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Richard O'Brien: ‘I'm 70% man'

EXCERPT:

Richard O'Brien, writer of hit musical The Rocky Horror Show, delighted in shaking up the conservative sexual attitudes of the 1970s.

His most famous creation, Dr Frank N Furter, brought the house down with his song Sweet Transvestite.

But the show's creator was ashamed about his own long-held desire to be more feminine.

"I was six-and-a-half and I said to my big brother that I wanted to be the fairy princess when I grew up. The look of disdain on his face made me pull down the shutters. I knew that I should never ever say that out loud again."

For 50 years, O'Brien repressed the feeling. But "you can't just put the lid on things and pretend that they don't exist", he says.

"I believe myself probably to be about 70% male, 30% female”

So a decade ago, he started taking the female hormone oestrogen - and is happy with the results.

"It takes the edge off the masculine, testosterone-driven side of me and I like that very much. I think I've become a nicer person in some ways, slightly softer. For the first time in my life, I've started to put on a little bit of weight, which I like."

He has also developed small breasts. But O'Brien is not intending to go further and have sex reassignment surgery.

"I don't want to pretend to be something that I'm not. Anton Rodgers, the actor, said 'you're the third sex'. And I thought that's quite nice. I quite like that position.

This news from QEERTY

Transgender Student Allowed To Attend Prom With Girlfriend

EXCERPT:

Following a week of dispute and a media frenzy surrounding the issue of a prom court ballot, Issak Oliver Wolfe will be allowed to attend the dance with his girlfriend. Wolfe, who is a transgender student that identifies as a man, was listed under his former female name, on the prom queen side of the ballot. In spite of attempts to run for and be listed for prom king, the principal of Red Lion Area Senior High School in York County, Penn., insisted on listing him as female.

“For a transgendered person, it is degrading to have that, and I wasn’t even warned,” said 18-year-old Isaak.

Following the dispute with principal Mark Shue, the school district accused Wolfe’s girlfriend of libel for posting the story to Facebook and later attempted to ban her from the high school dance. Soon after, the American Civil Liberties Union got involved, in support of Wolfe and his girlfriend. On Friday, it was reported that the school district agreed to let Wolfe and his girlfriend attend the prom but there was no clarity on the prom ballot and graduation, which became another area of dispute.

It remains to be seen if the school will allow him to wear the male cap and gown and whether or not Wolfe’s male name will be read during the ceremony.