Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Canada has had a long, hard fixation with catching people getting aroused over things Canadian “experts” consider mental illnesses. One program in the mid-20th century, nicknamed the “fruit machine,” led to over 9,000 Canadian citizens being investigated as suspected homosexuals, with some even being tested and drummed out of government jobs.
In the wake of the fruit machine program, the fine folks at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) developed and still promote penile plethysmography (PPG). The device, nicknamed a peter meter, is supposedly a lie detector for male genitalia. It’s not admissible in court cases as evidence for the same reason as a polygraph: the data can be manipulated by both subject and tester, and there’s little standardization in equipment or stimuli.
Late last month, Youth Forensic Psychiatric Services in Burnaby, British Columbia was forced to shut down a decades-old program where troubled youths had a device placed on their penises while they were subjected to media depicting stuff like rape and child pornography. The final straw was when one of the test administrators was arrested for a sexual assault allegedly committed during leisure time. Read about the whole sordid story and the CAMH connection below.
Canadian ‘peter meter’ youth program halted; tester charged with sexual assault
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/08/16/canadian-peter-meter.html
This is talk, not advice. See Terms of Use for details.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the infamous Toronto facility known for regressive and humiliating treatment of transgender clients, is about to lose the monopoly that allowed them to become the most notorious “gender clinic” in the world. A Provincial Trans Health Project Advisory Committee is being formed to address this problem that emerged in Ontario over 40 years ago and has been a problem ever since.
Loralee Gillis, Coordinator of Research and Policy at Rainbow Health Ontario, has just made the following announcement:
Request for applications for membership on Provincial Trans Health Project Advisory Committee
We are seeking trans people from across Ontario to be members of a Provincial Trans Health Project Advisory Committee.
Sherbourne Health Centre, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, The Trans Health Lobby Group of the Rainbow Health Network, the Trans PULSE research study and a number of trans community activists have been working with the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care over the last two years to develop a plan to improve trans health services in the province of Ontario for trans people. Through this process the Ministry of health has agreed to:
Establish 3 additional assessor sites for trans people needing approval of OHIP funded SRS
Provide training for health care providers across the province in trans health care
Conduct an evaluation of aforementioned initiatives
Establish an advisory committee to oversee the development and implementation of these three projects.
This call for applications is to find four members of the trans community from diverse communities across the province to be members of the advisory committee for these projects. We are searching for people with particular skills to work with us to co-create improved services for trans people across the province.
We welcome applications from trans people with diverse backgrounds and experience to be part of this ground breaking imitative. We would like to especially encourage applications from:
people of colour & people from racialized communities;
immigrants and refugees;
Aboriginal and Two Spirit people;
people whose first language is not English
people living with (dis)abilities
people living outside of the GTA – particularly people from rural and northern areas of the province;
Application Process
Click here to link to our website and the application form (NB—you will need to scroll down):
http://www.facebook.com/l/eb87dID3L6lvSJblhVIY2k_s5tg;www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/about/whatsnew.cfm?startRow=1#aec572d74-3048-8bc6-e8ee-cad0372460ed
Email or mail your completed application form, including references and a brief résumé to us by 5pm, August 18th.
Email: jkeystone@RainbowHealthOntario.ca
Mail: c/o Jen Keystone
Rainbow Health Ontario
Sherbourne Health Centre
333 Sherbourne Street
Toronto, Ontario, M5A 2S5
We thank all applicants for their interest, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted for a telephone interview. Applicants, please be sure to include a telephone number that we can use to contact you.
Loralee Gillis
Coordinator of Research and Policy
Rainbow Health Ontario
Sherbourne Health Centre
333 Sherbourne Street
Toronto, ON
M5A 2S5
http://www.facebook.com/l/eb87dvRjo8Kr_0htJ5kYJT-K0FA;www.RainbowHealthOntario.ca
Tel: 416-324-4100 x5263
Fax: 416-324.4262
Any Canadian citizens seeking trans health services are urged to avoid CAMH at all costs. Please contact one of several alternatives, including the Sherbourne Health Centre listed above.
Further information:
Close the CAMH Gender Identity Clinic
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=72087499258
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) vs. sex and gender minorities
http://www.tsroadmap.com/info/centre-addiction-mental-health.html
This is talk, not advice. See Terms of Use for details.
Friday, July 02, 2010
A reader has generously translated the timetable section of this site into Spanish.
Un lector ha traducido generosamente la sección de calendario de esta pagina en español.
Lanzarse demasiado pronto a vivir full time es probablemente la principal causa de posible infelicidad en una transición. La mayor parte de nosotras desea hacerlo pronto, pero hay que ser realista. Creo que cuanto más te prepares para vivir full time, mayor es la probabilidad de que tengas una transición sin problemas. Aquellas que quieren ser aceptadas como mujeres por otras personas deben adecuarse a su nuevo rol mental, física y financieramente.
Personalizando el cronograma de tu transición
http://www.tsroadmap.com/espanol/cronograma-transicion.html
This is talk, not advice. See Terms of Use for details.
Posted by
Andrea James on 07/02 at 05:11 PM
Basics •
Permalink
Thursday, July 01, 2010
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) notes:
Department addresses housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
WASHINGTON- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced a new policy that provides lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and families with further assistance when facing housing discrimination. The new guidance treats gender identity discrimination most often faced by transgender persons as gender discrimination under the Fair Housing Act, and instructs HUD staff to inform individuals filing complaints about state and local agencies that have LGBT-inclusive discrimination laws. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announced the new guidance at HUD’s LGBT Pride Month Celebration.
“Our job to prevent and combat housing discrimination is not complete without addressing 21st Century issues,” stated John Trasviña, Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “Our fair housing staff will work with state and local civil rights agencies to investigate and refer discrimination cases and work to combat all aspects of gender discrimination.”
Department of Housing and Urban Development website
http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/program_offices/public_affairs
This is talk, not advice. See Terms of Use for details.
Posted by
Andrea James on 07/01 at 09:25 PM
Real World •
Permalink
A reader notes:
You have an informative area about silicone injections on your site, listing the cons on why not to get pumped. Well many girls were stupid and went ahead and did it anyway. If I could suggest, adding more information for girls who got pumped and are dealing with issues due to silicone injections.
Recently I have been looking for a doctor to remove the silicone I stupidly had pumped in my ass and hips. I went to many doctors and they all said they couldn’t help me. I even had one doctor laugh and rudely say “why would you do something so dumb, I don’t know what to tell you”; I left the office in tears.
Meanwhile my butt was hard, lumpy, with red blotches and was hot when you touched it. I had a fever, and was sweating with the chills; it felt like I had the flu. I was physically sick and in major pain, but I couldn’t find someone to help me. It was so overwhelming I honestly wanted to die.
Long story short….I eventually found a doctor with experience to treat me. I had a major infection in the area where the silicone was. I treated the infection and was told if I let it go much longer the infection would have spread and made me very sick. I still get reoccurring swelling. I take a steroid to reduce the swelling when it occurs but it always comes back a few months later. I am eventually going to have it removed and don’t care about scarring, my life and health are more important.
In doing my research to find a doctor for myself I found countless other girls who didn’t know where to turn. There are so many girls out there with all kinds of problems from silicone injections.
I am emailing you to suggest that you have a link with doctors who will treat girls with issues due to silicone injections. There is no such list on the internet. I could help you build a list of doctors. I could also help build a list of pumpers who have had bad results. I went to one of the best around, Joann Layne; she was the supplier of silicone to the late Kelly Harper.
Certain steroids will work to reduce the swelling. I went to Dr. Norman Schulman in NYC here is a link to his website http://www.normanschulmanmd.com/. He has removed silicone from many different people; he says my problems are minimal compared to what he has seen. He doesn’t want to remove mine; he feels that in my case it can be treated with steroids. If you need any other info or help building a section on medical professionals that treat silicone complications just let me know. There is also another doctor I know of in Maryland; Dr. Samir Shureih here is a link to his website http://www.cosmeticsurgeryforme.com/
Silicone injections: injuries, deaths, and disfigurements
http://www.tsroadmap.com/physical/silicone/index.html
This is talk, not advice. See Terms of Use for details.
Posted by
Andrea James on 07/01 at 09:18 PM
Physical •
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