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In Memoriam: Matthew Shepard

Bah, Hum#$%&!

IFGE 1999 Update

Drag on Campus at Vanderbilt University

Feminine Boy Shakes up School

Jailhouse Rock: Stonewall II

Nashville's Matthew Shepard Candlelight VigilI


 
December 1998 - Online Edition
Happy Holidays to all our online readers!

Upcoming Meetings and Events

December 12: 6th Annual Anniversary/Holiday Party, Hilton Suites Brentwood, 9000 Overlook Drive, Brentwood, TN

January 9: Suzie G., Self-Defense

February 13: Discussion Circle

Future Board Meetings: December 17, January 28, February 25

Tennessee Vals Special Events:

Tuesday, December 29: Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, TPAC

Friday, January 29: Rent, TPAC

Saturday, January 30: Mid-Winter's Night, Cheekwood

Saturday, February 13: Room in the Inn, The Center (703 Berry Road)

Sunday, February 28: Bus trip to Players' Island Casino, Metropolis, IL (may be postponed)


Her Majesty, The Queen, MarisaThe Queen's Throne
By Marisa Richmond
marisaval@aol.com

Last month, I made a brief reference to the hate crime in Laramie, Wyoming that resulted in the murder of a 21 year old college student, Matthew Shepard. I only heard about the crime just as I was finishing my November column, and did not learn full details until after I had given the disk to Anne. I decided that the issue was so serious, I wanted to comment further on it this month.

Over the years, GLBT people have been the victims of hate crimes that have rarely made the national news. The brutal murder of my friend Christian Paige in Chicago in '96 is one such example while the attack in Baltimore on October 28 of Leonard "Lynn" Vines, a 31 year old local drag queen who was punched and shot six times near his cousin's home, is a more recent example. Fortunately, Vines is now out of Johns Hopkins University Hospital and is recovering with relatives. Those who pass judgment and preach intolerance and hatred of us often wish we would just go away. They often preach that we are some sort of abomination. In some cases, they are willing to make it happen themselves, while at other times, their words inspire others to commit acts of violence. Instead, they should be teaching that hatred and intolerance and murder are the true abominations. The one thing I have learned over the years is that attitudes, especially hatred towards those who are born different, is taught. I do not care what justification they use for their attitudes, they are teaching hatred, and as the Nazis showed, there is a fine line between hatred and persecution and the desire to rid the world of those who are not liked. Into the Twentieth Century, people who were born left-handed were beaten because it was considered Satanic. And those who dragged James Byrd to his death in Jasper, Texas, undoubtedly believed that African-Americans lack humanity, an idea they based on their interpretation of religious writings and sermons. We have also seen numerous bombings charged to former Nashvillian Eric Rudolph, and the recent murder of Dr. Barnett Slepian in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst, New York, and these acts, too, were based on hate and justified with religion. Sadly, with the millennium fast approaching, and with so many fearful of it, we may well see an increase in such religiously inspired hate crimes.

This past year, we have seen bigoted statements from civic leaders like Senator Trent Lott, Reverend Pat Robertson, and Reverend Reggie White. The First Amendment guarantees free speech, but it can, and has, been used irresponsibly. They and others like them around the country who preach such hatred must accept responsibility for the encouragement they have offered to those willing to perpetrate violence. I was watching one of the morning news shows as I prepared to go to work, and the father of one of the murderers admitted that his son had done wrong and deserved punishment. Where was he when his son was learning to hate others? Those who preach intolerance, be it from the floor of the United States Senate, from the pulpit, or around the family dinner table, all now have the blood of Matthew Shepard, Lynn Vines, Brandon Teena, and every other GLBT person victimized by a hate crime on their hands. They should all feel ashamed of themselves for the environment of hate they have fostered.

On October 18, I was one of several hundred who attended a candlelight vigil in Centennial Park in memory of Shepard and all those who have ever been victimized by hate crimes. This peaceful protest (in marked contrast to the police attacks on marchers in New York) was solemn and quite moving. While the turnout was impressive, I was disappointed that the number was not even larger. Those who rail against us chose not to use this opportunity to rail against the hate they have inspired with their small minded bigotry. One positive that has come of this tragedy is improved media coverage of hate and intolerance in our society. The coverage by The Tennessean and the local televison stations suggests they are beginning to understand our message. They can be a very powerful ally as civil rights advocates discovered nearly 40 years ago.

The national media continues to show an increasing fascination for transgendered people in a non-sensationalistic manner. The October issue of GQ had a very interesting article called The Legend of Dawn by Jack Hitt. It was about the life of Dawn Langley-Simmons. She was born in England with the name Gordon Langley Hall. A successful novelist, Hall settled in Charleston, South Carolina, and scandalized the community first, in 1968, when she had corrective surgery on her genitals at Johns Hopkins University, and then in 1969, when she married an African-American male, John-Paul Simmons. South Carolina is a state that is especially notorious for its intolerance towards those who cross socially constructed gender or cultural boundaries as Dawn did. Students at The Citadel celebrated the withdrawal of Shannon Faulkner in August 1995, while this October, Bob Jones University in Greenville announced it would arrest any gay alumni who attempted to set foot on campus. Dawn's life was not viewed in the same manner in her native England where Dame Margaret Rutherford expressed her concern over the impending marriage by the Episcopalian Dawn when she exclaimed, "but I understand the man is a Baptist!" Hitt's article is written with an impressive sensitivity that was clearly missing in John Berendt's condescending article about former Nashvillian Neil Cargile in New Yorker in January 1995.

And speaking of media coverage, last month, I forgot to mention that if you missed The Transgender Revolution on the A&E network, you can order a copy for only $19.95 by calling 1-800-423-1212.

Every month, we receive numerous newsletters from other support groups around the country. Every one usually has one or two typos. While we all try to edit our newsletters the best we can, mistakes do occur which are not found by spell checkers or editors. Recently, I found one very amusing item in the October column of Brandi Welch in Femme Forum, the newsletter of Tau Chi of Houston. She noted that because of the increased visibility of their chapter, she expected them to be "in the stoplight." At least I assume it was a typo....

At this point, I would like to offer my personal congratulations to two folks for their recent achievements. First, Melinda Whiteway of Santa Cruz, California (who visited Nashville in January), became the first transgendered person to be elected co-chair of the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association. In addition, NLGLA elected five other transgendered lawyers to their board. Second, I wish to recognize the new Governor of the People's Republic of Minnesota. It seems Jesse "The Body" Ventura has been known to wear pink feathered boas in the past.

The year 1998 has been very important year both for me and the transgender community. Locally, we have been increasingly visible in our support of various charities. We have supported Nashville's homeless (Room in the Inn), The Center for GLBT Life in Nashville (Mid-Winter's Night; The Night in White), local AIDS events (AIDS Walk; Bitches' Ball), and other causes (local tornado victims; Nashville P-FLAG; Matthew Shepard candlelight vigil). We continue our ongoing public outreach and education efforts. Collectively, we have been visible by being in public settings as small as local restaurants to big like the Nashville Arena, where Jenni and I went to see Jimmy Page & Robert Plant in early June with 17,000 of our closest friends. While I did not travel as much in '98 as I did in '97, I did make visits to Indianapolis, Washington, and, of course, Atlanta for Southern Comfort--the largest gender gathering ever.

As a community, we grow because we refuse to allow others to tell us how we must live. Despite the risks that others will be hostile towards us, we must continue to be visible in each and every community. There is no shame in being born transgendered and regardless of how open we are with others, each of us must attempt to educate others (provided they are open-minded enough to allow themselves to learn...) about the acceptance of all who are born different. It does take time, but there is no reason why each and every one of us cannot at some point stand up for ourselves and say to others I've been waiting so long to be where I'm goin', in the Sunshine of Your Love. Transphobia will not die overnight since, as any thinking person must realize, racism and sexism continue to poison our society. We can, however, make bigotry socially unacceptable if we refuse to kowtow to it as the bigots wish we would. We should all pledge ourselves to educating others if you have not done so yet in your personal or professional life. It is through education that we can overcome such prejudice and hostility. While the recent push for Hate-Crimes legislation is important as a symbolic step in saying we will no longer accept physical attacks on those who are born different, only through the elimination of ignorance will we end hate crimes.

This month is marked by numerous holidays that celebrate love of mankind. Let us not allow those who pass judgment to prevail. I hope you receive all you were expecting from Santa Claus and His Ol' Lady Commune.

Go in Peace.

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Dr. LoveWigged Out
By Jennileigh Love
jlove1@ix.netcom.com

The first topic of this column is a bit outdated, but I couldn't get this in the November newsletter because of the publication deadline. On October 18, I was asked to speak at a local candlelight vigil for Matthew Shepard, the young gay man brutally murdered in Wyoming. An estimated 500 people attended the vigil in the unseasonably warm October night. Along with myself as a representative of Tennessee Vals, also speaking were representatives The Center for Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Transgendered Life in Nashville, Middle Tennessee Pride, The Lesbian and Gay Coalition for Justice, PFLAG, the Human Rights Campaign, the American Civil Liberties Union, local clergy, singers and musicians and Vanderbilt University. It was a time for reflection and healing and a night to honor Matthew. It was my privilege to speak. It was the least I could do to remember our slain brother in Wyoming. I would hate to think that it took the death of one person to bring the referendum on equal rights for GLBT people to the forefront, but it sure looks that way. If Matthew's death is not enough reason for our government to invoke change and pass the National Hate Crimes Prevention Act, what will be? Do we need a full-scale slaughter of human beings to get our government to pay any attention to us? What about the many GLBT people that have died before Matthew? Do their deaths not count? How much blood does it take before too many die?

The spirit of that vigil has moved me to recognize the work being done in the local community. Many of us who had attended that vigil had been at the Nashville CARES AIDS Walk all day. CARES is a local community group that provides free of charge information, counseling, and help for AIDS patients in Middle Tennessee. Country music singer Kathy Mattea was also present for the march. I've participated in the walk for the past 3 years. The Walk is the one opportunity for us to walk side-by-side with the local community. The Walk is the one place where local Girl Scout troupes and church congregations walk alongside local gay community groups. The volunteer spirit of the Walk was continued in the Matthew Shepard vigil. Matthew died on Monday, October 12 and the vigil was on October 18. Think about it. An almost two hour long service was put together in less than a week, with all the efforts being from volunteers. It was an astonishing labor of love. I want to especially recognize and thank my pastor, Jim Hawk of the Stonewall Mission Church for coordinating the vigil. Please do your part to support any of the local groups listed in the above paragraph. All organizations in their own way are doing their part to support, defend and empower the greater GLBT community.

Also in late October, I spent a nice getaway weekend to Chattanooga with a friend. It was the first time I had been to Choo-Choo Town and spent the night. For those of you who think you can't get out of the house and see the world en femme, you are wrong. I didn't call ahead and warn anyone I was coming. I simply went to Chattanooga, and did whatever I felt like doing (including a trip though the campy tourist trap Rock City). I didn't worry whether or not the places I visited were "gender-friendly". I just went in and acted like I belonged there. I also found out that you run out of things to do in Chattanooga very quickly. :)

A few months ago I wrote about the PFLAG billboard that was put up and subsequently vandalized here in Nashville. Well recently I had what could only be described as a "Miss Jenni Moment" with similar signage. My friend Tony Teal is an artist and he needed help taking one of his paintings to a photographer's studio. The painting was too large to fit in a car, and my pickup truck was needed to move the painting. I didn't think much about helping him do this, until I saw the painting. It clearly showed two men in a passionate kiss. The painting was too large to lay down in the truck bed, so it had to stand on its edge. So there we were, Tony and I driving around the streets of Nashville in my truck with a big gay painting clearly displayed in the back. It was like those election signs you see in the back of trucks sometimes. I felt like we were campaigning! Those little rainbow flag stickers you see on cars had nothing on my truck that night. I didn't really care what other drivers thought, but it was still quite a moment.

Until next year folks. I hope no one has a Blue Christmas.
 

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Left ArrowLeft of Center
By Pamela DeGroff

What do I want for Christmas? You know, the older I get, the harder it is to answer that. It was easy when I was a kid. I had an entire year of being blitzed by TV commercials for the latest toys, so it was easy to come up with a workable list. However, Mom and Dad always retained editorial privileges so "Santa" wouldn't think I was some greedy little brat. That's not to say that I didn't have nice Christmases, I did, but there was always a difference between what I wanted and what I received. Over time, I learned to be grateful for what I already had. I learned that the things I took for granted every day were the things many people didn't have. I know I was a weird kid (any transgendered person could say that; for that matter, so could most musicians, and I fit into both categories) but I learned at an early age what intangible resources were. I learned that some of the greatest blessings in life aren't material "things", but instead are gifts that come in the form of love, laughter, good health, and the sense of security one gets from a strong family. This is not to say that I was always capable of taking the moral high ground. When I was a teenager, there was more than one Christmas where I sought out "intangibles" as gifts, rather than something material. What I would do is tell Mom and Dad that all I wanted was to have my curfew extended thirty minutes on the weekends, or I wanted to grow my hair long (Hah!-finally won that one), or I didn't want to save my money for school, I wanted to buy an Acoustic 370 bass guitar amp. (This was a bass amplifier with a speaker cabinet the size of a small refrigerator.) When I was growing up, it seemed like I always had to barter with my parents for the "right" to do certain things.

So, what do I want for Christmas now? First of all, let's establish something here. I don't even like Christmas. I lovingly refer to it as Bah Hum ____k* Day. (*rhymes with water fowl). There are two main reasons for why I feel this way. #1 December 25 was not when Christ was actually born. That is the date when Christians CELEBRATE His birth, but that date was decided upon after much debate over hundreds of years. Historically, for the first 400 years after the crucifixion of Christ, there was no Christmas. Until the Romans recognized Christianity as a religion, a Christian could not declare his faith publicly unless he wanted to be lion chow.

Reason #2 has to do with the fact that I really do enjoy giving. I've just never had the resources to do everything I'd like to do. Because of that, I don't appreciate a holiday that constantly reminds me I'm not a financial genius. Some years, what I really want for Christmas is for December 26th to hurry up and get here. It's all over with by then and I can be done with the stress. But I don't feel as apprehensive this year. I've fallen back into intangible gift mode, and I do have a few items on my wish list

I'd like to see an end to hate crimes such as the brutal death of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming. My initial reaction is anger. There was a time when you could hang for stealing another man's horse, but I guess we've become so civilized that we no longer see the need to punish those who commit crimes. What I want for Christmas is a complete change of attitude in this country towards criminals and their supposed "rights". To hell with them. What about the victims? Repeat that statement as a mantra: WHAT ABOUT THE VICTIMS? We must always be mindful that there have been hate crimes against people of gender as well as gays and lesbians. I'm sick of it, and I feel no shame in having the attitude I have. As far as I'm concerned, if you don't share this attitude, then you're part of the problem.

Something else I'd like for Christmas is to see the acceptance level rise for all individuals who are people of gender. When I attended Southern Comfort this year, I heard so many stories concerning the issue of being accepted. Some were really heartwarming, affirming tales of love and sacrifice on the part of a TG's family, friends, and associates. Other stories, though, showed how much work still needs to be done as far as education goes. Some of us still face hostility and are treated like fugitives from Jerry Springer. So I guess you could say that for Christmas this year, I'd like the idea that we're all misinformed freaks disappear from Bubba Joe Public's mind. We are people just like anyone else, and all we want is to be treated like anyone else.

I realize this is a very strange Left Of Center. I've had a strange year, and it's caused me to do a lot of thinking concerning what is really important to me. I suppose I should launch into this big spiel about how important family is, but you all know that, as well as I do. My regular family all lives up north, but my extended family all lives here. I want to thank all of you for being a part of this family. This is what the true Christmas spirit is all about, this sense of giving. I appreciate it greatly. Thank you

Now, for what I REALLY want for Christmas: 1) Everything on page 45 of latest Fredericks' Of Hollywood catalog, and 2) A whole bunch of those little cookies everyone bakes this time of year.

Next year, girlfriends.
 

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AC!Behind Blue Eyes
By Anne Casebeer
agc@cwix.com

You know, the newsletter business is funny sometimes. Some months, you don't have much news to report, and some months you have a bunch. This is a bunch month, but the feeling is bittersweet. On the one hand, I really enjoy sharing the writings of some of my favorite people from the TG community. Consider yourselves to be lucky, because this month, you get to read the writings of Marisa Richmond, Jennileigh Love, Pamela DeGroff, Phyllis Frye, Dr. Sheila Kirk, Vanessa Edwards-Foster, Leslie Feinberg, and Sarah Fox.. On the other hand, there are some very sick reasons for these fine people to be abusing their computer terminals, such as the assault in Baltimore of a DQ, the Tyra Hunter wrongful death trial, the cold-blooded hate-crime/murder of Matthew Shepard and the street demonstration/riot in New York that followed their vigil, the expulsion of Alex McLendon from her high school in Georgia, and the egregious advertisement that McAfee recently ran in PC World Magazine. Oh, well, I recently picked up a virus in my computer, and McAfee's supposedly invincible antivirus wouldn't get rid of it. Buy AVP's antivirus instead, cybertrannies - it actually works.

The biggest story that has come to light has been the Matthew Shepard torture/murder in Wyoming in October, which was sorting itself out at presstime for November's issue. Most of you have heard the story in the mainstream media by now, so I won't waste space on a description now. The important parts to this story have been what has come afterwards, and the conclusions to be drawn, with the emphasis on what we should do about it.

The funeral was actually protested by a crass group of hate-mongers from Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas. Their website url says it all: http://www.godhatesfags.com , and reporter that I am, I had to click onto it and see what kind of filth was being dispensed here. Frankly, it's as bad as it sounds, and I find it to be more obscene than most "adult" sites. It's not the only garbage on the Internet, but the only comparable site to it is the one maintained at http://www.kkk.com . I don't think I need say more. Westboro Baptist is led by a charlatan named Fred Phelps, who attaches "Reverend" to his name, despite the fact that nobody I've heard of can verify that Mr. Phelps has ever had any formal education beyond Captain Kangaroo. I suspect from the appearance of his webpage, plus his behavior in the past few months (protests outside an MCC Church in Minnesota, and the Matthew Shepard funeral protest) that he probably suffers from a serious case of cranial rectosis. . Certainly, he has no class and is worshiping a God that I'm not familiar with. The one I know, y'know, the one who's son has a birthday this month, loves everyone, hates nobody, and created us all in His image. Folks, that also included transgendered, last time I checked, but He was too busy writing up the garbage that many are spewing in His name to have been able to verify that by presstime.

I feel very strongly that the Matthew Shepard story could turn out to be the galvanizing event that the GLBT community has needed for some time. For some time, the Religious Reich have consolidated their opposition to anything relating to GLBT rights, and many Republican Congressmen have come up with some ridiculous reasons for opposing them. I watched my own Congressman, Anne Northup (R-3rd Dist. Ky) oppose the Hate Crimes Protection Act on the basis of a nebulous claim of "infringement of states' rights," then turn around and vote to cut off funds to municipalities like San Francisco who pass rights' legislation. That flies in the face of any definition of states' rights that I was taught in the study of political science. I have enough faith in the American public to think that they will eventually spot the intellectual dishonesty of this stance. Of late, TG issues have also fought their way to the forefront, more in a grass-roots fashion, as illustrated by the A&E special. A clash was coming, and it happened in New York, which is documented by Vanessa Edwards-Foster and Leslie Feinberg. I'm afraid it probably won't be the final battle in the struggle.

Matthew Shepard has been clearly described as a young gay man of slight build. Why was he picked for murder? Probably he fit a certain profile that his assailants associated with a lack of masculinity - young rednecks out on a joyride, looking to beat up some one for fun and/or showing off. This murder was gender-related as much as it was related to sexual orientation, but that doesn't matter - killing someone for being "different" HAS NEVER been morally correct, and should result in capital punishment. I personally hope that the assailants of Matthew Shepard receive the death penalty as an example for others who might somehow believe that it's cool to kill a GLBT person.

HRC: Liars R Us

It's crystal-clear to everyone with half a brain that hate crime legislation will be most effective with the broadest possible inclusion of the greatest variety of people, because potential attackers do not care what form of queer you might be - to them, we're all queer. HRC has yet to realize that basic fact, and I believe that they never will. The showdown with HRC that occurred at Southern Comfort illustrates clearly that the largest and best-funded GL rights lobbying organization in our country clearly does not intend to ever substantially help transpeople, and they have a history of working against transpeople. Nancy Nangeroni asked Tony Esoldo on her "GenderTalk" radio show recently about the charge of sabotage that Dawn Wilson brought against HRC in connection to the 1997 ICTLEP Lobby Days, and he denied the charge, saying that Nancy Buermeyer denied having warned Senatorial offices that TG lobbyists were coming. Mr. Esoldo either is lying himself or has been lied to by Nancy Buermeyer, and I see no reason to not call a lie exactly what it is. I can tell you that I was in Senator Harkin's office with Dawn, Marjorie Demaille, and 2 other TG lobbyists when Kimberly Zimmerman, Harkin's legislative assistant, told us that HRC had preceded us, advising the Senator that ENDA would never pass with TG inclusion. I won't be forgetting or forgiving it.

GLB rights legislation is completely meaningless without trans-inclusion, and to not include it automatically is a joke. Gender presentation is certainly an issue for many GLB people who do not identify as being trans, whether they want to admit it or not, and certainly is an issue in straight society - how many of us were picked on by the school bully, and called names because we were effeminate in appearance? As long as sexual orientation is assumed by people based on appearance, then we must be united in our political efforts to protect people on the basis of gender presentation. That makes perfect sense to every major GLBT group I know of except for HRC, and judging from Tony Esoldo's evasion of the truth, HRC remains every bit the enemy of transpeople that the Christian Coalition is . They both do the Washington two-step-around-the-truth equally well.

So, where to from here? Phyllis Frye is publicly advocating a 90-day window of opportunity in the Congress to get legislation passed while Matthew's murder is still fresh in everyone's mind. There may be something to that, so why not take a minute and write your Congressman or Senator? We recently turned over about half of the Louisville Board of Aldermen, and our chances of passing a trans-inclusive Fairness Amendment in Louisville has certainly been helped. The upcoming presence of the IFGE convention in Louisville in March is having a heavy community impact here, which only helping the cause along. . Consciousness has been raised considerably nationally by these crimes, along with the favorable publicity transpeople have received in the mass media of late. Also, let us not discount how we are helped by the Fred Phelps' of the world. The more charlatans and hate mongers talk, the more stupid and transparent they appear to the public. Ours is the side of common sense. So, let's move forward in 1999, and see if we can turn this rash of assaults and murders into good, solid legislation to protect ourselves and our gay, lesbian, and bisexual allies. Matthew Shepard deserves nothing less, for he was also a gender warrior, whether he realized it or not. The best way that we can remember Matthew is to work together with our friends in the GLBT community to make certain that anyone else who commits similar crimes is punished severely, taken out of society for the good of everyone.

Real Christmas Presents

Ah, yes, Xmas. That day of unrepentant Bacchanalian excess, when dysfunction rears its Yuletide head. You spend yourself into oblivion buying gifts that usually get returned, while fighting the huge angry mob and heavy traffic. Everybody eats and drinks too much, the kids argue over who got the best toys and games, and the women all scream and claw over who has the nicest dress and who is sleeping with whom. Of course, the men gather in the living room for football, the whiskey gets pulled out, and pretty soon Uncle Fred is calling Cousin Bill rude names, while Brother Ed throws a sucker punch from behind....

.Actually, I've always found Christmas to be a deadly bore. You open gifts for a few minutes in the morning, take a phone call from a relative or 2, and basically have a day to kill. It's too cold to work in the garage, cleaning house seems to be sacrilege, and absolutely nothing is open....except for me, running your local video store. It's a day I actually enjoy working, it takes care of the boredom, and you meet others in the same boat. I do run into people who truly are lonely on Christmas for a number of reasons; in particular, a lot of people who are lonely who aren't used to being alone - people who are newly divorced, people who have lost loved ones, people who have relocated away from their families and cannot go home for whatever reason, you know the score. Your video store manager knows more about you than you realize, kind of like the bartender at your favorite pub. That stated, there are 2 groups of people who I'd like you to think about this holiday season. Transgendered people certainly fit the category of being lonely - too many of us are estranged from our families for whatever reason, and this is the time of year that this hits home the hardest. I'd like to suggest that we, as members of support groups for transgendered people, think about our fellow TG people who don't have supportive families. Consider the idea of including them in your thoughts and plans for the holiday. If you know of a person in the Vals who doesn't have family, why don't you think about letting them join you for some holiday cheer? I really hate to hear of people sitting alone in their rooms this time of year, and fear that sometime I'm going to hear of a TG person ending it on Christmas Day over the family issues that force them to be alone. I don't want it to be any people I know if I can help it.

If you want to have an uplifting holiday experience, one that also might increase our acceptance as TG people, consider a visit to your local nursing facility on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Go to the "everything's a dollar" store, take about $15-20 or so, and buy a bunch of small gifts. Any nursing home will be happy to steer you towards people who don't regularly have visitors, and you can take them your small gift; the most important gift that you can give them is a bit of conversation and a little of your time. Let them tell you all about themselves, and believe me, they will, and many of them will tell you the most interesting stories. You may think that "these are old people, they won't accept me." That can happen, but for the most part, they're so happy to have a visitor that the fact that you are TG won't matter. It may provide a chance for outreach and/or information, but don't push that. Let them tell you about themselves instead. You may find it fascinating, and you may also make a friend who will accept you for what you are with no qualifications. Remember, however, that they will not know the terminology and will probably mess up the pronouns, unless you are extremely passable. Don't harp, and correct them calmly and politely if at all. When they do see their families, your visit will have been an event, and they will tell their families all about the nice person (whatever they were!) who visited them on Christmas. Their family, in turn, may get a whole new impression of TG people. I'd recommend taking business cards along for them to remember you by.

A lot of us talk about gifts that we'd like to receive at Christmas. If that's all Christmas means to you, then just go to Wal-Mart and buy yourself some stuff. Any fool with a Visa can do that, so try to do something for others if you can this holiday season. Also, remember that each time you leave your home, you should strive to create a favorable impression everywhere you go amongst ordinary citizens. You are very likely to be the first TG person they've met. First impressions always count, so remember that when you're in the stores for Christmas, in the community, or among family members you may not see often. So, let's make the gifts that we give this holiday season be the gifts of manners, decorum, kindness, courtesy, and charity towards others, even others whose views we oppose.

Of course, if you want to lay the new Rush and Bruce Springsteen sets on me, I'd like that very much, too........

Progress Report - IFGE '99

At last October's meeting, I told you a little about the upcoming IFGE "Standing United" Convention, to be held in Louisville March 17-21, 1999. I've been insanely busy the last few weeks trying to compress 9 months of advance work into 1. As we all know, if you want a job done right, you need either a small businessman or a transgendered person to do it, and fortunately, I'm both, plus I had great help from Marjorie Demaille, Dawn Wilson, Angela Bridgman, Amy McCorkle, and Mike Bromilow (from my staff at Video Vault). After touring 13 hotels, calling up every fellow businessperson in Louisville that still owed me any favors at all, picking every available brain, and having nice hotels book other conventions while we were still considering their facilities, we've locked up a good choice. I can announce at this time that the '99 IFGE Convention will be held at the Holiday Inn Louisville - Downtown, on Broadway in Downtown Louisville. This hotel was renovated in early 1998, has lovely rooms at a rate of $75/night, and has management that is ready, willing, and able to make this happen. Now that we have that pretty much arranged, we have a conference to put together. To that end, if you have an idea for a seminar, we are collecting proposals at this time, and we've set a deadline of December 20 for the proposals. Please outline your seminar proposal, along with a list of necessary materials (A/V), and email it to Marjorie Demaille at efduhr1@pop.uky.edu. The thrust and theme of the conference will be health and wellness, so seminars fitting that theme will get preference. Those interested in volunteering to help should email me at agc@cwix.com . If you aren't online, mail me at PO Box 20173, Louisville, Ky. 40250. Of course, we will obviously also do our level best to destroy our health and wellness after hours, and we have a lot of fun planned for everyone. For now, pencil in March 17-21 on your calendar. It's only 21/2 hours north on I-65. Registration Brochures will be available at the Holiday Party.

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The TrollopTotally...
By Angela Brigman
angelafox@cybergal.com

It seems some people never grow up, and some never learn that hate is NOT okay! I have been compelled to drop out of Sullivan College, in spite of my 4.0 GPA, due to the hatred and bigotry of a few students and administrators.

I enrolled at Sullivan College in June, 1998, in the Paralegal Studies Program. I earned a 4.0 GPA for my first quarter studies. I have had no problems with most students, and had no problems with all of my teachers. The problem is the bigoted administration of Sullivan College. I was buttonholed by the night student advisor, Mr. Jim Klein on Monday night, October 12. He advised me that since I was a pre-operative transsexual that I would be required from that point on to use the men's restroom facilities, a situation which would have placed me in extreme physical peril, as well as created a very uncomfortable situation for both myself, and the male student body. I told Mr. Klein that over my dead body would I use a male restroom; that I'd sooner drop out. He told me that there had been several complaints from female students, and that the suggestion box on campus was "overflowing" with requests from female students that I not be allowed to use the ladies' restrooms. He has yet to show me even one. He told me that the decision to have me in the men's restroom facilities had come straight from Dean John Padgett. I told Mr. Klein that this was unacceptable, and requested to speak directly with the dean. Five minutes later I was in his office. He stood firm on the decision that I would have to use men's restroom facilities. I asked if he was aware of the extreme physical risk he was asking me to take, or if he was aware of the discomfort factor this would create in both the male student body, and myself. He said that there were security guards on campus that would provide adequate protection to me in this situation...I told him no, that's not how it would work...that some day, some guy with whom I shared restroom facilities would catch me off campus, and take it on himself to injure, and possibly kill me. In light of what recently happened in Wyoming, I told him, I find it amazing that you could attain your station in this life; a position which would seem to indicate a high level of integrity and intelligence, and simultaneously remain such a blithering idiot! Would you believe that I actually had to tell him what had happened in Wyoming? The very least you would expect of a man who is dean of students at an institution of higher learning is that he would be up-to-date on national news! Finally, after several minutes of arguing, he dismissed me from his office to make a few phone calls, and asked me to wait outside.

He called me back in five minutes later. He had set up a private restroom facility for me, complete with a door lock, and that was to be the only restroom I would be allowed to use on campus. This restroom was very inconveniently located, and no backup arrangements were made in the event that this one bathroom should be out of order. This, after a whole quarter of using the ladies' facilities with no complaints! In the current state of things, embattled as I am with administration, and as alienated as I feel from the rest of the student body, I felt that it was time for me to move on, and pursue my education somewhere other than Sullivan College. I will be attending the University of Louisville, starting in the Spring Semester. Since two of my three classes would not transfer with me to U of L, it seemed pointless for me to take the classes, and pay for them. Additionally, I found the situation caused me to be unable to concentrate adequately on my studies, and could compromise my 4.0 GPA. Since Federal Stafford loans will not pay when you are taking only one class, dropping the other two would cause me to have to pay, up front, for the class I wanted to keep. This was not something I was either willing, or able to do. So, I have decided to formally drop out of Sullivan College, effective Monday, October 19. I hope the bigots in the administration and student body of Sullivan College feel really good about denying another person their education. I will move on...If Sullivan College does not want my 4.0 GPA, there are other schools with ABA approved paralegal programs. U of L is one of those places, and, with Common Ground, the GLBTIA Student Union there, I do not think I will encounter, at U of L, the bigotry I have encountered at Sullivan College.



 News TransMissions
 
Shanghai Police Detain Cross-Dressing Singers

SHANGHAI -- Shanghai police detained two male singers for performing in women's clothes and shut down a nightclub on its opening night. Shocked patrons called police to the city's Guoling Dance Hall after discovering two singers wearing make-up and dresses were men, the Xinmin Evening News said in an edition seen on Thursday.

The two performers swayed on stage, stroked their hair coquettishly and batted their eyelids at the audience before breaking into song, the newspaper said. "Unexpectedly, as soon as they opened their red lips, the rough male sound came through the microphone," it said. The dance hall was immediately plunged into chaos and some patrons rushed out to call police, who dragged the two singers off stage during their performance, the newspaper said. It added that the club had wanted to offer an exciting act for its grand opening.

Reuters, November 12, 1998


Vanderbilt Group Drags Gay Message To Campus

Show Celebrates Coming Out Day

By Monique Fields

The crowd came to see the divas put on their best face, moves, and bustiers. Towering in heels, they slipped into well fitted dresses and stirred the crowd into a rhythmic dance. But, the divas are not women; they're men. And, this is no dance club; it's .Vanderbilt University. Or as one drag queen put it: "Vahnnn-der-bilt.

The Vanderbilt Lambda Association sponsored a drag show to celebrate Coming-Out Day, a time when gays, lesbians, and bisexuals reveal their sexuality to family and friends. Time sure have changed. It's been 2 years since Lambda members created posters of famous gay people and posted them around the campus, only to wake up the next day and learn that most of them had been torn down. The point was lost, so they found a better way of getting their message across. "The most awesome part about this is that it's on Vanderbilt's campus, and so many people have never been to a gay club or seen a drag show," said Stacey Irwin, co-chair of the event. A drag show is also lighthearted. "It's not like,'We're here, we're queer, and we're in your face' type of thing," said Carl Manolo, a Lambda member and Vanderbilt sophomore.

More than 400 people of all orientations attended the event, including parents visiting for Freshman Parents' Weekend. They cast aside the issue that they attended a gay-sponsored event at the conservative private school. "I didn't know it was a guy, very convincing,' said Bob Rodgers, whose son Jonathan is a freshman. Youn Ok Lee, also a freshman, said the show didn't have anything to do with sexuality. "I don't think anyone is paying attention to who is gay." Lambda members hoped the drag queens tested the audiences' sexual senses and that people quietly thought about their own sexuality. "When you get there, you start to think about who you are, what I means to be out," said Eric Woodiwiss, a Lambda member and Vanderbilt junior. Still, Lambda members know they have to be careful. They want to open minds and eyes, not convey or perpetuate any negative stereotypes. "Gay people are just as diverse at straight people, "Irvin said. "There's no formula for being a gay person. This drag show is one of the most effective ways to get a huge group of people together and draw attention to the fact that there are gay people."

That's a fact some can't accept. A gay University of Wyoming student was found tied to a wooded ranch fence like a scarecrow in Laramie, WY. He had been beaten and burned before a passer-by found him hours later. Police said that robbery was the motive, but that the man was chosen partly because he was gay. "Certainly there are more people out and more people concerned with gay and lesbian issues, but at the same time, this is one of the most political and hostile atmospheres towards gay people in years," said Tracey Conaty, a spokeswoman for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force based in Washington, DC.

Still, students at Vanderbilt and Middle Tennessee State University say they are witnessing change. 4 years ago, before a Vanderbilt student who was gay or lesbian could find other students on campus with the same lifestyle, he or she had to go through something of a security system. After leaving a message on an answering machine, an interview type meeting would be set up. Lambda couldn't afford for anyone to "out" students who hadn't decided to reveal their sexuality, and possibly put them in harm's way. Today, there are some signs of acceptance. The Lambda Association posts its meetings on bulletin boards like every other student organization, including several hundred flyers for the drag show. Tensions also are easing on college campuses as students reveal their sexual orientations to others while in high school. "It's this generation of young people that is different than previous generations, as far as the attitudes toward accepting that everyone should be treated equally and fairly," said Mark McBride, a MTSU Lambda Association member. 8 students marched across MTSU's campus to show fellow students that it's safe to be out at the Murfreesboro school. At their request, they were followed by an MTSU Department of Public Safety security officer as they made their 20-minute trek. They carried a banner encouraging students to "Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are," and were met with stares and snickers. Students silently chose either side of the sidewalk to let them walk through.

"I'm not going to condemn them and say 'Don't do that'," said Cedric Doss, an MTSU sophomore who doesn't believe in homosexuality. "That's not my place. That's between them and God"

Tennessean, 10-12-98


The Future Is Ours

By Dr. Sheila Kirk

The title of this article was inspired by a statement sent to me by a person who was kind enough to express their support of the opening of my new Transsurgical Center. It is one of hundreds of positive remarks and encouragement I have received from community members, Trans and non-Trans healthcare professionals and others since forming the Transgender Surgical & Medical Care Center (TSMC) in May. These encouraging remarks have been most gratifying and it reinforces my reasons for building the center. "Thank you, Dr. Kirk, your courageous step has helped to insure that the future of our medical & surgical care can at last, be ours." This statement so struck me because it succinctly expresses what my intentions were when I began pulling all the many complex pieces together to formulate TSMC. It was my intention then, as is now, as it will always be, to provide the highest standards of care, concern and management throughout all stages of your surgical and medical needs. But equally as important to all of us in our community, TSMC was founded with another purpose in mind. It is my firm belief that in order to achieve complete healthcare empowerment then we must not only be surgical/medical consumers but we must also be afforded the right to be our own surgical/medical providers. This is not to say that we should not recognize or support many of those non-T professionals who have worked so hard to educate themselves on healthcare circumstances unique to us and who provide us with sound, compassionate care and management. But what it does mean, is that we should have an opportunity to select Trans professionals to manage and care for our entire healthcare needs through all stages of our gender journey. Unfortunately, we all know that at present that is not the case. Although some important headway has been made by our sisters and brothers in the psychologic fields, many of us are aware of the difficulties encountered by medical physicians who have been forced or asked to leave their hospitals, their residencies or their medical partnerships when they come out or when they transition. Some have been able to continue caring for us in solo office settings, some have opened clinics that offer out-patient cosmetic surgical services but very few have been able to maintain their hospital privileges and work within the system in the discipline in which they were trained. And until the start of TSMC no Trans surgeon has performed GRS and related surgical procedures for members of our community.

Yes, it is rewarding to me to be the first surgeon who was able to break the barrier that permeates the medical profession but that accomplishment has bittersweetness about it. Trans-medical professionals treating our community at all levels should be the norm not the exception. How can this be accomplished? It won't be an easy task. But if we want empowerment and the ability to make important decisions in our healthcare needs, it needs to be done. We must all unite together, support each other and work together to help those who wish to work within the healthcare system. And support them when they do. Statistics show that when given the choice genetic women (GW) prefer to have GW physicians and psychologists treat them. We can go a long way to empowering ourselves just as GW's have empowered themselves by enlisting Trans-professionals to administer our care. I am not suggesting, however, that we should go to T professionals simply because they are members of our community. That would be foolhardy and potentially hazardous to our health. Select your Trans professional with the same concern and guidelines you would any other healthcare provider. Another way we can help one another is by mentoring one another. Those of us who are physicians and mental healthcare providers can help those who are considering working in the medical field or who wish to enter it by sharing their expertise and life experience. Many of my colleagues as well as myself do this already in an informal manner but a more united effort could prove to be much more helpful and effective. TSMC is committed to going a step further. We are dedicated to improve upon the informal mentoring that surgeons performing GRS surgeries worldwide now provide one another. Many of you may be surprised to learn that GRS surgeons learn from one another through observation and assisting in each other's surgeries, by sharing their techniques with each other and by reporting to the medical literature and at meetings. Currently there is no formal training program in Trans-surgery; informal mentoring and exchange with other surgeons is the method that is used by all who work in this surgical discipline. We, at TSMC, feel that our community would be better served by instituting a formalized program. Therefore, as we grow, we will formally teach the intricate techniques of trans-surgeries, our pioneered techniques and our methods to improve sensation and functionality to talented and dedicated residents wanting to make this important discipline their career choice in the future. We intend to do our part in empowering our community not only by providing the best and most innovative care and surgical technique but also by training Trans (and non-T) individuals interested in making Trans surgery and medicine their professional future. This step is a first step for our community...a small step...when compared to the others steps that should and will follow in this relatively new discipline I like to refer to as Trans Care. So much needs to be done and it will take the commitment and support of all of us. Yet, it is a much-needed step towards our empowerment and one that is far overdue. Where are we to go from here? It's up to us to decide.

Empowerment on the medical and surgical level isn't the only task at hand toward our independence and self-reliance. Take a moment to think about how you might be able to help our community help ourselves. Each of us has a special gift, a unique ability, a much-needed skill that can go a long way in helping us strengthen ourselves and to insure that there truly is a "unity within our community." Yes...the future is ours. And it can be a bright, promising one if we all work together to make it happen.

Sheila Kirk, MD recently made Trans-history by forming the first Transgender Surgical & Medical Center (TSMC Center) developed and directed by a Transsurgeon. In addition, Dr Kirk is the first Trans-surgeon performing MTF GRS

surgeries, breast augmentation and related surgeries. Together with her partners she also performs rib removals, male pattern baldness correction, craino-facial feminization, body and facial contouring and corrective procedures. You can receive more information about the TSMC Center or ask Dr. Kirk questions on your treatment and care, by contacting her at TSMC@aol.com, by phone (412) 781-1092, fax (412) 781-1096 or snail mail: TSMC P.O. Box 38366, Blawnox, PA 15238.


Feminine Boy Shakes Up Small School

By Dan Sewell

CARROLLTON, Ga. (AP) -- Patrick Nelson had heard there was a cross-dressing boy enrolled at his high school. But darned if he could figure out just who it was. "I looked for him the first couple weeks. The honest truth -- I didn't even know," Patrick said. One day, he was talking about the mystery to a friend, who smiled and pointed to the pretty blonde at the desk next to his. I said, 'No way, that's too weird!"' Patrick recalled. "Then I thought about it, and I said, 'So what's so weird about that?"' But while Patrick and his friends were willing to accept Matthew "Alex" McLendon's feminine appearance and mannerisms, others in this rural, conservative western Georgia community of about 20,000 weren't. And so 15-year-old Alex withdrew from school under pressure, leaving supporters of the popular, easygoing student wondering what threat they had supposedly been protected from.

"Alex wasn't causing any problems. She got along well with everybody," said classmate and friend Meayghan Denkers. "She wasn't trying to change anybody to be like her or anything."After a heated meeting of the board of the small, private Georgian Country Day School on Oct. 6, Alex was "invited to withdraw" or face expulsion. Alex, who had enrolled in September after attending public school, was cited for wearing a tongue ring, but had been called before school authorities earlier about his female dress, makeup and hairstyle. Most of Alex's classmates -- including some of the boys -- wore bows in their hair in protest until ordered to remove them by the principal. Some indignantly quoted their school handbook, which urges acceptance of "diversity in opinion, culture, ideas, behavioral characteristics, attributes or challenges."

"Alex represents something that's way beyond the experience and the comfort zone of the very conservative people we live with," said Lori Lipoma, Meayghan's mother and a drama teacher at the school. "I really think we all lost something very precious that night."

School officials would not discuss the case.

"We make no comments on students," said Rex Camp, chairman of the board of the school, where tuition is more than $5,000 a year for the 50 or so high school students. Kindergarten and elementary students are in a separate building, but one parent of a 6-year-old expressed concern at the board meeting about Alex's effect on younger children. "I believe in sexual standards in society, and I want my child in a school that holds the same sexual ethics that I do," said Craig Neal.

Alex, who speaks in a soft, feminine voice, began cross-dressing two years ago and considers himself "95 percent girl." Larry Harmon, a Dade County, Fla., psychologist who counsels patients on sexual identity, said such feelings appear to fit a rare condition called gender-identity disorder. He said it doesn't necessarily imply homosexuality, and it's difficult to know how many youngsters have it and why. "I'm not homosexual," Alex said. "I just look like a girl and I dress like a girl. It wasn't anything flamboyant, not sequins or anything. But because I'm a guy....." He has since enrolled in night school and hopes to pursue a career in fashion merchandising and modeling.

At the Georgian Country Day School -- where Alex said he enrolled to get a better education -- he struck up a friendship with Meayghan and was soon invited to spend nights over at her house. The first couple of times, Meayghan's mother popped in on them unannounced just in case. "They'd be sitting there doing hair, or painting nails, and I said to myself, 'This is a girl," Ms. Lipoma said. A few weeks into the school year, he and his father were summoned to a meeting with school officials. They said that parents had complained, and that he had to dress like a boy, Alex recalled. He refused and was sent home. A special board meeting followed. Under the law, a public school would have had to show that Alex was disrupting education or undermining safety. A private school has more leeway. Alex's mother died when he was young. He said that his cross-dressing initially caused a rift with his father, but that the older man stood with him in the dispute with the board. Mack McLendon declined an interview. "School is supposed to be preparing you for life," Alex said. "Parents are trying to protect their kids by covering their eyes. It's going to be a real shock for some of these parents when their kids get out into the real world."


Tyra Hunter Wrongful Death Trial Opens

[Washington, D.C.: 11 Nov 98] THE WRONGFUL DEATH trial of transwoman Tyra Hunter opened. Hunter's mother, Margie Hunter, brought the $10 million suit against a city Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and a doctor at D.C. General Hospital for contributing to Tyra's death in 1995.Hunter was riding in a car that was involved in an accident on 7 Aug 95. The suit alleges that, as Hunter lay critically injured in the street, EMT Andrian Williams stopped administering first aid when he discovered Hunter's male genitals. "This ain't no bitch... He's got a dick and balls," Williams allegedly said and backed away from Hunter, joking and snickering for 5-7 minutes, while horrified onlookers implored him to treat Tyra. The suit also alleges that the doctor treating Hunter at D.C. General was not properly certified and failed to get Hunter to surgery to stop her internal bleeding. This case is being closely followed by national gay and lesbian groups as well as the transgender community.

(c) 1998 InYourFace


Stonewall II: Police Turn Violent as 5,000 Take to Streets

Sylvia Rivera Arrested Once Again

By Vanessa Edwards-Foster

NEW YORK, NY - "It was Stonewall Two!" said one witness describing police response to the memorial march and vigil held to remember Matthew Shepard. Writer Randolfe Wicker, of New YorkÆs GayToday, reported seeing police brutality up close, beatings, clubbings, arm-twistings as well as numerous arrests. The marchers had gathered to protest recent hate crimes and the violent homophobic moods preached by hate-group-fundamentalist "Christians" such as Rev. Fred Phelps' God Hates Fags. However, the City of New York refused the vigil holders a parade permit. Police initially expected no more than 200 marchers, but were quickly overwhelmed as a giant crowd estimated at between 4,000 and 5,000 surged down Fifth Avenue after gathering in front of the Plaza Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Their original plan had been to march down 5th Avenue from 59th to 25th Street to conduct the candlelight vigil at Madison Square Park, but that plan went awry. The crowd, carrying candles and signs saying "Matthew Shepard: Another Death Caused by Homophobia!" began marching down 5th Avenue. As the crowd grew, the police became alarmed. At one point, they apparently warned the marchers to stay out of the street as they marched. Silvia Rivera, a Stonewall Era veteran, was marching with a crowd that then began chanting "The Streets Belong to the People!" As vast numbers of lesbians and gays overstepped the sidewalks, a phalanx of law officers set upon them. Ms. Rivera, kicked by police, was among the first of those arrested. Anti-Violence Project members handed out silver whistles which were later blown loudly by protestors to thwart police when they tried to communicate alarm on walkie-talkies. The marchers, containing themselves to the sidewalk, continued on.

The police were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, but decided to take control. At one point the crowd was directed west toward 6th Avenue. Police attempted to blockade the crowd from 6th Avenue, but crowds managed to avoid the barricades by detouring through a construction site. Traffic on the Avenue of the Americas (6th) was brought to a complete standstill.

After police began heavy-handedly arresting some of the marchers, march organizers directed the crowd back toward 5th Avenue again. Police had decided to take a stand again and were lined up at 42nd and 5th Avenue, so organizers linked arms again and directed the masses to return west yet again at 43rd Street. "That's when it got ugly," Wicker said. "All exits were closed. Five thousand people were trapped on 43rd near 6th Avenues...[organizers] sat down holding hands. That's when police on horseback marched into the crowd clubbing and trampling and arresting people. We were pinned like cattle for about 45minutes." At this point the marchers were divided, but approximately 80% went back to 5th Avenue and continued downtown stopping all mid-town traffic. At about 8:30 that evening, the crowd arrived at the site of the candlelight vigil in Madison Square Park even without a speaker system, and having most of their scheduled speakers arrested. Some of the notable arrests included Ms. Rivera (one of the instigators at Stonewall); Leslie Feinberg, author of Stone Butch Blues; and lesbian poet and activist Minnie Bruce Pratt. News coverage by the media was mixed, with the CBS affiliate slanting the story towards the police version and the NBC and FOX channels spotlighting the misbehavior of the boys in blue. While this was certainly not a fitting tribute to the memory of Matthew Shepard, it is a sad reminder of how far we all have yet to go.


Jail House Rocks: "MATTHEW SHEPARD LIVES!"

By Leslie Feinberg

One Police Plaza, Central Booking, New York "Matthew Shepard lives! Matthew Shepard lives!" we thundered as cops dragged another activist into our cellblock. Each new prisoner received a hero's welcome from his peers: cheers, applause, hugs, a shower of kisses. We were packed into a makeshift men's "bull" pen: 68 gay and bisexual men, one drag queen who had fought the cops at the 1969 Stonewall rebellion that ignited the gay liberation movement, and--unbeknownst to some of the police--one

transgendered female. In addition, a nearby cellblock held 33 lesbian and bisexual activists. We were held in an old central booking station, long unused. All of us were arrested Oct. 19 for taking our anger about the horrific murder of a young gay Wyoming student onto the streets of New York. That demonstration, built by a grassroots and word-of-mouth mobilization, swelled at times to more than 10,000.

Earlier in the evening, thousands of us gathered in front of the swank Plaza Hotel in midtown at the height of rush

hour to hold a political funeral for Matthew Shepard. The rally bristled with placards linking the anti-gay lynching of Shepard to the racist lynching in June of James Byrd Jr. in Jasper, Texas. Some 80 of us were the first to get busted when we stepped off the curb to take our march onto Fifth Avenue. Cops cinched our hands behind our backs with plastic handcuffs and dragged us into four police vans that blocked the avenue. Police rounded up all the legal observers, march negotiators and marshals they could get their hands on. Three precincts were used to house the volume of prisoners. I was in a group that was brought to the old Central Booking Station. All of us were locked up without water or food. Some had their desperately needed medications confiscated. We were not allowed to make phone calls or see our attorneys, and were not told what we were charged with. Each new wave of arrivals was urged to turn the benches into makeshift stages for an impromptu rally. Activists rose up above our noisy throng to regale us with the details of the battles we'd missed. "After you all got arrested, we started marching on the sidewalk," one young man said. "But the cops pushed and shoved us. They even drove up on the sidewalk on motorbikes headed right for us. "So we took the street." We roared at that news. Others filled in what happened next. At 55th Street, the police barricaded the avenue to divert everyone onto the side street. Then cops targeted the march leadership for a further round of mass arrests. Another activist picked up the narrative. The crowd headed west to Sixth Avenue, only to run into another cop barricade, "Which we overturned," he said. "We made our way through traffic to get back to Fifth Avenue so we could march past St. Patrick's Cathedral--which we did. "Anti-gay bigot Cardinal O'Connor has got to go," he concluded.

An older gay activist told us how marchers had been trapped between lines of riot-equipped police in Times Square. Cops on horseback charged into the crowds. Our anger was tangible as he told us how police wildly flailed at people with night sticks, bloodying those they could reach. Thousands of people--broken up by police into smaller groups -- all converged eventually on Madison Square Park at 23rd Street. Richard told us, "Two police helicopters were hovering over the park. That's how a lot of us knew where to go. There were thousands of us covering every inch of the streets, the park, every bench. All of us were united. This is the best thing I've ever been part of in the gay community!"

`NOW THERE'S ANGER COMING THROUGH'

Behind bars, the deep emotion shared by people all across the United States about the torture-murder of a gentle, young Wyoming student was thick as resin. I saw a man sitting on a bench, staring straight ahead, hands tightly clasped. "Are you OK?" I asked. He looked at me with tears in his eyes and nodded slowly. "I've been quiet," John Boyle said. "Now there's anger coming through." Keith Cylar took in all those packed into the cell with an expansive gesture. "Look: here's a lawyer, a schoolteacher, a clerk. There's young people just getting fired up for the first time, old-time act-uppers--a large cross-section of the population. People are angry." Many told me maddening accounts of police brutality and bigotry. Fred described how cops held him for hours in tight handcuffs that cut off all feeling in his hands. By the time the police found a knife to cut them off, he passed out unconscious. His lover, David--who is HIV-positive--saw it all happen. "I'd rather lose a finger than have my lover be so stressed out from worry," Fred said. After Fred passed out, David asked the cops to see if his lover was still breathing. "Relax!" a cop barked at him. "If that was your wife face-down on the floor unconscious, would you relax?" David retorted. For those who might forget how righteous anger against oppression can nurture tender, compassionate consciousness, I had my own personal reminder tonight.

I was the only female-bodied person in the men's cellblock--that I knew of. As a gender "outlaw," just producing identification papers left me vulnerable to grave legal and physical dangers. I had already endured one brutal "pat-down" by male cops, but we were still awaiting transfer to the custody of Department of "Corrections" officers. I wondered how I would survive the perils of the night. However, from the moment I was arrested, many of the men detained with me recognized me as a trans activist and author. Once inside the cell block, a small group of gay and bisexual men approached me. One brother wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "We know who you are," he said. "We are honored to count you among us tonight. We'll do everything we can to help you." And they did.

`IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING, FOLKS!'

At 1 a.m., the police announced they were going to "chain-gang" us. We were transferred in manacles, chained together, to the lower Manhattan Tombs jail. As I looked around at the prisoners there--predominantly African American and Latino--I was struck with the irony of the situation. This capitalist jail was built on one of the northern end-stations of the great underground railroad that transported African peoples from chattel slavery more than a century ago. I also recalled that in the early 18th century, the Carolinas passed a law that no more than 12 African people could attend the funeral of a slave--because the gatherings became a catalyst for political resistance. And now the administration of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani had tried to bust up a funeral march. It couldn't stand the fact that thousands would be calling for mass solidarity against the racist and anti-gay lynchings that are a hallmark of counter-revolutionary terror under capitalism. One of the people I was chained to in the police van, Jason Chappell, was a former organizer of the Borders Bookstore union drive. He saw a connection between three recent New York events: a demonstration by 40,000 construction workers, the Million Youth March and this Shepard protest. "Each time," Chappell noted, "there has been an overreaction by Giuliani and his police force." I was also handcuffed to Sylvia Rivera, a Puerto Rican drag queen who had fought the cops at the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969. Then, too, the police and courts and jails were used as weapons to repress an already downtrodden community of African American, Latina, and white gay drag queens and butches--many of them young, hungry and homeless. Decades of anger exploded that night in the streets of Greenwich Village. And a new social movement emerged from that blast of rage. It was a contingent of that mass movement that took the streets of Manhattan tonight to organize even wider sectors of the population into the struggle against the rising cesspool of anti-gay and racist violence. Inside a Tombs cell, in the early hours of the morning, Sylvia Rivera concluded, "Tonight is just the beginning, folks. This is the rebirth of Stonewall. Another piece of history in the making." And she ought to know.

Copyright Workers World Service:


Vigil Honors Slain Gay Student

Speakers urge crowd to fight hate crimes

By Rob Moritz

More than 250 people attended a candlelight vigil in Centennial Park to honor Matthew Shepard. "Let's hold his life in tribute and work to make suer no one experiences what he experienced," said James Hawk, VP of The Center For Gay, Lesbian, and Trensgender Life In Nashville. "The death of Matthew Shepard is a call to all of us individually, to justice, a call to action," said Cindy Andres-Looper, pastor at Holy Trinity Church. "We must speak out, we must march, we must pray, we must vote.""We're committed to seeing that lesbian and gay people are treated fairly," said Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee.

The crowd was urged to fight hate violence and to join organizations that support gays and lesbians. After a 90-minute service that included speakers and music, many in the crowd wrote their names and messages on a large board that will be sent to Shepard's family. "We must work diligently to prevent hate crimes of every kind," said Lloyd Lewis, associate dean of students at Vanderbilt University. Bill Turner, chairman of the Lesbian and Gay Coalition for Justice, said the issue is not freedom of speech. "We emphatically reiterate the right of all persons to express their opinion about gay and lesbian rights," he said. "But we emphatically insist on the equal rights of all persons to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Brian Cooksey said he attended the candlelight vigil to "commemorate Matthew and to make a statement. When something like this happens you ought to do whatever you can to let people know this can't happen again."

"We must honor Matthew by fulfilling his dream of being an advocate for the oppressed," said Jennileigh Love, chairperson of the Tennessee Vals, a support group for transgendered people.

Tennessean, 10-19-98


NLGLA Names 1st TG Co-Chair of a National LGBT Organization

by Phyllis Frye

The Eighth Lavender Law Conference, sponsored by the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association, was held in Boston during 17 -17 October. NLGLA is both bisexual and transgender inclusive in its by-laws. NLGLA is the only queer law association affiliated with the American Bar Association. On 17 October, at its Closing Plenary, the NLGLA elected as its Co-Chairs for

the 1998-1999 term, Ms. Melinda Whiteway of Santa Cruz CA and Mr. Jim Swartz of Chicago IL. MELINDA MARIE WHITEWAY IS THE FIRST TRANSGENDER TO BE ELECTED CO-CHAIR OF A NATIONAL LGBT ORGANIZATION.

The Lavender Law Conference was a roaring success with over 300 attorneys, law students and other queer rights activists in attendance. Over 50 workshops were presented, fully incorporating LGBT issues and LGBT concerns and LGBT

panelists. Significant was a by-laws change that now allows affiliated local, or regional, queer law associations to have a full directorship on the Board of NLGLA. This is a significant step in NLGLA's moving towards becoming an organization of queer law organizations, giving a national voice to the local and regional queer law groups, and providing an inroad of queer law concerns to the American Bar Association. Also significant was the placement of transgenders on the new NLGLA Board. They include, in addition to Melinda Whiteway, the following: Kim Coco Iwamoto, Law Student at University of New Mexico; Spencer Bergstedt, Seattle, Washington; Diana Cicotello, Aurora, Colorado; Sharon Stuart, representing the Transgender Law Conference ICTLEP; Phyllis Randolph Frye, Houston, Texas.

The next Board Meeting will be in Los Angeles on Feb 6-7 during the American Bar Association Mid-year Meeting. Following that the Board will meet in Atlanta on Jul 30 - Aug 1 during the American Bar Association Annual Meeting. NLGLA Board meetings are open. The next Lavender Law Convention will be Oct 22-24, 1999 in Seattle, WA. For information about how you may join and become active in the NLGLA, contact either Melinda at melindamw@aol.com or Jim at attyjls@aol.com or the NLGLA web page at www.nlgla.org. For information on the next Lavender Law in Seattle, contact Spencer at mstrspence@aol.com .


"Out" TG Activist Becomes a LICENSED ATTORNEY!

By Phyllis Frye

No longer a law student, No longer a law school graduate, Ms. Katrina Rose, another out-of-the-closet, transgender activist got word that she has passed the State Bar of Texas. Our numbers are still small, but they are increasing. (Depending on IF another TG that I know has passed her Bar today, and on IF that TG also comes out of the closet, the State of Texas could have three of us as "Out" TG attorneys.) l


Person Shot Six Times in Anti-Gay, Anti-Drag Violence in Baltimore

Baltimore, MD - Less than a month after gay college student Matthew Shepard was viciously murdered in Laramie, Wyoming, a gay drag queen living in Baltimore, Md. was shot six times - nearly to death -- by youths saying that they would "not allow drag queen faggots" into their neighborhood.

The Shooting

On Wednesday, October 28 at approximately 9 p.m., 31-year-old Leonard "Lynn" Vines, a lifetime resident of Baltimore, walked onto the 200-block of Maderia Street (in eastern Baltimore). He was going to pick up a key from his cousin's house. A large group of young men and women, perhaps 20 of them, were hanging out on the street. Leonard heard one of them say "Hey y'all, there's a drag queen faggot." One of the youths told Leonard that they "didn't allow no drag queen faggot bitches" to come through the street. Leonard said that he didn't want any trouble. While he was explaining that he was there to pick up from his cousin a key to an apartment he was thinking of renting in the neighborhood, one of the youths struck him in the face. When Leonard repeated that he didn't want any trouble, another of the youths pulled out a gun and shot him six times - twice in the arm, twice in the chest, once in the back, and once in the shoulder. Then all of the youths sauntered off leaving a seriously wounded and bleeding Leonard behind on his cousin's front stoop.

Quick Action by Firefighter Saved Life

Luckily for Leonard, a man working at the fire station around the corner heard the shots and brought the ambulance immediately, meeting Leonard's cousin who frantically flagged him down in the alley. Leonard was taken to Johns Hopkins

University Hospital, where doctor's expressed dismay at the violent attack and surprise that Leonard did not die en route to the hospital.

Leonard Vine is Recovering, Case is Under Investigation

Leonard spent a week in the hospital before being released into his mother's care on the evening of Tuesday, November 3. Given the number of times he was shot and the extent of his injuries, his doctors expect him to have a long, slow recovery. He is currently using a wheelchair, and it will be some time before Leonard can return to his regular job with a housekeeping agency. The case continues to be under investigation by the Baltimore Police Department, Eastern District. The perpetrators are thought by many to be local youths. Leonard believes that the police have caught the man who punched him, but they have not yet caught the shooter. "We are grateful that Leonard Vines lived through this attack on his life. We are outraged at the level of hate and violence targeted at gay people and people who do not conform to our society's rigid gender norms," said Nancy Meyer, Board Co-Chair of the Free State Justice Campaign (a Maryland political organization working for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights). "It is not acceptable for a person to be shot simply because of who they are." Liz Seaton, FSJC Executive Director, "What happened in Wyoming is happening everywhere and it is happening here. It is time for people to wake up, to recognize that bias does lead to violence, and to take action. Fair-minded citizens must take a stand that anti-gay bias is not acceptable under any circumstance. Until attitudes change, individuals in our community need protection. We call on officials at every level of government to pass hate crimes legislation immediately."


McAfee Associates Spreads Hate Virus

By Sarah Fox, Ph.D.

[QUILL, Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 28, 1998] Most computer users are familiar with McAfee Associates' virus protection software. McAfee has established a long history of leadership in data protection; however, Network Associates Inc., formed from the acquisition of Network General by McAfee Associates, has callously spread one of the most destructive viruses in recent history, called the "Hate Virus." The Hate Virus is differs from most viruses. It does not cause data loss, its host is not a computer, and it is not transmitted either via the Internet or any data storage medium. Rather, it causes loss of human life, its host is the human mind, and it is transmitted via printed material. While it poses no risk to data integrity, its effects on societal integrity are potentially catastrophic.

Network Associates released the Hate Virus on October 12 in a two-page ad conceived by the Think Inc. advertising

agency. The ad, cleverly disguised as humor, shows the hand of a man and a woman in wedding attire, with a minister in the background. Another hand is displaying a note to the groom, reading, "She's a man!" Accompanying the photograph are the statements, "It's nice to know about something before it becomes a problem, " "because it's what you don't know that can hurt you," and "It might just save you from an embarrassing situation." Transgendered people have long been the subject of humor,

and there is nothing wrong with that. Along with all the daily torment they must endure, there are indeed priceless moments of humor. However, NAI's advertisement clearly crosses the line from humor to hatred and ignorance by suggesting that transsexuals are out to dupe unsuspecting men, thereby causing them "hurt," "a problem," or "an embarrassing situation." It clearly portrays transsexuals as predators and their partners as victims, and it conveys the message that a marriages between a transsexual woman and a man are somehow improper. Imagine if the message on the note read, "She's a Jew!" The implication, of course, would be that the groom has been tricked by a clever Jewish woman posing as a Gentile and that the he must be warned, so as to save him from making the embarrassing mistake of marrying this terrible person. The only people who would not call for heads to roll would be the "Aryan" supremacists. How is the ad about transsexuals any different? Contrary to the message of NAI's ad campaign, transsexuals are worthwhile and loving human beings, just like everybody else. Normal, everyday people knowingly date them, fall in love with them, and, yes, often marry them. Indeed, they are remarkably intelligent and talented people with unusual strength of character -- probably the most highly educated group of people that one could identify -- a group in which doctoral degrees are almost commonplace. Transsexuals have no more interest in entering into deceptive relationships than anyone else. If anything, they value truth and honesty far more than most people, usually having sacrificed almost everything (e.g. family, friends, money, dignity, social status, career, civil rights, and personal safety) in order to be true to themselves.

Besides being hateful, woefully ignorant, and insulting, NAI's ad campaign hurts real people in real ways. Transsexuals

are without question the most relentlessly persecuted people in society. There is nothing they would like more than to be left alone to lead normal lives, but society will not let them. Anything and everything becomes an issue or an obstacle -- everything from cashing a check to using the toilet to driving one's car to keeping one's job to obtaining medical care to filing charges against one's attackers to having one's burial wishes observed. Not surprisingly, many transsexuals find life too painful to live, so it is no wonder that such a large percentage of the transsexual population is lost to suicide. Every time ignorance is propagated by some company such as NAI, transsexuals have to contend with it. They must wince at it when they see it in PC Week. They must reply to the questions and comments of countless acquaintances -over and over and over. They must deal with the prejudice and paranoia of those they wish to date. They must deal with the legal and political ramifications of thousands of cretins contacting their Congresspersons to demand that these abominations of humanity be herded into the sea. Each of these problems is but a single drop of water on the forehead. None by itself is unbearable. However, when the water drops do not stop or even slow down for days, years, even decades, we call that "Chinese water torture." The water drops may be different, but the effect is the same.

The Hate Virus has recently reached epidemic proportions, especially following the grotesque torture and murder of a gentle young soul from Wyoming, but I have faith that this virus can be conquered. This time the solution will not come

from McAfee or from a medical research lab. The solution lies within all of us. We must all learn to cast off the shackles of bigotry and to respect our fellow human beings, or else we are doomed to lead miserable lives of hatred and bitterness, those same dark human qualities that lie behind the computer virus that keeps McAfee in business.

Dr. Fox is a transsexual woman, neurobiologist, and Communications Director for the transgender/bisexual/lesbian/gay education and advocacy organization, It's Time, Ohio!. Send your comments about the Hate Virus to: Jennifer Keaveney, Senior Public Relations Manager (jkeavney@nai.com) or Srivats Sampath, Vice President of Worldwide Marketing (srivats_sampath@nai.com), Network Associates, Inc., 3965 Freedom Circle, Santa Clara, CA 95054, 408-988-3832 (voice), 408-

970-9727 (FAX); Paul Simko (paul_simko@zd.com), Mgr. of Marketing, or Eric Lundquist (Eric_Lundquist@zd.com), Editor-in-chief, PC Week, 617-393-3802; Glenn Goldberg (glenn.goldberg@thinkinc.com), Think Inc. Ad Agency.


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