On the frontier of transgender civil rights
by By Deborah Young
Sunday June 29, 2008, 7:36 AM
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/06/on_the_frontier_of_transgender.htmlAlthough the gay community has increasingly been assimilated into the mainstream, those identified as transgender seem to remain on the fringes of society
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- He has meaty forearms, facial hair and speaks in the animated tones of a pubescent boy.
When he dresses in his favorite sweats, he is barrel-bellied and unquestionably masculine. No trace of breasts can be seen under his T-shirt.
But it took most of James Anastos' 37 years to muster the courage to live as a man.
Born female and raised as Amy, every day was a challenge to behave like a girl -- a struggle compounded by learning disabilities and placement in a group home where women residents were instructed to wear bras, skirts and other trappings of femininity.
