Transition-Related Care is Tax Deductible

How’s that for good news for an upcoming tax season?

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has affirmed that transgender people can deduct their hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery expenses. This announcement indicates that the IRS will follow the U.S. Tax Court’s 2010 ruling in O’Donnabhain v. Commissioner, which held that gender identity disorder (GID) is a medical condition, and transgender people receiving hormone therapy or sex reassignment surgery as treatment for GID may deduct these costs as medical expenses.

NCTE has links to the .pdf of the IRS announcement as well as the tax trial that set the precedent.

White People

“White people are so lame.” – Homer Simpson

It’s so excellent, and the vocals are spot-on.

Be Who You Are

Alas, another children’s book about a trans child, this one called Be Who You Are, about a young girl who is born male-bodied.

The only thing that bugs me about this is the idea of using the term “gender non-conforming” for a child like this. On the surface of it, sure. But it’s exactly the gender typical femininity of such kids that often convinces people they are trans in the first place; if she were more of a tomboy, her trans status wouldn’t be as obvious to people, right?

 

Exeunt.

It’s a little surreal but at Lawrence we start a new term tomorrow along with the New Year. I’ve been meaning to write a ‘year end wrap-up’ sort of post but I find I’m going from pillar to post in my head because of all the loss. That said, I’m glad to see 2011 go away.

So out with the old, & in with the new: not just the new year for me, but new classes, new students, new experiences.