Vals logo Index of Contents
The Queen's Throne
Wigged Out
An Interview with Dallas Denny
Behind Blue Eyes
Book Review: Cherry Single
Alex Suits Washington Post's Style
Ask Harriett Questionable

February 1998 - On-Line Edition


Current Events

February 14 Meeting:

7pm. Our topic is Transgenders and the Law. We will be having a representative from the police. We have also rescheduled the photographers from the Holiday Banquet to take Valentine's Day pictures. Don't forget to bring food for Room at the Inn if you have volunteered to do so.

Future Meetings:

March 14: Pride Travel - Alternative vacations

April 11: Board Elections (Get involved!)

May 9: Spring Cookout

June 13: Holly Boswell, Phoenix TG Support (Asheville, NC)

October 10: Halloween Party

December 12: 6th Annual Anniversary/Holiday Party

Tennessee Vals Special Events:

Saturday, February 14, Room at the Inn, 703 Berry Road. Take food items for the homeless.

Thursday, June 11, Transgender Mixer Holly Boswell, Phoenix TG Support (Asheville, NC)

Highlights from the January Meeting: Thanks for all those who participated in our discussion group on relationships. We also welcomed several new folks to the meeting.

Vals Board Meetings:

February 26, March 26, April 23, 7pm at the Center for Gay, Lesbian, Bi, and Transgendered Life in Nashville, 703 Berry Rd., (615) 297-0008. Board meetings are open to all members, so join us and get involved!


Her Majesty, The Queen, Marisa

The Queen's Throne

By Marisa Richmond

This month is a very important month. February is, as always, African-American History Month. Some of you may not care, but since homo sapiens originated in Southern Africa approximately 200,000 years ago, we can all trace our heritage back there regardless of our cultural background. More recently, documented drag balls first appeared in African-American neighborhoods in New York and Washington during the Civil War. At the time of the Belle Epoque, Nashville's own Black Bottom (where The Jungle and Nashville Arena are located) harbored those who were ostracized by the rest of society. The marginalized segments became even more visible after Prohibition ended when Little Harlem (Charlotte between 4th and 5th) emerged as the home of not only Nashville's first documented gay bar (BDC Club, 5th Avenue North, where Municpal Auditorium is located), but also the Washington Hotel (422 Charlotte Avenue), a popular hangout of those in drag. One of the most interesting things about the era is that, despite state laws requiring segregation of the "races" (even though there is only one race--the human race), there was quite a bit of mixing among all those pushed to the edges of society because they were considered unacceptable by the bigoted majority. You do not have to be born with a Heart Full of Soul like me to appreciate the role the African-American community plays in the history of the transgender community in this country. Get out and celebrate!

The University of Connecticut recently conducted a poll asking people their thoughts about the First Amendment. For those of you who slept through class when it was discussed, that is the part of the Federal Constitution that states no law can abridge the freedom of speech or assembly and requires a separation of church and state. While the poll states that 93% of Americans support it in principle, I was disturbed to read that as many as 52% were willing to endorse specific restrictions if given the opportunity. If a society is willing to endorse restrictions, then we are not truly free. Which freedoms are to be abridged? Which ones are to be wholly protected? Who will decide which freedoms are abridged and how? Beginning in 1964, students at the University of California in Berkeley formed the Free Speech Movement, whose concern was to protect freedom of speech for all on campus when school administrators, in an attempt to appease conservatives, suppressed student activities. Locally, the issue has reared its head once again. A Barnes & Noble bookstore in Williamson County was indicted on obscenity charges for having books on display that showed nudity. Then the Rutherford County courthouse became the center of controversy because the 19th Century style wallpaper featured topless women. Finally, school officials in Sumner County announced they considered literary classics Catch-22 and Brave New World obscene. The student leaders of FSM argued that all forms of speech and expression need to be protected, because once censorship is imposed on one, it can be imposed on anyone. The concerns raised have relevance to the gender community. There are plenty of people in the puritanical right who despise us and wish that we would go away. They do not want to see us depicted as successful or happy or, more importantly, oppressed. We must continue our own fight at all times to see that our efforts are not suppressed. We must be diligent in making sure that we are not censored by those who hate us. While I recognize that some people use their rights irresponsibly, I believe very strongly in a First Amendment that protects all views, no matter whether you agree with them or not. I visited the targeted Barnes & Noble on December 31 and purchased a couple of fashion magazines to show my support for the First Amendment and my rejection of censorship. I was actually looking forward to meeting the self proclaimed "Middle Tennessee Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families" which had been picketing, but unfortunately, they were not there that day. If we are not willing to stand up for such things, then one day, none of us will have the opportunity to stand up for anything.

I recently read a book called Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls: Tips, Tales, & Teachings from the Dean of the World's First Cross- Dressing Academy by Veronica Vera (New York: Doubleday, 1977, ISBN 0-385-48456-9, $14.95). The school was established in 1992 in lower Manhattan to assist crossdressers in finding their femmeselves. She outlines the philosophy of the academy ("Think Pink") and various classes in feminine deportment, talking, makeup, hair, nails, and clothing. Miss Vera constantly referred to a number of crossdressers as "he, " but that is not why I wanted to discuss the book here. She pointed out a problem that I have seen here in Nashville and which undoubtedly exists nationwide. She noted that a number of CD's lie. Some will contact her academy making up stories that somebody else, usually their wife or mother, has required them to do so. We have seen the same phenomenon. A person will refuse to be open with us about why they are contacting us. There have been times someone will call me with one story and within 24 hours, give a different story to another board member. We are not concerned with prying into a person's life, but we do expect people to be honest enough to admit what they want. They obviously do not think board members communicate with one another. While we could do a better job, we do talk about a number of items, and are aware when someone lies to one or more of us. The obfuscation of intent does not increase trust. Miss Vera also said that some, even after they join her academy, will continue to lie about, or embellish, their accomplishments. We have seen this too. One transplant to Nashville from New England used to make increasingly grand claims about her role in her former group. Several of us have contacts all around the country, so out of curiosity, I contacted an acquaintance of mine in that New England group. She confirmed my view that the person in question had done very little and was full of hot air, but was otherwise harmless. Later, when she claimed to have been the chair of her former group, I gave her a look that said "I know that's BS." I don't think she has been back to a meeting since. Being a part of the gender community is not supposed to be competitive. Lying to the very people you want to help you is no way to build a trusting relationship. And if you would like more information on Miss Vera's Finishing School, you can contact her at www.missvera.com or 212-242-6449.

On a related issue, I was reading a newsletter by one of the southeastern groups recently that contained an item the editor presented as original prose. A few days after receiving this in the mail, I saw the identical piece in Xenogeny (Nashville's GLBT newspaper), but this time it was attributed as coming off the Internet. The only difference is that the support group newsletter editor had changed the names to match her own. What that person did can be characterized with one word: Plagiarism. It was the only item plagiarized in the entire newsletter, but once is too often. When you pass someone else's words off as your own, that is theft. There is no excuse for that among those who have assumed positions of leadership in this community. Even Led Zeppelin has finally given songwriting credit to Willie Dixon for "Whole Lotta Love" (albeit in response to a 1985 lawsuit). Let's all give credit where it is due and not steal other's ideas and claim them for our own.

When I write this column every month, I try to sound intelligent and on top of the latest news. A series of recent events, however, has made me think I am totally out of touch with the mainstream. I bought the new Led Zeppelin album on the day of its release. For years, Zeppelin albums flew straight to number one, so the failure of BBC Sessions to hit the top ten amazed me. Then I saw in USA Today a list of the 10 biggest selling albums for all of 1997. For good or bad, it seems I had purchased only two of them (#1, Spice, Spice Girls; #9, Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt). I suspect, however, that I cannot be the only person annoyed with the irony that one of the biggest songs on the Adult Contemporary charts was performed by an artist who is not old enough to get a driver's license (LeAnn Rimes). So whether or not I am out of touch, if I didn't know better, I'd swear I was getting old.

During the recent holidays, I finally did something I had been meaning to do for years: I bought an exercise machine. In this case, it was a treadmill. I even placed it in the living room in front of the television set to discourage couch potatoness (Is that a word? If so, did I spell it right? Where is Dan Quayle when I need him?). It is my hope that by the time spring arrives, I'll have a figure that even Tyra Banks would envy. Or not.

There is a new show that debuted on Fox in early January: Ask Harriett. It is about a New York City sportswriter who gets fired only to be rehired by assuming a female persona (Sylvia Coco) to write a women's advice column. The show plays for laughs by using stereotyped gender roles in society. The character is not transgendered, but rather, crossdresses for employment in the tradition of films like Tootsie. Although Fox Television has presented some groundbreaking and hysterical sitcoms like The Simpsons and Married...With Children, I found this effort to be lacking in either humor or insight.

In contrast, the touring company of the Tony Award winning Broadway play, Rent (see June 1996 newsletter), is coming to TPAC here in Nashville in January 1999. Mark it down on your calendars, folks. I am looking forward to going.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day, and if you volunteered to provide food for the homeless that day for Room in the Inn, your contribution is due at The Center (703 Berry Road) by 6 pm.

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Miss Jenni

Wigged Out

By Jennileigh Love

As I type this, I'm sitting in my office, during a lull in activity, eagerly watching the wall clock tick down until it's time to go home. In my office, I can hear about everything that goes on here because we have those cubicle things where there isn't any real privacy. This leads to a lot of interesting situations when someone calls Jenni at the office. I have to resort to a lot of "code" words, or murmurs to say what I want, knowing full well everybody in the whole cell block can hear my conversation. I've often wondered what people here think about me, when they hear I spend most of my free time with gals like Pam, Marisa, Anne, Susan and everyone else in the Vals. They must think I'm a regular Don Juan. Actually most guys are like Don Juan. After "Juan" they're "Don" (to steal a joke from Charles Pierce).

However, sometimes I'm amused by what I overhear here at the office. Before New Years, I heard this guy who sits across from me, who is married (to a very attractive blonde I might add) calling Nashville hotels looking for a New Year's Eve party, and willing to drop a wad of money on it. I couldn't believe it. I had a plethora of New Year's Parties to chose from at nightclubs and private homes, and none of them were costly. I ended up at a big shindig hosted by some lesbian friends of mine. We had drag, lesbians, fireworks, beer, champagne, wine and a guy in a diaper at midnight (no, it wasn't me!).my kind of party! The guy from the office was having to buy his way into a party. I don't get it. I thought we trannies were supposed to be the social outcasts. I can't believe my social calendar is more active than his. :)

Before I go on, I would like to describe where I work. I work in a government job in an office of about 24 people, that manage field offices employing around 50 more people. My office is a division of a larger bureau with which we interact, employing over 1,200 people, 300 of which work in my building. So basically I have a core group of people I work with, with people constantly visiting and interacting from other divisions. It's a large and diverse group of people.

Once I was sitting in my cube minding my own business when a guy came in and started talking about car troubles. Because our office is in downtown Nashville, everyone has to park quite a distance away. This guy was talking about his car not starting and having to use the phone at the "purple bar" across from his parking lot. Some of my coworkers didn't know what he was talking about and he had to explain that the "purple bar" was The Jungle, an infamous gay dive here in town. It was hysterical to listen to him tell of his venture into a gay bar, and how they were all "very nice" down there (that's news to me!).

Another time, I overheard some folks who were looking at some photographs. Back around '95, if you long-time newsletter readers will recall, there was a club in Nashville called Cowboys La Cage. It was a drag show that catered to straight audiences down on Broadway and closed because of poor business practices. (Now the building is occupied by the Irish pub Seanachie's.) Anyway, someone from the building, and his friends had gone to the show and had all these pictures taken with the drag queens who worked there. They were amazed at how good the show was and how convincing the performers were. It was pretty incredible to hear them complimenting all these drag queens. That's conversation you normally don't hear at the office.

Once again, I was minding my own business, when I overheard our temp receptionist and another girl discussing a documentary about Boy George that they had both seen on television. Their positive comments about George's sexual orientation was encouraging to me. One of the girls said that she had been to this "big bar" in Nashville where they have drag shows, and how incredible the show was.

I peeped up from my cube at this point and asked her, "You mean The Connection?"

"Why, yes," she said, surprised.

I smiled and jokingly said, "Never been there!"

I don't think they believed me.

Keep your ears open folks. People are talking about us. You might be surprised what they're saying!

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left arrow

Left of Center

By Pamela DeGroff

(Author's note: I was privileged to conduct the following interview with Dallas Denny when she attended the T. Vals Holiday Banquet in December, 1997. Dallas is one of the movers and shakers in the Gender community, and founded the American Educational Gender Information Service, or AEGIS, as it is more commonly known. She will be stepping down from her leadership role in April of '98, but will of course still remain active in the community.)

Q: If you will, please briefly describe your role in AEGIS.

A: I'm the founding director, I organized AEGIS in 1990, and have been Executive Director since then, which sometimes translates into chief cook and bottle washer.

Q: You're the office staff, then?

A: Yeah, I'm there all the time.

Q: What is the main focus of AEGIS, what are the main goals the organization wishes to realize?

A: We were set up to be an information clearinghouse on transsexual issues. After a couple years, it was becoming increasingly obvious that lots of people who didn't necessarily define themselves as transsexual were using the same medical technologies and were having the same sort of social issues and medical issues as transsexual people, including people who might want to take hormomes. At that time, the word transgendered was coming into play. We published a lot of stuff about that, because we thought it was a socially significant thing, and we re-wrote our mission statement to include transsexual and transgendered people. Our take was that if you are headed into this place, it doesn't matter what you might call yourself. We want to be there with the information that people need, regardless of the names they might use for themselves.

Q: Recently, there was a proposed merger between AEGIS and two other groups-the International Foundation for Gender Education, or IFGE, and RENAISSANCE. Why didn't this take palce, and what would have been the benefits for everyone involved if it had?

A: We weren't sure what the benefits would be, but it seems that all the national transgender organ- izations are under-funded and under-staffed. There's a lot of work to do, and a lot of duplication of efforts. We decided to have representatives meet to see how we could consolidate, up to and including a full merger...unfortunately, that meeting never happened. One of the groups pulled out right before it was to take place.

The benefits to the community? I think we need at least one strong, national organization. As long as we have a bunch of weak ones, we're going to be pulling in different directions. We won't be as effective as we would be if we're stronger.

Q: Is there any negative fallout because the merger didn't take place?

A: Yeah. There seems to be a lot of disharmony in the community just now. Groups that are doing what they have to to survive are getting criticism. An example is IFGE, which borrowed money from an endowment called the Winslow Street Fund. They've been attacked for doing this, even though it was a loan made strictly for business purposes and they have every intention of paying the money back. RENAISSANCE pulled out of the merger study and they've been criticized for that. And every time I open my mouth to say it's a shame the merger didn't take place, I get criticized. There seems to be a vacuum because the merger didn't take place. There are a lot of letters floating around, and all sorts of heated stuff on the Internet. I think this is a period of change, and I think that the demographics of the community are changing. The national organizations must realize this and adjust, if they want to survive.

Q: It's been said that the Transgendered Community is considered to be about twenty years behind the larger Gay and Lesbian communities. Any thoughts or comments on this?

A: In many ways our development has paralleled that of the gay and lesbian community. Transsexual and transgendered people have always been very active in that community, and many of us indentify as gay or lesbian.. We didn't have a transgender Stonewall event, but a couple of incidents awakened our political consciousness and galvanized political action. The first thing that happened was that Nancy Burkholder, a post- op transsexual woman, was ejected from the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival in the early '90's. That got people thinking about political issues. Other things happened to turn up the gas. Now we're dealing with the issue of diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder in the DSM-the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association. That's something the Gay and Lesbian movement was doing twenty years ago.

Q: With some of the recent press coverage regarding hate crimes, and the ENDA legislation, do you see all of this as proof that there is more awareness from the part of the government, and the general public, about Trans people?

A: There's no doubt that we have a President and a Vice President who are much more willing to say the "H" word than has been the case in the past. They will go to dinners and talk. On a federal level, absolutely. On state levels, yes. Lately, Trans people have been going to their Congress people and presenting themselves and talking about our issues. So yes, there's a lot more awareness. And because we're voters and because we're going there in serious ways, we're starting to get listened to. I'm very encouraged about that.

Q: Where do you see all this attention leading?

A: I see America becoming more accepting of diversity. There's good things and bad things about that, in terms of the turmoil in society, but overall, I see it as a wonderful thing. Now, America's large corporations have realized that anyone is capable of being a good worker. You don't have to be white, middle class male to make a good manager, or make a good engineer, or to otherwise fill a leadership role in society. I think that ultimately, maybe in 100 years, we'll have no need for affirmative action, or ENDA, because some of the social changes will be realized. 100 years is a long time. Think about the changes that have taken place in our society during the last 100 years. 100 years ago, the Irish were having a hard time. When they came to America, they couldn't get jobs. No one thinks about discriminating against Irish people now. We don't need affirmative action for the Irish. But they sure needed it years ago.

Q: Speaking of media attention, do you see all the press that Dennis Rodman and RuPaul get as having a positive or negative effect on the transgendered community?

A: I think it's positive. I know there are people that don't like Dennis Rodman because of his flamboyance. But the unalterable fact is that he's a damn fine basketball player. I think people just love RuPaul. And I watched peoples' reactions to Lady Chablis when I went to see "Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil". I think that's the reason a lot of people were there. Straight people in the audience wanted to see Lady Chablis more than anything else. They loved her.

Q:You're originally from Murfreesboro. How has the Nashville scene changed from your perspective?

A: I was an Army brat. When my father retired, when I was 13, that's where we landed. I had just finished the eighth grade. I went to Murfreesboro Central High. I lived in Tennessee until I transitioned, mostly in Nashville, then I left and went to Atlanta. It feels like coming home when I come to Nashville.

I've been amazed at how the Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender scenes have erupted. I remember when the bars all used to burn down, when the only place to go was Juanita's. I remember the Watch Your Hat And Coat Saloon, which was just off Broad on I think Second Avenue. It was one of the ones that burned.

I really love Nashville. The only negative thing I can say about it is it's extremely hot and uncomfortable in the summer.

Q; Any words of wisdom for the Trans person who is just coming out?

A: Be proud. Be wary, because it can still be a dangerous world. I think I would tell them to look for their balance, to find that point where they need to be and to go there, and live for themselves, rather than follow others' expectations of what they need to be. And to also take into consideration the people that love them. You have to consider the feelings of other people. But you have to consider your own feelings, too. Balance is important-sometimes it means compromise.

Q: In closing, is there anything else you'd like to say or add?

A: In a way, coming back to Nashville is a homecoming. It's a great town. I'm not sure how I feel about the Bat-Man Building. I used to think Nashville had the most beautiful skyline of any city I'd seen. Now, I'm re-processing that.

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Anne

Behind Blue Eyes

By Anne Casebeer

WAAAHHHHH! Isn't she a pretty little girl? At least, that's what everyone told Janet. They used to comment about this kid's lovely teal blue eyes, curly blonde hair, and pretty face, as she splashed soapy water and played with...toy cars. Oh, well, so much for life's rash assumptions. The fact is, until I was about age 5 or so, people made the assumption that I was a little girl, based on the fact that I was a rather pretty little kid. If you'd asked me at the time this picture was taken, and I could have replied a la Bruce Willis in the Look Who's Talking movies, I don't think I'd have wanted to choose a gender. It's the first question everyone asks an infant's mother, and the first thing the doctor tells the parents of a newborn child. Admit it, you've done it: the first thing you asked the last person you know who had a baby concerned its gender. We don't dare let the "S" space be blank on the birth certificate, that question has to be answered right there, right then, based on what the baby has between its legs. The doctor can't get inside the baby's head to get its opinion, but the baby has to grow up to be an adult with that F or M on its paperwork shaping the societal expectations of who they are and how they should live. Changing this set of expectations is unrealistic to expect within my probable lifespan, but maybe one of you under-30 wee sprouts, like Marisa or Jennileigh, might get to see this happen by the time you're Virginia Prince's age.

We make the same rash assumptions in the transgender community. We see a new arrival to our group, and immediately ask if they are CD or TS. We make assumptions that members of our groups are either TS or CD, as if they HAVE to declare which one they are. I've been asked the dreaded TS vs CD question upon first meeting at gender conventions, Lobby Days, and gender group meetings, and overheard people hang both tags on me without even asking my opinion. Of course, we've all heard people of both groups put down members of the other, and I've read a lot written lately about this subject in other newsletters lately. In some cases, the disagreements have been so divisive and nasty that I can envision an air battle, with the CDs piloting F15 Strike Eagles, and the TS force using MiG 29 Fulcrums, each wildly firing air-to-air missiles at each other prior to aiming. Fortunately, I can report with a fair degree of accuracy that the skies over Tennessee and Kentucky seem devoid of enemy aircraft at this time. We all seem to get along pretty well around here, partly because we recognize that we are considered a common threat to Western civilization by many in this part of the world, partly because the leadership of the Vals leans over backwards to make all people welcome. Let's keep it that way.

Now, I can recognize that there are differences. A TS who has a date to see Dr. Schrang and is 9 months into RLT has different issues than the CD who travels 100 miles to a gender group meeting on "business" so the wife and kids don't have to see her dressed up. Can we agree to recognize that each other's issues are equally valid to them? Or how about this radical concept: maybe the CD ought to take a few minutes and learn where they can send the TS for info on hormones and SRS, while the TS might remember the days when they were first coming out. There are many issues on which the entire community should show much better teamwork. A good example of this would be lobbying; it was stated that at the 1997 Lobby Days, there were only a handful of crossdressers out of a total contingent of 60 lobbyists. Reporting of hate crimes and employment rights legislation is equally important to all transgendered people, since those who would commit hate crimes or discriminate against us in the workplace could care less what hormones we're on, or that we are just out for a fun evening, or are pre or post op: they just know that we are bad people, in their eyes, and deserving of their misdeeds. The threats are common, so our community response simply has to be united. 1998 Lobby Days are tentatively scheduled for the 20th and 21st of April, and Southwest Airlines flies to Washington for $43, hint- hint? Another way we can stifle the spread of TS VS CD disease is to simply take people as individuals. I'm proud of the fact that I've chosen to be friends with people in this community without a care for which they are, and I've taken the time to learn about the issues of both sides, partly so that I can be a support resource for whomever might approach me. Had I decided to hang out with one group or the other exclusively, I would have missed out on meeting some nice people. That would have been a tragedy.

So, to answer the obvious question, the baby is me. My birth certificate has a big fat M on it, but I don't feel defined by that. I'm definitely not a genetic woman, but I certainly qualify as being effeminate. A piece of paper with my legal name on it says I'm male, and my ability to throw a baseball 85 MPH, plus my liking for masculine pursuits like cars and hockey might point that way, but that doesn't reconcile with my love for eye makeup and red dresses, not to mention how I feel inside as a human being. I'm transgendered on life's highway, a lonesome stretch of gray that comes between us and takes us far away, out in the distance, always within reach, to the crossroads where all the victims meet. We're all on this highway together, and the trip will be easier if we take it together as a team. As equals. As a community. So, I'm not saying which I am, and I'm not asking you which you are, either. And, if you REALLY want to hang either tag on me, I'm warning you now, this will be my response:

WAAAHHHHHH!

Freedom (from labels) and Mascara!

Anne Casebeer

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Books

Speaking of Books

By Marisa Richmond, PhD

Cherry Single: A Transvestite Comes of Age by Valory Gravois (Belmont, Ca.: Alchemist/Light Publishing, 1997, ISBN 0-9600650-5-9, $12.95)

Cherry Single is a novel about the coming out process of a San Francisco crossdresser. It follows the life of David Nunley, a clerk with the Veterans Administration and an aspiring professional photographer, as he learns to deal with his parents, co-workers, and female relationships who handle his crossdressing in various ways.

David goes through many experiences as he learns to accept Natalie, his femme persona. He does begin to see a therapist, recommended by a co-worker, but he quickly discovers she is more interested in analyzing his reason for crossdressing rather than helping him cope with it, so after only three visits, he decides he no longer wishes to see her. Interestingly, that co-worker, who has trouble relating well to others, and does not have a stable relationship of his own, gets upset when he discovers David's secret and turns his back on his friend declaring David a "pervert."

As David continues on his journey, one thing he does is experiment with D/S in his relationships with women. Forced crossdressing episodes figure in his attempts to find a place for Natalie in his life, a feature which may be quite common among crossdressers.

David has the most success in finding inner peace when he is finally convinced by a friend to contact the San Francisco area support group, the Diana Society (based loosely on ETVC). Although he is very scared the first time he attends a meeting at a private residence on the Peninsula, he does finally make friends who help him find comfort in his identity. One aspect of the gender community which David confronts at those meetings are those he calls "gender f***ers," those who like to dress but are not concerned with passing. He notes the philosophical divisions within the Diana Society as some are upset with the presence of those who do not try to pass, but the group permits their presence despite the controversy since it exists to help people, not pass judgment.

By the end, David stops going to meetings because he no longer feels bad about Natalie. The group has helped him accept his crossdressing, but he decides not to continue in a leadership role helping others. He eventually reaches a reconciliation with his parents in Ohio, and marries a woman, Patricia, who is an independent businesswoman who accepts his crossdressing.

There are a number of elements of the story of David/Natalie that may be typical of the lives of many crossdressers. He has several failed relationships, therapy, loss of friendships, experiments with D/S, and has a strained relationship with his parents, especially his father. In addition, while he eventually finds solace in a support group, once he achieves inner peace, he walks away from it and does not feel any need to give back to others.

If there is a criticism to be made of the book, it has to do with the time line. The book is set in 1971 and written as if the events are all taking place during the course of a year. At least two events are raised, however, that occur after 1971. Early in the book, Gravois mentions the protests over the bombing of Hanoi (p.26), but that did not begin until April 1972. Later, Gravois refers to "Mayor Moscone" (p.121), but the late George Moscone did not become Mayor of San Francisco until January 1976. Some in the gender community might be bothered by the constant use of the term "transvestite," which has fallen out of favor, but it was commonly used in the 1970s.

Overall, Cherry Single does provide a fascinating look at the life of one crossdresser whose experiences may well be typical. In it, David/Natalie endures many of the emotional ups and downs that many crossdressers encounter as they try to find balance in their lives.

For further information about Cherry Single, contact: Alchemist/Light Publishing, P.O. Box 1275, Belmont, CA 94002, www.alchemist-light.com, (650)345-6812.

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Alex Suits Washington Post's Style

The November 23 Washington Post Style section featured "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," an excellent article about Alex Myers, the first openly transgender student at Harvard. "As a freshman last year, Myers moved [into] a single room on the all-male fourth floor. He told his dorm mates the truth: For his first 17 years, he'd been Alice," the story states. Alex began identifying as transgender after that, "Alice legally changed her name. But despite having jettisoned his Alice identity, he hadn't opted for hormone treatments, hadn't even seen a doctor. Perhaps the most arresting part of this story is what happened next...practically nothing. Mild surprise followed by a collective so-what. There was more bickering about loud music than about a man who got menstrual cramps." It notes that, "outside the rarefied, tolerant air of the academy, others might see something truly odd about this. Can a person ignore chromosomes and private parts and declare him/herself to be other than what biology dictates?" The article profiles a typical day for Alex, from his co-op room to what he eats for lunch (peanut butter sandwich) and the way he came out as a transperson during his college interview. It talks about his childhood in Maine identifying as a tomboy rather than a boy, and his teen years identifying as a lesbian, and Alex's parents' discomfort with his identity (one time, his mother, "stumbling between 'he' and 'she,' frustratedly called Alex 'it.'"). It then discusses Myers' push for Harvard to include "gender identity" as a category in the non- discrimination policy, noting that "ordinances forbidding discrimination against the transgendered have been enacted in municipalities including San Francisco and Evanston, Ill., as well as Cambridge itself." It also closely examines the questions that arise from the implementation of such a policy as well as some of the resistance met. It discusses Alex's relationship with his girlfriend, Lexi, both of whom identify as heterosexual. Finally, it says, "He sees no contradiction in the things his is. A future scientist. A jock. A man who menstruates. A sophomore nervously planning to bring his girlfriend home for Thanksgiving to meet his parents."

The article captures Alex's humanity, determination and strength by alternatively focusing on him as an individual and explores some of the wider issues he confronts through his openness and straightforwardness. Considering that much of the media is still grappling with the basic problem of whether or not to even discuss transgender issues, the Washington Post, and reporter Paula Span, break ground with this article, hopefully setting the tone for transgender media representation in the future.

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`Ask' rasies too many questions

Fox's new sitcom already stretches credibility by asking us to accept that a man can don a dress, a wig and makeup and successfully pass himself off as a woman on an ongoing basis.

So why cast an actor whose decidedly masculine, chiseled profile could gain him access at Jay Leno's next family reunion?

Although this might play in an aggressively absurd Monty Pythonesque spoof, it hinders the lively, but limited Ask Harriet right out of the gate. Anthony Tyler Quinn stars as Jack Cody, the top columnist at the New York Dispatch, one of those fictitious tabloids Hollywood is so taken with but rarely gets right (think Ink).

Jack loses his lucrative gig after a disparaging column about a congressman's wife results in a mammoth lawsuit. He reluctantly returns incognito as Sylvia Coco, the new author of the paper's popular advice column for women, "Ask Harriet," after the previous Harriet conveniently passes away. The womanizing Jack thinks he's a natural. "Who knows more about unhappy women than me?" he asks his best buddy, Ron (Willie Garson).

Jack assumes he can fax the column from home and enjoy success from the privacy of his own living room. But since that wouldn't make for much of a series, Sylvia is an immediate smash, necessitating that Jack live up to his own instant legend in the office and at public appearances.

Suddenly, Jack is stuck wearing dresses. "I've spent my whole life trying to get these off, and now I've got to put one on," he groans.

Despite the handicap of his macho appearance (Seinfeld fans won't get beyond his man hands), Quinn delivers a winning performance, as both the jerky Jack and the sassy Sylvia.

In Sunday's opener, we were asked to believe that Jack's spiteful boss and former lover, Melissa (Lisa Waltz), wouldn't recognize the object of her emotional outrage, even when Jack (as Sylvia) hugged her and she recognized Jack's cologne. Uh-huh. Tonight, the credibility continues to crumble when Ed Asner joins the show as Dispatch owner Maxwell Russell and falls in love with Jack's saucy alter ego.

In an era of sexual hypersensitivity in the workplace, Ask Harriet is almost impressive in its fearlessness, generating considerable (though largely unfunny) comic mileage out of the fact that Melissa is thrilled to fire Jack, but not because of professional outrage over the lawsuit, but because she openly despises him in the wake of their failed love affair.

There's that credibility glitch again. Doesn't Jack know a good New York lawyer?

By Ed Martin, USA Today, 1/8/97

(Editor's Note: I liked the show better when it was called Bosom Buddies.)


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