Not all weddings can be as fabulous as the union between Michael Cole Smith and Jamil Smith Cole. But Melanie and Anthony Vaughan, a British couple married last year, at least tried. That is until their male wedding photographer showed as a woman and ruined everything! How dare she.
Nevermind that Kate Summers, born Dave Stonestreet, is transgender. And she just happened to be diagnosed by doctors as such in the year between when the Vaughans booked her services and their wedding day. So upset were the new groom and bride their photographer tried stealing their thunder, or something, that six months after exchanging vows, they ran their mouth to the gossip-happy tabloids.
Says Melanie Vaughan: “He said would I mind if he came dressed as a woman, but women can dress in a whole load of different ways. “I thought he would come in a trouser suit. I had no idea how bad it would be. I didn’t appreciate the flowing skirt and hair in a bobble. I said to my hairdresser ‘what’s it dressed like?’ I couldn’t look. I do understand what he’s going through. He must have issues, but he only let me know the day before and his pictures were rubbish. It was both the way he looked, how he turned up and how bad his pictures were that made the whole thing a nightmare.”
Well, the bad pictures, we can understand complaining over. But Summers, who says there’s nothing wrong with the photos, retorts: “You wouldn’t dream of complaining that your wedding had been ruined because someone was gay or disabled. This diagnosis of being biologically female having lived 50 years as a male is not an easy thing to go through. I told them what I had been through and thought they would be fine with it. She didn’t give me any indication that was a problem. The first time she has raised the issue is months later in a national newspaper. You would think if she wasn’t happy she would make a formal complaint or take it to the small claims court. It was the first time I had done anything work-wise dressed as a woman and was the last wedding I was ever going to do, so I really wanted it to go well. As a female I’m probably more aware of how important a day it is for a bride.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Something tells us the Vaughans might disagree. But, congratulations!
Mr. Enemabag Jones
I’m so sick and tired of heterosexuals. For every one that’s alright, there’s a dozen that are shit.
Qjersey
“it” shows you exactly what the bride’s attitude was before she even saw a picture. The question is why didn’t she sue to get her money back instead of crying to the press? I sense the bride has another agenda.
Kevin (New Jersey, US)
@Mr. Enemabag – I’m so sick and tired of homosexuals. For every one that’s alright, there’s a dozen that are shit. – See, isn’t that a good argument for equality?
Cassandra
they’ll be divorced in ten years or less anyways, and destroying the photo’s, so what’s the big deal?
me
How exactly is the tranny biologically female????????????????????? Is that the actual quote?
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@Kevin (New Jersey, US):
I’m so sick and tired of straight pandering queers. For every one that’s alright, there’s a dozen that are shit.
Michael
I must say, as a photographer of transexuals and drag queens myself, while the couple going to the tabloids was wrong the transexual only giving 24 hours notice was wrong too. A man coming dressed as a woman would make almost any wedding for a typical heterosexual couple very awkward. IMHO, it was poor judgment on both parts.
Mike
What does any of this have to do with gay people?
Cristan
@ No 4: ROTFLMAO!
@ No 5: She’s probably referring to the few peer reviewed studies that showed that the stria terminalis (the gender part of the brain) is female in male-to-female (MTF) TGs, which would mean that MTF TGs are biologically female gendered. The reverse is found to be true in female-to-male (FTM) transsexuals. In other words, it seems that transsexuals are born with a brain sex that is opposite of their body sex. I suppose that would mean that transsexualism is just a intersexed condition.
@ No 7: While I agree, I also understand why it happened. Transition is almost never a graceful process. Being clumsy, socially awkward and off one’s game is to be expected.
@ No 8: The discrimination gay people suffer is rooted in the fact that being gay breaks a cultural gender norm. All boys are only supposed to like girls, the gender stereotype goes. The discrimination TG people suffer is rooted in the fact that being TG breaks a cultural gender norm. The problems both communities face come from the same place. I could easily see this bridezilla tying to go to the press because a gay photographer brought along his husband to help and therefor ruined her wedding. However, I don’t know that a story like that would get much traction nowadays… maybe 15 years ago… Hopefully 15 years from now a story like this won’t be deemed newsworthy either.
A
@5: ‘Tranny’, in the way you are using it, is an insult. Do not use it.
Simon
Read this in chav magazine Loveit and wrote a letter to complain. Disgusting attitude.
Miss Summers should not worry about the narrow minded woman. From what I saw of the pics she did well to make the bride look remotely attractive – minger.
D Smith
Unfortunately this article only goes to show how far behind LGB issues us T’s are. while yes this particular woman would likely have thrown a fit over a gay or lesbian couple showing up to photograph her wedding… her particular attitude… that she was quoted with is one that show how uneducated the general populous is in relation to issues of transgendered health and discrimination. something that im afraid #5 and #* posters are also guilty of. transphobia, homophobia, and misogyny all come from the same root cause, and discrimination against any one of us is discrimination against us all… instead of breaking up into our little splinter groups and fighting for each of our own little battles we need to band together and speak out against injustice and discrimination.
kate summers
can i point out – i offered to dress as a male to avoid any issues- day in advance- and melanie said no- she was fine with me dressing as a female- [im not a tranny- its a real medical birth condition- and no-ones business to comment on- this story is twisted nonsense to get a fee from the press- no-one voiced any concerns on the day- and melanie even wanted extra reprints of my photos!!!!- its all made up [and i have the emails from the bride to prove it]…..