Mike Penner

Michael Daniel Penner (October 10, 1957 – November 27, 2009) was an American sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times. Penner self-identified as transsexual in 2007 with the new name of Christine Daniels. The following year, she detransitioned socially but died by suicide in 2009.

Early life and education Born in Inglewood, California to Russian Mennonite parents, Penner graduated from Western High School in Anaheim and from California State University, Fullerton.

Her wife, Lisa Dillman, submitted divorce papers on May 23, 2007, and said to Penner, "I don't even want to see you around the office unless I absolutely have to, and then I want to be as far away as possible. I don't want to be associated with it. I don't ever want to see you that way." That crushed Penner. The same week, Penner covered a press conference with Paul Oberjuerge, a writer for the San Bernardino County Sun, also in attendance. Oberjuerge mocked Penner's appearance in an article, stating "(e)xcept anyone paying any attention isn't going to be fooled — as some people are by veteran transvestites. Maybe this is cruel, but there were women in that room who were born women in body, as well as soul. And the difference between them and Christine was, in my mind, fairly stark. It seemed almost as we're all going along with someone's dress-up role-playing." Penner was deeply hurt over the comments, and a fan campaign succeeding in getting the Sun to remove the post.

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.

Shortly after her 50th birthday, Penner/Daniels went to a studio of photographer Robert Maxwell for a Vanity Fair piece. Transgender friends stated Maxwell had tried to sex Penner/Daniels up and pushed Penner/Daniels to pose provocatively. Traumatized, Penner/Daniels wrote a letter asking Vanity Fair to kill the piece. Penner moved in later that summer with transgender friend Amy LaCoe. LaCoe counseled Penner before her transition to Daniels and was conflicted by Penner transitioning back. Penner tore up several notebooks she kept on transgender therapy, donated her clothes and jewelry, and ceased attempts to feminize herself. He then ordered friends to call her Mike again. Though it broke her heart, LaCoe didn't judge and helped her friend with the process. although at the time of his death they were divorced.

Penner was found dead in her Los Angeles home on November 28, 2009, of an apparent suicide, a year to the day after her divorce with Dillman had been finalized. A funeral closed to media was dedicated to Mike Penner, transgender friends who'd known her were turned away at the door for not being on the guest list. Amy LaCoe was the sole transgender friend invited to the funeral. MCC had a public memorial for Christine Daniels. Since 2010, MCC has annually distributed the Christine Daniels Scholarship.