Shelley Anne’s Potpourri of Things You Probably Weren’t Aware Of
Nude Beach Etiquette
There are currently hundreds of naturist beaches around the globe where it’s perfectly legal to drop your shorts (and panty) and bask on the sand sans bathing suit. Ronna Krozy, a retired professor in her 80s, and a nudist for more than 30 years, says there’s no single naturist ideology, but typically the lifestyle is about non-sexual social nudity in a family-friendly environment. “Behave like you’re at a church picnic,” says Krozy, who is also public relations chair at the American Association for Nude Recreation, the leading naturist organization in the U.S. “Look people in the eye, because that might help you to figure out where to put your attention, and don’t gawk or stare because that is considered rude and impolite,” adds Krozy.
According to the former professor, taking pictures is also a no-no as is commenting on someone’s body, even if you think you’re delivering a compliment. And while nudists are known for packing light, there’s one item Krozy says you should never be without. “Always bring a towel with you to sit on, because that is for everybody’s hygiene.”
A Transgender Survey
A recent survey of more than 90,000 transgender people in the U.S., the largest nationwide survey of the community ever, found that trans people continues to experience workplace and medical discrimination. Honestly, I am not surprised. However, the overwhelming majority of them still report more life satisfaction after having transitioned. The survey was conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality, one of the country’s largest trans rights organizations.
Of the more than 84,000 adult respondents, 38% identified as nonbinary, 35% identified as transgender women, 25% identified as transgender men and 2% identified as crossdressers.
What Happened to Amy Schneider?
Amy Schneider, the all-time Jeopardy! champ among women and transgender people has led quite a life, and hopefully happy one since she became a million-dollar winner. She quit her job as a software engineer, written a memoir, got married, had a trip to the White House for Transgender Day of Visibility and spoken out on trans issues. Her memoir, In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life came out October 2023.
Seven Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Transgender History
- Around 5000 to 3000 B.C., Gala, described as androgynous or trans priests of the Sumerian goddess Inanna, spoke their own dialect and took on feminine names.
- Sometime from 200 to 300 B.C., in ancient Greece, some gods were worshiped by galli priests who wore feminine attire, identified as women and have therefore been identified by scholars as early transgender figures.
- In the fourth century, Anastasia the Patrician fled life in Constantinople, the capital of the Roman Empire, to spend the remainder of life dressed in masculine attire and presentation as a monk, and has become viewed by some scholars as transgender.
- In South Asia, at least eight-known gender-expansive identities have historically been present in the subcontinent, the most well-known being hijra – third gender people of historical, spiritual, and cultural significance in South Asian society. Hijra and other individuals of diverse gender identities have been well-documented in religious and cultural texts and legends. These individuals often form intentional communities for fellowship and survival.
- Around the 18th century, the Itelmens of Siberia recognized a “third gender” called “koekchuch” to describe individuals who were assigned male at birth, but expressed themselves as women.
- The oldest Western institute studying LGBTQ+ identities was started in Germany in 1919. Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sex Research) performed some of the earliest contemporary affirming medical services. It was eventually destroyed in the rise of German fascism under the Nazi party.
- In Turtle Island (an Indigenous name for North America), Indigenous communities use the term two-spirit as a modern, pan-Indigenous umbrella identifier for people of another societal and ceremonial gender identity. This term was established in 1990 as a modern, collective term for a historical gender identity describing individuals not considered men or women in most, if not all Indigenous cultures of Turtle Island.
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Category: History
