After 23 years with the Los Angeles Times and 40 years of anguish, sports columnist Mike Penner decided to announce his transition to Christine Daniels on his sports column.
At age 49, Penner wrote:
"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.
That's OK. I understand that I am not the only one in transition as I move from Mike to Christine. Everyone who knows me and my work will be transitioning as well. That will take time. And that's all right. To borrow a piece of well-worn sports parlance, we will take it one day at a time."
"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.
That's OK. I understand that I am not the only one in transition as I move from Mike to Christine. Everyone who knows me and my work will be transitioning as well. That will take time. And that's all right. To borrow a piece of well-worn sports parlance, we will take it one day at a time."
The veteran columnist was a tennis and Olympic writer, Angels beat reporter, Essayist, and Sports media critic.
Los Angeles Times sports editor Randy Harvey responded with this statement:
"[Mike Penner's] decision to go public cannot have been an easy one and, while we do not make a habit of commenting on the personal and private lives of our journalists, we do look forward to continuing our relationship into the future."
Los Angeles Times sports editor Randy Harvey responded with this statement:
"[Mike Penner's] decision to go public cannot have been an easy one and, while we do not make a habit of commenting on the personal and private lives of our journalists, we do look forward to continuing our relationship into the future."
Mike Penner began coming out to his boss, barber, and beloved soccer team months before the public announcement.
On Friday, November 28, 2009, Daniels was found dead in her apartment. Police ruled her death a suicide. Daniels had changed her byline back to Mike Penner a year prior. She was 52 years old.
