YouTube movie "My Transsexual Summer".

[Jessica M]

no I have not seen or heard of it before now, I will have to check that out.

[Torn1990]

  i'm not judging their passability
that's not why i'm upset with this show.
We are trans women, passing is not always an option for everyone
and i think all those people were beautiful
what i am pissed at is how the media was hung up on looks being
the most important factor when transitioning
and also how easily some of these women were able to achieve their transition
was extremely privileged. (not that privilege is always a bad thing.) Also, those were all white women and men who could
afford their transition, not a single person of color.
I do not have the option to go off to some "trans summer cabin of fun" to get support in my transition that is not reality.
Transition will be a long and painful process for me. The opportunity these trans people have on this show minimizes my experience in transition.
i ended up watching the whole show, I enjoyed it, but i definitely take issue with some of the way trans people were portrayed
To me, it was very obvious that a cis gender person is behind this. 

[Sunnynight]

no I have not seen or heard of it before now, I will have to check that out.

Parts of it are up on youtube. Enough to let you get a feel for it.

[Alainaluvsu]

  i'm not judging their passability
that's not why i'm upset with this show.
We are trans women, passing is not always an option for everyone
and i think all those people were beautiful
what i am pissed at is how the media was hung up on looks being
the most important factor when transitioning
and also how easily some of these women were able to achieve their transition
was extremely privileged. (not that privilege is always a bad thing.) Also, those were all white women and men who could
afford their transition, not a single person of color.
I do not have the option to go off to some "trans summer cabin of fun" to get support in my transition
I sat alone in my room, transition have been a long and painful process for me. The opportunity these trans people have on this show minimizes my experience in transition.
i ended up watching the whole show, I enjoyed it, but i definitely take issue with some of the way trans people were portrayed
To me, it was very obvious that a cis gender person is behind this.

I'm sorry you feel that way, however if you look at the other 2 episodes (all 4 parts of all 3 episodes), you will come to find that one has self confidence issues with passing in public, and has difficulty finding a job, and I've learned things about FtM surgeries that I didn't know before. I'm sure I could go back and find other realities in the show if I went back and rewatched them all.

I understand that it is not showing a more depressing story about transitioning, and in not doing so, has failed to portray the full struggle with transsexualism. However, it is a brand new show and I hope it will get enough of a viewership to get into that eventually!

[Jessica M]

Of course a show about trans people is going to hung up on looks to a certain extent, it isn't made for the trans community it's made for the general public who would see it as an aesthetic thing. On top of that the psychological aspects of GID are comlpex and to a degree unexplainable to people who don't feel that way.

As for the retreat thing it is a bit unusual but I think it is good that they are highlighting more positives than negatives this way because, where I am at least, trans people don't make the news unless they are the victims of brutal crime or fighting legal battles for recognition, all the public see normally are negative aspects to being transgender. The diversity has more to do with the location, the U.K. is multicultureal but is still predominantly a white christian place, and the people on the show were all volunteers. I certainly wouldn't suspect there to have been any concious attempt to homogenise the people on the show.

Sunnynight, I found a source online for the full thing but I don't think it was ever broadcast on this side of the atlantic when it was made. I will watch it when I get a chance

[apple pie]

what i am pissed at is how the media was hung up on looks being
the most important factor when transitioning
and also how easily some of these women were able to achieve their transition
was extremely privileged. (not that privilege is always a bad thing.) Also, those were all white women and men who could
afford their transition, not a single person of color.
I do not have the option to go off to some "trans summer cabin of fun" to get support in my transition that is not reality.
Transition will be a long and painful process for me. The opportunity these trans people have on this show minimizes my experience in transition.
i ended up watching the whole show, I enjoyed it, but i definitely take issue with some of the way trans people were portrayed
To me, it was very obvious that a cis gender person is behind this. 

It has its flaws, but especially if a non-trans person produced it, it's pretty good!
And there is only so much variety they can include in it... I don't really want to bash it for not including all possible varieties in every category...
And speaking of variety, it's pretty good that they include people who do pass easily and people who don't...

I'm sorry if this comes across as a rant but it does really annoy me when people will pick fault with every single thing and neglect to look at the overall message. The main point I have seen is that the girls voices aren't good enough. Not one person has mentioned the fact that these are real people who volunteered to expose themselves to the world, and they can't even get some understanding from the people who have gone through the same thing, or are in the middle of it.

... and I am one of those guilty of it! Well said and thanks for pointing that out

[eli77]

i started watching this show but it made me cry.

not to sound too judgmental but none of those girls pass very well....and it made me feel like I look that terrible.

pretty sure I'm going to hell for that.

but anyway...is it just me or do none of those girls even try with their voices?

Drew's voice is mostly androgynous, the others are hopeless. And none of the girls are even close to passing. I also found that a little frustrating, as again it's that stereotype that all trans girls look visibly trans. They are also all kinda hyper-femme. I like the guys better honestly.

  i'm not judging their passability
that's not why i'm upset with this show.
We are trans women, passing is not always an option for everyone
and i think all those people were beautiful
what i am pissed at is how the media was hung up on looks being
the most important factor when transitioning
and also how easily some of these women were able to achieve their transition
was extremely privileged. (not that privilege is always a bad thing.) Also, those were all white women and men who could
afford their transition, not a single person of color.
I do not have the option to go off to some "trans summer cabin of fun" to get support in my transition that is not reality.
Transition will be a long and painful process for me. The opportunity these trans people have on this show minimizes my experience in transition.
i ended up watching the whole show, I enjoyed it, but i definitely take issue with some of the way trans people were portrayed
To me, it was very obvious that a cis gender person is behind this. 

No offence, but for some of us, looking male is a big part of our dysphoria. It's not so much just "passing" in terms of society, but being able to see yourself as female. It's great if you don't have that dysphoria, and I'm sorry that you aren't well represented in media, but there ARE trans folk who care a lot about how they look.

It's also done in the UK for a UK audience, and is not representative of the US. In the UK, the NHS will pay for a good chunk of transitioning costs. Most of the folk on the show are not wealthy at all. And I do find it frustrating when people constantly assume a US-centric view of transition.

[Jessica M]

*It's also done in the UK for a UK audience, and is not representative of the US. In the UK, the NHS will pay for a good chunk of transitioning costs. Most of the folk on the show are not wealthy at all. And I do find it frustrating when people constantly assume a US-centric view of transition.*

This may seem like flogging a dead horse at this stage but I feel it is always vital to remember the context of things like this. THe amount of makeup drew wears is not unusual for girls in the U.K. As she explained her influence was the likes of Jordan and Jodie Marsh because they were viewed as desirable women (I have no idea why ) And what looks like a council house in wakefield doesn't speak of great wealth.

I think what we may be seeing here is simply a difference of culture between those familiar with the U.K. and those who are not.

[Annah]

if most of those girls practiced their voices, i really think they would have no problems blending in.

But an untrained voice will clock you every-single-time; no matter how much they physically blend

[Torn1990]

I'm sorry you feel that way, however if you look at the other 2 episodes (all 4 parts of all 3 episodes), you will come to find that one has self confidence issues with passing in public, and has difficulty finding a job, and I've learned things about FtM surgeries that I didn't know before. I'm sure I could go back and find other realities in the show if I went back and rewatched them all.

I understand that it is not showing a more depressing story about transitioning, and in not doing so, has failed to portray the full struggle with transsexualism. However, it is a brand new show and I hope it will get enough of a viewership to get into that eventually!

Honestly, i'm not sure why the show angers me so much, well i am... It is not that i want it to show some depressing story, not at all, i'd actually rather they show the benefits of being transgender and being able to transition so I thought the show was great in many ways too.

  I ended up watching all the episodes. I just wished they talked more about trans people who don't have support networks, and how they are all white people. The opportunity these trans people have is not offered to trans people regularly so it is not accessible either, I will criticize anything that is put in the public eye especially when it comes to trans politics because they are usually problematic. 

[Annah]

Sarah, I noticed your tattoo. It's nice. However you forgot to add the sibilant above the "sin." But the tattoo is nice.

[Alainaluvsu]

Drew's voice is mostly androgynous, the others are hopeless. And none of the girls are even close to passing. I also found that a little frustrating, as again it's that stereotype that all trans girls look visibly trans. They are also all kinda hyper-femme. I like the guys better honestly.

IMHO, I think Donna was passable. Drew was too, she just looks much, much older than she really is. The other two girls, well.. Sarah may could POSSIBLY pass one day, but Karen is a lost cause. Karen for some reason got under my skin, too. I think it's because she was 50 and "making up for lost time" by wearing stuff that not only was out of her age, but was completely unflattering for herself. Plus she was the only one on the show who was getting SRS, and she was lumbering around like a male with the worst voice, etc etc.

Donna isn't hyper-femme IMO.

[Joeyboo~ :3]

Lol Donna and Drew passed to me in appearance.
They need to stop talking through their noses though.

Sarah might just pass one day.
She needs to dress in clothes that flatter her though, not clothes meant for 14 year old girls.
Also the hair is bad.
Random streaks of color doesn't look good on older looking faces lol.
maybe thats just me, but it hurts her passability.

Karen's voice is.... -sigh-

[Dahlia]

Drew was too, she just looks much, much older than she really is. The other two girls, well..

The problem with a lot of MTF's is  that they don't seem to realise that wearing tons of make up makes one look way older beyond their biological age.

Too much  'matte'foundation and powder makes your face look like a 'death mask'.

Painted on pencil 'stripe' way too thin eyebrows, let alone tattood eyebrows, makes even a GG's face look harsh, cheap, whorish, dumb and in some cases all the before mentioned.
Brownish/reddish painted on/tattood eyebrows are the worst looking.
PLUS it emphasizes relentlessly a masculine forehead/browridge.

As a GG once put it: 'having permanent make up tattood on your face is committing an easthecal crime'

Wearing false eyelashes, especially the cheap looking nylon ones make you look cheap, with strange, 'dead' eyes.

Bleach blonde or jetblack dyed hair makes a GG's face look older harsh, cheap, whorish, dumb etc, let alone an MTF face.

Being too thin makes ones face gaunt= masculine looking.

Etc......

[Joeyboo~ :3]

Drew looks fine honestly, it's her voice that makes her appear trans.

You didn't have to criticize things that don't even clock her

[pixiegirl]

I do think people are being a bit over-judgemental about this show so far. One, its a reality TV show, not a documentary - think big brother, or castaway or something - the people getting chosen were always going to have to have an appeal that the shows producers would be looking for.  It's like x-factor where you need to be trans rather than able to sing. A bit larger than life in some ways is a given. As far as passability goes - well Drew and Donna don't look different from a lot of over made up late teens early twenties girls you'd see every weekend round England. It's a look.

As for it representing rich people - again, this is set in the UK. If you get the NHS approval, then therapy, hormones and surgeries are covered without cost. You can get GCS on minimum wage or drawing unemployment, you don't need to have 20-100,000 to burn or take out loans for. In the latest episode anyway, you get to see Lewis, who was denied top surgery via this route, organise fundraising to get a start on the saving he'll need to get it privately. Seems like everyone so far is on the low end of the wage spectrum, both personally and familialy. Working poor to middle class seems to be the spread.

I did read one comment about the racial make-up that I'd like to address. Again, it's the UK not the US. I'm not saying that there aren't any non-white trans people in the UK, not saying that at all, but the ethnic make up of the country is completely different. The US is something like 13-15% african american and then add to that mixed race Black + white/hispanic/indian/asian in terms of total demographics. The total black population in the UK if you add together the African, Caribbean, and mixed-race Black communities (which are all very different) is maybe a little over 2%.
To put it another way: The producers of the show have narrowed it down to 100 trans people to pick from, and magically these 100 people are representative of racial demographics. If it's being made in the US: 64 are white, 13 black, 9 white hispanic, 5 asian and the rest are native american, mixed race or other ethnicity.
In the UK that split is: 92 are white, 2 are indian, 1 is pakistani, 1 is mixed race, 1 is african, 1 is afro-caribbean and the other 2 are 2 from chinese, non chinese asian, bangladeshi or other. The fact that all the people on the show are white isn't as odd or misrepresentative as it would be in the US.

So far it doesn't seem to be doing too bad.

[Skyanne]

I ended up watching all the episodes. I just wished they talked more about trans people who don't have support networks, and how they are all white people. The opportunity these trans people have is not offered to trans people regularly so it is not accessible either, I will criticize anything that is put in the public eye especially when it comes to trans politics because they are usually problematic.

You really need to realise that America is not representative of the rest of the world. Things are different in the UK, this is representative of people here.

[Torn1990]

I do think people are being a bit over-judgemental about this show so far. One, its a reality TV show, not a documentary - think big brother, or castaway or something - the people getting chosen were always going to have to have an appeal that the shows producers would be looking for.  It's like x-factor where you need to be trans rather than able to sing. A bit larger than life in some ways is a given. As far as passability goes - well Drew and Donna don't look different from a lot of over made up late teens early twenties girls you'd see every weekend round England. It's a look.

As for it representing rich people - again, this is set in the UK. If you get the NHS approval, then therapy, hormones and surgeries are covered without cost. You can get GCS on minimum wage or drawing unemployment, you don't need to have 20-100,000 to burn or take out loans for. In the latest episode anyway, you get to see Lewis, who was denied top surgery via this route, organise fundraising to get a start on the saving he'll need to get it privately. Seems like everyone so far is on the low end of the wage spectrum, both personally and familialy. Working poor to middle class seems to be the spread.

I did read one comment about the racial make-up that I'd like to address. Again, it's the UK not the US. I'm not saying that there aren't any non-white trans people in the UK, not saying that at all, but the ethnic make up of the country is completely different. The US is something like 13-15% african american and then add to that mixed race Black + white/hispanic/indian/asian in terms of total demographics. The total black population in the UK if you add together the African, Caribbean, and mixed-race Black communities (which are all very different) is maybe a little over 2%.
To put it another way: The producers of the show have narrowed it down to 100 trans people to pick from, and magically these 100 people are representative of racial demographics. If it's being made in the US: 64 are white, 13 black, 9 white hispanic, 5 asian and the rest are native american, mixed race or other ethnicity.
In the UK that split is: 92 are white, 2 are indian, 1 is pakistani, 1 is mixed race, 1 is african, 1 is afro-caribbean and the other 2 are 2 from chinese, non chinese asian, bangladeshi or other. The fact that all the people on the show are white isn't as odd or misrepresentative as it would be in the US.

So far it doesn't seem to be doing too bad.

Really interesting to know all of that pixie I did not expect that response at all.
I have to say, it still limits the show when it comes to my opinion still.
The experience of a gender transition for someone of color is just so different then for a white person. It would have been nice to have but I get the statistics i just don't mind because when it comes down to it, these are still marginalized white people.
I really do enjoy the show though now that I have watched all the episodes my impression changed. I thought it captured my experience quite well as a trans person still transitioning. I love that they talk about genitals, it allows for diversity in our community, and every one was super open about their struggles. I was surprised to see them keep that in. I really related with a mixture of all the trans women on the show.
Seriously, I can't imagine the audacity it takes to be one of the first trans people portraying trans people on reality television in the way it is being portrayed now.


skyanne: Can you elaborate on what you mean?  Are you suggesting that I shouldn't even consider talking about race and politics that are outside of the U.S because i'm american and it according to you doesn't affect me? If they started shooting trans people on the streets of Uganda, that represents me still and i'd have an opinion about it  You are right, it's different there, but the way transphobia plays out as we saw on the show in one episode, it's still very similar. I think we all still have things to talk about. Obviously the show has reached media here through youtube. We share the same media outlet. You still make a good point, but what happens anywhere in the trans community regardless of location will still effect us for x,y, and z reasons.

[Jayne]

Everyone of you ladies must honestly admit to having fears of being a "bad ->-bleeped-<-" at some point. Even if you wouldn't phrase it that way the sentiment is the exact same as fears over bbeing passable, and Sarah is at the very start of her transition. In my opinion she jumped into full time life way too soon but it can't happen overnight.

I can honestly admit to going out as a bad ->-bleeped-<-, when I first came out I went out several times as a woman & whilst I manged to pass (or just met some very polite, understanding people) I was unable to completely hide the shadow as within an hour or 2 after shaving no amount of make-up would hide it.

It took a few close calls for me to see sense & pull back, I find it very hard having to keep things hidden & not go out as female but i've been hit hard with the reality branch & now admit I have to wait until i've had extensive electrolosys & HRt for a while (I'll also be having FFS in the distant future).

My ex has said that whilst me & Sarah don't look alike, when i'm dressed as female then my body language & mannerisms are very much like hers, I also suspect that's because of my nerves & knowledge that I don't pass well, my heart goes out to Sarah because what she's done is far braver than anything I could ever do.

[Jessica M]

Torn I don't think anyone was saying that you should not read up on or have opinions about anythiong happening outside the USA whether trans related or not. My point and I'm sure the others as well was that you must try to see it from the perspective of the nation or region where it was filmed. Your last post showed that you get it.

I for 1 know how it can be frustrating sometimes as a non-american in an American dominated forum to try and explain the more subtle differences you don't see. The things like driving on the left and spelling words like honour with a "u", which this forums spellcheck doesn't understand  are easy for everyone to spot. What can be harder is trying to understand the socio-political climate of a land so far away when everything else seems the same, if you know what I mean.

For example I only recently learned that Americans have a stereotype of "dumb" Polish people. Whereas here they are all silent weightlifting plumbers in stereotype. The real everyday differences can be the most shocking because nobody has made big jokes or T.V. sitcoms have never exploited them for laughs so when you do come across them they seem hard to understand.

Thats my take on what I have been reading here anyway.