US - M2F gender variant Iranian refugee Majid Kolestani charged with murder in shooting... [2008-08-29 Times-News]

http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2008/08/29/news/local_state/143314.txt

Friday, August 29, 2008

Transgender Iranian refugee charged with murder in shooting

By Andrea Jackson
Times-News writer

A transgender Iranian refugee has been charged in Twin Falls with shooting and killing his male housemate, also a refugee from Iran.

Majid Kol-estani, 42, was charged with first-degree murder for the Monday shooting death of Ehsan Velayati Kababian, 29.

Kababian allegedly got into a car parked along Fifth Avenue East and Kolestani banged on the window with an object - the driver's door opened and Kolestani shot him in the head. The vehicle crashed into a house on Fifth Avenue East and Kolestani was dead when police arrived, according to court records released Thursday afternoon.

Kolestani allegedly ran to a nearby house at 363 Fourth Ave. E. and shot himself in the head. He opened his door for police at 1:37 a.m. - 8 minutes after police got a 911 call - and he was ordered to the ground, court records show. "At the front door of the residence officers smelled gun powder."

Thirteen-year-old Alma-dina Kadusic lives in the downstairs apartment at 363 Fourth Ave. E. and was shaken early Monday morning after a bullet came through her ceiling barely missing her bed.

It's not yet known what gun the bullet in Kadusic's bedroom may have come from, said Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs. "No officers discharged a weapon that I'm aware of."

Loebs said he does not plan to charge Kolestani for the incident. Possible charges for it would be trumped by first-degree murder, he said. "I'm aware of and concerned about the fact that a little girl's room had a bullet come through it."

The names Kolestani and Kababian are listed on the mailbox for the upstairs apartment at 363 Fourth Ave. E.

Kolestani is a man, authorities confirmed Wednesday, but he looks like a woman, neighbors said.

Police also originally referred to him as a "she." In a picture provided Thursday by authorities, he sports makeup, thin eyebrows, long shiny earrings and wispy blond bangs.

Neighbors said Kolestani had worked at Cactus Petes Resort Casino in Jackpot, Nev. A spokeswoman for the casino said policy prevents her from confirming employment and referred questions to Twin Falls Police.

Kolestani had been in America since January, court records show.

He assimilated into Twin Falls through the College of Southern Idaho Refugee Center, director Ron Black confirmed. "It's sad, yes."

Black said both Kolestani and Kababian were refugees who came separately through the program.

Kolestani was hospitalized in Boise through Thursday morning when he was arrested by Ada County authorities.

Loebs said Kolestani could be transported to Twin Falls today.

He's being held without bond.

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Andrea Jackson may be reached at 208-735-3380 or ajackson@magicvalley.com.

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© 2006, Lee Publications Inc.

Britain - Post-operative M2F gender variant Para hero Jan Hamilton (nee Ian Hamilton) wig attack... [2008-08-30 The Sun]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1627897.ece

Saturday, August 30, 2008
   
Sex-swap Para hero wig attack

Served in Iraq ... Jan Hamilton 2008-08-30

BRITAIN’S first sex-change Army officer was assaulted in a bar by a drinker who tried to knock her wig off, a court heard yesterday.

Former Para hero Jan Abigail Hamilton, 43 — who used to be called Ian — was taunted by James Young on a night out.

Blackpool JPs heard that two days later Young approached Jan and called her Ian.

The 46-year-old then tried to knock the Afghanistan and Iraq veteran’s wig off.

Young, of Lytham St Annes, Lancs, admitted assault and got 60 hours’ community service. He must also pay Jan — who left the Army earlier this year — £150 compensation.

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© 2006 News Group Newspapers Ltd.

Iran - Film - "Tedium" ("Khastegi") - Explores the world of seven transsexuals in modern day Iran... [2008-08-29 Yahoo (AP)]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080829/ap_en_ot/venice_film_festival_iranian_transsexuals_2

Iranian film explores transsexual world

By COLLEEN BARRY
Associated Press Writer

Fri Aug 29 2008

Organizers of the Venice Film Festival waited to announce "Khastegi (Tedium)" by first-time Iranian director Bahman Motamedian until the last minute to avoid alerting authorities to its sensitive subject: transsexuals in modern-day Iran.

The struggles of seven transsexuals depicted in the film are made more complicated by Iran's strict gender codes and cultural obstacles. But Motamedian, who is best known in Iran for theater work, insists the problems they face are universal to transsexuals anywhere in the world: finding their identity and seeking acceptance from their families.

"We know that throughout the world this problems exists," Motamedian said. "The idea was to raise awareness among families especially, because this is the first layer of barrier, and to help people to realize they are not alone and be able to face the problem."

Motamedian said he was inspired by the Italian neo-realists in his filmmaking, and for the movie he cast transsexuals, not professional actors, to act a role that he created.

"The cast I worked with had no cinematic training, which I thought would be useful to access things that a professional actor wouldn't be capable," Motamedian said.

"Usually an actor is trained to show things. I thought it was important to show what a person was hiding," he told a news conference Friday.

"Tedium," which is being shown out of competition, delves into the lives of seven transsexuals as they struggle with the question of whether they can find true romantic love, whether to go through with a sex change operation, how to tell their families — and in one case, a wife — and whether to remain in Iran.

Motamedian said the most difficult casting was for Shiva, the one female-to-male transsexual in the film.

"Right up to the day of shooting I hadn't found a suitable character to play that role ... and I even thought about cutting her out," Motamedian said. "As it is a very masculine and male-oriented society, the thought of really coming out and revealing that fact they wanted to come out and revealing they are not a 'real' male ... has real problems. All of the women I met who wanted to be male didn't want this to be known, for them it was a real problem coming out."

Motamedian said the movie was made without going through official channels to get permission — meaning without government financial support. But it also means the film won't be shown in Iran.

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© 2008 The Associated Press.

Israel - Sexed Texts... [2003-08-10 NY Times]

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E7D71E3EF933A2575BC0A9659C8B63

August 10, 2003

THE WAY WE LIVE NOW: 08-10-03; Sexed Texts

By CHARLES MCGRATH
Men -- as we know now, thanks to investigators like Dr. John Gray -- are from Mars, women from Venus. On our respective planets we, or our ancestors, learned to do certain things differently: shop, argue, deploy the TV clicker. To this ever-expanding list we must now add writing. Not writing in the literal sense of making marks on a page -- though clearly there are vast differences there as well (legibility must be more prized on Venus) -- but writing as linguistic expression. This is slightly different from conversation, in which, as Deborah Tannen, another of the scholars in the Venus-Mars debate, has taught us, the differences between men and women are so vast as to be almost unbridgeable without years of therapy.

Men and women ostensibly write the same language, on the other hand, but according to a recent article in The Boston Globe, they do so in ways that immediately reveal which sex is doing the writing. A team of Israeli scientists, the Globe article reports, punched into a computer some 600 published documents and devised an algorithm that could predict with 80 percent accuracy the sex of the author.

Let's try this at home. Here are two passages chosen more or less at random from current magazines:

Passage A: ''I was dating this guy who came from a very wealthy family, and I always felt a little uncomfortable about my humble roots. For his parents' 25th-wedding anniversary, the family had planned a black-tie party at a ritzy hotel. I was nervous about it, but Alex told me he had everything under control. Before the event, he took me shopping and brought me a beautiful gown. The night of the party, he even rented a limo so we could arrive in style. Alex was a perfect gentleman and treated me like a princess the entire night. He even waltzed with me!''

Passage B: ''Ironwood RC-660. . . . Smokejumpers swear by it. You can finally haul that 1,800-pound keg. Whatever the emergency, this American Gladiators-looking tank can handle it. Options include a 75-gallon liquid tank and bullet-resistant enclosure. . . . Honda FourTrax Rancher AT GPScape. . . . No other ATV offers a longer name or a standard GPS system, which helps determine if you're ripping through Amazon rain forests, shredding the Sahara or tearing up a neighbor's lawn.''

A no-brainer, right? A is from Venus, B is from Mars. Yes, but not for the reasons you think. When the Israeli stylometricans, as they call themselves, study a text, they scrub it clean of everything that's ''topic specific'' -- in other words, no ''gown,'' no ''princess,'' no ''keg,'' no ''bullet-resistant.'' This is how sophisticated language analysts work these days. They ignore the obvious stuff and concentrate instead on the seemingly unobtrusive little tics that the writer and reader barely notice. The process is a little like identifying Tom Wolfe by ignoring his suits and his spats and concentrating instead on his socks, but it gets results. Seven years ago, for example, Donald Foster, the Vassar English professor and self-styled ''forensic linguist,'' fingered Joe Klein as the author of ''Primary Colors'' from Klein's use of punctuation and adverbs.

Similarly, what the gender-identifying algorithm picks up on is that women are apparently far more likely than men to use personal pronouns -- ''I,'' ''you'' and ''she'' especially. Men, on the other hand, prefer so-called determiners -- ''a,'' ''the,'' ''that,'' ''these'' -- along with numbers and quantifiers like ''more'' and ''some.'' What this suggests, according to Moshe Koppel, an author of the Israeli project, is that women are more comfortable talking or thinking about people and relationships, while men prefer to contemplate things.

But from the same magazine where I found Passage B, I could also have selected the following: ''As the sun sets on a spectacularly gorgeous Miami day, a crowd of people strolling along the Atlantic Ocean coastline are overwhelmed with the same feeling. They've gathered to witness a once-in-a-lifetime scene as a beauty crawls out of the frigid ocean water onto the warm sand. Given the attention, you'd assume the passers-by may have stumbled onto a real, live mermaid. This event, however, was far more memorable -- a Carmen Electra photo shoot.'' That writer certainly sounds like a people person to me. And how about this, from the ostensibly Venusian magazine: ''Hardware detailing is really big this season, and the buckles make these jeans a little edgy and rock and roll.'' Kind of thingy, wouldn't you say?

Tannen suggests that children's conversational styles begin to differ almost as soon as children begin to socialize, and linguistic differences may go back even earlier. When my daughter was an infant, my wife kept a detailed scrapbook recording her development and proudly noted that by 22 months, for instance, she had already mastered most of the subordinating conjunctions -- ''when,'' ''if,'' ''because'' and even ''unless.'' When our son came along, three years later, my wife was alarmed to discover that he had little interest in conjunctions, other than ''and,'' but had instead amassed a formidable inventory of nouns, starting with ''lawn mower.'' Both children, thank goodness, are now happy and well adjusted, but had we known enough at the time, we probably could have turned them into test cases. She, presumably, was a Venusian, interested in relationships; he was a Martian, collecting information.

But what planet are those Israeli stylometricians from, spending so much effort trying to prove something that they could have learned from looking at bylines and author photographs? It would be surprising if our prose did not reveal something about who we are -- something more interesting, in fact, than our sexes -- and the place to look is precisely at those ''topic specific'' references that the programmers have so scientifically ignored. You like waltzing; I like A.T.V.'s. Once we get that established, then maybe we can start to communicate.

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Charles McGrath is the editor of The New York Times Book Review.

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Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

Malaysia - Film - "Broken Hole" ("Pecah Lobang") delves into the lives and plight of Muslim transsexual sex workers... [2008-08-31 The Star]

http://www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2008/8/31/movies/1891059&sec=movies

Sunday August 31, 2008

Talk, don’t condemn

By TIONG KEAN KOK

We speak to the directors of two powerful new films exploring human rights and democratic space, ahead of the annual Freedom Film Fest Merdeka month screenings, which begin on Friday.

TENG Poh Si doesn’t shy away from tackling controversial issues head-on. Take, for instance, her winning proposal for the Freedom Film Festival (FFF) 2008 that delves into the lives and plight of Muslim transsexual sex workers.

You cannot help but admire the young woman (she is only 24) for having the guts to deal with not just one but two subjects – sex and religion – that are often shoved back into the closet by the powers-that-be for being “too sensitive”.

“I don’t think it is sensitive,” she announces right up front when we met recently. “If the status quo sees it that way then maybe it is time to reflect and question that status quo.”

Indeed, that is her wish when her film, entitled Pecah Lobang makes its debut on Saturday. She hopes it will “inspire a discussion”, she says. “Instead of condemning (the transsexuals), let’s talk!”

(The film’s title translates roughly as “broken hole”; Teng explains that whenever she pointed the camera at her subjects at first, they’d say, “Cannot, nanti pecah lobang!” or “I will be exposed”.)

Teng’s US education is partly, if not entirely, responsible for her outspoken feistiness.

“Over in the US, it is more like, ‘This is a really good issue’, rather than ‘This is a sensitive issue’. I have had so many great teachers there, and felt that I could write anything that I wanted.”

Born and raised in Penang, Teng’s pen name, “Poh Si Teng”, was coined in the United States where it is a norm to put the surname last.

The recent journalism graduate from San Francisco State University already has an impressive resume that includes work for employers like the Miami Herald newspaper and the Associated Press news service, where she honed her skill as a video journalist.

If you’d seen the list of topics Teng’s worked on, you would not be surprised by the subject matter she chose for her first Malaysian film project. From covering stories on drug dealers in the crime-ridden streets of Miami (“I love stories to do with gangs!” she declares enthusiastically) to a 60-second peek into the life of a male escort (during which he consented to be video-taped in the buff!), Teng has always been attracted to intriguing, often underground, issues.

Before elaborating on her Malaysian film, Teng wants to make an important point about the difference between a transsexual and a transvestite: “A transvestite is someone who dresses up as the opposite sex. A transsexual is someone who wants to be the opposite sex.”

She continues, “Syariah law prohibits a man from dressing as a woman, although, oddly enough, there is no such restriction the other way around. There are severe penalties if a man were to do so.

“Such stigmatisation makes it really hard for Muslim transsexuals to integrate into society – so much so that they have no choice but to resort to sex work to make a living.”

Teng reveals that she wrote the proposal for the Freedom Film Fest (see Festival of freedom opposite for how the competition works) when she was still in the United States.

“I have always loved exploring stories about sexual diversity and the freedom of choice. Malaysia is at an interesting stage where the society is somewhat more open and we want the ‘pink dollar’, but at the same time we are also very conservative. There are very strong conflicting feelings and attitudes.”

She hit the ground running when she returned to Malaysia two months ago.

“I had only six weeks to complete the film. And it took me about one and a half weeks to find someone who was willing to be featured in the film.”

One of the most daunting challenges of making this film – shot entirely in KL’s Jalan Chow Kit area – was to get the transsexuals to open up to her, but, says Teng, “I knew that if I proved to them that I was sincere and non-judgmental, I would gain their confidence”.

That, in fact, proved far easier than getting the relevant authorities to give their two sen worth. She tried Jawi (Jabatan Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan), for instance: “I wrote numerous letters to them but they did not respond. I ended up having to ‘ambush’ them at an event!”

The whole experience has been enlightening, she says.

“It is very sad to see the amount of hardship that they (the transsexuals) have to endure, but in spite of it all, they are some of the most beautiful and compassionate people I have ever met.

“During my first few days with them, they would give me a 10 sen coin every time we met up, saying that they want to pass ong (luck) to me!”

Teng feels that FFF 2008 is a good platform for the issue as her goal is to speak the truth without fear.

“It doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree; I leave that to the audience to decide. As a journalist, I can only try to get all sides of the story and, hopefully, presenting them will spark a debate.”

Many years ago, Teng found her calling after witnessing an incident that happened right in front of her apartment building in Bandar Sunway, Selangor, when she was studying at a local college.

“There was a squatter area and one evening it was demolished. I thought it was such a terrible thing to happen without warning or thought to the residents and had expected it to be reported in the news the next day. But there was no mention of it.

“That is when I felt the need to tell stories. Seeing what people have and what they don’t have, the disparity in society, and the belief that things can be better, well, that is what inspires me. ”

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Screening times

Sept 5-7, KL, The Annexe, 3rd Floor, Central Market, Jalan Hang Kasturi (11am to 11pm): Pilihanraya Umum Ke-12: Demokerasi atau Rebutan Kerusi will be screened at 8pm on Sept 5, and Pecah Lobang and Who Speaks For Me at 8pm-9.30pm on Sept 6. There will be other human rights films by local and international award winning filmmakers screened along with exhibitions and public forums about human rights and democracy over the three days.

Sept 12, Johor Baru: Tropical Inn Johor Bahru, No. 15, Jalan Gereja, Johor Baru. For further information, call 07-224 7888.

Sept 19, Kuching: Old Court House, Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg; for further information, call 082-410 944 or e-mail the Sarawak Tourism Board at stb@sarawaktourism.com or vic-kuching@sarawaktourism.com

Sept 26, Penang: Wawasan Open University, No. 54, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah; for further information, call 04-228 9323 or e-mail wouevents@wou.edu.my.

Details also available at http://freedomfilmfest.komas.org/

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© 1995-2008 Star Publications (M) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) Managed by I.Star

US - Now F2M gender variant deli-operator Jahn Kirchoff (nee Janet Mary Kirchoff) really is Jahn the Man... [2008-08-31 Miami Herald]

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/story/664299.html

Sun, Aug. 31, 2008

Now he really is Jahn the Man

BY LYDIA MARTIN
lmartin@MiamiHerald.com

Jahn Kirchoff calls to check in, and the voice on the phone is startling. It has dropped considerably in just a couple of weeks. No way it sounds like a woman's voice anymore.

“Yeah, my voice is getting deeper. My vocal cords are expanding -- and my beard is really growing in now,” says Kirchoff, who is getting used to five-o'clock shadows.

In 2004, after living as a biological woman for 48 years, Kirchoff had surgery to remove his breasts. In August he marked the one-year anniversary of the start of hormone treatments.

“It takes almost three years of taking the hormones for all the changes to happen,” Kirchoff says in his sweet, laid-back way.

As stories about gender transitions go, this one is remarkable for what Kirchoff hasn't had to endure: He was never shunned by family or friends. As co-owner of the popular Deli Lane cafes in South Miami, Brickell and Sarasota, he doesn't worry about being fired. Over the years, he has gotten plenty of “long looks” from strangers but isn't afraid, even as his transition from female to male becomes more obvious.

“I think anybody who was going to have a problem with me would have had a problem already. I have been transgender most of my life. Actually, now I pass as a man more easily,” he says during a pause after the lunch rush at the Deli Lane off Sunset Drive.

Each morning after his shower, Kirchoff massages his arms with a clear testosterone gel that costs him $140 a month. . He has a hard time gauging its effects.

But friends, family and customers see a difference: At 5-foot-3, the once-slight Kirchoff has gained 30 pounds and weighs almost 150. His chest and shoulders are broader, his neck and thighs thicker.

The hormones that made hair sprout on his face, arms and legs have given him such a mean golf swing that he bowed out of the women's leagues at the Biltmore Golf Course.

“I didn't want to have an unfair advantage. Picking up a 50-pound box of potatoes used to be a big deal. Now I can easily do it.”

Kirchoff grew up on Long Island, the youngest of three children in a traditionally middle-class, Irish-American family.

“In my dreams, I was always a boy,” he says. “When I was a kid, we would all go to the movies on Saturday afternoon. You know, Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, Bye