BGB December Monthly Meeting & Holiday Party 12-19-98

BGB=s Holiday Party will take the place of our usual monthly meeting on December 19. We will be meeting in the social hall of First Unitarian Church. We will serve a potluck buffet starting at 7PM, so bring a covered dish, dessert, bread, or beverage, and we will be carving Steamship Round of Beef. Following dinner, we will welcome Mandy Carter of Southerners On New Ground to speak. It should be fun, festive, and thought-provoking.

Alison Laing To Visit Louisville December 16-17

Alison Laing of IFGE will be passing through Louisville December 16-17 to conduct business relating to AStanding United.@ Those in the group who have an interest in the planning of IFGE >99 will want to make plans to meet Alison and join us for a planning session. She will be joining a number of us in going to Cincinnati for the Crossport Holiday Party.

Planning Meeting for AStanding United@ January 10

Those interested in the planning and execution of IFGE >99 should plan to attend the planning meeting on Sunday, January 10, in Lexington. We will be discussing the programming for the conference and reviewing speakers and presenters in preparation for publishing the booklet. Anyone wishing to present a seminar should have their outline in to Marjorie at efduhr1@pop.uky.edu by late December.

Community Strategy Session For Fairness Amendment Reintroduction Thursday, January 12

Those who wish to work with BGB, It=s Time, Kentucky!, and the Fairness Campaign for passage of a gender-inclusive Fairness Amendment in Louisville in 1999 should plan to attend this meeting. It will take place at the Metro United Way Community Room, 334 E. Broadway, 2nd Floor. Let=s come to this meeting with a large number of TG people and supporters, so the community can see that the TG community is ready, willing, and able to do what it takes to help Fairness happen here in >99!

 

With No Apologies, By Dawn Wilson

The Golden Rule

It is not enough to commit the golden rule to memory; you must commit it to life. - Wallace W. Wilson

Success, like life, is fleeting, and one must make the best of it. I was honored in November to speak in two key places that are close to the heart: Transylvania University and the Lexington Theological Seminary. Also, I would like to give a special thanks to RuthAnn and her parents for coming to LTS - thank you!

Transylvania University is my alma mater, where the intellectual side of me was called forth and took shape. Transy is where I earned my Bachelors Degree. I returned there to lecture in the class of a old colleague, Dean Thompson. Dr. Thompson was Dean of Students at the time I attend T.U. He is a kind, fair person. You see, I was a belligerent, obnoxious, obstreperous little twit. To say I had a chip on my shoulders would be the understatement of the year. Dr. Thompson was a friend when I needed one most.

At Transy, I spoke to a group of students and faculty (about 25) on a range of TS/TG/CD issues. I started with my own personal story, then talked about definitions, differences in the GLBT Community, Hate Crimes/Political Action, and ended with the IFGE Convention. I was asked questions ranging from relationships (both family and romantic) to surgery, then talked for a long time with the faculty and staff after the lecture. Everyone told me I was a much better person now than back in the day! Dr Thompson wants a copy of our newsletter, and we have a standing invitation to return. Here is an piece of trivia, the following GLBT ACTIVISTS, SUPPORTERS AND FRIENDS all graduated from Transy: myself, Mika Milano (Empress 17 RSICK), Dr. Jeff Jones, Sue Breeze (my high school advisor and mother of Natalie Stone), and Becky Baynham. I have been told of 2 students at Transy who are struggling with gender issues, and I will meet with them.

The week concluded with a Bang! I spoke to 24 ministerial students in Dr. Sharrard's Class at Lexington Theological Seminary. Joining me was RuthAnn Asmus and her parents, Rev. Asmus and his wife. Starting on time, I described where I came from, and that my family home had been next door in Pralltown. We talked about how I was raised in the Pentecostal faith, then was indoctrinated in the Missionary Baptists, and how I found the faith in which I will be buried - Disciples of Christ. I pointed out that I had been a church officer in each denomination. Currently I am a deaconess at Woodland Christian Church in Lexington. I spoke about how, while attending services with my parents in Early 1997, the Rev. Dr. T. H. Peoples, Jr a family friend, condemned me in the family church by saying " there is no place in heaven for he/shes." I told them I have made him regret that phrase ever since. I spoke of being outed by my parents at the nursing home to a TS Nurse, and of the dignity of their passing. I passed out literature, then turned it over to RuthAnn, whose emotional witness brought the house to tears. Did you know that RuthAnn almost became a minster, and that she has 3 brothers? RuthAnn is a very spiritual person. RuthAnn took the students on spiritual journey that no one could deny was enlightening. Then Rev. Asmus spoke in his calm voice about his own relationship with RuthAnn, and the journey of education he took. He was a great asset. Q&A started with a breakdown of the differences between the GLB and the TG communities, and we answered all questions truthfully and to the point. I used the ENDA/HRC debacle to point out the differences, while Rev. Asmus used common sense and Christian doctrine. As a result a lot of people stayed behind and talked to us. I have been asked to speak at the seminary's convocation in 1999, and they want copies of the convention flyer and our newsletter.

TG People In Adult Entertainment

At the last meeting, I spoke to some of you about a Women's Studies Professor at UK who wants to speak to TS/TG people who have worked as showgirls. The one I know doesn't wish to talk about it. If you know of any one, please have them contact Bernadette Barton at bcbart00@pop.uky.edu. She will be discreet and will honor your privacy.

Trollop On TV

Say what you will about Angela AThe Trollop@ Bridgman, but she does good work!

At the protest of the firing of Alicia Pedreira, Angela=s homemade signs caught the attention of many people, including the news media and GLB leaders. These signs quoted everything from John 1:13 to commentary on the Baptists. This protest, and our current participation in many political circles will force many in the state to reconsider their negative opinions on transgender inclusion. United we stand, Divided we fall.

The Officer and the Ronin

He was the last of the line. One of a terminated breed. A soldier and a gentleman.

The Other Guy was a streetwise thug. Gifted in the ways of the world. A rulebreaker. A silent warrior. A Ronin.

But both men showed the scars of battles fought long ago. Both distant, yet close. Who were these men, you may ask? They were my father and uncle. Every year since I was a little tyke, I was plopped down in front of a glowing tube and shown the wonders of sport. Even after the Death of my FATHER my uncle continued the same. This year, things are going to be different. Yes even difficult for me, more so the just the holiday season a tradition has been tested. In my house, the Army /Navy game was shown every year. It is true sport. It is about honor, duty, and friendship. Not a bowl game. Just a Game.

My father, Wallace William Wilson, Esq. was only 15 when he went to my Grandfather Edward, and asked to be allowed to enlist in the Army. At first Edward balked, but later agreed to lie to the recruiting officer. Edward, too, was a soldier, a veteran of the Spanish-American Conflict. Young Wallace became a Corporal in Troop K, 10TH Calvary, the last of the fabled Buffalo Soldiers. Later, he became a Sergeant. Following two world conflicts and a police action, he retired as a Colonel.

His partner in crime was a good hearted thug. His sister's husband. Given a choice between prison and World War II after being caught with contraband cigarettes, he chose the latter. He was sent to Mississippi for training in the Marine Corps. Soon John showed promise as a leader and made Corporal. His brother Carl would fight in North Africa, and later, Europe, as an Army Sergeant. But John Wesley Brown was driven, he was a hothead with something to prove. One night, while he and a white drinking buddy were on a binge, they had a scuffle with some good old boys. The result was that John was sent to the brig then to the Pacific Theatre, as a private. He would return a full Sergeant, decorated for valor. He left home a boy, and had returned a Marine.

Over the years, we heard the war stories, saw the scars, learned the lessons. The Army/Navy Game drove home the points. Like Sun-Tzu=s AThe Art of War,@ the game became our training ground, a way to prepare us for life after they had passed on. My uncle became the patriarch of the family. He ran it like a business, but with compassion and fairness. He had firm control. Cool Crisp Precision. The "Game" had taught him much.

It is now 1998, and my brother and I rooted for Navy, while my cousins Tommy and George pulled for Army. We will remember those who took the time to teach us the lessons of the game. It was those lessons that help us all win the biggest game of all - LIFE.

A Holiday Wish

I wish all of you a blessed holiday this season!

Please be safe in your travels. This time last year, I was grieving the lost of my uncle, then I had to turn around and deal with more unpleasantness. 1997 was a very bad year for me. Things have changed for the positive, thanks to all of you!!!!!

However, we have a 3 members of this family who are where I was last year. RuthAnn and Terri are both having problems that are taxing to the soul. RuthAnn's is career - related, but we all expect that, with her skills, her problems will be short-lived. Terri's dad had a serious fall, and is now in a nursing home as a result, while her fiancee Evelyn has a ruptured disk and can hardly move. I know where they are, I have been down that road, in some cases more than once. Know that we care and love you all, and are praying for you this season!

A final note

Many groups larger than us have greater opportunities to do great things. Instead, many waste their time in petty politics and personal attacks. I find this disturbing and sad. As I said in Atlanta "Grow up." We are wasting too many golden opportunities. Great groups discuss ideas and carry them out, average groups discuss events and do nothing, small minded groups discuss people and contribute even less. The choice, like the future of the GLBT community is ours to make!

Ou r Time In Eden, By Anne Casebeer

Thanks In Order!

I=d like to start by thanking Jan and Paula Ison for making the trip from Cincinnati to discuss relationship issues at the November BGB meeting. They are living proof that it is possible to be happily committed to another person AND be transgendered. Many TG people overlook the needs of their S/O. Even if you aren=t fortunate enough to have an S/O, the same negotiation processes and art of compromise that one must use to integrate transgenderism with a relationship will prove useful in the workplace and other facets of life. Life is, after all, a series of compromises, and all of us must make compromises and conduct negotiations from time to time.

While I=m at it, I want to wish Evelyn , Terri=s fiancee, a speedy recovery. Evelyn has had serious back problems of late that have kept her in constant pain. In addition, Terri=s father took a fall, resulting in brain injuries, and has required constant care as a result. Also, RuthAnn was recently relieved of her job through no fault of hers, and we=re all keeping an eye out for possible leads for her. I just know that RuthAnn will be employed again very shortly. So, girls, hang in there - we=re right behind you!

Turning Swords Into Ploughshares

Stories of discrimination have dominated the news media lately. The Matthew Shepard torture/murder in Wyoming in October, which was sorting itself out at presstime for November. Most of you have heard the story in the mainstream media, so I won=t waste space on a description now. The important parts to this story have been what has come afterwards. 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 just had to click onto it and see what kind of obscene trash was being dispensed here. Frankly, it=s as bad as it sounds. Westboro Baptist is led by a charlatan named Fred Phelps, who attaches AReverend@ to his name, despite the fact that nobody I=ve heard of can quantify that Mr. Phelps has ever had any 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 his teachers wore white sheets and hoods to class.. Certainly, he has none.

The Louisville Eccentric Observer published an article on November 18, in which they described in detail how Alicia Pedreira was fired from her job at the Kentucky Baptist Home for Children, for the terrible sin of wearing a T-shirt with a map of the Isle of Lesbos on it. This, despite the facts that Alicia, an art therapist, had been universally praised for her work with the children in the home, and that her immediate supervisor was aware at the time she was RECRUITED for the job that she was a lesbian. The KBHC is the largest private provider of child care in Kentucky, and the lion=s share of its funding is from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This raw deal for Alicia and the children that she so ably worked with has stirred up a storm of protests against the KBHC, and has rekindled interest in the Fairness Amendment in Louisville.

The Matthew Shepard and Alicia Pedreira stories may somehow have a silver lining. I feel very strongly that it could turn out to be the galvanizing event that the local 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 Congressman Anne Northup (R-3rd Dst, Ky) use states= rights as a reason to oppose the Hate Crimes Protection Act, 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 at University of Louisville while studying political science, and I have enough faith in the American public to think that they will eventually spot the inconsistancy 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.

. Matthew Shepard has been clearly described as a young gay man, but he was picked somehow for murder. Probably he fit a certain profile that his assailants associated with femininity. In my opinion, this murder was gender-related as much as it was related to sexual orientation. 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 help transpeople, and they have a history of working against transpeople. Indeed, they attempted to sabotage a lobbying trip that I was on in 1997, and I don=t care what Nancy Buermeyer of HRC might want to say now, I know what Kimberly Zimmerman told us in Senator Harkin=s office, and 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 total 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 appearance? As long as sexual orientation is assumed by people based on appearance, then we must be united in our political efforts. 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 about HRC=s sabotage of the >97 Lobby Days on GenderTalk recently, HRC is 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. I=m not certain how the ridiculous efforts to remove President Clinton from office will affect that, but I would expect debate on hate crimes early in the next Congressional session. Locally, we recently turned over about half of the Louisville Board of Aldermen, and our chances of passing a trans-inclusive Fairness Amendment has certainly been helped. Consciousness has been raised considerably by these crimes, along with the favorable publicity transpeople have received in the mass media of late. Dawn, Patti Hall, Adam Schneider, and myself met recently with Aldermen George Unseld, Tina Ward-Pugh, Reginald Meeks, and Bill Allison to discuss transgenderism and the need to include us in any Fairness legislation, and we received an emphatic affirmation of our inclusion from Alderman Unseld, who is spearheading the >99 Fairness effort. 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.

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. 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 BGB 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 Aeverything=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 Athese 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 throw in the new Rush and Bruce Springsteen box sets, , I=d like that very much, too........

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."

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:

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

by Phyllis Randolph 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.

Another "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.)

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.

Totally....By Angela Bridgman

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 Klien 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. Klien 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 aking 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 inttelligence, and simultaneously remain such a blithering idiot! Will 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 wirth 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 fromt, 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.