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| Current Comments: | |||
| Right
now, I feel as if someone had wrapped a soft and warm blanket all
around me and told me not to worry, that everything would work out
fine. Thanks to you all, cast and crew, I will sleep better tonight
because I know that out there, somewhere there are 4 sweet ones who
feel just like I do. You are officially my brand new friends so now,
I can think about you as much as I want. Extremely perfect! I am very
grateful for this, so much so that I just sent you all the love I
could find around here, I only kept a small tiny bit for myself. Make
good use of it! Big big hugs and a million kisses, KT Posted on Sunday, 06.01.08 @ 10:07am |
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| Thank
you so much for making this video i have for as long as can remember
been fighting the up heel war between WHO i am and WHO ppl want and
think of me as. it's a hard line to walk. i can only say i think you
all are the bravest and a true light for others to look on at and
git hope from. so thank you for standing tell and being true to your
self and i wish you all the luck and happiness in the world! you all
are so pretty and beautiful women and i know that one day, i will
like you be free and open a but who i really am so ones again thank
you and all ways stay true to who you are. for are sakes as much as
for yours :) ~~may the stars look over you ~~ Posted on Sunday, 03.24.08 @ 3:43pm |
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| This
documentary is inspirational. being a young teen, as myself, and watching
this video about how tranny's strive 2 survive makes you think about
what your getting into and if you really want to get into it..as a
16 yr. old male i feel that transgender is the way i want to go. by
the time i am age 18 i would like 2 start the process. i would start
now, but like said, self esteem and coming out of the closet while
your in high school, & even middle school, is really hard..feeling
like an outcast to the boys, or just that feeling of not being able
to be yourself around boys affects the relationship with boys period..
and i think thats what im having difficulty with knowing that i would
feel comfortable being myself (a girl) and i cant do that as a male.
if sexual reassignment is what would make me feel myself than i am
up for it!! it would be helpful if there were more information on
the expenses of procedures and more transgenders' words on how they
struggle, or make it, in the real world as a transgender. Posted on Tuesday, 02.05.08 @ 12:18am |
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| Hi,
I applaud you on this great documentary. I am not yet old enough to
take hormones or have surgery of this extremity, but I really think
it is the way for me to go. I am not gay I have just always felt cast
out when I am around other guys and I feel like I was born the wrong
gender. I don't care if anyone flames me for this I just want to know
more about the financial things associated with having this surgery.
If you can help me out plz email me at ghettoninjasteve@yahoo.com.
Thank you. Posted by Chris on Tuesday, 11.13.07 @ 2:04pm |
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| What
a great documentary on transgender girls! Many people should watch
this and learn what transgender people are going though. Personally,
I learned a lot from this video!!! Posted by Tani on Saturday, 11.10.07 @ 1:35pm |
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| Hello,
great site. I found here many interesting information. Thank u very
much! Posted by Candylover on Sunday, 09.16.07 @ 10:20am |
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| I've
read all the posts here. And I was very very moved by the struggles
that all these ladies conveyed in the videos. Transsexuals are lumped
in with the gay community and are often shunned by gays and lesbians.
As a man who's almost like Eamon below, I've often wondered if I was
gay or not. I mean, I love women. I love being with a woman, kissing
them, etc. But when I saw my 1st TS video as a young man (rented the
wrong video. Doh!), I was electrified. Everything I desired was there.
BTW, the movie I saw had the immortal Dana Douglas and the beautiful
Stasha in it. Both have left this world too soon. Obviously (at least
to me) the next step was to see if I liked gay sex. Rented a few gay
movies. Nope. Not even close. I still love women, but I would really
welcome the opportunity to date a nice tgirl. There was such a debate
years ago, among TS's and the gay community, that men who like tgirls
must be gay. What BS. Sure, the sex is the best of both worlds. But
it's also a helluva attraction to th Posted by Tony on Tuesday, 08.07.07 @ 8:43pm |
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| Hi
again, I just read what Tommy had written at the bottom of this page
(keep it there!). Well, I am attracted to transsexuals but I have
only recently discovered this. It's too late now (married with children).
If I could have my life again, I would marry a tgirl. They are so
sweet and feminine, and often incredibly pretty. The fact that they
have male genitals might label me as gay - but I am turned off by
men, yuk! It is something about pairing male genitalia with femininity
(skirts, bangles, earrings, lipstick, long nails, and so on) and prettiness
that gives me the most wonderful feeling inside. So come out all you
girls and change society, so that people with hate inside them, like
Tommy, become the tiny minority of this world. God bless you! Posted by Eamon on Monday, 07.16.07 @ 3:54pm |
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|
I thought it was quite moving and quite sad at times. It seems their
lives are governed by their difference. Why can't society just let
people be who they want to be? What is wrong with a transgendered
school teacher, priest, bank manager, doctor, or even politician?
The only careers guaranteed to give transsexuals money is the sex
industry and this just labels them as slaves to sex and up for exploitation.
The girls featured in the movie are very brave amd I wish them good
luck. Posted by Eamon on Monday, 07.16.07 @ 3:38pm |
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| I
am a Tranny Girl who loves to be a parttime Girl. I will never have
a SRS but i love to hear what the girls said. I know many pre TS and
i wish you all the best. I will post your movies on my german blog
www.sheila-wolf.de
to tease your DVD. Good luck to you and stay beautiful...wonderful
documentation. Posted by Sheila Wolf on Thursday, 06.14.07 @ 5:39am |
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| I
love this mini saga wat u were showin made me think a lot, just keep
doin it big..god bless. Posted by Alexis on Sunday, 06.10.07 @ 12:11pm |
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| I
enjoyed hearing what these ladies said about their lives and surviving
in a world with such negative attitudes. I remember one of the ladies
from a HBO documentary of working tgirls and the program was as informative
as the documentary here. The effort used here may change the minds
of a few, and if it does the world may be a little better. Posted by Sidney E. Mathious on Monday, 06.01.07 @ 11:53am |
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| I
am a transgender pre op, I am employed in the profession of taking
care of people, i think it is wonderful that these ladies can find
a mate and be in a wonderful relationship, i on the other hand, have
witnessed severe brutality towards transgenders, and death in more
then one occassion. i was in a relationship, until i found my man
in bed with my roommate, that ended that, i now devote myself to my
studies, i want to become a RN and work the the homeless population
and open my own adult family home for transgenders and gays and lesbians
to have a safe haven for thier final days on this planet. Posted by Kimberly Winchester on Monday, 05.21.07 @ 10:37pm |
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| Superb
documentary no awkward questions, no presumptions and only narative
coming from the four main characters. Posted by Carol Williams on Thursday, 05.17.07 @ 7:13am |
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| This
was an amazingly well done documetary. I loved the truth of the story.
Bravo!!! Posted by Miss jasmine Simone on Tuesday, 05.08.07 @ 8:15am |
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| It's
good to see that there are informative films that can answer some
of the questions that young asian and pacific islander transgenders
may be struggling with. Here in Hawai'i there are many transgender
girls dealing with these types of issues. They need to see examples
of girls that look like them, and that face the same struggles like
prostitution, drugs, and self-esteem. Posted by sina on Thursday, 05.03.07 @ 3:28am |
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| I
am very happy to find this web site and i feel very comfortable when
i see female transgenders. i like to have long and nice relation with
all of you. i would like to have more informations to initiatmy self
form same relation all time i do mistakes when i chat with some trangenders.
best kiss for amanda Posted by moussa on Sunday, 04.29.07 @ 11:16am |
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| What
a sexy film! It was so good to see that gorgeous ladyboy had found
a husband at the end! Something I'd love to find!!! Posted by Kevin Halloran on Friday, 04.27.07 @ 1:01am |
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| Very
informative. It answers a lot of question I had about alot of things
dealing with being Tg. Thanks for making this. Posted by Tammy on Wednesday, 04.25.07 @ 9:16pm |
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| This
is a very interesting documentary, specialy for people who are thinking
about to change sex. Here people can listen to all experience from
the girls. I appreciate that these four girls show their lives for
the public of the world. I think that this are special people. I adore
them. I wish you goodluck.. greetings from Holland Josje. Posted by josje on Wednesday, 04.18.07 @ 10:53am |
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| Hello,
What an inspiring Video, You gals are great for doing this Video and
hope a lot of Transgenders out there gets to see it. Posted by Bree on Tuesday, 04.17.07 @ 01:54am |
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| I
am a 15 year old girl in highschool so when I saw these videos it
was a different persepective from anything I have ever seen. Extremely
inspiring. These women are so brave and courages to face everyday
life in a way that society does not consider 'normal'. The only thing
i wanted to know is why they feel like they have to resort to prostitution
for money. They seem like well put together, intelligent people with
kind and outgoing personalities so there are other ways to go for
security. But I am so happy for them that they are able to find significant
others and a place in the world where they feel happy. They are all
so beautiful in so many ways. Keep inspiring more people to come,
girls. You certainly touched me. Posted by marissa on Saturday, 04.14.07 @ 07:30pm |
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| Wonderful
vids girls, i have done some on u-tube and i know how difficult it
must have been for you lot to do them keep for good work i am youngers
pearson so i can understand the difficulties you must have come across.
love and hugs gemma xxx Posted by gemma hodgkiss on Saturday, 04.14.07 @ 03:34pm |
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| I
really liked the blonde, she's very beautiful to me and I love the
way she speaks and expresses herself. It doesn't matter to me that
she is a shemale at all. I think she's hella beautiful. Posted by Jake on Thursday, 04.12.07 @ 05:45pm |
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| I
am a 17 year old M2F transgender, at the very begining of my transition,
I think this documentary is very inspiring, educating, and gives hope
to unfortunant people like us. Many people believe disagree with me
and believe I should wait until Im 18, but I wished I would have done
it sooner for I now see that people should love the real you, not
someone your pretending to be. Posted by Tuesdaie on Sunday, 04.1.07 @ 17:44pm |
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| I
salute these girls and the makers of the documentary for their bravery. I am a 33 yo Mtf ts who has been transitioning for 2 years at a large company where EVERYONE knows who I am. Some say this is the hardest way to do it and I cant argue. It has been very painful and only the benefits which pay for my transition keep me there. I knew I was female long before I knew what sex was, so saying it is a gay thing is total ignorance. Fear of being killed or beaten by people such as Tommy made me hide my secret for over 20 years. Thank you for providing a little insight into our birth defect, something no sane person would ever wish upon themselves or anyone else. Posted by Dawnielle on Wednesday, 03.28.07 @ 06:05am |
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| More
people would do good to watch and learn from this video. It really
made me stop and think. Posted by Dr_lichtersnach on Tuesday, 03.27.07 @ 06:22am |
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| As
a filmmaker, I found this documentary very informative and inspiring.
These women have courage, and need to be applauded. Thank you for
providing this film, that will inspire people to come out with who
they really are. Posted by Aimee Galicia Torres on Monday, 03.26.07 @ 04:50am |
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| I
am a transgender MtF woman and I found the transcript of the film
informative and revealing of t girls in semi-forced choiced situations
to make a living. Yet there is a forced-choice element to my life
in as much as only after raising a daughter am I moved to pursue full
feminization, God willing. I am a newly out of the closet tranny(one
year) and am hungry for fellowhship with trannies, both transvestites
and transexuals and anybody else in the GLBandT world so inclined
to interact electronically or socially. Posted by Robin on Wednesday, 03.21.07 @ 23:25pm |
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| We
shouldnt judge. A wise man, one of americas best writers had an example
of accepting a person for who he/she is. In one of his novels he wrote
of a young boy who had escaped with a slave. At that time slaves were
considered "bad" and everyone in town told him that if he
were to help a black man he would go to hell. The young boy replied
that he would rather go to hell than not help his friend. This boy,
Tom Sawyer. This author Mark Twain. Posted by Allenfish on Friday, 03.16.07 @ 06:20am |
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| I
am a 42 year old transexual Lady who has lived most of her life as
a female, 32 years now. and I can relate to alot of what these girls
are trying to get across. Most people who are breaking out into this
world of transgenderism have different issues and points of views
based on their own unique experiences. I find that the general populous
arent educated well enough about girls like us and this American Beauties
is a positive step in the right direction in helping to understand
where we are coming from. Not all transexuals are prostitutes or gold
diggers. I myself have been in a relationship with the same man for
years and we live a normal happy life. Thank you for doing this Ladies.
sincerely, Tara Rene Lacee Posted by Tara Rene Lacee on Tuesday, 03.13.07 @ 21:28pm |
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| Hey,
Im 18, and i have always felt that i am a girl underneath, I act and
can feminize my voice like a girl, I want a sex change, but frightened
of the cost, anything that may go wrong and worst of all, My parents.
Can anybody give me any advice. It would be gratefully apreciated Thankyou. Love the documentary btw, the first girl is so convincing! Love Andrew. P.S What would you names be if you had a sex change, Mine would be Jessica, i think its a cute name. Posted by Andrew on Wednesday, 03.07.07 @ 21:39pm |
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| I
have always been attracted to transgender girls but I have never done
anything about it and its doubtful i ever will. I ask that people keep an open mind. Sometimes the lines bettween stright and gay arent always black and white like people want sometimes there are shades of gray. But primative man has a mind to say. either your gay or your not. Sorry it doesnt always work that way. I think those people have a long way to go in understanding sexuality. Posted by Paul Michaelson on Tuesday, 03.06.07 @ 18:34pm |
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| I
felt this video really helped me to develop a new perspective on this
issue. My eyes were opened to the struggle that some of these people
go through and I will definatly not be so quick to judge transsexuals
in the future. Posted by Nat on Sunday, 03.04.07 @ 20:18pm |
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| I
am a Transsexual lady living in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California.
I can relate to what these courageous Women are saying. Good Work
Ladies. Posted by Monique Johnston Richmond CA on Sunday, 03.04.07 @ 05:48am |
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| I
LOVED the video! I am researching trans issues right now so I can
present a workshop at MCC Austin. Peace, Nate Posted by Nate Black on Friday, 03.02.07 @ 00:02am |
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| To
Tommy - What a poor guy, I think. You need to learn to accept the people as they are. It is not cool to judge by your NARROW knowledge! Posted by Jamie on Thursday, 03.01.07 @ 08:50am |
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| For
those who love transgender or crossdresser...Are you gay or what?
I think you guys are just gay who do not want to accept the fact that
you are gay. Right? So, plz, come out from the closet and be yourself! Posted by Tommy on Thursday, 03.01.07 @ 03:59am |
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| These
transgender girls are hot! WOW!! a great documentary Posted by Al on Wednesday, 02.28.07 @ 08:31am |
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| Great
job! Posted by Ashley on Saturday, 02.24.07 @ 01:11am |
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| Hello, I just watched the documentary “American Beauties” on your website. I applaud the filmmakers’ attention the the trans community, and their interest in giving a voice to some transwomen. It’s well produced and the women participating are charming, but I will give my honest reactions here as someone who is both a member of the trans community and working in the media with an awareness of its impact on our community. “American Beauties” is unfortunately another documentary which immediately presents the ideas of transsexual and prostitute as going hand-in-hand without ever a question that there’s any separation or difference between the concepts, and only wavers from this focus on any significant level to look at the sexual interests of the subjects. There is not even the suggestion of the idea that there are any other options besides prostitution for transsexual women, or that most people would consider turning to sex work for self-support as a tragic last resort if it were their loved one making that decision. While it does “document” the factual involvement of these women in sex work, there is no context or mention of the fact that this is unusual, which would be relevant because transsexual women are very rarely represented at all in media, and more rarely still are they shown outside the role of prostitute, punchline, psycho or noble victim. I speak in this letter to the filmmakers, and I hope you will forward it to them. I personally feel that it’s damaging both to young transwomen who often look to the media for their first ideas about the possibilities of transition, and to the public who rarely have a balanced view of the subject, when transwomen are shown through the implied filmmakers point of view that “of course they’re sex workers, and that’s where we looked for our subjects because that’s what they all are.” “They love being prostitutes.” etc etc etc. The women in your documentary seem like smart people, making their own decisions, but if you set out to make a documentary about transsexual prostitutes, my question would be, Why? There have been so many portrayals already of this meme in movies, tv and docs. If you didn’t intend to make a film specifically about trans prostitutes, were you even aware that you were focusing on this group when finding subjects? Did you look for trans women in other careers? Professor Lynn Conway, a transsexual pioneer whose work helped to create the modern microchip, maintains a gallery of some notable transsexual women who have found success as doctors, lawyers, authors, academics and entertainers (among other things): http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TSsuccesses/TSgallery1.html None of the subjects selected here identify with any conviction on camera as “women”, which is certainly their decision, but this unbalanced representation of transpeople who do not feel they are women will be unfortunate for the majority of transwomen who do. People outside the trans community are going to see trans faces unanimously calling themselves “gay men” and follow suit, identifying transsexuals as “gay men” when most every transwoman I know (most of whom work regular jobs and live normal lives) would be devastated to be called such. The immigrant angle could perhaps be a reason to delve back into the oft explored world of transsexual prostitution, but aside from the cast being multiracial, there was no mention of specifically what culture they came from except for Kosal’s. There was no mention of what obstacles the women faced specific to their cultures (aside from the uninformative “my parents were traditional Chinese, conservative”—tell me, a non-Chinese person, what that means), when or if they immigrated, or what effect their culture had on their decisions. No mention of the difference between being trans in their country of origin vs. in the USA. Non-white stories are represented here, which is good, but after reading “We enter the secretive, often misunderstood world of immigrant male to female transgenders”, I was expecting that angle rather than a straightforward presentation of interchangeable “growing up tranny” stories followed by shrugging exhortations of the high-income sex-work lifestyle. The first three documentaries covering the transsexual prostitute idea to come up in a web search are good examples of the source material that is later spun into the countless hooker portrayals in film and television: Downtown Girls: http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/downtown_girls/index.html I Don’t Want to Be a Boy: http://www.planetout.com/popcornq/db/getfilm.html?1767 Taxicab Confessions 7: http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/taxicab10/archive.html Unfortunately, the subjects of “American Beauties” are tragically ignorant about even the basics of vaginoplasty ("they cut it off”, “you’re just left with a hole, what’s the use of that?”, “Even if people think you’re a woman, you still know what you are.") Modern sexual reassignment surgery/genital reassignment surgery/vaginoplasty involves reshaping the genital tissue to form a vagina while keeping most of the nerves intact. While nerve damage is possible in any surgery of this magnitude, most transwomen I know report orgasm and pleasurable sensation during sex. It might have been interesting if you had researched vaginoplasty beforehand and asked the women things like “Did you know that modern sex changes do not involve cutting off your penis, but rather creating a working vagina with the existing tissue?” Instead, we have the women repeating inaccurate information with no contextualization (such as narration or text) to reveal the interesting fact that they are uninformed or wrong about a surgery assumed by most to be a major consideration for transsexuals. That would have been interesting… Why don’t these women know basic information like this? Instead we have “sexy transsexuals who love being prostitutes reassuring the public that they are gay men who never want to get rid of their one special trait — a penis.” It confirms stereotypes of ignorance, predilection toward sex work, “gayness” vs. womanhood and the notion held dear by the fans of transsexual prostitutes everywhere: “They want to keep their penis and use it on me.” Some information about vaginoplasty: http://www.tsroadmap.com/physical/vaginoplasty/index.html Regarding the subjects of the film, they seem like bright, happy people doing their best in complex lives. Their choices are their own, and as an activist, researcher and transwoman myself, I am aware of the circumstances that often push transsexual women toward sex work. In a world where we are rarely included in so-called “respectable” circles of social privilege and almost universally portrayed as sex-objects-for-hire, it can be tempting for women with no resources to finally succumb to the honking, dollar-bill waving “johns” desperate to slake their craving for penis packaged in the barely-tolerable-to-their-heterosexuality female form of a transsexual woman. But I do look to filmmakers, who have studied the craft of storytelling perhaps alongside journalism and other information/organization disciplines, to be aware of the impact of the images they shape and present to the public. The surface of a film can be exotic and surprising, because the viewer assumes that what they are seeing is “it”, the true information that can shape their view on a subject about which they will otherwise hear very little. A filmmaker can take this opportunity to dig in a little deeper, though, and help the viewer understand that what they are seeing is part of a larger heterogeneous whole. Here there is no indication that we are hearing a nearly unified point of view from four representatives of a group that is not shared by a great many other members. No indication that information being presented by people the viewer must suppose to be experts on the subject is incorrect (re: vaginoplasty). Jordan Blaza was working with the Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team the last time I spoke with her and may have more information for you specifically relating to API trans issues. Again, I appreciate your efforts to reach out to the trans community, but I can’t personally recommend this film for the reasons I’ve listed above. Posted by Calpernia Addams on Saturday, 02.17.07 @ 01:34pm |
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