Video – Meet Paige Elliot Phoenix – Australia's Transgendered 2011 X-Factor Contestant

It seems that 2011 is the year for reality shows to welcome female to male transgendered contestants.

Last week it was announced that sex reassigned Chaz Bono would be competing on Dancing with the Stars, and now Australia is following suit.

Meet Paige Elliot Phoenix.

Paige is a 35-year-old female to male transgendered human that auditioned for the Australian version of the “X Factor”.

The video kind of blew us away because we didn’t even see it coming until he told the judges about his “situation”.

Paige says,

“My decision to live as a man has been the best decision ever for me. Living as a female was really hard and painful. The transition I have been through has completely enabled me to become the person I am today. I had a voice before but I never felt fully authentic - it wasn’t me. I never could have auditioned for X Factor as a woman.”

The setup includes him having a video chat with his girlfriend, and the voice, muscles, looks and tattoos made us think he was a man from the beginning of the piece.

Watch Paige Elliot Phoenix on Australia X Factor


The judges seemed fine with his voice, tone, looks, and professionalism and voted him through to the next round.

Australia in general seems to be taking the entire thing in stride and seems to think it’s no big deal.

So what’s the problem with the United States?

Chaz Bono

When Chaz Bono announced last week she was participating in DWTS the haters came out of the woodwork saying that families would be harmed, advertisers should be boycotted, and all life as we know it would probably end if Chaz was allowed to compete as a man.

She ultimately had to go on national TV to defend herself to the world.

Related: Chaz Bono to appear on DWTS – Video
Related: Chaz Bono speaks out about DWTS - Video

It seems as progressive as we think we are in the United States there are certain issues we just can’t seem to conquer.

It’s sad really.

Asia, on the other hand, not only accepts the matter but embraces it and has built an entire culture around sex reassignment.

Last year Bell Nuntita tried out for their version of “Thailand’s Got Talent” and was embraced by the nation.

Related: Thailand’s Got Talent - Transgender Contestant Shocks Judges – Video Goes Viral

It seems that the issue is KNOWING a person is transgendered more than the fact the he or she is.

If Paige Phoenix would not have told anybody and competed, and maybe won, as a man – nobody would have said a thing.

Page Elliot Phoenix

If we didn’t KNOW that Chaz Bono used to be a female we wouldn’t care about her on “Dancing with the Stars.”

But because we KNOW his history it becomes a problem.

Maybe 2011 will be the year that the World learns that people are people and love is love.

Hate is not wanted or deserved, and until you walk a mile in somebody else’s shoes you have no right to judge anybody - or open your mouth.

He who is without sin may cast the first stone in our comment section below.

That’s what I thought.

Follow @InfoStar on Twitter – We get it.