomy will utimately be performed. The construction of an artifical penis is beyond present day technology. Sometimes the testosterone enlarged penis is released. This is insufficent for intercourse but some patients prefer the clitoris to be released and thought of as a penis. Others opt for the construction of an artifical penis from an intestinal flap. Others opt for tissue from the forearm to be microsurgically attached to the perineum. The female to male phalloplasty are extremely complicated and sometimes risky.
That is why most female to males prefer the clitoris release procedure. Actually the majority of transsexuals in the world never have any kind of surgery at all. Whatever their comfort level demands.
That is why most female to males prefer the clitoris release procedure. Actually the majority of transsexuals in the world never have any kind of surgery at all. Whatever their comfort level demands.
The New Adventures of New Christine! Congrats!
I want to know what Lisa Dillman feels about this. Who did she think she was married to? No matter how much I read about transsexuals (m to f), I keep coming away feeling sorry for the wives (and children, if any).
I'm a lesbian, by the way.
I'm a lesbian, by the way.
As a lesbian and a transwoman, a long-time activist the LGBT Community and someone who works with and knows alot of transpeople and their stories, maybe I can help you with some perspective.
Transpeople before coming out are racked in guilt, self-denial and try to "fix" themselves often by getting married, and many MTF transwomen are genuinely attrated to women. It doesn't make them any less trans. After transition, some couples stay together where there is love and willingness and others split which is sad but not uncommon in a world of 50% divorce rate.
Children of transpeople thrive when there is love and acceptance and mutual support. Their children grow up with their own innate gender identity but often a far less stereotyped view of people the world and the imperatives of gender roles. Thats something we can wish for all children. My three kids, who were all less than 10 before I transitioned are, IMHO, amazing and incredibly wise people who have very open and accepting views of people and cannot comprehend the logic of biggotry and narrow mindedness. that's a good thing. My son's (25) gender identity was not damaged at all though he does wear kilts..., but then this is Seattle.
Transpeople before coming out are racked in guilt, self-denial and try to "fix" themselves often by getting married, and many MTF transwomen are genuinely attrated to women. It doesn't make them any less trans. After transition, some couples stay together where there is love and willingness and others split which is sad but not uncommon in a world of 50% divorce rate.
Children of transpeople thrive when there is love and acceptance and mutual support. Their children grow up with their own innate gender identity but often a far less stereotyped view of people the world and the imperatives of gender roles. Thats something we can wish for all children. My three kids, who were all less than 10 before I transitioned are, IMHO, amazing and incredibly wise people who have very open and accepting views of people and cannot comprehend the logic of biggotry and narrow mindedness. that's a good thing. My son's (25) gender identity was not damaged at all though he does wear kilts..., but then this is Seattle.
I've always wondered if changing the outside appearance actually works...
Does changing the exterior put the interior at ease?
If we paint the house, does that put the furniture in place?
Does this mean that Christine is gay? What percentage of trannies are gay?
It seems like there's so much more to this than switching genders. If society didn't have an issue with extremely feminine men or with those who chose to dress in a very non-traditional male way, would transgender people feel differently? Is complete sexual reassignment the only way to make a person feel 'whole?'
We've all had that conversation about women who act butch, like a guy, but do they actually want to be a guy? Same with so many gay men who seem to act so girlish but do they really want to be a girl? Not usually.
No judgements, just intrique. Dressing and/or living as a woman is still miles away from surgically altering your body. I've always thought that there are just a few moments from when someone is concieved where that little seed of life makes a decision one way or another...what if there's confusion starting right then?
Now I'm singing Madonna's "What it feels like for a girl..."
Does changing the exterior put the interior at ease?
If we paint the house, does that put the furniture in place?
Does this mean that Christine is gay? What percentage of trannies are gay?
It seems like there's so much more to this than switching genders. If society didn't have an issue with extremely feminine men or with those who chose to dress in a very non-traditional male way, would transgender people feel differently? Is complete sexual reassignment the only way to make a person feel 'whole?'
We've all had that conversation about women who act butch, like a guy, but do they actually want to be a guy? Same with so many gay men who seem to act so girlish but do they really want to be a girl? Not usually.
No judgements, just intrique. Dressing and/or living as a woman is still miles away from surgically altering your body. I've always thought that there are just a few moments from when someone is concieved where that little seed of life makes a decision one way or another...what if there's confusion starting right then?
Now I'm singing Madonna's "What it feels like for a girl..."
Hey Bryan,
You are very much on the right track. The process of changing gender first starts on the inside with an inborn essential identity. It was once thought that people would internalize and own whatever gender they were raised in. That's just about as right as the assertion that if you are raised heterosexual you will happily be heterosexual. While we all have choice and agency on how we deal with the deck we are dealt, a lot of what we are is given to us in our biology.
Current thinking is that hormonal events between mother and child that "sex" different regions of the brain en utero miscue and result in a mental conflict with the physical sex. In fact the theory has it that only the matter of timing changes whether this miscue is in the sexual orientation centers or the gender identity centers or both since different parts of the brain mature at different times. Thus producing a whole "periodic table" of sex and gender variation.
Trans people aren’t all scrambled up in side necessarily, sick or twisted, but it does cause a lot of mental and social stress when your internal compass points one way and your body points the other. Gender is a combination of a physical configuration and also so much a way we interact socially in the world.
Signaling gender with the body, initially in terms of dress and appearance then with hormones, and possibly with some surgery as an option really does help bring internal peace and satisfaction for most transpeople. Most of the really hard work goes on on the inside through a process that most people can't see. Its about believing in yourself, loving yourself, visualizing and owning the gender you have always felt you were or felt you should be. It's very hard for lots of folks who have practiced hiding and repression for decades. I know it was for me.
We have been doing some interesting research here in Seattle with some fascinating results around sexual orientation in trans populations. Over fifty or so, a slight majority of individuals identify as "straight", so you might say they were "gay" pre-transition but many probably didn't have homosexual relationships pre-transition. That’s supposition but I'm guessing I'm on track on that. Broadly, in the 20-40 range, the vast majority of people identify as bisexual, queer, lesbian or anything but straight. In the 21-35 range we are talking 85% non-straight, 12% ambivalent and about 5% straight. transfolk from 21-30 specifically identify 60% "queer" and the 31-35 group identify strongly as "bisexual" at about 45%. Transfolk are highly sexually fluid but I wouldn't say traditionally self-identifying as "gay", I do know Transmen who identify as Gay though.
Net: The stereotype that transsexual women are just gay men with unresolved internalized homophobia is 99% wrong. I'll allow for a few unfortunate cases but generally no. Hopefully the therapy process weeds out those folks and gets them the real resolution they need.
Hope this helps
You are very much on the right track. The process of changing gender first starts on the inside with an inborn essential identity. It was once thought that people would internalize and own whatever gender they were raised in. That's just about as right as the assertion that if you are raised heterosexual you will happily be heterosexual. While we all have choice and agency on how we deal with the deck we are dealt, a lot of what we are is given to us in our biology.
Current thinking is that hormonal events between mother and child that "sex" different regions of the brain en utero miscue and result in a mental conflict with the physical sex. In fact the theory has it that only the matter of timing changes whether this miscue is in the sexual orientation centers or the gender identity centers or both since different parts of the brain mature at different times. Thus producing a whole "periodic table" of sex and gender variation.
Trans people aren’t all scrambled up in side necessarily, sick or twisted, but it does cause a lot of mental and social stress when your internal compass points one way and your body points the other. Gender is a combination of a physical configuration and also so much a way we interact socially in the world.
Signaling gender with the body, initially in terms of dress and appearance then with hormones, and possibly with some surgery as an option really does help bring internal peace and satisfaction for most transpeople. Most of the really hard work goes on on the inside through a process that most people can't see. Its about believing in yourself, loving yourself, visualizing and owning the gender you have always felt you were or felt you should be. It's very hard for lots of folks who have practiced hiding and repression for decades. I know it was for me.
We have been doing some interesting research here in Seattle with some fascinating results around sexual orientation in trans populations. Over fifty or so, a slight majority of individuals identify as "straight", so you might say they were "gay" pre-transition but many probably didn't have homosexual relationships pre-transition. That’s supposition but I'm guessing I'm on track on that. Broadly, in the 20-40 range, the vast majority of people identify as bisexual, queer, lesbian or anything but straight. In the 21-35 range we are talking 85% non-straight, 12% ambivalent and about 5% straight. transfolk from 21-30 specifically identify 60% "queer" and the 31-35 group identify strongly as "bisexual" at about 45%. Transfolk are highly sexually fluid but I wouldn't say traditionally self-identifying as "gay", I do know Transmen who identify as Gay though.
Net: The stereotype that transsexual women are just gay men with unresolved internalized homophobia is 99% wrong. I'll allow for a few unfortunate cases but generally no. Hopefully the therapy process weeds out those folks and gets them the real resolution they need.
Hope this helps
QUOTE(Scamp @ Apr 27 2007, 11:00 PM)
I want to know what Lisa Dillman feels about this. Who did she think she was married to? No matter how much I read about transsexuals (m to f), I keep coming away feeling sorry for the wives (and children, if any).
I'm a lesbian, by the way.
QUOTE(glyphstone @ Apr 28 2007, 06:05 AM)
Hey Bryan,
You are very much on the right track. The process of changing gender first starts on the inside with an inborn essential identity. It was once thought that people would internalize and own whatever gender they were raised in. That's just about as right as the assertion that if you are raised heterosexual you will happily be heterosexual. While we all have choice and agency on how we deal with the deck we are dealt, a lot of what we are is given to us in our biology.
Current thinking is that hormonal events between mother and child that "sex" different regions of the brain en utero miscue and result in a mental conflict with the physical sex. In fact the theory has it that only the matter of timing changes whether this miscue is in the sexual orientation centers or the gender identity centers or both since different parts of the brain mature at different times. Thus producing a whole "periodic table" of sex and gender variation.
Trans people aren’t all scrambled up in side necessarily, sick or twisted, but it does cause a lot of mental and social stress when your internal compass points one way and your body points the other. Gender is a combination of a physical configuration and also so much a way we interact socially in the world.
Signaling gender with the body, initially in terms of dress and appearance then with hormones, and possibly with some surgery as an option really does help bring internal peace and satisfaction for most transpeople. Most of the really hard work goes on on the inside through a process that most people can't see. Its about believing in yourself, loving yourself, visualizing and owning the gender you have always felt you were or felt you should be. It's very hard for lots of folks who have practiced hiding and repression for decades. I know it was for me.
We have been doing some interesting research here in Seattle with some fascinating results around sexual orientation in trans populations. Over fifty or so, a slight majority of individuals identify as "straight", so you might say they were "gay" pre-transition but many probably didn't have homosexual relationships pre-transition. That’s supposition but I'm guessing I'm on track on that. Broadly, in the 20-40 range, the vast majority of people identify as bisexual, queer, lesbian or anything but straight. In the 21-35 range we are talking 85% non-straight, 12% ambivalent and about 5% straight. transfolk from 21-30 specifically identify 60% "queer" and the 31-35 group identify strongly as "bisexual" at about 45%. Transfolk are highly sexually fluid but I wouldn't say traditionally self-identifying as "gay", I do know Transmen who identify as Gay though.
Net: The stereotype that transsexual women are just gay men with unresolved internalized homophobia is 99% wrong. I'll allow for a few unfortunate cases but generally no. Hopefully the therapy process weeds out those folks and gets them the real resolution they need.
Hope this helps
A wonderful post from a transsexual. Thank you for posting. The causes of transsexualism and homosexuality are really unimportant. Many in research are categorizing transsexualism as a disease beginning in utero. The John Money/Richard Green types are no friend to transsexuals, women or gays and lesbians. I like Rachel Pollack's idea of transsexualism as a 'spiritual experience'. I think it is tragic how the medical establishment tries to control trans people and make them confirm to some stereotypical idea of male and female. Trans people are entirely capable of making life altering choices themselves without being f**ked by the mental health establishment. Many of the transpeople I know have flown from the U.S. and Europe to Thailand where SRS on demand is the norm. They don't want to be messed about with by therapists. And I speak as a mental health worker. No, most transsexual male to females are not closeted gay men. Some are of course. And some are closeted transvestites. Not the majority however. Thanks again for your moving post. SHALOM.
Iran is a major center of SRS procedures. The late Aylattollah Khomeni declared a fatwah that the Iranian nation should pay for sex changes. Homosexuality is punishable by death in Iran yet SRS procedures are paid for by the nation. many gay men are having this surgery done in Iran and are not truly transsexuals.
QUOTE(Elemental @ Apr 28 2007, 09:33 AM)
Iran is a major center of SRS procedures. The late Aylattollah Khomeni declared a fatwah that the Iranian nation should pay for sex changes. Homosexuality is punishable by death in Iran yet SRS procedures are paid for by the nation. many gay men are having this surgery done in Iran and are not truly transsexuals.
That truly is a crime and a human rights violation.
QUOTE(Elemental @ Apr 28 2007, 07:35 AM)
There is great info on trans issues on the web and alot of rubbish as well. Many websites never mention those who regret the surgeries. Many are happy with the surgeries but the unhappy side is never mentioned on many of those websites.
I know a number of people who have "regretted" their transition, gone over and back and over the threshold again, transitioned fairly traditionally and then settled into a very androgynous personal presentation and all manner of personal paths. The old stereotype of one-right-way from extreme to extreme is really a rarity, at least in sophisticated urban populations.
Almost invariably, those who have regretted their decision have done so, to my observation, due to capitulation with family pressure, job and employment problems or general difficulty in transition and social disapproval and their difficulty in dealing with that. In some cases unrealistic expectations or precipitous and impulsive decisions, without some balancing external checkpoints like a therapist or stable friends or family support, lead to an individual going where they probably should not have.
I'm sure there are unprincipled mental health and medical professionals dealing with transfolk. We (At Ingersoll Gender Center in Seattle) direct folks to any of a wide range of excellent, experienced and highly sympatheic service providers who do great work and provide a lot of value for people in helping them through their process. Alot of folks are rolling their own however and use peer support groups or really just go it alone.
I think that alot of the early transpeople who were trumpted by the press in the early days were not really great role models. I think that motivations were mixed, exposure took its toll and there was so little information and so little communty and support. It burnt alot of people. The trans community is not Rene Richards or Christine Jorgensen or Tula. It's a whole lot of really diverse people getting on with their lives, some very privately, some very out. The process, the path and the end, if there is any, is always a very personal and individual thing. Who among us, when we take great chances doesn't have to experiment and make corrections along the way?
Glyphstone, I admire and respect how articulate you are about this, it's clear you've taken the long hard road to peace and acceptance, and now you're committed to helping others. If that's not a spiritual journey, than I don't know what is...
I find gender issues really fascinating. I realized a long time ago that being gay was actually a great opportunity to experience life slightly seperate from what is the norm in the culture in which I live...I find some homosexuals almost desperate to live a norm that I see as heterosexual conditioning - certainly nothing wrong with that as I definitely desire and relate to a similiar kind of stability. Others simply define their own path whatever that may be/I've always had the artist clause which is what everyone calls it when I do my own thing, travel my own path, etc., etc...Sexual roles are barely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to gender issues and questions...I remember when I was young, realizing that I was more empathatic than my brothers, which seemed such a weird realization for a teenage guy, I knew life was going to be interesting...
I find gender issues really fascinating. I realized a long time ago that being gay was actually a great opportunity to experience life slightly seperate from what is the norm in the culture in which I live...I find some homosexuals almost desperate to live a norm that I see as heterosexual conditioning - certainly nothing wrong with that as I definitely desire and relate to a similiar kind of stability. Others simply define their own path whatever that may be/I've always had the artist clause which is what everyone calls it when I do my own thing, travel my own path, etc., etc...Sexual roles are barely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to gender issues and questions...I remember when I was young, realizing that I was more empathatic than my brothers, which seemed such a weird realization for a teenage guy, I knew life was going to be interesting...
Thanks Bryan,
This is a great forum with intelligent and respectful people. How rare is that these days?
For me, switching from living in a very straight, straight world: Straight, white, suburban, protestant middle class male to being pretty queer: Middle-class white, suburban agnostic trans-dyke. Ok everything didn't change but wow did it pull of the blinders on so much of life. I do consider my life a journey, and my difference a blessing. How can I wish to not be who I am? And I love my community because it is so densly populated with really amazing people.
Signed: A big ol' Mariner's fan! [Ducking]
This is a great forum with intelligent and respectful people. How rare is that these days?
For me, switching from living in a very straight, straight world: Straight, white, suburban, protestant middle class male to being pretty queer: Middle-class white, suburban agnostic trans-dyke. Ok everything didn't change but wow did it pull of the blinders on so much of life. I do consider my life a journey, and my difference a blessing. How can I wish to not be who I am? And I love my community because it is so densly populated with really amazing people.
Signed: A big ol' Mariner's fan! [Ducking]
Another wonderful post. You should really put pen to paper and write a book on your transsexual journey. Trans books may not be blockbuster bestsellers but your book could enlighten so many people. Look at GENDER OUTLAW by Kate Bornstein. A great read. SHALOM.
There was a nice, detailed interview yesterday with Christine Daniels on NPR's Day to Day.
Listen to the show or read the transcript of the interview.
Listen to the show or read the transcript of the interview.
And here's a nice pix of her that appears daily on the LA Times website:
This story just got more bizarre and I had to resurrect this thread.
A year and a half ago, LA Times sportswriter Mike Penner made news when he announced he was leaving the paper for awhile and would return to work as sportswriter Christine Daniels. The Times made a huge deal of it and chronicled his transition from male to female.
But now, he is back being a man again and will once again return using the by-line of Mike Penner.
A year and a half ago, LA Times sportswriter Mike Penner made news when he announced he was leaving the paper for awhile and would return to work as sportswriter Christine Daniels. The Times made a huge deal of it and chronicled his transition from male to female.
But now, he is back being a man again and will once again return using the by-line of Mike Penner.
Resurrecting this thread again.
Mike Penner is dead at the age of 52 and is believed to have commited suicide.
Mike Penner is dead at the age of 52 and is believed to have commited suicide.
Just read about Penner's death. AP coverage. Sad.
Wow! Sad. Really really sad! 
Very sad, indeed. Maybe his therapist should have dissuaded him from taking such a drastic step, especially working as a sports writer.
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