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| William 'Bill' Burden (right) is 104 years old. He sits in the Isabella Community Soup Kitchen, 621 South Adams St., with his son Don. Bill lives across the street and walks to the soup kitchen every day. |
~JD
Showing posts with label photo story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photo story. Show all posts
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
"Follow your heart"
JRN 422:
A counter culture story.
Kylee Meade and Nick Royal are a happy couple of 14 months, but 'typical' may not be the right way to describe them.
Kylee Meade of Roseville is a fifth-year senior at Central Michigan University. Kylee was also born "Kyle." Meade is a transgendered woman, in the process of hormonal therapy to change her body to match the gender she feels inside.
"I'm not trying to be a different person," she said, "I'm just trying to be me - Just a girl."
Meade and Royal met through Facebook, having no actual connections. Meade found a mutual friend and said they had met before. Royal accepted it at the time and they began to chat. They started having four- to five-hour phone conversations. Once they moved to the same town, Mount Pleasant, they began officially dating, not having an actual date, but deciding two months later that their anniversary was Aug. 1.
Royal said he identified as gay, attracted to boys only. He tried dating girls and it didn't work.
"Kylee is the exception," he said. "I fell in love with her before I knew, and that's kind of why."
The day before their three month anniversary, Meade came out as transgendered to Royal.
"I said, 'Well, I'm gay and I date boys, so we have to break up,'" he said.
"We had been dating for a couple of months and it was getting serious," Meade said. "I knew I was getting strong feelings for him. So I had to tell him soon. ... And so I told him. We were basically just crying for hours and hours that night."
Royal said they ended on nice terms, but he couldn't get her out of his head the next day. He bought her three roses for their three month anniversary and told her he was unsure what would happen with their relationship, but he wanted to try.
"He basically said, 'I don't want to put my love in a box anymore,'" Meade said.
"I said, 'I don't know how this is gonna go, but I want to try,'" he said. "And since that day, she has been breaking through my mind compartments."
Meade said she was tentative and something would probably eventually happen, but they have since been dating for more than a year and he has been supportive.
"Love is love, it doesn't really matter, but for some reason, society wants that label." Royal said.
He said right now he identifies with Queer, saying it is the only label he feels comfortable with because it is such an umbrella term.
"In my head I'm attracted to more men than women," Royal said, "but I don't see us breaking up, so it doesn't really matter."
He said he really doesn't see Meade's physical changes as becoming a problem.
"In my head, she's a female," he said. "There's no question about it."
Meade said this summer or next December she is going to have facial reconstructive surgery to reduce her brow bone and jaw and to reshape her nose.
"I don't really have any fat, but the hormones will place the fat in a different area," she said, moving her hands over her thighs and hips.
Meade is a vocal major and the hormones affect her every day. Her voice is always changing. She said she is concerned about the vocal shift.
"I want to keep my singing voice," she said. "It's my life."
But whatever changes Meade is going through, Royal is by her side and plans to stay. He said he wants people to ask questions and not to make assumptions. He said there is really only love and has one piece of advice:
"Just follow your heart."
A counter culture story.
Kylee Meade and Nick Royal are a happy couple of 14 months, but 'typical' may not be the right way to describe them.
Kylee Meade of Roseville is a fifth-year senior at Central Michigan University. Kylee was also born "Kyle." Meade is a transgendered woman, in the process of hormonal therapy to change her body to match the gender she feels inside.
"I'm not trying to be a different person," she said, "I'm just trying to be me - Just a girl."
Meade and Royal met through Facebook, having no actual connections. Meade found a mutual friend and said they had met before. Royal accepted it at the time and they began to chat. They started having four- to five-hour phone conversations. Once they moved to the same town, Mount Pleasant, they began officially dating, not having an actual date, but deciding two months later that their anniversary was Aug. 1.
Royal said he identified as gay, attracted to boys only. He tried dating girls and it didn't work.
"Kylee is the exception," he said. "I fell in love with her before I knew, and that's kind of why."
The day before their three month anniversary, Meade came out as transgendered to Royal.
"I said, 'Well, I'm gay and I date boys, so we have to break up,'" he said.
"We had been dating for a couple of months and it was getting serious," Meade said. "I knew I was getting strong feelings for him. So I had to tell him soon. ... And so I told him. We were basically just crying for hours and hours that night."
Royal said they ended on nice terms, but he couldn't get her out of his head the next day. He bought her three roses for their three month anniversary and told her he was unsure what would happen with their relationship, but he wanted to try.
"He basically said, 'I don't want to put my love in a box anymore,'" Meade said.
"I said, 'I don't know how this is gonna go, but I want to try,'" he said. "And since that day, she has been breaking through my mind compartments."
Meade said she was tentative and something would probably eventually happen, but they have since been dating for more than a year and he has been supportive.
"Love is love, it doesn't really matter, but for some reason, society wants that label." Royal said.
He said right now he identifies with Queer, saying it is the only label he feels comfortable with because it is such an umbrella term.
"In my head I'm attracted to more men than women," Royal said, "but I don't see us breaking up, so it doesn't really matter."
He said he really doesn't see Meade's physical changes as becoming a problem.
"In my head, she's a female," he said. "There's no question about it."
Meade said this summer or next December she is going to have facial reconstructive surgery to reduce her brow bone and jaw and to reshape her nose.
"I don't really have any fat, but the hormones will place the fat in a different area," she said, moving her hands over her thighs and hips.
Meade is a vocal major and the hormones affect her every day. Her voice is always changing. She said she is concerned about the vocal shift.
"I want to keep my singing voice," she said. "It's my life."
But whatever changes Meade is going through, Royal is by her side and plans to stay. He said he wants people to ask questions and not to make assumptions. He said there is really only love and has one piece of advice:
"Just follow your heart."
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Counter culture Single
JRN 422: Counter culture single.
For my assignment, I am shooting a couple - Nick Royal and Kylee Meade. The two became a couple several years ago as gay men. Kylee later came out as a transgendered woman and is now going through the hormonal therapy process, with her boyfriend still faithfully by her side.
~JD
For my assignment, I am shooting a couple - Nick Royal and Kylee Meade. The two became a couple several years ago as gay men. Kylee later came out as a transgendered woman and is now going through the hormonal therapy process, with her boyfriend still faithfully by her side.
 |
| Kylee Meade, left, laughs as her boyfriend, Nick Royal, tries to attack her with kisses on Wednesday evening, Sept. 28, in Kylee's residence hall room. |
~JD
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Football Champ
JRN 422: Sports feature picture story.
Brandon "Champ" Champion, a Cadillac senior, is known for his love of sports.
"Brandon is football," said John Manzo, Clinton Township junior and friend of Champion.
On Saturday, Oct. 1, Champion went out to watch the Central Michigan-Northern Illinois football game at Kelly/Shorts stadium with his roommates and friends. After about an hour drinking with his friends in the tailgate lot and passing out Monster energy drinks to other tailgaters, Champ strolled into the stadium with his arms around his friends' shoulders, straight down to about the fourth row in the student section.
The smile never left his face, despite the chilly wind and small student section present at the game. He cheered with his friends, danced to the music and never quite stayed in one place during the game.
His friend, Detroit sophomore Shonda Smith, looked up from the game at one point to find neither Champion nor his roommates around her.
"They'll be back," she laughed. After about 15 minutes, she realized the boys were in a completely different row, two rows back. Once Champion saw her, he squeezed between other students to come to her level, only to leave again after about five minutes.
Champion and his friends left the game at half time to watch Michigan State football from his apartment at Lexington Ridge, U12.
Not only does Champion watch football, he also plays on two Intramural teams; he plays quarterback for the co-ed team the Honey Badgers and is also a part of an all-male team.
"I'm like a die-hard sports person," Champion said with a large grin while describing himself.
He also covers soccer for the student paper, Central Michigan Life.
After his co-ed IM game on Oct. 3, Champion headed away saying he was mad they had lost 19-12. He went home to watch baseball on TV.
~JD
Brandon "Champ" Champion, a Cadillac senior, is known for his love of sports.
"Brandon is football," said John Manzo, Clinton Township junior and friend of Champion.
On Saturday, Oct. 1, Champion went out to watch the Central Michigan-Northern Illinois football game at Kelly/Shorts stadium with his roommates and friends. After about an hour drinking with his friends in the tailgate lot and passing out Monster energy drinks to other tailgaters, Champ strolled into the stadium with his arms around his friends' shoulders, straight down to about the fourth row in the student section.
 |
| Brandon Champion, senior of Cadillac, watches the Central Michigan-Northern Illinois football game Oct. 1 at CMU's Kelly/Shorts stadium. |
 |
| Brandon Champion of Cadillac, right, and his friend Shonda Smith of Detroit cheer for the Chippewas in the Oct. 1 Central Michigan-Northern Illinois football game at Kelly/Shorts stadium at Central Michigan University. |
The smile never left his face, despite the chilly wind and small student section present at the game. He cheered with his friends, danced to the music and never quite stayed in one place during the game.
His friend, Detroit sophomore Shonda Smith, looked up from the game at one point to find neither Champion nor his roommates around her.
"They'll be back," she laughed. After about 15 minutes, she realized the boys were in a completely different row, two rows back. Once Champion saw her, he squeezed between other students to come to her level, only to leave again after about five minutes.
Champion and his friends left the game at half time to watch Michigan State football from his apartment at Lexington Ridge, U12.
 |
| Cadillac senior Brandon Champion throws his arms out in exasperation while watching Michigan State football on Oct. 1 at his Lexington Ridge apartment, U12, in Mount Pleasant. |
Not only does Champion watch football, he also plays on two Intramural teams; he plays quarterback for the co-ed team the Honey Badgers and is also a part of an all-male team.
"I'm like a die-hard sports person," Champion said with a large grin while describing himself.
He also covers soccer for the student paper, Central Michigan Life.
 |
| Quarterback of the co-ed Intramural flag football team the Honey Badgers, Cadillac senior Brandon Champion runs with the ball on the cold Oct. 3 night game at Central Michigan University IM fields. The Honey Badgers lost 19-12. |
 |
| After a game of Intramural flag football, the Honey Badgers team's quarterback Brandon Champion, of Cadillac, looks over the Central Michigan University IM fields. His team lost in the 19-12 game. |
 |
| Brandon Champion and Ashley Scheetz walk away from the Central Michigan University Intramural fields after the co-ed flag football team, the Honey Badgers, lost a game Monday night, Oct. 3. The final score was 19-12. |
After his co-ed IM game on Oct. 3, Champion headed away saying he was mad they had lost 19-12. He went home to watch baseball on TV.
~JD
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sports single
Sports feature picture story single.
~JD
 |
| Quarterback of the Honey Badgers co-ed intramural football team, Brandon Champion, right, rises his arms in frustration from a referee's call at their game Monday night, Sept. 26 at Central Michigan University's IM fields. |
~JD
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