Hats off to Mike Penner, Christine Daniels
April 26, 2007 by William K. Wolfrum
L.A. Times sportswriter Mike Penner has an announcement:
Old Mike, new Christine
During my 23 years with The Times’ sports department, I have held a wide variety of roles and titles. Tennis writer. Angels beat reporter. Olympics writer. Essayist. Sports media critic. NFL columnist. Recent keeper of the Morning Briefing flame.
Today I leave for a few weeks’ vacation, and when I return, I will come back in yet another incarnation.
As Christine.
I am a transsexual sportswriter. It has taken more than 40 years, a million tears and hundreds of hours of soul-wrenching therapy for me to work up the courage to type those words. I realize many readers and colleagues and friends will be shocked to read them.
Best of luck and an untold amount of respect to the soon-to-be Christine Daniels. The courage shown will undoubtedly be a huge inspiration to many. Good luck, Christine, you have a lot to be proud of and a lot of new friends.
Read more about Mike Penner’s wonderfully written tale of his journey to become Christine Daniels by clicking here.
–WKW
[...] Mike/Christine says the reaction to her change has been universally positive. The blogosphere appears to be little different. Martini Republic gives Christine a toast; Sportscolumn plays up the humor and derides the inevitable “testosterone driven, meathead sports fans” who will pounce on the news; and William K. Wolfrum has nothing but kudos. Deadspin, the 400-lb. gorilla of sports blogs (and a sports incompetent like me only knows that much about them because of the whole Carl Monday masturbation brouhaha), wishes Christine all the best. Commenter reaction at Deadspin seems to be split between people who are supportive, and sports fans who just wanted to get their fucking box scores. And finally, Michael David Smith at the AOL Sports Blog points out that Christine is not unique; Christina Kahrl went through the same transition years ago. [...]
There goes my homophobia acting up again. It must be going to rain.
[...] It was on April 27, 2007, Daniels left behind her former identity as Mike Penner to begin a new life, announcing it world in the article “Old Mike, New Christine”. During my 23 years with The Times’ sports department, I have held a wide variety of roles and titles. Tennis writer. Angels beat reporter. Olympics writer. Essayist. Sports media critic. NFL columnist. Recent keeper of the Morning Briefing flame. Today I leave for a few weeks’ vacation, and when I return, I will come back in yet another incarnation. As Christine. [...]
[...] It was on April 27, 2007, Daniels left behind her former identity as Mike Penner to begin a new life, announcing it world in the article “Old Mike, New Christine”. [...]