It was always a strange story, and now it has become a desperately sad one.

Mike Penner, 52, a sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times, was found dead in his home Friday. The cause of death reported in the paper is apparently suicide.

[caption id="attachment_145" align="alignleft" width="249" caption="Christine Daniels/Mike Penner"]<img src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/penner.jpg" alt="Christine Daniels/Mike Penner" title="" width="249" height="172" class="size-full wp-image-145" />[/caption]
Most of you have probably never heard of Penner, who worked at the Times for more than 20 years and was one of the paper's best sports reporters. Unfortunately, for many people who had heard of him, he may be remembered best for Christine Daniels.

Nearly three years ago, Penner stunned his readers when he announced that after years of soul-searching, he had made the decision to undergo gender reassignment and become Christine Daniels.

"I am a transsexual sportswriter," he wrote. "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."

He began writing for the Times as Daniels April 2007, but the byline disappeared after several months. A year or so ago he returned to work as Mike Penner. He never actually underwent the surgery that would have changed his sex.

"He was one of the most talented writers I've ever worked with," his boss, sports editor Mike James said. "He was a gentle man, a kind man. It's just a tragedy."

We live in a cruel world, and it is certainly apropos that some refer to life as a "vale of tears." It's tough enough to cope with the difficulties of existing if you're "normal," so imagine how difficult it must be if you feel like you don't fit in.

Imagine living for more than 40 years feeling as if you're trapped in the body of the opposite sex that you believe you are in your heart. Then imagine the courage it must have taken to go public to millions of people about it.

Then set the story in the graceless age in which we live. There must have been times after the announcement that Daniels felt as if she were an unwilling guest on some never-ending Jerry Springer sho<span id="person_name_361" style="display: none;">erry SpringeJerry SApringer</span><span id="person_link_361"> </span>w. I remember reading some of the anonymous comments on various Websites about what an ugly woman Daniels was, and what sort of person would do something like that.

Just this week, with the announcement that Chastity Bono, daughter of Sonny and Cher, had completed her own sexual reassignment and was now Chaz Bono, the haters were out in full force.

Chaz was "fat," Chaz was "ugly," Chaz was "repulsive," and anyway, "Why couldn't she just be a lesbian."

There are times when I really wish I weren't part of the human race. Dogs are much more noble than most of us.

I didn't know Penner well, and I neevr met Daniels. But we moved in some of the same circles and covered some of the same events as sports reporters in the last part of the last century. All I can do is say I'm sorry for all the hatred and scorn he received from my fellow humans.

Oh, and one more thing.

Rest in peace.