Some Events of the year 2008

++ = added later.



This is just some of what happened in 2008.

Public

Sou Southevy (193? - ) Cambodian sex worker, made a formal complaint to the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, in the hope that the extermination of transgender, lesbian and sex workers will be acknowledged.

Stu Rasmussen (1948 - ) elected mayor of Silverton, Oregon as an open transgender.

Alejandra Victoria Portatadino (1959 - ) on International Women’s Day, she was recognized as one of 20 Argentinian women who ‘broke traditional molds’.

Choochat Dulayapraphatsorn (1962 - ) elected village chief of Tai Ban Mai, Thailand.

Leo Kret (1983 - ) elected to city council of Salvador, Bahia.

Bishni Adhikari (1987 - ) a Nepali, acquires an identity card with gender=third.

Robin Mathy (1957 - ) US sociologist filed ethics complaints against Alice Dreger and Michael Bailey.

Pascale Ourbih (? - ) ran for office in the 16th arrondissement of Paris.

Ramesh Venkatesan (1980 - ) using name Rose is host of television program in Tamil Nadu.

Nepal's Supreme Court confirms full rights for all GLBTI persons.

Bangadeshi court rules that transgenders are citizens and have the right to vote, along with travellers, prisoners and 1947 migrants from India.

Australia considers third sex recognition

Sweden removes transvestity from the list of illnesses.

First Indonesian Islamic school for waria (transgender) set up in Yogyakarta.

Colombia's constitutional court rules that a five-year-old intersex child can choose her own gender against her parents' wishes.

Philippines Supreme Court rules that Jennifer Cagandahan, an intersex, could change her legal gender to male.

Pan-African meeting for transgender activists held in South Africa.

The UK Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations extended to Northern Ireland.

++ At the London pride March, trans women where denied the use of women's toilets, and were told incorrectly that they had to produce their Gender Recognition Certificates.

++ A court in Karlsruhe ruled that a trans woman who transitioned after being married to a woman for 50 years could both remain married and change her legal gender.

++ The Irish High Court ruled that Irish Law was incompatible with Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights with respect to Lydia Foy's attempt to get her birtt certificate changed.

Uganda High Court ruled in favour of GLBT activists (including Victor Mukasa) and against the Attorney General.

UN statement on universal rights of GLBT persons. The participating countries urged all nations to "promote and protect human rights of all persons, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity," and to end all criminal penalties against people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This was conceived by Louis Tin, the founder of the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), and adopted by France during its rotating presidency of the European Union. 66 countries including all EU countries (including Poland, Latvia and Lithuania) and several African countries signed. Notable among the non-signers were South Africa and Turkey, and, as expected, the US. Opposition came from the Vatican and the Islamic Conference.

China re-introduces optional sex testing at the Olympics.

National Fatwa Council of Malaysia issued a fatwa saying that tomboyism, where a girl behaves or dresses in what is seen as a boyish manner, is forbidden by Islam.

Turkish court bans Lambda Istanbul, and police raid its cultural centre on grounds of "frequent visits by transgender people".

New Kuwaiti law against cross-dressing used to arrest transgender Kuwaitis.

Police in Bangalore, India, forced 100 hijras from their homes, after a scandal about some hijras kidnapping and castrating male children.

Yet more US States banned equal marriages.

California voted in referendum to abolish all personal and business contracts except marriage where the persons are of different genders - details.

US DHHS regulations "Provider Conscience" rule permits any healthcare provider to refuse service to any gay or trans person on grounds of moral, religious or personal beliefs.

The CAMH Clinic gains more power by controlling restored funding for some Ontario transsexuals.

Ken Zucker and Ray Blanchard at Toronto's CAMH appointed to APA's DSM-5.

Bo Laurent closed down the Internet Society of North America, and joined The Accord Alliance.

Transphobic Julie Bindel shortlisted by Stonewall as lesbian journalist of the year.

Alice Dreger's "The Bailey Affair: Political Correctness and Attacks on Sex Research". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 37,3. June 2008.

Obituaries

Felicity Chandelle (1906 - 2008) airline pilot, USA.

++ Herman Ratjen (1918 - 2008) high jump for Germany, 1936, as Dora. Hamburg.

Erica Rutherford (1923 - 2008 ) artist, Prince Edward Island.

Lynne Braithwaite (1934 - 2008) aircraft engineer, Morecambe, Lancashire.

Steve Dain (1940 - 2008) San Francisco teacher.

Raymond Sheehan (1958 - 2008) New York cop outed as a transvestite when his abused wife killed him.

Jahna Steele (1958 - 2000) Las Vegas show girl.

Jennifer Gale (1960 - 2008) perennial political candidate, Austin, Texas.

Madeleine Blaustein (1960 - 2008) New York comic artist, writer, voice actor.

Jang Chae-won (1982 - 2008) Korean game-show contestant in apparent suicide.

Private Events

Jan Morris (1926 - ) formally rejoined her wife of nearly 60 years in a civil union in Wales.

Westerly Drouyn (1950 - ) Australian champion surfer transitioned.

Bülent Ersoy (1950 -) Turkish singer, was put on trial but found not guilty for saying on television that if she were a mother she would not want her son to be in the Turkish forces in Iraq.

Desiré Dubounet (1951 - ) arrested at Budapest airport.

Melanie Parltrow (1951 - ) Staffordshire lorry driver and lottery winner. Her ladies darts team was ejected from the league for questionable reasons.

Jillian Page (1952 - ) Montréal Gazette journalist, transitions.

Olli Aalto (1954 - ) vicar of Imatra, Finland, announces transition.

Lana Lawless (1953 - ) Palm Springs ex-cop, wins female Long Drive Championship.

Gwynedd Thomas (195? - ) engineering professor Auburn University, Alabama, transitioned at work.

Nicole Dolder (195? - ) in Scotland, has her play Painted Eggs based on her experiences as a transsexual presented by the theatre group, The Luvvies.

Lily Savage (1955 - ) awarded an MBE.

Stephen Whittle (1955 - ) became President of Transgender Europe (TGEU).

Julie Yoo (1959 - ) diner manager, Tarpon Springs, Florida, transitioned, and lost her diner.

Mike Penner (1959 - ) Los Angeles Times sports writer, transitions and then changes back.

Christiane Völling (1960 - ) Düsseldorf nurse, awarded €100,000 against the surgeon who removed her uterus and womb and hid her intersex status from her.

Adrian Poleglase (196? - ) Stockwell, London, civil servant, survived after a trick tied him up and set his flat on fire.

Enza Anderson (1964 - ) Metro party columnist, was Grand Marshall for Toronto Pride.

Valdimir Luxuria (1965 - ) lost her seat in the Italian Parliament, but was later the winner in the reality television show, Celebrity Island.

Raven Navajo (1965 - ) pleaded guilty in Las Vegas of first-degree murder, but convicted of second degree, and sentenced to 10 years.

Vikki-Marie Gaynor (1970 ) lorry driver, awarded £20,000 against DHL for discrimination.

Calpernia Adams (1971 - ) featured on Transamerican Love Story.

Darlene Harris (1973 - ) Atlanta police officer, goes public about her intersex status.

Hussain Rabie (1974 - ) Bahraini shot-putter, finally recognized as male by High Civil Court.

Thomas Beatie (1974 - ) gave birth and became pregnant a second time.

Eulis Campbell/Madeline Monroe (1980 - ) pleaded guilty to murder in Florida and sentenced to 40 years.

Aderet (1976 - ) Israeli singer, top of the playlist in Lebanon.

Cat Tuyen (1977 - ) Vietnamese singer, married.

Betheny Black (1978 - ) Manchester goth lesbian standup comedian, appeared at the Glastonbury Festival.

Balian Buschbaum (1980 - ) German champion pole-vaulter, transitioned.

Christy Nicole Lewis (1981 - ) sentenced to 4 years in Alabama for bank robbery.

Susanna Achora (? - ) herbalist, publicly exposed as male-bodied when she went into Mbale Hospital, Uganda, with meningitis.

Natasha Thoday (1966 - ) teacher in Brighton. Tribunal rules in her favour after she was fired and harassed.

Issa Fazli (196? - ) who converted from a female Muslim to a male Christian, was detained by his parents in Pakistan for four years. On return to the US his Permanent Residence had expired.

Lindiwe Ringane (? - ) rejected from Miss South Africa pageant.

Isis King (1986 - ) on America's Next Top Model.

Films & Television programmes

Chen Kaige (dir & scr). Mei Lanfang, with Leon Lai as Mei Lanfang. China 2008.

Becca Goldstein (dir). The Lisa Jackson Documentary. With Lisa Jackson. US 2008.

James Rasin (dir). Beautiful Darling. With Candy Darling, Andy Warhol, Holly Woodlawn. US 2008.

Jules Rosskam (dir). Against a Trans Narrative. With Desi del Valle. US 61 mins 2008.

Randolph Viverito (dir). My Name is Jackie Beat. With Jackie Beat, Roseanne Barr. US 65 mins 2008.

Marleen Gorris (dir). Heaven and Earth. With Natascha McElhone as James Barry. UK 2009. In pre-production.

Anand Tucker (dir). The Danish Girl. Based on the novel by David Ebershoff, with Nicole Kidman as Einar Wegener and Charlize Theron as Greta Wegener. US 2010. In pre-production.

The film biography of April Ashley with Catherine Zeta-Jones as Ashley is apparently not happening.

Born in the Wrong Body: Girls Will Be Boys. MSNBC US 60 mins 2008.

Born in the Wrong Body: A Change of Heart. With Joseph Kirchner, Michael Berke. MSNBC US 60 mins 2008.

Born in the Wrong Body: Tying the Knot. MSNBC US 60 mins 2008.

Taboo: The Third Sex. National Geographic Channel. Oct 27, 2008.

Books

Michael Seth Starr. Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. 2008: 120-8. (on Libby Reynolds).

Kate Cummings. Katherine's Diary‑the Story of a Transsexual. William Heinemann Australia 1992. Revised and updated 2008.

Katrina Alicia Karkazis. Fixing Sex: Intersex, Medical Authority, and Lived Experience. Durham: Duke University Press, 2008.

Nicholas Clapton. Moreschi: the Angel of Rome. Haus, 265pp 2008. A castrati.

Susan Stryker. Transgender History. Seal Press. 190 pp 2008.

Savannah Knoop. Girl Boy Girl: How I Became JT LeRoy. Seven Stories Press. 224 pp 2008.

Tracie O’Keefe (ed) Trans People in Love. Routledge 2008.

++ Terri O'Connell. Dangerous Curves. BookSurge Publishing 2008.