Gender Identity is not something that can be changed with the flick of a switch. You don't feel like a woman one day and then wake up the next morning and feel like a guy, just doesn't work like that. I just can't imagine how extremely painfull was for Christine Daniels to go back to her old male persona.

I guess we can only especulate about the reasons why Christine went back to sign as Mike and one year later comitted suicide. But after reading so many incredibly mean and hateful comments all over the internet connected to blog entries and news stories about her during the 2 years since She came out to the world. One cannot help to think that probably all that hate speech with her in the middle have much to do with it.

It seems that where ever there is and article, blog, news story about transexual people and issues, there is a good number of comments posted by bigotted transphobic provocateurs that seem to be going around the internet looking for places were to display their hate.

My thoughts are with the family of Ms. Daniels for their tragic lost.

Disgusting.

http://www.the-spearhead.com/2009/12/01/suicidal-tendencies/

What utter baloney Kathy. According to the police this is a suicide and I doubt it was because she felt her life was "respected". I read nothing she wrote saying she was detransitioning so until I do the pen name means nothing. She is still Christine and you disrespect her by trying to speak for her.

And it is a real life TEST, that's why they call it the REAL LIFE TEST and ask you to LIVE FOR 2 YEARS IN THAT GENDER AND BE EMPLOYED ! If you can't , YOU FAIL ! I'm post op and fully transtioned so excuse me if I know,

"If you have a male body, you are a man, like it or not – and, conversely, if you have a female body, you are a woman."-Gregory A Butler

Just like if we are born heterosexual only Mr Butler ? Thank you for a well thought out version of an incredibly pedestrian thought.

"And I was born a dog."- Dirk

Important to note that no one disagrees. Certainly not Audrey or I.

Medically, I'm not transsexual, and never was. That diagnosis is excluded in my case on a technicality. Pedantically, I'm a protandrous dichogamous pseudohermaphrodite, that's a ridiculously rare Intersex condition. Most people like me, over 99%, are protogynous, born looking female but masculinising later in life. I went in the opposite direction. Biologically, I'm female, though in such dire cases of Intersex, such labels as "male" and "female" are mere approximations.

But I'd chosen the name "Zoe" at age 10. Gender is between your ears, a matter of neuro-anatomy, not your legs. The externals can be misleading. But when you have the body of a footballer, not a cheerleader, what's a girl to do but try to make the best life she can? To try to be the best Man any Woman can be.

Every word written by Christine Daniels spoke to me from the heart. Her description of her experience is exactly what I went through. One difference - I didn't have the courage to transition: it was only when the natural change commenced that I started. I could no longer "pass" as male. I didn't have the courage to jump as I should have done, I was pushed.

So what am I in your view?

Mike found it hard to transition to Christine. Christine, for whatever reason, decided that she could not continue with that, and tried to be Mike once more. That appears not to have worked either.

Like my friend Autumn Sandeen, I must respect Mike's wish to be identified as male.

Gregory with all due respect I couldn't disagree with you more - but you have hit on the crux of the issue.

Male and female refer directly to a persons sex, their anatomy, their...for lack of a better word "parts"

Man and woman refer to a person’s essence, their being, their soul. That distinction is everything.

When someone says "be a man" to a male, they're not suggesting that they aren't anatomically male. They're saying behave like a man ( whatever that means ) The "woman of the year" isn't awarded based upon the "quality" of the candidates physical body in comparison to idealized female norms - its awarded based upon the candidates benevolent actions/contributions.

What most who haven't been exposed to TG issues fail to recognize is that sex and gender are totally different things. The societal assumption is that they always "go together" and that males must all behave like they believe men should behave and females should embrace all that society deems womanly. Funny - but I don't recall a single anatomical chart in "Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus?"

I a TS woman and I'm under no illusion that I was born physically male- but I know with my whole heart that I was also born a woman. So given that choice, what should I honor - my body or my soul - which should "win out." In the hierarchy of self definition I don't believe that my physical body is roman numeral #1 in who I am. I think to say "I am my body - more than I am my soul” is pretty short sided and (being a spiritual woman) I know that I find peace through the actions and the expression of my soul.

The surgeries I've had weren't some quest to be wholly female - they were to align my birth sex with my gender as best as modern medicine will allow, so that I can walk through the world and allow people to see and respond to who I know myself to be inside. I’m not hiding. I’m not running from anything – quite the contrary. My transition was a very difficult but honest confession of who I know myself to be.

I didn't know Mike Penner or Christine Daniels - but from all I've read it sounds like those who did tragically lost a beautiful and kind soul. Hopefully on that, we can all agree.

With that said, the cold hard fact is, the whole "transgender" thing is nothing more than mental illness.

If you have a male body, you are a man, like it or not - and, conversely, if you have a female body, you are a woman.

You may not like the social restrictions that come with those gender identities - hey, a LOT of people of both sexes feel that way - but you can't just proclaim yourself a "woman" if you were born male!

And even getting that expensive surgery still doesn't make you a woman - just a man who's had a whole lot of plastic surgery.

I know it's not PC to say that these days, but nonetheless it's the truth.

Perhaps if Penner had gotten some therapy, instead of proclaiming himself "female" and having others enable his delusions, he might still be alive today!

Lets be clear here, until I see her written request to return to Mike I will assume she was forced and that is why she killed herself.
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That of course, disrepects the deceased's life.

We don't know why Mr. Penner (and yes, we should respect his choice of name and pronoun) ended his life, we don't know if or to what degree his gender identity and any difficulties with that contributed to his death. We don't know what other issues he may have had that were troubling him that had nothing to do with this or what his health was like. It's troubling that people who want respect for their own identities want to make Mike conform to their needs, not his. Which isn't to say that we won't learn more in time that adjusts our understanding.

The "real life experience" is not a test - you don't pass or fail it. The purpose is to learn about yourself in a supported manner and to make decisions about what course is best in your life from an informed perspective. In that sense - everyone "passes" the real life experience. No matter what decision you've made.

It's very, very sad. My heart goes out to his family and friends.

There is no publicity released toxicology report, and no official cause of death.

Jumping to conclusions is not wise.
Penner could have died from natural causes or could could have off'ed himself for reasons other than his failed transition.
He may of had inoperable brain cancer and couldn't life with the ramification of that.

As usual Sandeen jumps to the conclusion that makes Mike, and the Tee-Gee community the victims of a society perceived to be uncaring, and overly rigid in enforcing it's gender roles.

Ms Sandeen once again you have dealt your credibility a blow by exploiting this sad, sad turn of events.