Mike Penner
Encyclopedia
Mike Penner was a sports writer for the Los Angeles Times
. Penner self-identified as being a transsexual in a 2007 column and returned from a vacation writing with the name Christine Daniels, before resuming his original name in 2008 and then committing suicide in 2009 .
, California
, Penner graduated from Western High School in Anaheim
and from California State University, Fullerton
.
in 1983 as a staff writer for the paper's Orange County edition. Initially reporting on high school sports, Penner went on to cover a variety of national and international sporting events including the Olympics
, Major League Baseball
, tennis
, and World Cup soccer
.
Mike Penner lived and wrote as Christine Daniels for more than a year, continuing to document his own experience with gender transition in the LA Times blog "Woman in Progress." Daniels' writing became a source of hope for people across the country with gender-identity issues.
Penner wrote as Christine Daniels from July 2007 until about March 2008; without elaboration, he resumed using Mike Penner as his byline in October 2008.
Penner was a member of the Times sports staff at the time of his death.
His announcement on April 26, 2007 column that he was a transsexual and intended to return from a vacation as Christine Daniels. Penner was found dead in his Los Angeles home on November 28, 2009 of an apparent suicide.
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
. Penner self-identified as being a transsexual in a 2007 column and returned from a vacation writing with the name Christine Daniels, before resuming his original name in 2008 and then committing suicide in 2009 .
Early life and education
Born Michael Daniel Penner in InglewoodInglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Penner graduated from Western High School in Anaheim
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
and from California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton is a public university located in Fullerton, California. It is the largest institution in the CSU System by enrollment, it offers long-distance education and adult-degree programs...
.
Professional career
Penner began his journalism career at the Anaheim Bulletin as a writer and sports editor. He then joined the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
in 1983 as a staff writer for the paper's Orange County edition. Initially reporting on high school sports, Penner went on to cover a variety of national and international sporting events including the Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and World Cup soccer
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
.
Writing about transsexuality
Later in his career, in addition to covering sports, Penner also began writing about transsexual identity and the process of gender transition from an autobiographical perspective. The first such piece he wrote for the Times was an essay entitled "Old Mike, New Christine" that appeared in the paper in April 2007. In it, he wrote about his lifelong struggle to come to terms with his transsexuality:Mike Penner lived and wrote as Christine Daniels for more than a year, continuing to document his own experience with gender transition in the LA Times blog "Woman in Progress." Daniels' writing became a source of hope for people across the country with gender-identity issues.
Penner wrote as Christine Daniels from July 2007 until about March 2008; without elaboration, he resumed using Mike Penner as his byline in October 2008.
Penner was a member of the Times sports staff at the time of his death.
Personal life
Penner was at one time married to fellow Los Angeles Times sportswriter Lisa Dillman although at the time of his death they were divorced.His announcement on April 26, 2007 column that he was a transsexual and intended to return from a vacation as Christine Daniels. Penner was found dead in his Los Angeles home on November 28, 2009 of an apparent suicide.
External links
- Woman in Progress, Daniels' blog at latimes.com [not accessible as of October 21, 2008]
- Mike Penner, "Old Mike, New Christine," Los Angeles Times, April 26, 2007. Also available here
- Laura Coverson, "Sportswriter Takes Transgender Identity Public; Mike Penner of the L.A. Times Wrote a Column to Explain Some Changes, Including His New Name: Christine," ABC News, April 27, 2007. Also available here.
- Yahoo story about Penner
- ESPN article
- Trans sports journalist raises visibility
- John Woolard and Jay Christensen, Interview with Christine Daniels Sports Overnight America, May 4, 2007.