Helen Boyd of the en|gender blog (and the books My Husband Betty and She's Not the Man I Married: My Life with a Transgender Husband) posted a blog entry entitled Trans Documentary Drinking Game for those planning on watching ABC's special on Chloe Prince (airing at 10 p.m. on ABC tonight).
Helen's blog post is for those who aren't aware of the stereotypes of how transgender women are shown in most documentaries and network television shows about trans people. That these documentaries almost always focus on transition itself as well, and not on the lives of trans people after transition...well, that's key to how trans people's stories are told.
So, out of the closet comes the drinking game! Here are the rules:
1. Putting on makeup. Two drinks for reverse camera shot into mirror.
2. Doing anything better done in jeans and sneakers in heels and a skirt. Examples: cleaning the house, shoveling the sidewalk, yard work, walking the dog.
3. Before picture shown. Two drinks for picture in stereotypical male mode (sports team, facial hair, military, wedding tux)
4. Camera shot putting on or taking off a bra.
5. Photo of any wig, breast form, padding, etc.
6. Surprise disclosure, when a trans woman is introduced and then partway through the piece, her secret is revealed.
7. Camera focus on masculine body parts: hands, feet, Adam's apple, height, etc.
8. Any reference to genital surgery that refers to "becoming a woman" or "finally a woman"
9. Minor chords played softly on a piano
10. talk show host saying "you go girl"
11. any discussion of plumbing or electricity
12. black and white childhood shots, MTF with cap gun and cowboy hat, FTM as ballerina.
13. Trans woman saying, "I am not a crossdresser. Not that there's anything wrong with that."
14. Trans woman clutching large teddy bear in hospital bed.
15. Birthday balloons after surgery.
16. Trans woman with new boyfriend (after shot of tearful ex-wife).
17. Trans woman sitting in chair in above-the-knee skirt, posed so you can see what great gams she has.
18. Patient wheeled off to surgery ...
19. ... lingering shot of the hospital bed with the teddy bear (or wife) left behind.
20. Shot of protaganist sitting at the computer keyboard, looking at a trans support website or surgeon's website....
21. Any helping professionalional teaching deportment
22. Camera in the operating room - just drink the whole bottle
23. Any and all deployments of soft focus = 1 shot
24. Close up of dotted lines in magic marker on pale fleshy body parts = 1 shot
25. Earnest surgeon describes his motivation as "to help [girlname] become the woman she's always really felt herself to be" = 3 shots
26. Before picture with extreme facial hair - 1 shot
27. Before picture in uniform - Military, Football, etc... - 2 shots
28. Video from hair removal session : Laser - 1 shot, electrolysis - 2 shots
29. Before picture - Last time she wore a dress (F2M) - 1 shots
30. Breast binding - 2 shots
31. Taking Hormones - Self-injecting3 shots, orals1 shot
32. Did anyone mention an arduous and lonely childhood?
33. Meeting the school bully as "the new me" at the High School reunion?
34. Looking at the old picture of self and saying something to the effect of "he was a nice guy...." or "Ken was a lot of fun, but his time is over. It's Ginger's turn now!"
35. Trans woman claiming to have [intersex] chromosomal pattern, an affinity for washing dishes, a sudden dislike of sports, etc.
Professor Boyd adds:
Believe it or not, these are not the most snarky suggestions, but also remember: there are quite a few people who hang out on our boards who have done this kind of media work, including me & Betty, of course, but also Jenny Boylan. We need to laugh at ourselves as much as we laugh at the inanity of it all.Twelve-Steppers should find their own version, of course. Maybe those ice cream poppers? But the point is to feel as physically ill by the end as the drinking crowd.
I personally don't drink, and I don't eat lots of sugar any more due to the gastric bypass, so I'll just have to feel ill watching the special itself if too many of the stereotypes are dragged out from the documentary closet.
Special thanks has to go to Gwen Smith, who came up with the original version of this drinking game.
Had you heard about this one yet? The country's rich are wailing and beating their chests over the Obama health care/tax plan.
The health care surtax touted by some members of Congress would bring a heftier tax bill to the richest Americans, but depending on where they live, some will take bigger hits than others.The richest of the rich in 10 U.S. states could see combined tax rates of more than 54.3 perc percent if the proposed health care surtax becomes law.
Take for instance, Eugenia, a California housewife whose husband works in finance. The Bay Area woman, who asked that her last name not be used, said her husband's income usually tops $1 million per year.
California taxes its top income earners more than 10 percent, meaning that between state taxes, federal taxes, Medicare taxes and the proposed health care surtax, the couple would face a total tax rate of more than 56 percent on part of their income.
"It's very sad, because my husband works almost 12 hours per day and can take only two weeks of vacation, and then he's getting less than half of what he's working for," Eugenia said. "On top of everything, we're going to pay for everybody else's health insurance."
Gee, that sounds awful! But upon closer examination, I'd say her husband's problem is hardly due to the federal government but rather her state's tax system.
So let's just look at the pound of proposed flesh, shall we?
Under the plan, according to projections done for the Associated Press:A family of four making $450,000 a year would pay $103,600 in federal income taxes, an increase of $1,000.
A single filer making $450,000 a year would pay $112,200 in federal income taxes, an increase of $7,100.
A family of four making $800,000 a year would pay $220,800 in federal income taxes, an increase of $30,000.
A single filer making $800,000 a year would pay $231,300 in federal income taxes, an increase of $30,700.
A family of four making $5 million a year would pay $1.81 million in federal income taxes, an increase of $443,500.
A single filer making $5 million a year would pay $1.83 million in federal income taxes, an increase of $452,000.
When you've been on food stamps and other assistance, have had to save UP to go through bankruptcy and have pawned your own engagement ring to make payments on a dilapidated house with cardboard taped over the cracked 100 year old windows, I'll have some sympathy for ya, Eugenie.
When you've had to chase down thieves in your stocking feet in winter, who had just stolen your entire month's packet of food stamps from your mailbox, I'll have some sympathy.
When you've had to pick up and cash in redeemable cans so you can give your husband 8 $1 bills 2 days before Christmas, so he could afford to go to Goodwill and buy your 2 year old used toys for her presents, I'll have some sympathy.
Until then, STFU- you and your husband benefited beautifully from the Bush era and payback sucks.
My husband and I are taking, starting this Saturday, our FIRST EVER ONE WEEK FAMILY VACATION IN 17 YEARS OF MARRIAGE. We only to ok 3 days for our HONEYMOON.
If you find yourself, Eugenie, having trouble "getting by" on your 400k+ a year, lemme know. I've got a good tuna casserole recipe I can share.
The nation's most vocal opponent of gay marriage has opened an office in the nation's Capitol to fight for DOMA.The group says it will use its D.C. office to "stop any attempt to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that may come through the courts or lobbying in Congress."
There are currently four lawsuits challenging DOMA in the federal courts. It is highly likely one of the suits will reach the Supreme Court, where a win could possibly open gay marriage for the entire country, but a loss would set the movement back decades.
"When the battle was to get a marriage amendment on the ballot in California, NOM was there to help. When Tim Gill and his friends decided to push gay marriage bills through [the] legislatures [of] blue states in the northeast, NOM lead the fight, helping to stop gay marriage in New York, working to overturn gay marriage in Maine, and helping win substantive religious liberty protections in Vermont and Connecticut," Brian Brown, NOM's executive director, said in a statement.
"Now gay marriage advocates are pushing Obama for the penultimate prize: repealing the federal Defense of Marriage Act, the only national law that protects marriage. We felt NOM needed to be here in D.C. to make the voice of the majority heard."
More below the fold- including how NOM, the Knights of Columbus, Roman Catholic Church Dioceses in 3 states and others outside of Maine have so far been financing a whopping 99.9% of the "People's Veto" efforts in Maine.
How will NOM manage to pay for it, with so much of their money going towards Marc Mutty and StandForMarriageMaine?
No worries- as they say, the Lord will provide...
And one wonders, will Maggie and cronies keep her office's location a secret as they advised Mutty to do, to "protect from the angry mobs, with double-locked and barred doors, as NOM also suggested to the Portland Diocese's "loaner"?
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Speaking of NOM and money, there are some very interesting questions being asked up here in Maine, regarding NOM, the Roman Catholic Diocese and just how much financial support SFMM, aka "NorthEast NOM", is able to get from local Mainers.
Remember last week the claims made by SFMM that they had raised boatloads of money? Well, seems that an amazing number of actual Mainers (you know, the only people who can VOTE here in November???) "put their money where their mouth is".
Try FOUR. JUST FOURST FOUR.
Guess how much of the money raised by Stand for Marriage came from Maine residents?
The campaign finance report also shows four Maine citizens contributed a total of $400 to the cause.$400? That means that, out of the total amount raised, the amount donated by actual residents of Maine to the effort constituted a whopping .1%, whereas the amount donated by Religious Right groups like NOM and FOF made up the other 99.9%.
Versus Mainers SUPPORTING our new marriage equality law with their wallets numbered 192 for a total of $81,000 over the same time period.
That's before other individuals around the country helped as well, and I thank everyone who has been able to do so. Much appreciated! :)
Don't take my word for it; check out the newly released PAC info for yourself.
It's fascinating reading- and maybe someone with more legal and political law knowledge than I possess can make sense of the various contributions by the Catholic Church as well.
'Tis the season for PRIDE Festivities everyone! Listed below are this summer's upcoming PRIDE festivals around the state. Click on the image or link for more information about each festival, and make sure you show up and are PROUD!
Oregon PRIDES Calender & Information
When: August 8th from 12 p.m.-7 p.m. Where: Alton Baker Park in Eugene
BRO Staff in Attendence: Aubrey & Alejandro
When: August 15th from 12 p.m.-7 p.m. Where-7 p.m. Where: Cascades Gateway Park in Salem
BRO Staff in Attendence: Juan
When: September 18th- 20th. Where: Various locations in Lincoln
BRO Staff in Attendence: Andrew
When: August 8th. Where: McKenzie Park in Hermiston
BRO Staff in Attendance: Jessica & Dan
If you are interested in volunteering with Basic Rights Oregon at any of these PRIDES, please contact Kyle at kyle@basicrights.org.
Don't see your city's pride here? E-mail Andrew at andrew@basicrights.org to have it added to BRO's Pride calender.www.GayTalkRadio.org
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