Gender Identity Center Journal |
Online Edition |
March/April/May 1998 |
Welcome to the online edition of the GIC Journal, the newsletter of the Gender Identity Center of Colorado. Here, you'll find a sample of articles and features from our print edition. For all the news, vendors, photos and more, subscribe, or better yet become a member, of the GIC.
By Robynne P.
Jessie S., one of five contestants, became the Gender Identity Center's first Miss G.I.C. for 1998-99.
Why a Miss G.I.C.? With the Center becoming better known in the GLBT community, the community wanted a G.I.C. ambassador to go to its functions. It also served as a fund-raiser for the G.I.C. and helped raise $202 that evening. The money will go towards helping defray some of the costs in putting on the Melissa Chapman Award Dinner.
The competition was sponsored by Twila Westheimer, a female illusionist, who originated the idea. Interspersed between each portion of the contest were performances by several other female illusionists.
The five contestants were: Jessie S., Deidre A., Michelle O., Donna Jazlynn and Mae New West (Carolee L.). The contest was held at BJ's Carousel, 1380 S. Broadway, March 14.
Just like the professional variety, the contenders had a daywear, eveningwear, and talent section of the contest where they could shine in their own special way. Jessie captured the judges hearts with her rendition of "Me and Bobbie Magee" that Janis Joplin would have loved!
Also part of the competition was The Question, asked of each participant. There were 10 questions prepared from which each participant chose one, sealed in an envelope. Each question concerned a different function of the G.I.C. and asked how each contestant would handle the situation. The questions were well-thought out and were not easy, requiring the participant to think on her feet.
Before the contestants on stage were a panel of five judges, among them, our own Jamie Lynne S., and Susan C., the others were from the GLBT community. Although the participants thought they were doing the difficult part, Susan said, "It wasn't easy being a judge. It was darn hard!"
Deidre A. was selected as first runner up and Mae NewWest won Miss Congeniality. Everyone cheered on the contestants, supported the G.I.C. and had a good time.
by Carolee Laughton
About 70 people braved the snow and cold on March 7th to honor Melissa Chapman in the G.I.C.'s first effort to celebrate 20 years in existence and to acknowledge Melissa's hard work affectng social change.
While the dinner was a tremendous social success, it was unfortunately, not a financial one. It fell nearly $900 short of breaking even. Special contributions are encouraged and kindly requested!
We had about 35 members come from up and down the Front Range from Laramie, Wyo., to Colorado Springs, along with about the same number of people from six different area GLBT organizations. The organizations are: Equality Colorado, PFLAG, SCIRTS, Colorado Lesbian and Gay Bar Association, ICRME, and our sponsor, Auraria-Metro Straight But Not Narrow.
The Gill Foundation sent a letter saying they wouldn't be able to attend. The Colorado Legal Initiatives Project sent a donation. And Tina Scardina of the Mayor's Gay/Lesbian Advisory Committee sent a supportive letter on behalf of Denver Mayor Wellington Webb honoring Melissa's hard work and acknowledging the G.I.C.'s growing presence and influence in the GLBT community.
Melissa uttered an exclamation of surprise when Susan announced that this first award was to be hereafter called the Melissa Chapman award. Although almost everyone present knew of this, we never let Melissa see the invitation until she was presented with a scrapbook the evening of the banquet.
The catered buffet dinner was held in the Tivoli's Zenith room and began with a cheese and soft drink social hour, followed by the chicken cordon bleu, and ended with an introduction of the G.I.C. by Straight But Not Narrow's President Alex Denson, our sponsor. The rousing presentation speech by G.I.C. President Susan Conder and the heartfelt, spontaneous concluding remarks by Straight But Not Narrow's VP Kurt Weisner left the evening on an upbeat note.
by Susan Condor
Well, we did it!! We threw our first party and everybody came. The party was the March 7, 1998 dinner to honor Melissa Chapman for her work on getting the State of Colorado to amend its driver's license policy. By now I'm sure that everyone knows the story.
We had between 65 and 70 people in attendance and many were from outside our organization. It was truly a successful event. It was not financially successful, but in terms of making connections with the GLBT community at large, it was hugely successful. Members from the center have been attending events in the community for several years now and it was nice to know that people from other organizations were kind enough to reciprocate. Carolee deserves kudos and accolades for putting together a wonderful dinner. She did it almost single handedly and she did a great job. Thank you, Carolee.
That night I gave the speech to present Melissa with the award that we have named for her. This was the first time I had ever given a speech in public to a group of that size. It was a somewhat daunting task. I took this very seriously, put a lot of time in to writing and re-writing that speech. Okay, so I started working on it at 11:00 Friday night. This marked the 2nd "first" for me that week. The first one came when, on the previous Tuesday evening, several of us made the trek north to Fort Collins to support the GLBT community there as the city council considered adding sexual orientation and transgender as protected groups to their Anti-Discrimination Ordinance. Many brave people stood up and spoke in favor or in opposition to this amendment. Fortunately, more people spoke in favor than against.
Many stood before the city council and for the first time admitted in public that they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. A swim team coach from a local high school outed himself to the entire city. As I listened to these people, I was moved to write down some comments. Things that I felt needed to be said. Things that I thought were obvious, but nobody was saying. In fact, I felt so good about the things that I had written that as one of our group made her way to the line of people waiting to speak, I handed my comments to her to use. (Real brave, huh?) Instead, she spoke from her heart and from her experiences. It was much more convincing.
The night wore on and fewer people were standing in line to speak. I knew that my time was dwindling down. Then a woman stepped up to one of the microphones. In my opinion, she was the most powerful speaker that evening. She said that she had moved to this country from Honduras to get away from the oppression and fear she was living with in her native country. She spoke of how she was starting to feel the same oppression and fear in this country. In our state. In a small town only an hour's drive from my backyard. That was very moving.
I took a deep breath, stood up and made my way to what was now a very short line at the mike. If memory serves, there were 3 people to speak in front of me. The closer it came to my turn, the more nervous I got. The woman in front of me spoke and moved away. Then it went to the people standing at the other two mikes. Finally, the mayor indicated that it was my turn. I took one more deep breath and said my piece. I asked the council to consider that several people who spoke against this amendment used the words from the Pledge of Allegiance "one nation, under God" (you know, going for that religious angle, that GLBT people are an abomination.). I reminded them of the final words, "with liberty and justice for all." I also asked that they try to remember when, in history, we had ever looked back and determined that we were right or just to discriminate against a particular group of people. (Thanks to JoEllen for repeating this comment that she heard on a radio talk show.) I then urged the council to approve this amendment, with option 2, including the transgendered.
The mayor thanked me for my comments and I returned to my seat. I felt like a cartoon character, with my heart beating so hard I was sure it was coming about 3 feet out of my chest with each beat. I looked down to see my hands shaking like leaves. I think the reality of what I had just done sunk in. I stood before the city council of Fort Collins and publicly supported the GLBT community. Granted, I support them every day of my life, but I had never gone on public record before. These council meetings are televised on public access TV. I had given my name. There were no lightning bolts, the earth didn't open up and swallow me. Yes, I was scared to death. Yes, it was frightening to consider the possible repercussions. Yes, it was probably one of the most gratifying things I have ever done in my life. I'm sure the next time will be just as nerve wracking, but it will be easier to stand up this time. The more often I stand up, the easier it will be. And I learned something about myself. I enjoyed it. I will do it again. I will get involved. I will make a difference. I have the power to change things. That is an incredible realization, and awesome responsibility, and very empowering.
by Carolee Laughton
Forget objectivity. My "Just the Facts Ma'am" journalism training was beaten out by a deep inner joy and an unstoppable compulsion to crow!
Nearly 70 people from the G.I.C. and the greater GLBT community up and down the Front Range made the first G.I.C. offering of its 20th year a sweet success.
The sleepless nights wondering whether anyone would show up. The last-minute details. The unplanned house closing and subsequent move that occurred just a week before the dinner, all dissolved into peaceful, hibernation-like slumber the day after the Melissa Chapman dinner.
The planning, organizing, visualization of the event from the beginning to the end really paid off in putting together a program that worked, despite the setbacks. My enthusiasm and energy gave me the oomph to carry forward, despite working a demanding day job and trying to attend to details that just had to be followed up on.
My confidence in myself and my abilities came back to smile on me, when a friend told me at the dinner, "Carolee, I was thinking of you this morning, wondering if you were worrying about the snow." And without thinking, I replied, "You know, I did everything I could to make this event a success, and even if it had been only Robynne, me and the caterers, I was ready to party!" Yes, I could have worried my ass off. Would it have changed anything? No. I decided that I'd done everything humanly possible to make this an evening one I hope Melissa wouldn't forget. And I let it go at that. I was pleasantly surprised that my fearlessness even carried over to putting out a real fire when one of the sterno heaters set the tablecloth aflame.
Did I make mistakes? Oh yes, lots. I tried to minimize their effects as soon as I discovered them, and also learned whatever the lesson had to teach me. Even though I've taken a Dale Carnegie class on public speaking, I still get nervous when I get up before groups. I knew that if I was focused enough on what I was doing that I would be able to forget my self-consciousness. However, knowing what has to be done and doing it are sometimes two different things! I forgot to introduce the Rev. Laurene Lafontaine from Equality when she was to give the invocation before dinner. And I also forgot to introduce Lisa Jo and her group S.C.I.R.T.S., a sister Trans group from Colorado Springs, when I acknowledged the groups present that night. So I'm not there yet.
The top of the evening, for me, was listening to Susan Conder's speech to the group which sang with sophistication. Melissa's story spoke eloquently of struggle, embarrassment, and pushing past them with the success of quiet persistence.
I think we all graduated to the next step in the Class of Life. I'm glad we could all celebrate together.
my point eXactlY by Matt K
What Do You Call Yourself?
"Hi, I'm Matt and I'm a transman." No, these are not my opening remarks at a 12-step group, nor is this my typical introduction at social gatherings. It is, however, the way I self-identify and the words I might use to explain my curious appearance to anyone with the chutzpa to ask. We all have certain words or phrases we use to describe ourselves gay, straight, transsexual, transgendered, liberal, conservative, in need of serious intervention, whatever. Many FtMs prefer to identify as "male" or "a man," leaving off the trans part entirely. That is fine if it works for you.
For me, it was a problem that I didn't realize until it was pointed out by my therapist, who is very wise in these matters. I complained to her during one session that I felt "genderless," no longer a female, but definitely not a male. She first questioned why that was disturbing to me, then suggested that I was, perhaps, not a male but a transsexual, a transman, different from the biological male with whom I was attempting to identify. She asked me to think about what it meant to me to be a transmale. And, because I am a good patient who subscribes to the notion that people can't be helped unless they are willing to help themselves, I thought about it.
I thought about it a lot. And I decided that she was right, which is why she's the therapist and I'm the patient. When I began to think of myself as a transman, something wholly apart from either a bio-male or a bio-female, a different animal entirely, I no longer felt genderless. I felt transgendered, which is what I am, or which is, at least, an appropriate label to put on whatever this is that compels me to pay someone good money to stick a needle in my rear. I have accepted the fact that I will always be a transman, no matter how male I become, and, for me, that's okay. For someone else, it might not be. So be who you are and call yourself whatever makes you comfortable and happy. I call myself Matt. Oh, and by the way, did I mention I'm a transman?
Join The Group, Guys
The Gender Identity Center offers a monthly support, education group for FtMs on the third Wednesday of every month at 7:00 - 9:00 P.M. Come alone or bring your significant other. Meet some new friends, learn some new things and talk about whatever's on your mind. For more information, call the G.I.C. at 303-202-6466, or e-mail Matt at FtMatt@aol.com.
This Is Your Page
This is your page, guys, so let me know what you would like to see here. E-mail me at FtMatt@aol.com with questions, comments, ideas, or if you just need to talk to someone. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at the meeting. Check out your page in the next issue of the G.I.C. Journal.
(Ed. note: This column is new and is written by one of the G.I.C.'s newest members. Matt is a 43-year-old FtM transsexual working in the social work field. A journalist for GLBT publications, he is also an educator with a Masters degree in secondary education. You may also write to him in care of the G.I.C. of Colorado, 1455 Ammons St., Suite 100, Lakewood, CO 80215-4993, or leave word for him on 303/202-6466).
It's Official: Mayoral Approval!
Without fanfare, or even much notice, Mayor Wellington Webb signed our application to be on the Mayor's Gay/Lesbian Advisory Committee--MGLAC, in the City of Denver last month.
We officially applied in November and have been a voting member of the committee since December. Tina Scardina told Susan C. at the February meeting, "You're official!"
Susan is on the sub-committee of the MGLAC that is working on Denver's Anti-discrimination Ordinance. The objectives are to include transgendered either by defining gender with appropriate language, or by making it a protected group like "sexual orientation" is now, and secondly, to make it possible for a plaintiff that is not satisfied with the administrative proposed accommodation negotiated through the Office of Anti-Discrimination, to take the matter to court.
Boulder Takes The Next Step
On Feb. 27, Wendi M., Kathy H., Melissa C., and Dianna C. and several Boulder activists from the GLB community met with the Boulder city attorney Joe DeRamis to discuss the current city of boulder Human rights Ordinance.
After a presentation by Dianna and discussion, it was his opinion that transgendered was not covered by the current ordinance. However, in order for him to go any further with the process, he needs to have a mandate from the Human Rights Commission.
The motion for the resolution to request the city attorney to look at the ordinance language passed 5-0 on March 16th.
The next step is that the city attorney will draft the new addition to the Human Rights ordinance and will present it to the city council.
The Office of Human rights expects the wording to get back from the city attorney at the end of April, or the first part of May.
The Human Rights Commission will hold a couple of public hearings and will be recommended to the city council at that time. It is expected that the new language including transgender could be voted on by city council in July or August. Check here for further updates.
Ft. Collins Adds Sexual Orientation to Ordinance!
On March 3, Ft. Collins city council, in a 7-0 vote, unanimously passed the addition of sexual orientation to their Human Rights ordinance. Ft. Collins joins six other cities in Colorado with such an ordinance. The other cities are Boulder, Denver, Aspen, Telluride, Crested Butte, and Steamboat Springs.
They had the option of pursuing, but did not currently include, the suggested language that would have added transgender to their Human Rights ordinance.
Before this vote was taken, several transgendered individuals from the surrounding area heeded the call from Ft. Collins people not yet out to go and speak for them about why such an ordinance is necessary. An informational session was given by Dianna C. on transgenderism for all interested citizens at the Lambda Center in Ft. Collins.
What this means is that we may have some minimal protection. The door is still open to the possibility of transgender inclusion at some later time. Work has begun to achieve this goal which will possibly require another amendment to the Human rights ordinance.
Metro Pride Network 2nd Quarterly Meeting held at G.I.C.
March 19, 1998 - The second quarterly meeting of the Metro Pride Network was attended by 28 people from 18 of the GLBT and Friends organizations around the six county area. The G.I.C. hosted the event, and the Rev. Jeremy McLeod of the MCC of Boulder facilitated the discussions. Following brief introductions, the G.I.C. did a 15 minute presentation about our mission and history to inform the other organizations about what we do and what our resources are.
It was very good to see Mike Smith, the new executive director of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Community Services Center of Colorado (GLBCSCC) in attendance, as the G.I.C. intends to work more closely with his organization, and learn from it.
We did receive many favorable comments about the Center, and for all those who help keep it clean and going, you should take pride in the good impression we made. Bill V. from the Colorado Progressive Coalition made the observation that our Center is very comfortable and pleasant. The group also voted on two drafts of a logo, and selected a calendar format. Events were announced and even schedules adjusted to avoid conflict.
The next meeting of the MPN will be June 9, 1998 at 6:00 P.M. at the GLBCSCC at East Colfax. and Lafayette Street.
Program Director - To plan and coordinate speakers, activities and events for the G.I.C.
Librarian - To oversee the operation of the library, managing the collection, records, tracing for returns when needed and recommending and acquiring new materials.
Volunteer Coordinator - We need a volunteer to coordinate volunteers (ironic). This person will establish volunteer job definitions, provide training and supervision and work to ensure that our volunteers provide the kind of service the G.I.C. needs to perform well.
Volunteers for the Colorado Gold Rush!
About 40 people will be needed to put on this celebration/conference. Everything
from registration, event planning, transportation coordination, packet assembly
and funding/sponsorhips. The Gold Rush will be a wonderful, memorable event
with your help!
Editor: Carolee Laughton
To place an advertisement or obtain advertising information, call the editor at (303) 202-6466.
Articles from contributors must be printed double-spaced or submitted on a 3 1/2" disc in ASCII text format. Submissions are due on the 15th of the month preceding publication:
G.I.C. Journal
1455 Ammons Street, Suite 100
Lakewood, CO 80215-4993
Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the policies of the G.I.C., its Officers, or the Journal.
Copyright (c) 1998, Gender Identity Center of Colorado, Inc.