My Transsexual Summer

[Jayne]

my will-be-ex support group leader runs a series of retreats that work similar to this series. They started off being guys-only, but he's thinking about a mixed (MTFs and FTMs) retreat in the near future - interested?

Hell yeah! I don't suppose it would be in the UK would it?

I wouldn't be suprised if most of us would jump at the chance to get together & be able to talk openly with people going through a similair experience.

After watching the show I did start thinking that if I ever won the lottery then I would start up a retreat for TS's to get away from it all.
This week I won £2.70, it's not much but it's a start  give it another 100 years & I may have enough 

[Nemo]

Your will-be-ex support group leader isn't someone to do with Transbareall by any chance? :p If so, I 'know' one of the lead guys as they are at my transmenscotland group (only been to one meeting so far)

He would, yes Not the one at your group, though - the other one.

Hells, yeah. Whereabouts in what country?

Hell yeah! I don't suppose it would be in the UK would it?

I wouldn't be suprised if most of us would jump at the chance to get together & be able to talk openly with people going through a similair experience.

It is in the UK, yes - they've recently found a better venue, although I missed the last one. Not sure where this'll be; I know the last place was in the Peak District. It is worth mentioning though, these things are deliberately kept to small groups as it offers a safer, more intimate place.

We do need more of these around, though - another reason this series started in the first place, so I hope we get more Have to say, the best bit for me isn't seeing the people there help each other - it's when the TV crew chat with cis-folk during a night out and get things like "Oh yeah, they really are just normal human beings.." Just a shame it takes something like this to open people's eyes, but can't complain..

[Jeatyn]

Definitely very interested in more info about this UK retreat thing! It seems so hard to find any info even about support groups because everyone wants to keep everything hush hush, which I can understand, but it's frustrating

[Nathan.]

I'm interested about the retreat thing too.

[lilacwoman]

[Make_It_Good]

One thing that I find very random actually is that I was talking to my friend on the phone yesterday (he is the only other person I know who is trans) and he just casually mentioned how he had been called up before hand and asked if he would be on the show! He had just forgotten to mention when it actually happened :p but it just seemed so random that my friend could have been on it. He said if it wasnt for his Mum, he would have gone on it.
   He apparently knows Lewis from the show and apparently after it all, Lewis got many donations from viewers that he now has his chest surgery booked. So, that positive came out of it.

[Keroppi]

Jane

Who is Jordan?  the baseball playing guy?

Em no, English glamour model Jordan, aka Katie Price.

[lilacwoman]

Lewis should have persisted in chasing his GP for top surgery as it definitely has to be provided by our NHS as per the EU regulations.
Any of the humna rights lawyers coul dhave pushed his case for him against the transphobic little hitlers of the nhs.

[Keroppi]

They didn't say they wouldn't fund it at all. They said they won't provide it before bottom surgery because of whatever crazy rational they're using.

[Nemo]

They didn't say they wouldn't fund it at all. They said they won't provide it before bottom surgery because of whatever crazy rational they're using.

That's still wrong. Any other place refers us for top surgery first - and not every trans-guy even wants bottom surgery. I definitely think Lewis should've fought them for it - as I told my friends last night, I'd rank that as more important because people can see that unless you bind.

As for the retreat - I'll find out about the new arrangements and post about it in the "Just For Us" thread

[Padma]

As for the retreat - I'll find out about the new arrangements and post about it in the "Just For Us" thread

Yes please .

[Princess of Hearts]

I haven't seen this programme, but I am sure it follows the usual television coverage of the subject.   Lots of shots of ->-bleeped-<-s putting on make-up, getting dressed.  Photographs of 'before' especially if the mtfs in the pictures are wearing military uniform or pictures of them as a groom.

[Padma]

Happy Girl, what is it that made you so sure it's like that (which it isn't), not having seen it?

[Princess of Hearts]

Happy Girl, what is it that made you so sure it's like that (which it isn't), not having seen it?

Well Julia Serano writes that transsexual documentaries often show these things.   The long, lingering shots of people putting on make-up or getting dressed is she argues  a way of signalling the artificiality of transsexualism.  Also the images shown of mtfs in uniform or on their wedding day are shown to emphasize their male past writes Serano.  FTMs are shown with long hair and flowery dresses the pictures are often from the childhood and teen years.

[Keroppi]

I haven't seen this programme, but I am sure it follows the usual television coverage of the subject.   Lots of shots of ->-bleeped-<-s putting on make-up, getting dressed.  Photographs of 'before' especially if the mtfs in the pictures are wearing military uniform or pictures of them as a groom.

Really? It's bad enough reading comments like this (on another forum) from before the show aired, but to read it after it's finished airing all 4 weekly episodes? I'll repeat what I've said on that other forum below...

automatic assumption that the show will be awful, channel 4 is awful for showing a show on transgenders, etc. just because there's going to be a show on television, without considering that they are trying to do things better with its involement with Trans Media Watch, On Road Media, OfCom, ..., trans support groups & tg people themselves. We complain about preconceived notions / discrimination on us, yet is happily doing it to others?

If you going critique someone, at least have some basis to make your critique from, like you know, watching the show first?

[pixiegirl]

Well Julia Serano writes that transsexual documentaries often show these things.   The long, lingering shots of people putting on make-up or getting dressed is she argues  a way of signalling the artificiality of transsexualism.  Also the images shown of mtfs in uniform or on their wedding day are shown to emphasize their male past writes Serano.  FTMs are shown with long hair and flowery dresses the pictures are often from the childhood and teen years.

wow... so instead of watching a program you decide what it's going to be like by written generalisations from someone who wasn't talking about it in the first place - you must get so much out of life just from reading the tv guide, you'd never need to watch anything

[lauren3]

I love this show

[Mews]

I enjoyed the show and my heart ached for them at some points.

[lilacwoman]

I haven't seen this programme, but I am sure it follows the usual television coverage of the subject.   Lots of shots of ->-bleeped-<-s putting on make-up, getting dressed.  Photographs of 'before' especially if the mtfs in the pictures are wearing military uniform or pictures of them as a groom.

the program is to show a transsexual so obviously needs a lttle 'before' history.   nothing exceptional about that.

'the ->-bleeped-<-s' as you label them merely put on whatever makeup they feel they need - just like GGs.

[queerkristina]

Overall, I really love the show.

There are a couple of really unfortunate things about it though. It's very surgery centric with its focusing on Karen's surgery in the first episode and later focusing on Lewis's top surgery etc. Unfortunately this reduces their stories to their bodies at times. Which is less than optimal, especially because a lot of people are non-op (can't afford, don't want) etc.

The other major problem I have with the show is Chan 4, the tv station that produced it, didn't pay any of the participants. The 7 participants got 0 compensation for being involved in the show. Chan 4 basicly exploited the transgender community for rating and money making. Using sensationalism to get revenue and viewers, but didn't forward any of that to the participants of the show. The transgender people who really needed the money.

Also Fox never got much screen time, which made me sad. He's SOO cute!

The exposure has really helped the seven people though. Lewis is really close to funding his top surgery through an online petition. And trans stories are being told, which is better than nothing. In the end, i"m really glad the show aired on tv. It was fairly unsterotypical and fairly honest in its depictions.