This point of this page is to collect and enhance resources about transgender issues, specifically East Asian and Chinese resources. Practical, directly-useful resources are my main goal here. This is an area I have some expertise in, so it's something I can be helpful about.
Finally, if this isn't abundantly clear: Everything on this webpage is purely my opinion. If you're looking for treatment, or surgery, or even just thinking about joining a group, check it out first. Don't take my opinion as gospel. Don't take the opinions of any one other person to be fact. Do research. Think critically. Find out for yourself. Sad that I need to say that, but nonetheless true.
The main categories of this page are in the list to the left.
I have a separate page which has info aboutgender stuff in Minnesota, which is where I live. I also havepage of information for transsexuals in Chinese.
As you look at the different sections of this page, remember that few pages fit clearly into one or another category! Look around.
Also Note:Chinese Version available
This page also has aChinese version that requires a Chinese, Big5 equipped browser to view. If that didn't make any sense, please check what I've written aboutdisplaying Chinese with your computer. The information contained there is slightly different from (and also less than) what you'll find on this page. If you speak English but need Chinese gender-related information, pleasecontact me and I'll be happy to help you translate what you need (free if it's for personal use, and you don't mind a somewhat hackneyed translation).
Back to thetop of the page or back to
General (But Useful!) Pages
Andrea James' excellentTS Roadmap, which gives probably more information than any other single page about the subject on the Web. I also especially recommend her pages aboutelectrolysis, which probably represent the best collection of practical information about the topic on the Web.
Anne Lawrence'sTranssexual Women's Resources. An excellent site with lots of information, second only to Andrea's page, if that. However, Lawrence has been a proponent of some very controversial theories in the past (specifically the concept of "autogynephilia"), and there have apparently also been some problems with her practice. So, her site comes with an even bigger requirement than most to judge carefully and critically.
Another very good site with lots of information isDiane Wilson's page for transsexuals. Well worth checking out.
TheInternational Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE). IFGE has published quite a nice magazine,Tapestry, and offers many services to the TG community.
An internet-radio program that's pretty good isGenderTalk. Listening to it requires theRealAudio program, though. They also have a goodlist of books available.
There are a lot of for-profit resource sites out there. One example isTransgendered Network International. Another isTransgender Forum.
A wiki for transgender-related resources seems natural.T-Vox is such a place. Their listing oftrans-related terminology is one of the more comprehensive ones around. (And they have aforum, too.)
Web forums come and go. A few notable ones these days are theGenderLife forum, founded by Calpernia Addams;NuttyCats, which appears to be based in the UK; theMy Husband Betty message boards, which include all sorts of transgender people, not specifically focusing on transsexual folks;TrueSelves, specifically for generation X and Y people; and theTransgender community on LiveJournal.
In Minneapolis, there's the University of Minnesota'sProgram in Human Sexuality. Their general philosophy is good: trying to find the right gender expression, and a healthy state of mind, for each person. They're also pretty expensive, though, and like all professionals in this field, they have at least a little reputation as gatekeepers rather than helpers.
Maybe the leading Web organization for TG folks who were born female but live as or are moving towards being men:FTM International.
TheIntersex Society of North America. They seem to be the main Web-based group for intersexual people, with frequent updates and lots of information.
A UK organization devoted to dealing with the troubles of the families of TG young people,Mermaids.
TheAntiJen site has a lot of good information for TS young people.
If you're considering surgery, electrolysis or other treatment, probably the first place you should go isAndrea James' TS Roadmap, which has excellent guides and information about all aspects of treatment. I especially recommend herpages about electrolysis.
You may also want to check outAnne Lawrence's Transsexual Women's Resources, with the provisos I mentionedabove.
Melanie Anne Phillips'How to Develop A Female Voice, while being a for-profit site, does give some very good tips about, well, developing a female (or should that be feminine?) voice.
Although it's a commercial site,TransGenderCare.com is pretty cool: a single site that discusses psychotherapy, hormones and electrolysis in depth. The specialists behind the site appear to be quite legitimate, but as always (and especially with commercial sites), think critically.
One of the few established and continuing trans health centers in the US is the University of Minnesota'sProgram in Human Sexuality.
There are a ridiculous number of e-mail lists out there that also give information about surgery, hormones, etc. Try, for example,Yahoo! groups. Many of them, however, are populated by kooks and flakes. Wherever you go for information, be careful. Maintain reasonable skepticism.
If you're considering surgery, electrolysis or other treatment, probably the first place you should go isAndrea James' TS Roadmap, which has excellent guides and information about all aspects of treatment. Really. She has far more information than I could index here. Some other useful sites follow, though.
As I mentioned above, there are some possible problems withAnne Lawrence's Transsexual Women's Resources, but a lot of the information there is still useful. As always, take care and be cautious.
ThePAI site is the main web presence of Dr. Preecha Tiewtranon, who performs SRS in Bangkok, Thailand.
A former student of Preecha's, Dr.Sanguan Kunaporn, has his own practice in Phuket.
Another quite famous Thai SRS surgeon is Dr. Suporn Watanyusakul.Dr. Suporn's website gives quite a bit of information, as well as links to a lot of women who've had SRS with him.
There are also many other Thai surgeons who are not quite so famous. Some of them are listed below:
Greechart Pornsinsirirak. A friend of mine in Taiwan recently had her surgery done with him. She seems satisfied, although the post-op care left a lot to be desired. Among other things, he was very vague about dilation methods and time requirements. Also, he doesn't have a website, so I've linked to his e-mail address.
Chettawut Tulayaphanich. He was trained by Dr. Preecha, and his website gives a lot of good answers. However, I haven't heard any reports, good or bad, from anyone about him.
According to many, the best SRS surgeon out there isDr. Toby Meltzer, late of Oregon but soon moving to Arizona. He's one of the best, but also one of the most expensive.
The web page of Drs. Menard and Brassard, who performGRS surgery in Montreal. Many people have said they're excellent.
- Chinese and Taiwanese-related sites.
- Korean sites.
- Japanese sites.
- Thai sites.
- South Asian sites.
- General Asian sites.
Well, okay, it's actuallyall in Chinese, but theIntermargins website has a greatpage for transgender folks in Taiwan.
Another great resource that's all in Chinese isPhinnie's TS Circle, a Yahoo group. It's one of the best local support groups, so it's worth checking out if you're TG and in Taiwan. The knowledge contained in this group is vast.
The台灣TG蝶園跨性別團體 Taiwan Transgender Butterly Garden is Taiwan's first trans support and advocacy group. They have anEnglish page with contact information.
Another one that's all in Chinese but very worthwhile isXia Shilian's page. This site is vast: news, forums, how-to, articles... It's got everything. It's easily the single best Chinese transgender-related site. It's from mainland China, if that's important to note.
National Central University of Taiwan has one of the intellectual hotbeds of transgender research in Taiwan, theCenter for the Study of Sexualities. The director of the Center,Josephine Ho (He Chunrui, 何春蕤) is probably the best scholarly expert on TG issues in Taiwan. The Center is primarily academic, though; they shouldn't be the first place you turn for advice on surgery, for example.
A nifty site which is by another Chinese-English bilingual person inTaiwan isNicole Darcy's site. She's a really cool musician and activist in Taiwan (and sometimes in the US).
While I'm at it, I might as well list a few terms related to trans issues in Chinese:
- 跨性 kuàxìng: Literally, 'to go beyond gender' or 'to cross over in terms of gender'. This term was coined (possibly by me?) as a translation for 'transgender'.
- 變性 biànxìng: Literally, 'to change gender' or 'to change sex'. Used as a synonym for 'transsexual' (as a general descriptor, but not as a noun).
- 變性者 biànxìngzhě: Literally, 'one who changes sex'. Used as a synonym for 'transsexual (person)'.
- 反串 fǎnchuàn: A traditional Chinese term. Fǎnchuàn is, historically, when a person assigned one gender at birth portrays a different gender on stage. Traditional examples include Běijīng opera (where 旦 dàn feminine roles were traditionally taken by people assigned male at birth) or Taiwanese opera (where masculine roles were traditionally taken by people assigned female at birth). Fǎnchuàn can now generally mean crossdressing or general transgender portrayals in movies.
- 異裝癖 yìzhuāngpì: Literally, 'an addiction for the other's attire', used as a translation for 'transvestism'. Yìzhuāngpì has all the negative associations of 'transvestism', too.
- 紅頂藝人 Hóngdǐng Yìrén were a drag troupe who flourished in Taiwan during the 90s. The company's success and eventual dissolution caused many groups to form with homophonous names, such as 虹鼎、宏鼎、etc. Homophonous terms may also evoke general trans/crossdressing/drag culture in Taiwan; there has been, for example, a photo studio named 虹顶 that specialized in crossdressed photo shoots.
- 人妖 rényāo: Literally, 'human monsters'. Often used to describe Thai kathoey and other people who are trans performers. However, this term is really very offensive, so I strongly urge you not to use it, for anyone.
- 扮裝 bànzhuāng: Literally, 'to take on the attire of [another gender]'. Sometimes used as a synonym for 'drag'. 扮裝皇后 bànzhuāng huánghòu is a fairly common, fairly literal translation of 'drag queen'.
- 中性人 zhōngxìngrén is a pretty common translation of 'intersex person'. 陰陽人 yīnyángrén may be a more traditional term; literally, it means 'a person who is both yīn and yáng'.
And finally, please don't forget that my pages contain aChinese-language gender page which includes some links to good sources of gender-related information inChinese. If your system is equipped toview Chinese characters, and you understand them, please check the page out! And again, if you need any help with translation or even displaying Chinese characters on your system, pleasecontact me.
First isSolidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea, who look like a great, transgender-inclusive group with lots of useful resources and accomplishments.
Second is theDari Project, primarily aimed at giving Korean and Korean-American GLBT people a place to share their stories. Cool stuff.
A good Japanese site to start at isEon/W.
gid.jp looks like a very helpful organization. They sponsor a yearly all-Japan conference and appear to be very politically active.
Another good Japanese support site isTrans-Net Japan (TS toTG wo Sasaeru Hitobito no Kai). It seems quite diverse and well organized.
TheTransgender in Thailand website is now down, but some of the original articles are hosted on Sam Winter's site.
There appear to be several academic articles by Peter A. Jackson on the Net. Probably the one that interests me most isMale Homosexuality and Transgenderism in the Thai Buddhist Tradition. Another isNon-normative Sex/Gender Categories in the Theravada Buddhist Scriptures (however, the location of this article is not current). His scholarship may be problematic at times, but at least for now, it's about the best there is (or rather, the best I could find).
Another article about transgender and queer folks in Thailand is"Whiskey is Whiskey; You Can't Make a Cocktail from That!": Self-Identified Gay Thai Men in Bangkok, by Jillana Enteen.
A very good South Asian organization for queer folks isTrikone (I have linked here to their San Francisco chapter's page.) They publish a self titled magazine, offer support and do all kinds of things.
A Westernhijra (a Hindi term, somewhat equivalent to transsexual) has her own page,The Sampark Project. The idea was to have an exchange between American TS's and Indian hijras.
One of the best collections of general Asian TG links out there is Dr. Sam Winter'sTransgenderASIA page. He has a lot of good general information -- the legal status of transsexuals in various countries, personal webpage links from TS's all over the world, and a lot of good research papers.
There doesn't appear to be much by aboutwarias (Malaysian transgender/transsexual people) yet. There is, however, a very nicecollection of photographs ofwaria.
A site which offers lots of general queer-related (but unfortunately not TG-inclusive) information about countries in Asia isUtopia.
A very nice, though unfortunately rather small,list of Asian, queer-related books is available. The list is, however, specifically disinclusive of transgender sources (it's mainly gay, a little lesbian and nominally bisexual). Oh, well, it's still a good list.
A good TG-related law center is theTransgender Law and Policy Institute.
One of the most effectice organizations is theNational Center for Transgender Equality.
TheTransgender Law Center is mostly focused on California, but still has lots of useful resources.
TheSylvia Rivera Law Project does a lot of good work at the intersection of trans issues, race, class and gender.
Monica Roberts'TransGriot is a great source for trans-related news. She also does a great job of covering how racism intersects with transphobia.
TheNational Gay and Lesbian Task Force, a major political organization in the US which is very inclusive of TG folks. Please note that this page is graphics-intensive and takes a while to load.
TheGenderPAC homepage. GenderPAC was once one of the most important transgender-related organizations, fighting transphobic hate crimes and other crap that happens to transgender people. However, in recent years, they've broadened (or, some might say, weakened) their focus to include pretty much all hate crimes, bullying, etc., as well as general oppression of poor people, GLBT people, etc.
Probably one of the coolest people campaigning for the liberation of transgender people isLeslie Feinberg. Feinberg is an amazing speaker, and in my opinion is one of the better forces working in the TG liberation movement. The site is rather bare, but contains some good links and a lot of access.
A UK-based organization which provides support and activism,Press for Change, is mostly focused on helping the legal status of transsexual people in the UK. (Although the UK recently passed laws making post-op transsexuals eligible for marriage in their target genders, I think that PFC is continuing to work for the betterment of transgendered people's lives.)
The major political GLBT (Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender) organization in the US isThe Human Rights Campaign. They have at times appeared to be transgender-inclusive, but they recently pushed for the specificexclusion of transgender people from the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), when it looked just as likely to pass either way. So, the HRC no longer has my confidence; it appears that, when it really gets down to it, they consider trans people expendable. They still have a fairly good page aboutjob issues (especially transition)for transgender people, however.
Here's a note to avoid Sky Publishing, who put outSky & Telescope magazine. Theyfired an employee for being transgender, and when she sued them, not only did they not repent,they tried to eliminate the local law against anti-transgender discrimination (several paragraphs down)! In e-mail, they've told me that "...Sky has not admitted any guilt in the settlement and we did not discriminate against anyone," which to me seems patently false. I've recently gotten back intoastronomy in a big way, and it pains me to see fellow hobbyists being such jerks.
The best site around for transgender research done in Taiwan is theCenter for the Study of Sexualities, located on the campus of National Central University. The director of the Center,Josephine Ho (He Chunrui, 何春蕤) has done a lot of research about TG issues in Taiwan, and is a really nice person to boot.
There are many academic programs in queer or GLBT studies out there. One good place to start is theCenter for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) at the City University of New York.
Another good academic program is the one at the University of Chicago, called theLesbian and Gay Studies Project.
Yet another good program is theLesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Program at UCLA.
A good directory of academic queer studies isJohn C. Younger's page at the University of Kansas.
TheInternational Journal of Transgenderism, an academic journal, peer-reviewed with lots of good, well researched information and some pretty good links, too.
TheWorld Professional Association for Transgender Health, Inc., originally known as theHarry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, aka The Gatekeepers, are the people who decide theStandards of Care (PDF), which will affect your life very directly if you are considering any kind of professional treatment related to transgender issues. The Standards of Care detail the diagnosis and treatment of gender dysphoria, and, for example, set the conditions under which people may undergo hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or sexual reassignment surgery (SRS).
Back to thetop of the page or back to
FTM, Intersex, Youth and Family Sites
Back to thetop of the page or back to
Treatment Sites
Back to thetop of the page or back to
Surgery Sites
Back to thetop of the page or back to
Specifically Asian Pages
Note: Some of the sites referred to below primarily use languages other than English. If you understand Japanese, Korean or Chinese languages but don't know how to access them (i.e., make them show up in readabale form) on the Web, please see the section of my pages devoted todisplaying East Asian writing on your computer.
The sections here are divided as follows:
Back to thetop of the page or back to
Chinese and Taiwanese-related sites
Unfortunately, there isn't much in the way of resources for Chinese-speaking people in English. There are quite a few useful sites out there with very nice information in Chinese, though -- for these, please seemy Chinese-language gender page.
Back to thetop of the page or back to
Korean sites
The excellentPauline Park has told me about a couple good Korean-related GLBT sites:
Back to thetop of the page or back to
Japanese sites
Back to thetop of the page or back to
Thai sites
Back to thetop of the page or back to
South Asian sites
Back to thetop of the page or back to
General sites
Back to thetop of the page or back to
Political & Legal Pages
Back to thetop of the page or back to
Academic and Religious Pages
Back to thetop of the page or back to
Especially Important Sites
We must never stop remembering our dead. Let us not forget, many transgender people have been killed for their identities -- just for being who they are! In memorial of theTransgender Day of Remembrance, I've added a bit offreeware memorial artto my site.
Back to thetop of the page or back to