No News is Trans News

Yesterday, my girlfriend was telling me about an upcoming court case that’s currently the talk of the transgender community in St. Catherines, Ontario.

According to Sweet (and if my girlfriend’s word isn’t reliable enough for you, this story is corroborated in a staff article by The St Catherines Standard), a human rights complaint has been filed against the owner of a local health club by a trans woman* who was denied access to a women-only portion of the gym.

*For those who aren’t fluent in my incessant trans-speak, when I say “trans woman” I’m talking about a person who identifies as male-to-female transsexual.

This infringement occurred two years ago, when the trans woman was pre-op. She has since undergone gender reassignment surgery. The Health Club owner, John Fulton, is scheduled to appear before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario in June, and Sweet tells me he’s prepared to fight the case to the Supreme Court if he loses.

The club owner denied the trans woman access for fear her presence would make “female clients” uncomfortable. (Because a trans woman isn’t a REAL woman, right? Without a vagina, you’re just a dude in a dress. *shakes head and mutters expletives under breath*)

As an ardent ally of the trans community—and, of course, the partner of a trans woman—I’m sure I don’t need to explain my position. Of course I believe that trans women must be afforded the same rights as…well, I was going to say “all women” but we women still have such a long way to go in the human rights department. What I’m trying to convey is that trans women should be accepted for their gender identities and not set upon for their physical non conformities.

But you know how I feel. I won’t bash my views into yours head.

My point today is that trans news is non-news. The only way I heard about this violation of an individual’s rights—and right here in Southern Ontario!—was via my affiliation with the transgender community. An internet search yielded only one short newspaper article on the topic.

Why don’t we get to hear about these things? Is it because the rights of trans people don’t matter? The civil liberties of those with non-normative gender identities are less significant than "normal" men and women?

Maybe I’m being melodramatic.

What I really want to bring to the fore here is that, if widely-distributed by news-media outlets, news stories like these about the trans community would prompt informed discussions about matters of concern for transsexuals and transgender people. Informed discussions could, in turn, foster greater understanding of trans life.

Greater understanding would benefit everyone.

Bright Blesssings,
Giselle Renarde

I Confess!

There's a new "mammoth" book on the market, and if you pick up a copy you just might get lucky! Why? It includes a few confessions of my own...

The Mammoth Book of Erotic Confessions
ed. Barbara Cardy

The largest ever collection of true erotic confessions � by real women and men.

Over 100 first-person accounts of the most daring and ‘outrageous’ sex experiences the contributors have ever had. From a good old-fashioned spanking to bondage, from solo to foursomes, from watersports to… and more.

Some will make you laugh, some will lift your brow, some you will find downright outrageous, but all unfailingly arousing.

Confessions include:

My guilty, hopeless secret - Suzy, Baltimore.

Milking my lover - James, Oxford.

On the beach - Kitty, Los Angeles.

My mother's fiancée - Selena, Usa.

Confessions of a sex therapist - Pricilla, Usa.

Three R's for the New Millennium

As I walked to the subway this afternoon, I passed a couple dudes who obviously thought they were pretty cool. When they got out of their spic and span fancy-ass vehicle, they finished off some juice and threw the plastic bottles on the ground.

And then they laughed.

They were littering and laughing because HA HA HA killing the planet is SO TOTALLY AWESOME!

My blood boiled and I caught one guy’s gaze. I caught it and held it and looked at those bottles on the ground and he did NOTHING. So I—because I’m a crazy cat-lady-lesbian-feminist-environmentalist who does this sort of thing—called to him, “Hey, pick that up!”

He didn’t, of course. That guy is way too cool to recycle. That guy is only interested in destroying every beautiful gift this planet has to offer. Well, this is no joke to me. His devastating apathy spits in the face of every effort you and I are making to heal our mother earth. And she’s in bad shape, my friends.

Environmentalism and creativity go hand in hand. We have major problems on this planet, and they’re problems we have made for ourselves. Improving the health of our planet demands creative solutions, and not just from scientists and government regulators—from everybody.

It’s time to educate ourselves in the Three R’s of the New Millennium:

Recycle
Reduce
Reuse

RECYCLE

The key is to know what’s what. Different items are recyclable in different regions. One constant is the amount of confusion we all have about what goes in the blue bin and what doesn’t.

Find out!

Most of this info is available online and it’s worth the minimal effort required. Throwing non-recyclables in the blue bin puts a strain on resources (because all that stuff needs to be separated out and disposed of), whereas throwing recyclables in the trash means those items can’t be reused.

Remember why recylcing is important: when you’re finished with an item, it is transformed into something else. Your orange juice container becomes tissue. Your plastic bottles become rugs, polar fleece, and park benches. Your glass bottles become roads, tiles, and surfboards. Your cardboard boxes become…different cardboard boxes.

REDUCE

It saddens me when I visit my mother’s house and open her fridge full off rotting, expired foods. When I was growing up, this never would have happened. We watched our pennies and purchased only what food we could afford. Now that my mother has the money to buy more, she does…she buys more than she needs.

One of the huge problems with abundant societies is the truly excessive waste they generate. There is more than enough food on earth to keep everybody’s bellies full; it’s the DISTRIBUTION of food that trips us up. We in North America consume far more than we need, and we are stealing from the mouths of poorer nations.

From an environmental perspective, our gluttony means disaster for landfills. We buy super-sized packages of food products and most of it ends up in the trash. Reducing demand—for food, fuel, power, and STUFF—will make our mother earth smile.

REUSE

When I was a child, it was like Christmas morning every time a neighbour or aunt came to our house with a great big garbage bag full of clothes. In my family, we didn’t care that these clothes were hand-me-downs. It was so exciting to get new things!

My sisters and I have carried this feeling of wonder into adulthood. We still swap clothes. In these times of economic concern, it’s cool to be a frugal fashionista. And if your old clothes are from the “what was I thinking?” era, at least give them to Goodwill. I know more than a few costume designers who would LOVE your god-awful duds.

Reusing is where creativity comes into play. Pretty much everything has multiple uses. My mother saved everything from egg cartons to popsicle sticks and thought up crafts we kids could use them for. If you’re artistically challenged, there are lots of kids crafts books at the library and tons of info on the web.

This is all about keeping stuff out of landfills. Consider large items, as well. Furniture items can go to second-hand shops. Free electronic waste recycling events are few and far between, but it’s well worth seeking them out when you consider how many old computers, TV’s and antiquated electronics end up in landfills. Here’s an example of a California service: http://www.unwaste.com/event-calendar.php If you can’t find one in your area, ask your local politician or business complex to organize a free e-waste recycling event.

Some of us try so hard. We want to make a difference on this planet. We want our children and grandchildren to be able to swim in rivers and lakes. We don’t want them to be affected by the massive health concerns pollution causes.

Right now, we’re on a downward spiral and the only way to turn this planet around is to lead by example. “Be the change you want to see in the world,” as Gandhi said. Because it doesn’t work to simply stare down the dudes throwing their garbage on the pavement and tell them they’re assholes. Trust me; I’ve tried that.

We're all in this together, friends.
Love and Hugs,
gigi

Coming Together: Al Fresco

Earth Day is coming up this Wednesday--April 22nd, 2009--and that means the release of Alessia Brio's latest work of wonderfulness...

All Romance eBooks, in partnership with editor, Alessia Brio, is proud to present Coming Together: Al Fresco. The theme of this collection is sex in the great outdoors. All proceeds from the sale of this special anthology will benefit Conservation International.

Coming Together is erotic altruism at its finest!

CONTENTS:

* Adam & Eve on a Raft (Robert Buckley)
* Afternoon of a Faun (Helen E.H. Madden)
* Anal Alley (Sommer Marsden)
* Ask for It (Jude Mason)
* Blonde on a Harley (Teresa Noelle Roberts)
* For Want of a Woodpecker (Ripley Patton)
* Foreign Parts (Rachelle Le-Monnier)
* Hailey's Comet (Jae Knight)
* Happy Endings (Jamie Hill)
* Hidden in Fog (Teresa Noelle Roberts)
* Mahalo (Allison Wonderland)
* Making Rain (Angela Caperton)
* Midnight Ménage à Trois (Heather Lin)
* Natural Tease (Arya Rewan)
* Outside in the Rain (Andrea Dale)
* Pantheism 101 (Alessia Brio)
* Paradise Valley (Michelle Houston)
* Reclining Buddha (Lisabet Sarai)
* Rites of Consummation (Nicole Gestalt)
* Silver Bells and Cockle Shells (Shanna Germain)
* Slow Burn (Sophie Mouette)
* Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Rita Winchester)
* Sparrow Takes Flight (Giselle Renarde)
* The Journey Home (Jasmine Black)
* The Roof (Selena Kitt)
* Untouched Perfection (Moondancer Drake)
* Wet as Spring (Robin Elizabeth)
* Wildlife (Randy Foster)

Can you believe the number of stories in this compilation? And did you notice one of my works buried in there? Yeppers, Sparrow Takes Flight appears in this tremendous work. How could I--the "eroticist, environmentalist, and pastry enthusiast"-- not contribute to an anthology benefiting an environmental cause? Unthinkable! *smile*

To find out more about Coming Together: Al Fresco and the entire Coming Together series, please visit www.eroticanthology.com

This e-book is available exclusively from All Romance eBooks. Pre-order now, or get your copy April 22/09.

Thank you all for your support!
Bright Blessings,
Giselle Renarde

Three Tongues? Yes, Please!

It's been a while since I've revisited my first Dark Fantasy, BENEATH THE ICE, but when Midnight Seductions announced a "favourite line" contest, I gave my paranormal e-book another read in search of...well...a favourite line.

Oh my! I'm *gasp* a tad breathless...

BENEATH THE ICE is an erotic adaptation of the Inuit folktale of the Qallupilluit (which I have transcribed Kaloopalooit just for fun. Either way, it's a pretty cool word to look at) who lives between the cracks in the sea ice and devours small children who get too close. It's a cautionary tale elders told the young ones to keep them away from dangerous springtime cracks in the ice.

As I meditated on the idea of a three-headed sea monster, I became more and more excited. What would happen if the Kaloopalooit encountered a woman? Could she teach the triple-tongued creature to acquire a taste for her juices? Just imagine floating underwater as three mouths caressed your body!

That's how BENEATH THE ICE came into being. I had forgotten how sensual this story is. It's focused entirely on a woman's body, sensuality, and pleasure. This is a story about receiving without a sense of guilt or reciprocity, just receiving and enjoying.

So, who's feeling receptive today?

*smile*

I narrowed down my choice of favourite lines to these three. Brace yourself; they're for adult eyes only:

“There’s a whole body here to be consumed,” Enooya offered. “Fingers to toes. It’s your choice where to begin.”
*
She couldn’t actually see the monster whose smooth skin traced the perimeter of her pussy; the two sparkling blue heads sucking her tits blocked the way.
*
She writhed and coursed at the slick friction in her ass, the strong suction on her clit, until she was crying out, her shrieks of pleasure muffled by the mouth kissing her unrelentingly.

You can read my top pick from this story, along with other authors' favourite lines from their work, at the Midnight Seductions yahoo group.

You can snap up a copy today--it's only $2!--from loveyoudivine or

THE GOOSE GIRL--New Illustrated Story!

Silly, sexy, and full of really terrible poultry puns, this fairy tale might take you to bed, but it won't put you to sleep.

This week, my erotic adaptation of THE GOOSE GIRL, a little known fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, is featured at RUTHIE'S CLUB--that great site that not only posts some of the best erotica on the web, but illustrates it too! Who doesn't love a good erotic fairy tale? And, let me tell you, this one is especially hilarious.


En route to meet her handsome prince, princess Svana begs her waiting-maid Rosamunda for a quick cuddle. Rosamunda complies, then taking by force the princess' royal apparel. Before Svana can say, "Identity Theft," the waiting maid marries her prince and the poor princess is forced to take a job minding geese. When the pervy goose boy vexes her, the aged king hatches a plan to get Rosamunda to reveal her true identity.

If you're not a member of RUTHIE'S CLUB yet...hmm...maybe you should be!

Crush List

Let’s celebrate the long weekend by having a little fun! It’s truth or dare time, everybody. I DARE you to tell me the TRUTH: who’s your favourite crush? Yes, I know you have one or two at least.

Today I’m starting a CRUSH LIST!!! I love my girlfriend, but we all have silly little attachments to celebrities and the like. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours!

Giselle’s Crush List:

1. Meg White. Mmm…there’s just something special about a girl with a drum set. I really love her innocence and playfulness. Hey, I’d take the White Stripes for a spin in the threesome-mobile any day.




2. Professor Snape. Yes, from Harry Potter. Is that weird? Because if it is, there are a hell of a lot of Snape-obsessed weirdos out there. And it’s not Alan Rickman I’m interested in; it’s the character. I always did like the bad guys (or girls…I always like Cruella DeVille as a kid).



3. Bernie Dexter. Who? She’s a rockabilly model with her own lingerie line, I do believe. I think she’s GORGEOUS! Love the look, love the smile, love the clothes. Yum!


4. Patrick Stewart. If I concentrate on that image for more than thirty seconds, my body erupts in spontaneous orgasm. He’s just that good-looking. And it’s not just the looks, it’s the voice too. Ohhh, gotta love that melts-your-muscles voice.



That’s it for me at the moment. Okay, time to reciprocate, folks. Let’s see your crush lists!

Bright Blessings,
gigi

Spring Fever

Already April and it's snowing today in Toronto!

Nevertheless, I want to tell you where you can find a little Spring Fever of your own. My popular--not to mention heartfelt--cross-dressing story by that name appears in a great collection of "explicit erotica for women" called GIRLS ON TOP, available now from Cleis Press.

~SPRING FEVER~

Dotschy doesn't even want to think about love everlasting. When spring comes around and she can't stop smiling at Connor the semi-closet trans-curious sometimes-cross-dresser, she convinces herself it's just infatuation. That doesn't stop her from wanting him, though. It doesn't stop her from getting him either.

There was something physically magnetic about Connor. His body drew mine in. It was always like that. We never stood side by side, we huddled against each other like a pair of bunnies. When we spoke, we didn't maintain a respectable distance. We talked with our noses nearly touching, his head hovering over mine, me looking up at him, wide-eyed like the sorcerer's apprentice. Looking at him just then, at his sparkling blue eyes, I was overwhelmed by a surge of adrenaline. I grabbed him by the lapels and squealed, "Oh my God, Connor, you make me so excited!"

NOT IN GOOD STANDING

Tonight I need some lovin'.

I was hoping to post today all glowing with the pride of a new addition to my family of YouTube videos, but alas, it is not to be.

A couple months ago, I started work on my book trailer for KANDINSKY'S SHIRT BUTTON...my transgender erotic romance...have I mentioned it? LOL. Right, so I've been working off and on at this video.

Takes a while.

As a writer, I'm always hyper-careful not to step on anybody's toes. I compose, arrange, perform, record my own music, I use stock images, and I write the copy myself. I wouldnt' want anybody stealing my work, so I'm sensitive about not stealing other people's.

So how do you think I felt earlier this evening when I posted my conceptually-fabulous new book trailer and half an hour later got an email stating it had been pulled for terms of service violations?

That's right: I felt like shit. Very much so.

But...wait...why? I'm SO careful. Well, I was sure I knew what it had to be. I was sure I knew what got my video booted: it was all those NUDES. You see, my character Violette in KANDINSKY'S is an artist obsessed with Venus, so the trailer consisted of classic artistic representations of the goddess. NUDE representations.

"Those YouTube bastards!" I thought. "They're lumping capital-H High Art with pornography and throwing out my baby with the bathwater." For a couple seconds, I felt the capital-H Hard-On of righteous indignation.

I logged into my YouTube account. My brain buzzed when I saw those bright red words:

ACCOUNT NOT IN GOOD STANDING.

I've been a goody-two-shoes all my life. I can't bear it when authority figures come down on me like this. I don't like getting in trouble, especially when I feel like I haven't done anything wrong.

That's when I noticed the reason for my smack on the bottom: Copyright Violation. Yikes. Who? Me? But I'm SO CAREFUL. Using two condoms, I've ended up with crabs. Metaphorical-artistic crabs, of course. I'm itching with remorse. Those bold red letters serve as a constant reminder that I've been a bad girl.

You see, I figured the images I was using were safe. Sure, I didn't get them from my regular stock sources, but the artists whose work I used are 300 years dead, so what do they care? I hadn't considered that someone had to capture the images of those paintings, and that the copyright might belong to the photographer.

Maybe? I'm grasping at straws at this point. But if that's not the dealio, I don't know what is. Plus, it's 2:33 in the morning and my brain power peaked around 11 this morning, so I'm well past my "best before" time.

All this to say I wanted to have a video to present to all you wonderful people today. It was up for half an hour, and in that time about 70 people got to see it. *sigh* Now it's back to the drawing board to see what alternative brilliant concept I might come up with.

I need a hug!

gigi