Transgender - The African Mirror

Nov

2021

ANALYSIS-IOC’s new transgender and intersex guidelines divide sport

SYDNEY BAUER and RACHEL SAVAGE THE International Olympic Committee's move to drop its advice on testosterone levels for transgender athletes in the absence of scientific consensus leaves sports bodies facing tough decisions on who can compete, some experts have warned. The IOC this week reversed its 2015 guidance that transgender women should be allowed to compete in women's sport provided their testosterone levels are below a certain limit for at least 12 months before their first competition. It said there was "no definitive answer" on whether testosterone conferred a competitive advantage for trans and some intersex women and that its impact on…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Megan Thee Stallion brings hot girl summer to Sports Illustrated

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO MEGAN Thee Stallion has brought her famous ‘Hot Girl Summer’ energy as the cover star for Sports Illustrated (SI). The Texan rapper was unveiled as one of the cover stars for the annual SI Swimsuit issue, along with transgender model Leyna Bloom and Tennis champion Naomi Osaka. All three women appearing on the cover is a historic feat, with Osaka as the first female black athlete; Haitian and Japanese woman; Bloom being the first transgender model of colour, and Megan Thee Stallion being the first rapper. Previous cover stars of the swimsuit issue include Beyonce, model Tyra Banks,…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Fear breeds bravery as LGBT+ South Africans resist ‘war on queerness’

LGBT+

KIM HARRISBERG THREE months ago, Chippa Mohanoe's fiancée was stabbed in the neck and killed in front of their neighbours in South Africa's Sebokeng township. Every day since, Mohanoe had to push past his fear of a repeat punishment for being transgender, hoping a high profile will stifle the homophobia that he says killed his fiancée and at least seven other LGBT+ South Africans in recent months. Fear is making him brave. "I am still here and I don't want to hide, I will make sure the justice system upholds her memory," Mohanoe said outside court after the man accused…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

First transgender model of colour poses for Sports Illustrated

BEAUTY AND FASHION

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER HER name is Leyna Bloom and she has made history. As March continues to celebrate International Women’s Month, Leyna Bloom made history as a cover star for Sports Illustrated magazine, set to be released in July, making her the first transgender model of colour to do so. Bloom, a South Chicago native, told The New York Times that one of her biggest goals as a rising model was to be seen, not just for her curves or her looks, but to be seen as a someone who was as deserving to be featured in a magazine as…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

Transgender couple wed in Hungary, land of growing homophobia

LGBT+

BERNADETT SZABO and BALAZS KAUFMANN THE wedding of Hungarian transgender couple Tamara Csillag and Elvira Angyal looked just like any other, with the nervous pair dressing up and heading off to the rural Hungarian courtroom where their marriage would be sealed. But in the world of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, this was special as Orban, increasingly hostile to LGBT+ people, has outlawed legal recognition of transgender identity. Ironically, that made the wedding possible, as Csillag was stuck with male documents while Angyal had already completed her transition and had the documents to prove it. "Our dream has come true.…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

First trans, non-binary characters to debut on ‘Star Trek’ franchise

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

OSCAR LOPEZ THE science-fiction franchise "Star Trek" is introducing its first transgender and non-binary characters, with both roles set to debut in its U.S. television series next month, producers said on Wednesday. The trans character named Gray will be played by trans actor Ian Alexander, the producers said, and non-binary Adira will be played by Blu del Barrio, an actor who like the character does not identify as male or female. They will appear in the third season of CBS Television's series "Star Trek: Discovery," the latest incarnation of the TV franchise that launched in 1966. "Star Trek" has spawned…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

J.K. Rowling returns award over criticism of transgender stance

LGBT+

SONIA ELKS BRITISH author J.K. Rowling has said she will return a prestigious human rights award after the organisation that bestowed the prize criticised her posts on transgender rights. The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organisation gave the "Harry Potter" writer a Ripple of Hope award last year for her work to protect children's rights by highlighting abuse in the orphanage system. But this month Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert Kennedy and president of the U.S. organisation, criticised the author for "transphobic" online posts which she said served to undermine an already vulnerable group. "J.K. Rowling's attacks upon the transgender community are…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Who is going to stand up for us?’ A trans sex worker in Uganda on life under lockdown

LGBT+

LGBT+ rights in Uganda have long faced social and cultural hurdles. Last year, the "Kill the Gays" bill – so-called as it would introduce the death penalty for gay sex – was raised again by Ugandan lawmakers, despite having provoked international condemnation on its first airing in 2014. The proposal was dismissed by the government, but the controversy sparked by the bill's new backers shone a spotlight on the problems faced by the LGBT+ community in the country. Transgender people living in Uganda, many of whom earn a living as sex workers, face particular difficulties, as Anna Xwexx Morena explains.…