Delivered June 20, 1997
First, I would like to thank Dr. Sheila Kirk
and the folks here at Renaissance for organizing this year's
Congress. I would also like to thank all of you for being here today.
When I first saw the Call for Papers issued last year, the topic
"Gender Identity in the Third Millennium: Social and Legal Issues"
especially caught my eye. I felt that I had a little bit to offer in
this area.
In my role as an emerging transgender activist, as a co-founder of a
local support group, the Tennessee Vals, and as Board Chair of AEGIS,
I feel that I can offer an important perspective on the direction in
which the transgender community is going. In addition, as a
historian, I feel qualified to provide an historical outlook as the
transgender community looks to the future.
In this presentation, I intend to analyze the current state of social
and legal issues confronting the transgender community as the 20th
Century ends and discuss possibilities as we move into the 21st
Century. The analysis will be mostly personal.
But first, I would like to comment on that term, Third Millennium,
and its relevance to the gender community as we look at our history.
After all, we are now in Year Nine of the Heisei Period, Year 1418
After the Hegira, Year 5758 of the Hebrew calendar, and according to
archaeologist Alexander Marshack, 34,000 years after the creation of
the oldest known lunar calendars during the Aurignacion Period of
western Europe. We know there are plenty of Hunter-Gatherer societies
in the modern period of history who have documented transgendered
people, suggesting we probably did exist when those first lunar
calendars were devised. The origins of agriculture date back an
estimated 11,000 years ago, and there are numerous non-literate
agricultural societies today with transgendered people. Plus, the
Kurgarra of ancient Sumeria are first mentioned in cuneiform texts
approximately 5000 years ago, putting us in at least our Sixth
Millennium of written history. It, therefore, seems illogical for us
to ignore our own existence through all these many years of history
in a myriad of cultures as that particular heading, "Gender Identity
in the Third Millennium" suggests that we do.
As we know, there are many other groups that have fought to achieve
recognition and equality from the rest of American society.
Unfortunately, U.S. history is filled with many examples of groups
being denied basic rights and equality simply because of their
differences or refusal to assimilate. From the moment the first
Columbus expedition landed in the Bahamas and began the destruction
of the Lucayo people there, through the ethnic cleansing of the
southeast and the Wounded Knee massacre of the Dakota, people
attempting to hold onto their cultures and not ashamed of themselves
were persecuted. Of course, the blot of slavery, segregation,
disfranchisement, employment discrimination and anti-miscegenation
laws cannot be changed, but they are a fact of history that a segment
of the population still strives to overcome. Women, a true oppressed
majority, were also victimized by ignorance that kept them off voting
roles until only 77 years ago, and has kept that "glass ceiling" in
place to the present day while they earn only 59% of what men earn in
the workplace.
The first group to challenge successfully the prevailing norms was
the African-American community. They were hardly united, however, as
different groups battled amongst each other over tactics and agenda,
a phenomenon which still divides many African-Americans today.
Nonetheless, many of the barriers which once existed based on the
misguided definitions of "race" have now fallen. The struggle for
civil rights certainly predated the 1954 Brown decision, but that
case did mark a significant turning point in the relationship between
African-Americans and government.
We in the transgender community have our own moments such as the
creation of the first support group in California by Dr. Virginia
Prince in the early 1960s and the efforts of those Greenwich Village
drag queens and transsexuals who began to fight back against police
harassment 28 years ago this month. In the intervening years, we have
seen tremendous growth with a plethora of new organizations, each
with their own focus. Unfortunately, while we grow and become more
visible and create more and more organizations and identify more and
more "leaders," of which I now seem to be one, our victories are
still few and far between.
Our relationships with various levels and branches of government have
been frustrated by ignorance on the part of many officials. That is
why we still wait for our Brown decision, our Civil Rights Act, our
Title IX.
Fortunately, there have been gains. Police harassment of
transgendered persons has been reduced in our major metropolitan
areas although most police departments could still use sensitivity
training. A handful of cities have also repealed their ordinances
against being crossdressed in public. But as we are all aware,
transgendered people, both male to female and female to male, are
often the victims of violent and brutal hate crimes.
Facing the battles with the rest of society as we do, we do not need
to allow our divisions to paralyze us. Through unity, we can achieve
strength.
It is easy for many around us to insist that assimilation and passing
is more desirable, but where does that leave the 15 year old in
middle America who does not have the benefit of visible role models,
local educational programs or the law on their side?
Our efforts on behalf of a comprehensive Employment Non
Discrimination Act must continue. Does there need to be one
centralized organization through which all lobbying efforts must be
coordinated? No. But communication and cooperation by all concerned
is most certainly desirable. And while the lack of support from the
Human Rights Campaign is frustrating, we need not allow ourselves to
dwell on such concerns when we know that our opponents lump us
together while our supporters understand that discrimination against
any group must be eradicated from society.
In a similar vein, our efforts against the so-called "same sex"
marriage acts being passed around the country by various states and
by Congress must also continue. However, just as the federal court
system began to push for equal rights for women and ethnic minorities
over the objections of voting majorities, we too must concentrate our
efforts in the courts to expose the blatant unconstitutionality of
these laws. This is where we in the transgender community can and
must take the lead. There are already plenty of "same-sex" marriages
around the country for one reason or another, and the patchwork of
laws created by individual states, nor the inaccurately titled
Defense of Marriage Act can change that.
National efforts at pushing for recognition of discrimination and
hate crimes must continue. We do not necessarily have to put aside
our differences within the gender community since, as we all know,
personality and philosophical disputes are a natural feature of
visibility and activism. Understanding and communication are
essential, however, and we must strive to do a better job of
achieving these.
Can we achieve our goals? Certainly, but I am not placing much hope
in our legislative branches of government at this time. I fully
expect our greatest successes to come from the judicial branch. In
1954, it was the judicial branch of the federal government that
knocked open the door of racial discrimination and eventually forced
the executive and legislative branches to respond. I see our
successes in attacking discrimination coming from the courts, even
with the current conservative majority, because the pendulum towards
equality for all has been swinging in our direction. Of course, it
will not happen overnight. Passage of a comprehensive ENDA will help
our cause, but the constant in-fighting must be tempered by the
reality that we are not a large community. There are many of us still
closeted, and are, therefore, afraid to speak out amongst friends and
family. So those of us who are willing to be visible tend to be the
same faces we see at event after event around the country.
In recent years, media coverage of transgendered individuals, as well
as for the transgender community as a whole, has increased and
improved. New portrayals of transgendered identities has also
provided a base for improved acceptance. This increased media
coverage is helping us get the message out--that we are a fact of
life despite protestations by the religious right to the contrary.
But in getting our message out, we must also refrain from criticizing
those who prostitute themselves in order to survive or have
previously gone on the talk shows where they have been subjects of
ridicule. They are us and we are them and the line separating us is a
very thin one. Many of us could have easily been thrown out of our
homes or schools at early ages, so those of us here this weekend
parading all of our degrees might well have found ourselves in that
same situation. Their lives and experiences are just as real and
legitimate as our own, and are very much a part of the story of those
born transgendered.
In the short term, as we move into that period designated the Third
Millennium, we probably will not win very many battles. But as we
continue our education and outreach efforts all around the country,
and we challenge the constitutionality of those laws on the books, we
will begin to chip away at the stonewall of ignorance and bigotry
that we all face.
Although I intend to be here for awhile, I realize that our opponents
are very well organized and carry with them an air of legitimacy that
makes our struggle a difficult one. It is entirely possible I may not
even live to see equality achieved. In 1786, the state in which we
are meeting, Pennsylvania, became the first to ban slavery, but it
took an additional 79 more years, and a very bloody and divisive war,
before my great-great-grandmother was finally granted her freedom in
Richmond, Texas, on a day many of us celebrated just yesterday,
Juneteenth Day. And yet, despite the fall of slavery, racism is still
an everyday fact of life in our society that keeps millions
oppressed. Sexual discrimination is also still prevalent and the
federal Constitution lacks an Equal Rights Amendment.
The gender community has had too many fall already, and more may be
lost, but the struggle should not be abandoned. Let us never forget
our overriding concern, whether we push in Washington, in our various
state capitols or city councils, or through the legal system, is to
end the discrimination that keeps us oppressed, closeted and
alone.
This talk was titled "The Future of Transgender Politics," but as you
can see, it is not really a prediction, just one person's blueprint.
Recently, President Clinton called for a new volunteer activism. Many
in attendance at this Congress are filled with that sense already and
need little encouragement, but for those like myself whose primary
work is in a local support group, most of whose members will never
lobby in D.C. or attend a convention, you must encourage them to do
more for themselves as we try in Nashville. You must show them their
own interests are at stake. Lead by example, and the future looks
bright.