Transgendered Modeling

I know that CiCi and I have been getting into the media, politics and coming out and things of that nature more and more frequently…but this is a story I just could not pass up to write about!

I am not sure how many of you that read this are aware of the high fashion model Lea T. She is not your typical runway and print model—she is the first, most popular transgendered model. Hailing from Brazil she was born as the son of a very popular football (soccer) star. At a young age, like most of my customers that I speak to, Lea knew she was different. She experimented with her sexuality and ultimately decided that she preferred men. She began dressing in her early 20s and states that it was liberating—she knew it was right. She came out to both of her parents, her father was widely accepting and told her that the first time she hit the runway as her female true self was the happiest day of his life. Her mother is/was not as tolerant—this is actually a role reversal for me—I typically hear the opposite; father not understanding and the mother being accepting. Lea thinks that it is a misunderstanding, which is what I think and hear a lot. As I’ve said in earlier blogs, being a crossdresser or transgendered male, wearing dresses for men and tucking gaffs is just not something people like to talk about and really don’t understand unless you live it.

I think it is fantastic that Lea T. has been voted number forty on the top fifty female models. She has graced the cover of magazines with well known high fashion models such as Kate Moss. She did a spread in French Vogue where she was nude—breasts out and covering her male parts. She was considered Givenchy’s muse for one of his seasons and has walked many other runways. She is an inspiration to all. She is going to go in for reassignment surgery, from what I understand she will be doing that soon. On her interview on Oprah, which can be found here: http://www.styleite.com/media/lea-t-oprah-video/ she was so honest and well spoken despite a bit of a language barrier. The only thing that I found a bit off-putting is that she considers her being transgendered a disease. In all reality it is referred to in the medical world as Gender Identity Disorder (GID)—described as person who experiences extreme gender dysphoria. I can’t say for sure, I’m not a doctor—but I don’t think it is an “illness”. And then it raises the question what about men who just enjoy crossdressing? Wearing panties for men and a hot large cap wig for men? Is there a diag-non-sense for that?

Again, hitting the media hard, the transgendered and crossdressing community is breaking through. I think that having Lea T. on the scene, the media “scandal” about the popular television star, the Academy Awards (as horrendous as it may have been) and even the latest pop songs really are making the world more aware. Not necessarily just the cross dressing community, but simply acceptance of an individual. The crossdresser, the transgendered model, the girl around the corner that doesn’t make the best decisions in the world…whatever the case may be. You are who you are. What is in you is in you. What makes you happy makes you happy. Slowly but surely we are getting there. I don’t think that the world will ever be “prefect”. I don’t think that all things will ever be accepted—but I do believe that we are turning over a new leaf.

What are your thoughts on Lea T.? Do you consider yourself a crossdresser, transgendered? Are you post-op or just taking hormones for men to experiment? Were you offended by the fact that Lea T. considers herself as having a disease? Surprised that her father was more accepting? I am curious!