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New This Month:Discrimination Standing United: The TIme is at Hand A Couple of Good Reads News TransMissions Call for Writers: Southern Stars Anthology Texas Lobby Days a Success
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March 1999 - Online Edition
March 13: (Topic of Choice) Dr. Terry Edwards (tentative)
April 10: Board Elections
May 8: Coffee House Talent Show
June 12: Discussion Circle
August 14: Cookout
October 9: Halloween Party
December 11: 7th Annual Anniversary/Holiday Party
Future Board Meetings: March 25, April 22, May 27
Tennessee Vals Special Events:
Sunday, March 14: Celebrity Drag Queen Bingo, Site TBA, 3-6 pm
Sunday, March 21: Equality Begins at Home, Tennessee State Capitol
Saturday, June 12: Night in White, Regal Maxwell House Hotel
The
Queen's Throne
By Marisa Richmond marisaval@aol.com |
One e-mail I received one morning was especially sad. Lola Cola of Atlanta sent word that Robert Eads had finally succumbed to his three year battle with cancer. His passing occurred during the weekend of the Southern Comfort planning meeting (which, alas, I was unable to attend), but it meant that some of Robert's friends from the transgender family were able to say final goodbyes. Lola was with Robert at the end. Last October at Southern Comfort, Robert gave a very moving speech about his condition. While he will no longer be with us physically, his love of others, and that beaming smile, should serve as inspiration for all who were touched by him. I know his energy and spirit will live on in me and, therefore, Robert will still be with us at Southern Comfort this fall and beyond.
Lola mentioned one other thing in her e-mail announcement. It seems that Robert had been denied treatment for his cancer by 20 doctors and clinics simply because they were uncomfortable with the idea of treating transmen. Perhaps we should all send copies to local medical professionals of the January 17 episode of Bramwell from Mobil Masterpiece Theater (ironically the same day Robert passed away) in which a young transgenderist, Freddie Hackett, faces hostility, discrimination and physical violence simply because he is different. The lead character, Dr. Eleanor Bramwell, has to confront her own stereotypes of gender and love, while simultaneously challenging many of those same stereotypes (a female doctor in the 1890s!) even as all those around her encourage her to turn her back on Freddie. I should also state that I rarely watch Masterpiece Theater, but I heard about this show via the Internet, and I am glad I watched and taped it.
That same weekend, I received some other positive news by the Internet. It was about Hallie Horowitz, a violinist with the San Diego Symphony, who transitioned in October. In January, she was one of the symphony's solo performers at the "State of the City" address by Mayor Susan Golding. We continue to make our mark as responsible members of society.
As I mentioned, however, the Internet can also be used to send out misleading or saddening news. There was an erroneous report that the American Psychiatric Association had voted to remove Gender Identity Disorder as a diagnosis. This, apparently, had been circulated initially as a joke. There was also a premature report that DeKalb, Illinois had passed a gender-inclusive resolution banning discrimination. In this case, the DeKalb Human Relations Commission, which is different from the Human Rights Coalition, pushed to have the gender-inclusive language removed at the last minute. While DeKalb officials deserve to be severely criticized for their ttransphobic stance, both of these reports also show how the Internet itself can be misused, although the Internet also exposed DeKalb's maneuverings.
But even when sad news is disseminated, the Internet still serves a very useful purpose. One recent report came from Austin, Texas, where 18 year old Donald Scott Fuller, who interacted publicly as Lauryn Paige, was found stabbed death in an industrial area on the south side of town while dressed as a woman. Paige enjoyed celebrating Easter and Christmas, thus making her a good Christian, and planned to be a cosmetologist. A suspect was arrested five days later and was given a $1 million bail. Then, in early February, Steve Dwayne Garcia was found shot to death in Houston. Garcia had shoulder length auburn hair and was reportedly wearing women's jewelry and makeup along with a colored vest and black shirt and pants. Although Houston police have not yet defined Garcia's murder as a hate crime, it just might be one in a growing statistic of such crimes. The days when transgendered people could be murdered in anonymity, or could be victimized without concern by the rest of society, has ended because the transgender family has the ability to keep one another informed as well as to mobilize opinion. There is now a new memorial web site devoted to transgendered victims of hate crimes at www.gender.org/remember/.
One event that will be taking place this month in cities around the country is called Equality Begins at Home. This is a lobbying effort by activists and supporters to get state legislatures around the country to support legislation that will ensure an end to the special treatment that members of the GLBT community receive. Although it is the same week as the IFGE Convention in Louisville (a city which recently joined the ranks of communities which passed a gender inclusive ordinance banning discrimination!), before I leave I plan to contact my State Senator and State Representative and encourage them to support legislation that ends all forms of discrimination and guarantees all people in our society full equality. After all, that is supposed to be the ideal upon which this nation is based.
And speaking of the IFGE Convention, it is worth noting that the group in the Lexington/Louisville area, BGB, stepped forward to pick up the convention after the planned meeting in Orlando was canceled--but not because of hurricanes, terrorist bombs, earthquakes, tornadoes or possibly a meteor. BGB only had six months to organize the event, but to their credit, they were willing to step in. Since Louisville is only a three hour drive away, I will attend and support our neighbors. I will provide a trip report in the May newsletter since the deadline for my April column falls before the convention.
This month also marks the eighth annual Southeastern LGBT student conference. This event has been held in the Nashville area five times (four at Vanderbilt and one at MTSU), and I even spoke about the Transgender Family on two of those occasions. While I went to college in New England, not the South, such gatherings were only a pipe dream even in those days of yore. The South is one region that continues to trail the rest of the country in tolerance and acceptance of diversity, but this region has moved far and such events, organized for and by college students, show just how far we have progressed. Of course, there will be those who are hostile to learning, as was seen in 1996 when Alabama officials tried to stop the conference from being held in Tuscaloosa, but with each successful student conference, Southern Comfort, or local support group, their worst fears are coming true: we are everywhere, we are not ashamed of our differences, and the rest of society is rejecting the prejudices and bigotry of the past.
The sort of prejudice we must fight is the sort being perpetuated by the likes of Virginia's Rev. Jerry Falwell. Over the past few months, he has repeatedly shown how hate-filled he is, first by saying he plans to buy ammunition to shoot people for Y2K, then by exhibiting his anti-Semitism in suggesting Jews were potential anti-Christs. Then, in February, he attacked Tinky Winky of the PBS show Teletubbies. He objects to the fact that a children's show features a character with a triangle, wearing all purple, and carrying a red purse--in his feeble mind, stereotypes of homosexuality. Although I have never seen this show, I am aware of the fact that the show does teach children tolerance of diversity. Obviously, that is a message which bigots like Falwell find objectionable. Although thinking adults have learned to challenge this sort of bigotry, and each idiotic statement makes more people realize how stupid the speakers are, the perpetuation of closed minded trash helps make many transgendered people feel bad about themselves. I guess that is what bigots like Falwell and Robertson want, but it does a lot more harm than good and only serves to help destroy individual lives. And inspire hate crimes.
Beyond the Internet, we are reaching the rest of society in old fashioned ways: through our publications. Renaissance recently changed their newsletter, Transgender Community News, to a color magazine. Although the look does remind me of LadyLike (which is understandable since there is a lot of overlap in editorial and production staff), it is a legitimate effort to get a monthly transgender publication into "mainstream" bookstores where we can reach others still closeted as well as educate the rest of society. The effort of Renaissance, IFGE, AEGIS, ICTLEP, and others to get publications and information out before wider audiences will undoubtedly pay dividends in the long run.
Then, the February issue of The Channel, the newsletter of TGSF of San Francisco, had a very interesting letter from Erin Brush. She announced that she would not be renewing her membership after two years. She stated that she did not like some of the group's social events which she defined as tacky, but more important, she said she was not fully welcomed because she did not look feminine enough until recently. This does raise two important issues that are present in virtually every support group. Ms. Brush admitted that she had not assumed any responsibility in running the group and was leaving it now rather than do so. Every group pleads constantly for volunteers, and then has to endure the complaints of those who refuse to step forward. However--so nobody thinks I am dismissing the seriousness of Ms. Brush's charges--there is also way too much superficiality within many groups. People pass judgment on others based on looks. The more presentable the person, the more likely others are to reach out to such newcomers. If Ms. Brush was ignored for nearly two years because she was not feminine enough, a problem not unique to TGSF, it suggests that all of us may be derelict in being supportive of others. Still, I wish she would get involved and lead by example rather than walk away. That is the easy thing to do.
In late January, a small but enthusiastic number of Vals went to TPAC to see the Broadway touring production of Rent. This socially relevant play won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and a Pulitzer for Best Drama. One major character in the play was a drag queen named Angel who was performed movingly by Pierre Angelo Bayuga. It was a pleasure for me to support this performance. The success of this production should encourage TPAC to bring more such cutting edge shows to Nashville and I personally hope even more of us will get out and support the next such production. I do, however, want to give a slap on the wrist to the woman we saw from Rutherford County who parked right in front of me on the State Capitol grounds and sat adjacent to us in the same row. When she got out of her pickup truck, she was wearing white. In January. Talk about a fashion faux pas. Miss Thing definitely needs to find herself a drag queen who can teach her how to dress. The very next night, a few of us got together for the Mid-Winter's Party, a fundraiser for The Center. We began with a dinner at my house (and I didn't even set off the smoke alarm this year!), and then went to Cheekwood for the remainder of the evening's festivities. It is a pleasure for us to have options we can make available for those who are seeking things to do.
Finally, there is no way I could complete this column without some mention of that seasonal epidemic known as March Madness. Every year, I attend well over a dozen college games, and view dozens more on television, all with the expressed purpose of preparing myself mentally for the arduous task of making my brackets each spring. Years of experimentation has led to numerous dismal picks, but I think I have finally figured out a sure-fire method for picking all winners. If only my mother had not thrown away my Ouija Board....
Actually, there is one sure pick this spring: The UT Lady Vols to make it four in a row. Last year, I mentioned that Chamique Holdsclaw (whom I have enjoyed watching during her annual visits to Nashville for the Vanderbilt game) does not "play like a man," she plays like some fellow named Jordan, whom you NBA ol' timers might remember. Still, the Mighty Meeks, under the tutelage of a person I consider the best damn coach in the entire country, have done much to help shatter the boundaries of gender. Watching this team can only force one to marvel at their pure athletic skill, and if one is a thinking person (and many are still not there...), then you can only begin to realize that athletics and athleticism is not defined by gender.
Well, That's the Way of the World this month. I hope nobody loses their shirt this year making their picks. And if you do, at least make sure you've either bound your breasts or you're wearing a bra.
Wigged
Out
By Jennileigh Love jlove1@ix.netcom.com |
First of all, I must comment on some sad news from last month. Many of you who attend Southern Comfort (www.sccatl.org) know Robert Eads, and may remember his speech at last year's luncheon. Robert fulfilled his own prediction at that speech and passed from this earth before the 1999 conference. Cancer finally claimed this transwarrior's body, but it can never claim his spirit. I was in Atlanta the night he passed on, helping to plan this year's conference. I Believe Robert's spirit will live in all of us. I pass all of my love to all of my Atlanta friends who were close to him.
Robert's passing brought up another aspect of being transgendered that many people do not appreciate. Robert was a female-to-male transman and as a result, he constantly faced difficulties in getting proper medical treatment. Doctors simply just did not want to deal with him, or know what to do with him. There are a scarce few physicians (and even fewer specialists) out there who are well versed in the treatment of transgendered patients. There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution giving us the right to excellent medical care, but as patients, we should at least have certain basic rights that protect our health, no matter who we are.
For transgendered people, medical service can be a source of embarrassment. I'm sure most transmen aren't happy to see a gynecologist, but sometimes it is medically necessary. Transmen on hormones also put themselves at risk for diabetes. Similarly, when transwomen begin hormone therapy, they should begin some sort of monitoring program for breast cancer. Whatever you do and however far you decide to go in your transition, please do not ignore your basic health needs.
Speaking about medicine, I may have planted the seeds of knowledge of transgender issues into some future doctors. In January, I spoke to a group of second year medical students at Meharry Medical College here in Nashville. The class was on "behavior disorders" (as we are so designated in the American Psychiatric Association DSM IV). I was invited to speak by a student in the class and the lecture went very well, although they declined to take me down where they keep the cadavers. As Kiss would say, they call me Dr. Love.
In January there was nothing going on in Nashville but the rent, specifically the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical Rent. I had a chance to see the play in Toronto last year, but had just seen the more famous Phantom of the Opera in Nashville. Rent was everything that it was hyped about. A modern rock opera, set in New York about struggling artists and their lives. The music was fantastic and the message of the show about living every moment as your last and being true to your calling hit really close to home. I was also happy to see gays, lesbians and trans folks portrayed so well. Their sexuality was not the focus of the play. Rather, the focus was their struggles with poverty, drugs, disease (AIDS), interpersonal relationships and the modern day pressures to sell your soul. It's hard to see how such a dark story could be so uplifting, but perhaps the most profound statement of the play is that love is what binds a family, or any sort of community together.
As of this writing it should be March, and this month, I will be present at the IFGE Standing United Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. The conference is almost a local event considering it's not even 200 miles northeast of Nashville. It's one chance for all of you Nashville transpeople to attend a large transgender event without having to travel too far. I'm happy that the River City (also nicknamed Sodom on the Ohio) got the opportunity to host the conference, although I must admit to still having "conference hangover" from Southern Comfort, so I did not help out as much as I would like. I've been to Louisville several times visiting the local transgender group, BGB and haven't really got a chance to be a tourist. Hopefully, I can get out and see a little more of the town and have a mint julep or two. It's too bad the Kentucky Derby isn't until May. I don't look good in hats anyway.
Speaking of gender conferences, the aforementioned Southern Comfort has officially moved its dates UP this year to September 21-26, 1999 at the Buckhead Sheraton in Atlanta. Apparently there was a citywide convention for the textile/fabric industry that was scheduled against our original dates and we were concerned about not having enough available hotel rooms. All I can say is those fabric guys better have a lot of money because Southern Comfort really netted a lot of tourist dollars for the hotel last year. There is no truth to the rumor that Nashville may host a "Mini" Southern Comfort in the near future. The Southern Comfort Board and volunteer committee have decided to wait at least another year to make sure our yearly Atlanta conference is stabilized before venturing outside of Atlanta for a conference.
Just last month, I wrote about the "Drag
Poltergeist" that follows me around wherever I go. The Drag Poltergeist
isn't a real ghost. It's what I call that little manifestation of something
transgendered that appears in an unexpected place. It seems to follow me
everywhere. My sweetie, Cindy visited me in Nashville in February and she's
starting to believe in the "ghost" also. She arrived on Friday night and
at the video store, we selected completely at random "The Wedding Singer",
which has a cast member who was a Boy George wannabe. Then Saturday, we
visited Andrew Jackson's home The Hermitage. During the preliminary video
about Andrew Jackson, he was portrayed crossdressed in a few political
cartoons. Sunday, we went to Demos' restaurant downtown. Distinctly blaring
on the Muzak system as we walked in was the theme from "The Crying Game."
It sometimes amazes me how prevalent transgender imagery and ideas are
in culture today. Maybe I just notice it more because I'm transgendered.
But sometimes I think if I was stranded on a desert island, a bunch of
drag queens would soon have a shipwreck on the same
island!
Left
of Center
By Pamela DeGroff |
However, there is also discrimination of a different nature that never seems news worthy. What I'm alluding to here is the attitude that makes it permissible, sometimes even legal, to deny a person basic civil rights, simply based on orientation or gender role.
Let us discuss one such denial of basic rights that happens to transsexuals all too often. When a person has made the choice to seek Sexual Reassignment Surgery (SRS), it's not something that is dealt with lightly. Regular readers of this column will be familiar with all the procedures involved that I have written about previously. Remember the Real Life Test (RLT)? This is where a transsexual person is required to live in his or her chosen gender role for a period of one year before permission to have the surgery is given. Now imagine what all this would entail. For the trans person, everything about who you are as a person suddenly changes. It's more than just getting to wear the clothing of the other gender on a daily basis. During this period, the trans person has to live AND work in their chosen gender.
Think in terms of everything you do during the course of a day. And while you're thinking about it, ask yourself this: How many times do you go to the bathroom during any given day? I know this might sound like a really stupid thing to talk about, but for a trans person, being allowed to use the facilities that correspond to your chosen gender, at your place of employment, is not something that is always going to happen. For the male to female, more often than not your female co-workers will complain that they feel "uncomfortable" having you around. (This is usually because it's felt the trans person is sexually intimidating. What they fail to realize is that someone who has reached this stage of the path towards transformation is on intense hormone therapy, prescribed by a doctor. These hormones usually render the libido inoperative at this point.) Your former male "buddies" can be even worse. And it's no different for female to male trannies. Same possible harassment, same discrimination. I know of more than one trans person who has had to quit their job because of the unavailability of proper restroom facilities. I know of others who have been forced out of school for the same reason. All because they are being denied a place to take care of a basic human need.
There are those that would laugh and say "So what? These people are freaks and they don't matter." When that attitude is allowed to go unchallenged, though, it can have disastrous effects. As in the case of Tyra Hunter, a male to female, pre op transsexual, who was involved in a fatal
auto accident. When the EMT's who were working on her realized that "she" was not really a she, they stopped and stood around mocking her. She died shortly after reaching the emergency room. (Her family recently won a suite against the parties involved, but that's little compensation for the mean spirited ignorance that cost a human life.) This form of discrimination, the denial of medical services, is not an isolated case. Last fall, at the Southern Comfort Convention in Atlanta, I was privileged to hear Robert Eads speak at one of the luncheons. Robert was a female to male transsexual who was very well - known within the community. He had been suffering from cancer for several years, and passed away on Sunday, Jan.17th, at 1:15am. One of his closets friends, Lola Cola, had this to say in a recent e-mail: "Robert had been diagnosed with cancer roughly 3 years ago, months later than he should have been, due to the unwillingness of the caring professional' medical people to deal with a transman. He was turned away by over 20 doctors and clinics because they weren't comfortable treating someone of his ilk. When he finally found someone that would treat him, he underwent radiation and chemo treatments, but it was all too late to be effective. (He was) casually sentenced to death for being different. It seems that this sort of discrimination is way more common for female to male people than male to female. Adequate medical care is very difficult for transguys and many go for years, even decades without seeing a doctor. This absolutely must not be allowed to continue..."
I never got to meet Robert personally. I feel cheated at not having had the opportunity. He was devoted to his family, was a loving father and grandfather, and even took in several foster children throughout the course of his life. "Robert lived for other people", says Lola. "Family and friends were everything to him. Robert had an enormous heart, there was room for everyone, everyone he met was important; I don't know that he had many casual acquaintances..."
I know that this is another "different" Left Of Center column. Whenever I hear about discrimination towards transgendered people, my initial reaction is anger. In such cases as those of Tyra Hunter and Robert Eads, that anger is coupled with sadness. I have been a part of the community since 1993. I've been to the parades, the events, and have done way more than my share of partying my brains out. Being transgendered to me no longer has anything to do with fashion or how "passable" I am in public. All of that starts to get a bit old
after a while, anyway. What's becoming more and more apparent to me is that our movement, the Transgendered Movement, (whatever it is), is the new Civil Rights Movement. There is a lot of good work that is being done around the country on the local level, but there is a lot that still needs to be accomplished in order to change the country's overall perception of Trans people. And we are the only ones who can do it; we can't wait for anyone to do it for us
There's a new century staring us in the face. Let's make it a progressive one.
Behind
Blue Eyes
By Anne Casebeer agc@cwix.com |
Well, once again, my second Saturday that I carefully scheduled a complete day off for was ruined by 11:00AM EST by 3 employees calling in with various illnesses. More importantly, myself and 1 other employee would not have been sufficient for a Saturday night. A day-shift employee stuck around until 9PM, despite his plans for the evening....and then 3 of my TG friends came a-strolling in, grabbed movies, and put 'em away for me. They pulled me away from the counter and tried to bring my spirits up, make me laugh a bit. It worked. Now, TG people have visited my store before; Angela Bridgman comes in frequently, Jenni's Love Truck has been sighted in the parking lot there before, and my staff is on a first-name basis with Dawn Wilson by now; but this was the first time that 3 TG people had invaded before on a busy shift....and no comments from customers at all. My employees (both of them) had never met anyone openly TG (I hadn't expected the visit), and reacted fine; they appreciated the help. Which, is exactly the idea. Be of service, be a friend, give of yourself publicly, and suddenly we cease to be anything but worthwhile human beings. That Saturday night, when Cori, RuthAnn, and Dawn undoubtedly would rather have been downtown at Stevie Ray's Blues Bar, listening to Blues You Can Use perform and drinking Guinness, they detoured for a bit to help me. That was very special.
So, I mentioned that I'll have to miss the March meeting, too. I don't like missing 3 in a row, but it's for a good cause, one I'v e been talking about for several months' now; the IFGE "Standing United" convention. We simply need a last get-together up here to work out the last-minute details, and that'll have to be the same time/date as the Vals. However, it's my hope that we'll see many of you at the convention from the 17th to the 21st. I know that you'll enjoy it. We've made the arrangements, worked out the kinks, done the scheduling, instructed the hotel staff on the proper pronouns to use, and gone to every gas station in the I-65 corridor and asked them to drop the gas prices to 70¢ per gallon (well, it's true, I filled my tank in Jeffersonville, Indiana today for 69¢, and there were others on the same street at that price). So, what in the name of Virginia Prince have we put together up here? An awful lot in 4 months....
Those arriving on Wednesday the 17th can join us for the Welcoming Reception, which will feature wines, cheeses, beers, and bourbons (hey, it's Kentucky, doncha'know) from the Kentuckiana area. Later in the evening, you should check out the "First TG Comedy Night", to be held at 930PM at Louisville's famous (and very TG-friendly) Comedy Caravan, a favorite hangout of mine, for the comedy of Lovas Brown, Bernie Lubbers, Angelika!, the Not Ready for SRS Players, and....our headliner...direct from the swamps of Houston...Jami Ward. Yes, that Jami Ward, whose wow'ed you at how many Southern Comforts now? She's getting time to stretch and really do a full-tilt routine. I can't wait. By the way, the proceeds from this event will go to benefit IFGE and the Fairness Campaign. This event should make you feel very funny.
So, we get into the seminars Thursday morning, and will enjoy a fashion show from Fashionable Furs for our luncheon (and you animal rights activists can put your paint guns away, these feel and look real but the only animals killed in the making of them were dinosaurs). The smart ticket for Thursday Night is to join the crowd at the Derby Dinner Playhouse, which features a tasty American buffet, and theatre in the round. For you, the show will be "The Taffetas", a revue of 50's pop tunes from the era when rock and roll was just getting started. May I suggest that you wear taffeta, or maybe a nice poodle skirt and fuzzy pink sweater? Of course, you guys can do the zoot suit thing, too. It's going to be fun, either way..
The Friday night show will feature the Royal Sovereign Imperial Court of All Kentucky. Now, I've mentioned RSICK in other columns, but further description is in order. The Court system has been described as being similar to the Shriners in organization; they put on drag shows to benefit local charities. This one will benefit IFGE and Movable Feast (which delivers hot meals to people who are bedridden with illness), for instance. They're always good-humored, entertaining shows. If nothing else, the titles they bestow on people are very entertaining by themselves.
So, what can you do in Louisville? Plenty. We'll introduce you after-hours to our favorite hangouts; let you know the good eateries, and point you towards the good shopping areas. We have the Louisville Slugger Bat Museum, where you can view the history of organized baseball. Louisville was one of the first cities in which the Great American Pastime was played professionally, and most of the bats used by professional players are made, uh, believe it or not, in Louisville. Of course, we're taking a group to the Churchill Downs Derby Museum, where you can see the history of the "Greatest 2 Minutes In Sports." Too bad the fillies and colts won't be running yet, but you can always come back on the first weekend in May when the Kentucky Derby is run. If you want to wager a little, you can visit the newly-opened "Glory of Rome" riverboat casino, at Caesar's Indiana, just across the Ohio River.
We're getting close to the convention date now, 3 weeks at this writing, and I can't wait to show off my city. It's the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance, in a year that has brought unbelievable recognition, growth, and achievement for what is becoming a rather vocal and strong TG community here. On that note, I want to thank the Tennessee Vals for helping us at each turn to organize and become strong here, and for all the encouragement we've been given over the years. 2 years ago, there was no TG community in Kentucky. Now, there's a strong one with legal protection. So, isn't it high time to join in the dance? Come up and join us, and have a little fun!
Speaking
of Books
By Marisa Richmond, PhD marisaval@aol.com |
Histories of the lesbian and gay (and bisexual and transgender) communities have generally had a coastal bias. The vast majority look at life in a handful of cities on the two coasts and have generally ignored the unique conditions that make life different for sexual minorities in other parts of the country. In Carryin' On, John Howard, the Director of the Center for Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Life at Duke University, seeks to close that gap.
Carryin' On is a collection of essays, organized chronologically, by sixteen different writers which analyze various aspects of lesbian, gay, bi and transgendered life in communities in seven states: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Five of the chapters suggest various ways in which gender lines have been transgressed in Southern life.
The title itself is a uniquely Southern colloquialism which Howard states has many meanings. In one sense, it can suggest anti-social behavior, and yet, it can also mean going out and having fun. It is this dichotomy which Howard and the other authors attempt to address in their essays.
Throughout the book is the presence of the plethora of fundamentalist Protestant sects that exist in the region which have been historically intolerant of diversity and have sought to impose cultural conformity upon the region. One author, Donna Jo Smith of Emory University, noted that the South is a huge geographical region with tremendous diversity, but it is its belief in its own distinctiveness which serves as a glue. She even notes that the term "southern queer" comes with a load of stereotypes. In one sense, it creates the image of a drag queen in a pickup truck, but as Truman Capote suggested, it could also be redundant--he was from Alabama so that already meant he was a pervert.
Historian Martin Doberman of Lehman College in The Bronx, discovered two interesting letters from Columbia, South Carolina in 1826. Both were written by T. Jefferson Withers to his friend James H. Hammond. In the first, Withers inquires whether or not Hammond has recently found a new "writhing bedfellow." The second letter, written four months later, further suggests that Hammond has probably been pursuing every "she-male" to be discovered. What makes this exchange so interesting is that Hammond, then 19, later became Governor of South Carolina (1842-44) and one of the more vocal supporters of slavery in the state, although he was overshadowed somewhat by John Calhoun.
Withers, who himself later became a judge, admitted to being on the receiving end of Hammond's "long fleshen pole." While he was probably only using the term "she-male" to describe effeminate men and not crossdressers, it is intriguing to think that the term did have usage well before the modern-day adult film and book industry developed. Furthermore, since Hammond, who also had sexual relations not only with female slaves but with four teenage nieces while he was Governor (and married), emerged as a major defender of Southern values (slavery), it certainly calls into question the definition of just what traditional Southern values are, and the personal nature of those proponents. One common defense of slavery was that it would control the supposed sexual cravings of Africans. Yet, when obviously lusty and randy politicians like Hammond, who apparently had numerous sexual encounters with several men as well as extramarital relations, some of which were even incestuous, can pass judgment on others and presume moral superiority over a whole category of people, it certainly makes one question very the setting of rules of sexual behavior by others when they do not feel the need to abide by such rules themselves.
One chapter shows how conflicting gender stereotypes created tension between the upper-class society women of Sophie Newcomb College, and the less affluent prostitutes of Storyville just three miles away at the turn of the century. For the former, sexual expression was considered unacceptable, while for the latter, it was expected. The authors, Katy Coyle and Nadiene Van Dyke, both of Tulane University, suggest that the Newcomb students were every bit as sexual as their less respected sisters, exposing the fiction behind the division between virgins and whores, but their lesbianism, evidenced by the fact that many shared beds even though the dorm rooms were quite spacious (p.62), was masked because many of the students assumed male dress and male roles in their relationships.
Howard's own contribution covers the increased police surveillance of sexual activity in Atlanta's Piedmont Park in the years immediately after World War II. The increased use of automobiles after the war led to more physical mobility and independence as interaction moved "from front porch to back seat" (p.121). This was especially significant for gays who now could find partners away from the constantly harassed bars. Cruising through Piedmont Park was one option, but during the period of McCarthyism, there was a general outrage over such behavior and many communities like Atlanta, sought to curb it. While crossdressers were not a specific target of the crackdowns, many were arrested simply for being crossdressed as Atlanta police increased surveillance and sought to regulate behavior.
The one chapter that focuses on transgendered life is about Dawn Langley-Simmons, a resident of Charleston, South Carolina who was also the subject of a recent article in GQ ("The Legend of Dawn," by Jack Hitt, October 1998, pp.268-278). Born Gordon Langley Hall in Sussex, England, he makes his way to Charleston in 1962 after falling ill. This chapter, written by James T. Sears of the University of South Carolina, is also the only one in the book which addresses the issue of racism, an aspect of southern life most of the others acknowledge, but do not discuss. While living as a man, Hall associated fairly openly with Charleston's African American community, a fact which alienated him from both the straight and gay communities of Charleston, especially since Charleston's gays were assimilationists and crossing ethnic lines were forbidden in Charleston society. Finally, after going to Johns Hopkins University to correct ambiguous sexuality--Hall was born intersexed but had been raised as a male--she returned to Charleston as Dawn.
The tensions between Dawn and her neighbors only escalated as she began a relationship with, and eventually married, her African American chauffeur, John-Paul Simmons. Their wedding was the first interracial marriage in Charleston's history and had to be held at Hall's mansion since no white church would perform the ceremony and the black church which had agreed to do so received bomb threats. The wedding announcement was also placed in the obituary section of the News and Courier. As Sears illustrated, Dawn transgressed many lines, gender, race and class, that made her anathema to many Charlestonians. He uses her case to show how many socially constructed lines have been used to justify hatred towards those who do not live within those boundaries and are willing to stray beyond them.
The fifth, and last, chapter which presents the crossing of gender lines is on the lesbian community of Memphis and the role of softball there. The author, Danell Buring of Savannah State University, shows how Memphis' lesbian community grew in the years after WWII and more lesbians and gays migrated to big cities in search of acceptance. The sport of softball played an important role. For one, it not only helped them forge a community identity, but it also allowed women to exhibit their competitive nature in organized team sports, activity which was normally defined by society as masculine, thus flaunting the social rules of the era. Butch lesbians in Memphis did face prosecution under local cross-dressing ordinances, so many did have to be careful to avoid police harassment, but they did not shy away from expressing themselves in private and even on occasion on the softball field.
Carryin' On does not attempt to be a comprehensive work on Southern LGBT history. None of the authors ever mentioned William Rufus King, who served in Congress representing both North Carolina (1811-16) and Alabama (1819-44, 1848-52) before being elected Vice President of the United States in 1852. Howard and the others all acknowledge their work is just the first step in breaking through the coastal bias on LGBT history to show these communities can exist and thrive in their own way in the unique conditions of the South. One drawback with the book, freely acknowledged by most authors, is that they do fall into the trap of equating Southern with white, despite the fact that the South has the highest percentage of African Americans of any region in the country. And with the exception of Sears' chapter on Dawn Langley-Simmons, none effectively addressed ethnic issues and prejudice despite its sometimes overwhelming presence in many Southern communities.
Each one suggests that these works can and should inspire others to do more in these areas, especially in addressing race. The South is one particular region whose contributions to the transgender community has also been overlooked. Numerous Native American societies from the South had transgendered people: those who lived in Virginia; the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Natchez, Timucua and Yamasee of the Southeast; and the Caddo, Karankawa, Osage, and Quapaw of the Southern Plains. This century has also seen the South produce such figures as The Lady Chablis and Holly Woodlawn of Florida, Jayne County and RuPaul of Georgia, Varla Jean Merman of Louisiana, Lypsinka of Mississippi, Joey Arias of North Carolina, Charlie Brown and The "Lady" Bunny of Tennessee, and the legend of the 1920s, Barbette of Texas. In addition, the modern transgender community has seen numerous events and national organizations emerge out of the South like AEGIS and Southern Comfort in Georgia and ICTLEP and Texas T Party in Texas. Carryin' On is an important first step in exposing the role and contributions of the LGBT communities to Southern history, as well as to expose the role of Southern members of those communities to the national histories of those subgroups. It is a valuable resource which should help inspire others to expand upon its themes.
Book Review: "Suits Me"by
Bronson Majors
Diane
Wood Middlebrook. "Suits Me." Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998.
One of the more remarkable stories of our time might never have been brought to light at all had not the protagonist died before he could arrange to have his body removed from his home and cremated.
Until the day entertainer Billy Tipton died in 1989, nearly everyone--including several wives and girlfriends-- thought he was a male. Even his adopted sons were fooled. But when Tipton collapsed and the medics were called, his youngest son found out the hard way that his father wasn't quite what he seemed. "Son, did your father have a sex change?" one of them asked. No, not a sex change but a change in outward appearance that Tipton, a lesbian, had successfully assumed for over fifty years.
Tipton's extraordinary story, as lovingly detailed in Diane Wood Middlebrook's fascinating biography, "Suits Me," began in the mid-30s. Born, Dorothy, she found it difficult to get work in her chosen career as a jazz musician. Despite a prodigious talent on the piano and other instruments, she wasn't
taken seriously by the male-dominated music business of the day. Her solution? Strap down her breasts, cut her hair, put on a suit and tie, and attempt to pass as a man. With her new identity, he quickly gained entree to the bars and music halls of Oklahoma and Kansas City. Over the next two decades his popularity grew to the point where, with his own trio, he was poised to conquer Las Vegas.
How successful was he in maintaining the illusion of maleness? Nearly completely. One former "wife" calls him the greatest actor of all time. Tipton not only dressed like a man, he learned how to act like a man, right down to the hand movements. He even took to shaving, despite a lack of facial hair, and occasionally dyed hairs on his upper lip to give the appearance of a mustache. The female voice was a problem: a few rowdies would call him, amusingly, a fairy. But most people, unable to match the voice with the body, thought he was a tenor.
His family knew (and for the most part refused to accept him as a man), and some of his early male associates did as well. But no one--least of all the public--caught on. Most of his female love interests were also fooled. When he had sex, he never removed his clothes; Middlebrook believes he used some sort of prosthesis which he probably destroyed shortly before his death. Only once did a band member, unbeknownst to Tipton, accidently see him barechested at a motel while his band was on tour in the 60s. But because he didn't see his face, he thought Tipton had secreted a woman into his motel room. He never understood what he'd really seen until after Tipton's death.
Ironically, Tipton's disguise eventually proved his greatest obstacle to national fame, and that's perhaps the saddest part of the story. In 1958, as he was poised to hit the big time in Vegas, he mysteriously decided to give it all up. Why? Tipton didn't leave any clues in his correspondence and never discussed it with anyone, so Middlebrook can only speculate. But given all that we know, the author's explanation is as close to the truth as we'll ever get. Middlebrook believes that Tipton, having lived as a man for 23 years, was afraid his identity would be discovered once he hit it big. There were still too many people from his past who knew the truth. A particular concern was his family, most of whom never accepted his male identity. Would they spill the beans if a reporter came around? The thought of crowds pressing against his female body, a la Elvis, may have given him second thoughts about fame and adulation. With increased recognition could have come...recognition. In the end, the prospect of being exposed as a woman in the conformist environment of the 50s may have been too horrifying for him.
As a result, he retired to Spokane, where he spent the last thirty years of his life as an agent and occasional entertainer. Eventually the money dried up, along with the career, and by the time of his death from cancer, the best he could afford was a run-down trailer on the outskirts of town. Because he continued to fear exposure as a woman, he never saw a doctor for medical attention.
Middlebrook was able to track down numerous people from Tipton's past to help her piece the story together. She also gained access to many warm photographs of Tipton as both female and male. As a bonus in the process of retelling his story, she brings back to life the all-but-forgotten Midwest music scene of the 30s, 40s, and 50s: an important achievement in itself. The result is a fun, quick read. You don't have to be transgendered or even particularly liberal-minded to enjoy this biography. "Suits Me" is a page turner that kept my attentive lover feeling unseen for three nights while I completed it. But even he got into it, though probably out of necessity: I just couldn't stop talking about it!
WEBSITE MEMORIALIZES
TRANS DEAD
"Remembering the Dead" takes a reverent look at those killed by hate, prejudice.
Press Release - SAN FRANCISCO -- February 8, 1999. All Rita Hester wanted to do was live her life just like any other woman. When Hester, a transgendered woman who lived in Boston, was found murdered by multiple stab wounds in her own apartment late last November, this was more than Gwen Smith, another woman living across the country, could bear. Ms. Smith, a professional Web designer living in the San Francisco Bay Area, did not want to do a project relating to violence and prejudice against transgendered individuals. She had to.
Ms. Smith's desire for justice led to her creation of the "Remembering Our Dead" website, a memorial to individuals killed for the simple "crime" of trying to be oneself. For example, 9-year-old Steven Wilson, taunted for playing with "girl's toys," who was raped and drowned by a neighbor child. Or Tyra Hunter, taunted with racial and transphobic slurs and neglected by emergency personnel, who died from inadequate medical care. Or Debra Forte, who suffered multiple six-inch stab wounds to the chest, any one of which would have been sufficient to kill her. As Ms. Smith notes, "When one looks
at how many transpeople are murdered, and considers how much complacency there is towards these murders, one realizes that something needs to be done."
Currently, the stories on the website date back as early as 1969, and as recent as February 6th, 1999. With a reported 60% of transgender individuals having been the victim of a violent assault, it is doubtful that this site will stop growing anytime soon. Hopefully, through public education and awareness, this issue will receive the attention it deserves, along with more well-publicized accounts such as the murder of Matthew Shepard. The "Remembering Our Dead" Website can be found at http://www.gender.org/remember/ . Gwen Smith can be reached at gwen@gender.org.
Actor Hoffman Wins Suit Over Altered Photo.
LOS ANGELES- A federal judge ordered Los Angeles Magazine to pay Dustin Hoffman $1.5 million in compensatory damages because it published without consent a computer-altered photo of him in a woman's evening gown and high heels.
"The First Amendment provides extremely broad protection but it does not permit unbridled exploitive speech at the expense of Mr. Hoffman and his distinguished career," US District Judge Dickran Tevrizian Jr., said in a 20-page ruling.
The judge said the actor was also entitled to punitive damages and he set a hearing next week to fix the amount.
The magazine said it was immune from liability
under the First Amendment. Hoffman maintained he was entitled to protect
his home from commercial exploitation. The judge agreed with Hoffman.
Tennessean, 01-23-99
Gender-bending Par For Course As Sex Roles Are Shuffled Around
By Halimah Abdullah
Lynn Ligon walks into the Gap and buys a pair of pants. In another corner of the same mall, another Lynn Ligon walks into a hair salon and gets a close-cropped cut.
Which Lynn is male and which is female? It could be either.
Experts say that increasingly, Americans are redefining the roles of men and women. We as a culture are pushing gender boundaries. "We're going through a process of testing the limits of manhood and womanhood," says Dr. E. Doyle McCarthy, a sociologist At Fordham University in New York.
Evidence of our culture's exploration of what it means to be male or female is all around us. There are unisex hairstyles, clothing, and yes, even bathrooms. Pushing the boundaries is not without its fair share of confusion. "It was a pain in the butt," Mr. Ligon says of his childhood as a boy named Lynn.
Sex attitudes began shifting when America moved from an industry-based economy to a more service-based economy, McCarthy says. As women entered the workplace, men learned to step up their roles inside the home. People began questioning gender roles, and, later, gender boundaries. McCarthy's book, Knowledge as Culture The New Sociology of Knowledge (Routledge Paperback, $21.99), emphasizes that increased awareness of diversity has altered the way we view the world. Wider concepts of sex fit into that pattern. McCarthy points out that there is still a sense of what is feminine and what is masculine. But that sense is continually being redefined. "We have an androgynous sexuality, like the Calvin Klein model," says David Murray, a social anthropologist at the Statistical Assessment Service, a nonprofit research organization in Washington, DC.
At the Jose Eber Salon, the whir of clicking scissors creates androgynous masterpieces. Popular coifs include the crop top and pixies. And while a guy may not come in requesting the pixie cut, that's basically what he's getting, says Cathy Carrie, an hairstylist and makeup artist with the salon. Still, there are subtle differences between a man's more closely shaved cut and woman's fringy 'do. She points to trendsetters such as Liv Tyler and Brad Pitt as androgynes with a twist. They ooze decidedly feminine of masculine sexuality.
Not that this is new: The Beatles were
swinging their girlish mop tops 20 years before Prince was crowned as a
model of androgyny. And Little Richard and Tiny Tim had long been crooning
high-pitched ballads
Tennessean, 01-10-99
Transsexual Weds Fiancee In Utah
Neal Cline legally married fiancee Marlene Smith last month in Utah. What makes the marriage unusual is that Cline is a transsexual, halfway to becoming female, and is now known as Nicole Cline. The pair were granted a marriage license in Salt Lake City and were wed at the local Metropolitan Community Church.
Cline, who listed her sex as "male" on the marriage license, told The Salt Lake Tribune that the pair consider their union a lesbian marriage: "We are two women living together in marriage, so, yes, I consider it a same-sex marriage." Cline added that the marriage was meant "to rattle some sabers to
address trans issues." The legal status
of the marriage after Cline completes the transition to female is uncertain.
The Advocate, 01-26-99
By Katrina Rose
I'm seeking submissions for an anthology specifically about transgendered life in the South, entitled "Southern Stars."
What I'm looking for are thoughts on any and all aspects of life as a transgendered person in the South. You don't have to be originally from the South or be currently living in the South - just simply have lived here at some point in your life while you were, in some manner, dealing with your gender issues (anything from closeted crossdressing to transition and beyond), either internally or externally (my parameters for 'the South' : below the Mason-Dixon Line, which is the southern border of Pennsylvania). These thoughts can take any form that your wish - a biographical bit, a political rant, or even poetry. Just be yourself.
I have received several submissions and indications of willingness to submit, but, so far only one has been from an FTM. I'd really love for there to be a few more guys in the book. I do have an agent but no publisher yet. Consequently, I have no set deadline, but sooner is certainly better. Preferred submission format is MSWord 6.0, but generic e-mail text will work as well.
If you wish to submit a piece and/or have questions, contact me via e-mail at TexKatrina@aol.com or voice at (281) 835-0355.
Katrina Rose, Esq.
16207 Rosenridge
Houston, Texas 77053
GAIN, February 3, 1999
By Phyllis Frye
Fifty-two transgenders -- MTF, FTM, People of Color and Spouses -- appeared on Wednesday, January 27th at the State Capitol of Texas in Austin. Two rode in from San Marcos on one motorcycle. One who attended the Tuesday night training meeting drove 90 minutes home, worked a night shift, drove 90 minutes back, lobbied all day with us, drove 90 minutes home and then worked another night shift. One who had badly twisted her knee the day before, appeared with
it tightly wrapped and limped the whole day along the Capitol hallways while doing her part. Some took vacation days and others took off from work without pay.
Yes, on Wednesday, January 27th, fifty-two transgenders reported, ready to lobby, and spit-n-polish in professional attire and comfortable shoes. Lobbied that day on issues of importance to transgenders specifically and to
LGBTs collectively, the fifty-two transgenders reached staffers, aides, chiefs of staff or actual legislators themselves in 28 of 31 State Senate offices (90.3%) and in 140 of 150 State Representative offices (93.3%).
At the end of the day, the first timers told us that they thought we were full of baloney when we had told them that would enjoy it and have fun. They said they came prepared to grind it out, because it was work that needed to be done. But when it was over, they told us, yes, it have been fun. In fact,
very enjoyable and lots of fun. The consensus of the first timers, which made-up over eighty percent of us, was that those who had been afraid to come, had really missed THE single best event. They really "missed it."
The Phyllabuster says **HATS OFF** and a hearty OFS to Sarah DePalma (rhost@flash.net) and to her two Lieutenants in this effort, Vanessa Edwards-Foster (moonflowrr@aol.com) and Katrina Rose (texkatrina@aol.com). Their preparation was so thorough and complete that I was a simply foot-solder for the day and enjoyed the reduced stress of it all. Their preparation was so thorough and complete that every first timer said that not a single question or circumstance occurred that they had not been trained for. Their preparation was so thorough and complete that Diane Hardy-Garcia of the Texas LGRL asked to use some of the packet material for her future LGBT lobbying efforts. And their preparation was so thorough and complete that lobbying teams reported returning to offices later in the day to find the staffers gathered around and studying the concise, less than 10 page, information packets that were left in each office by each team. OFS indeed to you, Sarah, and to your staff.
There was NOT EVEN ONE, NONE, ZERO, 00.0% PROBLEM that day. No one was treated rudely. Sometimes firmly, but never rudely. No one was yelled out or chased out of an office. Sarah had insured the Capitol Police knew we were
coming and there were no police problems of any kind, whatsoever. In fact, the Capitol Police were very nice, helpful and friendly. We had no problems in the Capitol cafeteria. NO WHERE. NO PROBLEMS. There were no straight press problems. There were no uninvited photos. It was simply citizens - fifty two transgender citizens -- meeting with their law makers at the State Capitol for one day. The anecdotes were endless. When one team was told nicely but very firmly by one Legislative Aide that her Legislator would absolutely not vote in favor of a Texas Employment Non-Discrimination Act (TX-ENDA) to protect the jobs of LGBT Texans, the team suggested that her pro-business, lower-taxes Legislator must be in favor of high welfare. Taken aback, the Aide asked, and was then told by the team that all us LGBTs want is to be employed tax payers and that, without a TX-ENDA, many of us remain unemployed, tax consumers of welfare. As the team left, the Aide said the boss' no vote was maybe not so firm after all and that she would discuss this issue further with her Legislator.
Team after team reported that when asking for and receiving a mere five minute meeting, the Legislators' staffpersons were so interested in what we were educating them about that often the five minute meetings went for longer than
thirty minutes while other appointments were kept waiting in the office lobby. Team after team reported that staffers admitted having a gay, lesbian or bisexual friend or family member, but not having ever, at least knowingly, met a for-real, in-person, transgender, and that they were favorably impressed with the meeting of their knowingly first and for-real, in-person,
transgender. We were not even close to what had been presented to them previously on the national television talk shows. Indeed, our teams reported that they were often told how nice, pleasant, well groomed, professional and mature we were.
Representative Danburg, a long-time LGBT friend (and a law school classmate of mine) allowed us to use her office as our headquarters that day. She had her staff follow-up on Sarah's request of contacting the Capitol Police of our coming, and she will be introducing one of our Bills later in this Session. She told us that she and her fellow Legislators, with whom she had chatted during the course of business that day, were very impressed with our numbers, attire, educational material and effort for that day. She said it was one of the more effective lobbying efforts that she has witnessed in Austin. There is no doubt that this lobbying effort by fifty-two transgenders will go a long way in blunting anti-transgender and anti-LGBT remarks during this Legislative Session.