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New This Month

A Midwinter's Night 2

Life, Liberty and Pursuing Happiness!

Resolutions

Passing and Other Priveleges

Tyra Hunter's Family WIns Suitl

Toledo, Ohio passes GLBT Civil Rights Ordinance

In Memoriam: Flip Wilson


 



 
 
 

January 1999 - Online Edition
Happy New Year to all our online readers!

Upcoming Meetings and Events

February 13: TVs on Television  - Bonnie Brown

March 13: Crisis Intervention Counseling - By Joyce Arnold (tentative)

April 10: Board Elections

May 10: Talent Coffeehouse

Future Board Meetings: January 28, February 25, March 25
 

Tennessee Vals Special Events:

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 (tentative)

Sunday, March 21: Equality Begins at Home, Tennessee State Capitol



 

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

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk I'm a Woman-Man, Got no time to talk. Of course, I do try to find time to chat with anyone who wants to talk about whatever issue concerns them. While each of us is different in myriad ways, each and every person has concerns that attracts them to support groups that are legitimate. I am not a perfect human being, but I do my best to help each and every person achieve whatever goal they have set for themselves.

One thing I have not been in the habit of talking about is my own life. Well, this particular month marks two rather significant anniversaries in my life. First, it was five years ago that I began writing this column. It began under the title The Queen's Corner before I changed it two months later to the more appropriate title I now use. As look back over those original musings, I am often struck at how naive I sometimes sounded. It is much like the difference between modern video games and Space Invaders®. I am pleased with my own maturation over these past five years, and I hope five years from now, that I have grown even more. We can all learn and grow both intellectually and emotionally if we make that commitment.

The other anniversary is, in my eyes, even more significant. Twenty years ago, in January 1979, I did something which I still immensely regret: I purged. That's right, I attempted the ultimate act of ignorance, denial and self-rejection. I was in a troubled relationship at the time, so in order to save that relationship, I dumped an entire box of personal items down a trash bin. As I did so, I felt dirtier that I have ever felt, before or since. I realized as I watched the contents of that box slide down the chute that being different was not bad, but assuming that I could change for another was the real sin. Yet, I did it because I believed I had to, not because I believed inside it would change me in some way. I absolutely hated myself for not standing up for who I was. It was obviously a very painful process. It is not one I would wish upon another. And yet, such experiences can be useful (although I do not recommend them) because I learned from it. I am a much stronger person now than I was in '79. I can now stand up and say that there is nothing wrong with being born transgendered, a feeling I had then but could not yet articulate. Everyone makes mistakes, but the key is whether or not we learn from them. I have learned from mine and now understand that you cannot change one's nature. Nor should you assume that one's nature is inherently bad, especially if it does not cause physical harm to others. Be strong. Be yourself, regardless of category.

Last month, Anne discussed the fact that many people are lonely around the holidays. I think it is worth remembering that many are lonely year round, even if they are around family members. I sometimes think of Julie Smith who committed suicide in her parents' house in Kentucky on Christmas Day 1996. I suspect that she felt alone even though she was with her parents on a traditional family holiday. In addition, I was recently talking and corresponding with two others, one in Kansas and the other in Colorado, both of whom have supportive families, and yet, they both mentioned feelings of loneliness. Both of them happen to be engineers and are contributing, responsible members of society, but the very fact that they are transgendered makes it hard to develop a long-term, stable relationship. I do not have any immediate suggestions for resolving this problem, but each of us must, first, find strength within ourselves, and then, second, remember that others are in need of emotional support at some time or another.

I was saddened to hear about the death of comedian Flip Wilson. He died of liver cancer on Thanksgiving Eve. For years, his character, Geraldine Jones, was an inspiration to me. I loved the fact that she was sexy, articulate, strong and funny. Geraldine was accepted by many in society and showed me that African-American transgendered people did not have to be ashamed of themselves and remain invisible, which is undoubtedly what the Religious Reich wanted. The show lives on in reruns on cable, but Geraldine was a real revelation for me when she hit the airwaves many years ago. I guess I should offer my condolences to Killer. I'll go check in the booth, in the back, in the corner, in the dark.

As long as I am talking about crossdressing celebrities, I am sure many of you heard about the November nuptials, and immediately subsequent annulment, between Dennis Rodman, the country's most famous cross-dresser, and actress Carmen Electra. I have just two questions: First, how is it when I get drunk, I don't wake up married to a former Baywatch star? Second, why would he want to annul the marriage? Rodman really must be of 'unsound mind.' But who would have guessed that Electra was attracted to African-American transies? Hmmmm.

And did you hear the latest about everyone's favorite "good Christian," Jerry Falwell? As with many, it seems he is getting increasingly concerned about the Y2K bug. He is stocking up on food, sugar, gasoline....and ammunition. I suppose we now have an 11th Commandment: Shoot Thy Neighbor.

As those who have been attending meetings know, the board has finished writing By-Laws. They must now be voted on by the members. We would especially like to thank those groups around the country who sent us their By-Laws which we used as models for our own: Crossroads (Detroit), TGEA (Washington), and TGSF (San Francisco). We will be casting ballots up through the February 13 meeting. This document is important in that it gives us a formal outline for running the group's business. Until now, we have been operating like Britain's Parliament: by tradition. In addition, it is required by the IRS so that we can obtain tax exempt status. Once we get that, your generous donations--which we expect to see flow in regularly!--can then be written off on your income taxes. This will then give you the opportunity to direct more of your money as well as out yourself to both your accountant and the federal government....

As we all look to 1999, I expect to see the gender community continue its growth and political progress. The Vals will, undoubtedly, play a role in that process. Nationally, the Human Rights Campaign (which endorsed the extremely bigoted Alphonse D'Amato in the recent elections) will discuss a resolution endorsing trans-inclusion. If it passes, I hope it signals a real commitment on their part to work with the transgender community to fight discrimination against all. I am just going to wait and see. On a personal level, I expect to travel more this year than I did last year, although personal commitments could always force a change in plans. Furthermore, Nashville will be electing a brand new Mayor and Vice Mayor this August and will see quite a bit of turnover on the Council due to the new term limits, provided a new legal challenge is not successful. Local governments can do a lot in either protecting rights, or denying them. I hope all who are residents of Davidson County will be sure to register to vote before then, and educate yourself about each of the candidates to make sure we support those who endorse equality and oppose those who support discrimination.

Of course, the referendums in Hawaii and Alaska which passed endorsing discrimination show that we probably should not have much faith in securing equality through legislation or plebiscite. The courts have been much better friends although they certainly are not perfect. It is worth noting that a Washington, D.C. jury awarded the mother of Tyra Hunter $3 million in the wrongful death suit of Tyra whose injuries sustained in an automobile wreck went untreated by paramedics for several minutes when they discovered that Tyra, a pre-operative transsexual, was anatomically male. While the verdict is a clear statement that nobody, regardless of dress or gender identity, should be denied equal treatment, I was infuriated by the report of the decision on National Public Radio. The announcer described Tyra as a "transvestite son" and said that "he" had been "dressed in drag." While I applaud the jury for recognizing discrimination, NPR deserves to be castigated for its poor use of terminology.

Have a Happy New Year. And maybe this year, I'll finally get my wristradio and magic decoder ring, although items on "back order" can be notoriously slow...


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

Holiday Banquet Recap
I want to thank everyone for coming to our 6th Anniversary/Holiday Banquet back in December. I would like to especially thank Dallas Denny for being our keynote speaker. We filled the Iroquois Room of the Brentwood Hilton with 39 people this year. We welcomed Shiny Happy People from the Swans transgender support group in Knoxville and of course our usual Kentucky and Georgia friends. I would like to recognize the winners of our yearly awards. The Transie Award is given to people outside the gender community who contribute to it in some outstanding or remarkable way. The 1998 Transie Award went to Dr. Terry Edwards for her dedicated work with the monthly discussion groups she conducts with the Vals. We also have an award that recognizes transgendered people who come out of their closets and are the most active and "out" in the community. So, the 1998 "I've Busted Down the Door off the Closet and I'm Not Going Back In" Award (AKA the Golden Doorknob) went to Julie Phillips. The mood seemed very mellow and relaxed this year. This was the third year we've held the banquet at the Hilton and the planning process has gone smoother every year.

Those Good Ole Days

A while back, a bunch of friends of mine from Stonewall Mission Church went out to eat at the Noshville Delicatessen (yes that's spelled right). Noshville is a retro-style diner over on Broadway in the Vanderbilt area of Nashville. The diner is a New York style deli, and serves traditional Jewish food. It was my first time there, and I had read many good things about it. The food was excellent and the atmosphere unique. The chrome stools and booth tables coupled with the piped in musak from Frank Sinatra really gave us diners a time trip back to the late 1940s and 1950s. You could almost picture the people inside in old styles of clothing and those classic cars with the huge fenders and whitewalls in the parking lot.

There has always been a tendency for people to romanticize the past. Recently, the Tennessean did an article on why society is better today than in the 1950s, creating a bit of a debate in the Letters to the Editor column. For example, the '50s may have had the drive-ins, but didn't have VCRs. The 90s has seen the resurgence of nostalgia for the '70s. Disco is still played in the nightclub circuit these days, but it's played sort of as retro, tongue-in-cheek, fun stuff from the music vault. My father seems to think fondly of the 1940s or "The War Years" when he was a child. I understand there was a spirit of patriotism and accomplishment in the United States in those years, but I think living in the shadow of international war is difficult to be nostalgic over. I think a lot of this attachment to the things of the past is not so much an admiration for a particular era of time, but a yearning for the innocence of childhood.

As I sat in the diner, I pretended that it was the 1950s and realized that any nostalgia I felt would probably be misplaced. For one, our black friend who was eating with us would have probably not been allowed to sit with us. Myself and the other transpeople at our church could have been arrested for entering a public place while crossdressed. My gay friends could not have sat together and held hands publicly, or may not have even been able to be "out" as being gay. We had also just came from a religious service that was open for GLBT people, which was unheard of in most places, let alone Nashville, Tennessee. Even the deli's existence is questionable. Nashville has always had a good-sized Jewish community, but a restaurant serving primarily Jewish food in the heart of the Bible Belt doesn't seem like a common thing for the 1950s. And if you wanted to order liquor by the drink in Nashville in the 1950s, that sort of thing was still frowned upon.

So as the Frankie belted out another chorus of "New York, New York" through the musak speaker system, I began to realize how much all of his songs sounded exactly alike. I wonder if everyone "loved Lucy" simply because the alternative was to watch the test pattern on another television channel. How much of the 1950s was all purity and goodness, and how much was a result of the pressure to conform? As the saying goes, nostalgia isn't what it used to be. I think I'll remember the past, but live in the present.

A Midwinter's Night II

On January 30, A MidWinter's Night II will be held at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. The event is a fundraiser for The Center for Lesbian, Gay Bi and Transgendered Life in Nashville. Basically, the event happens in two steps. First, volunteers around the city serve dinner in their own personal residences. Later in the evening all participants go out to Cheekwood and gather for a large dessert and coffee party complete with music, dancing and entertainment. I've heard a rumor that the party will have swing music and dancing, which seems to be the latest craze, and some dance lessons will be available. The admission to A Midwinter's Night this year is $30. All monies are tax-deductible and go to support the Center. I hope to see a good turnout from the Vals. Our own Marisa Richmond will be a dinner host this year, so if you're interested in coming, email her at marisaval@aol.com.

Until next month, folks, may your new year be full of joy and wonderful surprises.
 

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Left Arrow Left of Center 
By Pamela DeGroff

I have always been intrigued by the phrase "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". That last part, "...pursuit of happiness", is something that I've always regarded as one of the most

profound things ever written by a human being. It's attributed to Thomas Jefferson, but the inspiration that he had for it is said to have come from the writings of Jean Jacques Rousseau, who lived from 1712 until 1778. Rousseau was born in Geneva, but later renounced his citizenship and settled near Paris, France, until his death.

I have always found this interesting because of what it doesn't say. We are not guaranteed happiness, but rather the right to pursue that which will bring us happiness. Of course we could go into a rather detailed discussion of what "rights" we're actually considering here. It does go almost with saying, though, that these "rights" have to be within the parameters of the laws of the land. It's against the law to murder, even if you are the kind of individual who derives happiness from such a thing. But within the framework of things legal, we are given the freedom and the ability to pursue that which will give meaning to our lives. We're not told we're going to obtain happiness, but rather that it's ours to go after.

With all this in mind, I'd like to call attention to the fact that since this is the beginning of a new year, we are being given the opportunity to review the past 12 months, and the opportunity to lay

plans for the next 12. We are free to pursue this.1998 closed on a somber note with the death of Matthew Sheppard. His pursuit of happiness was cut short by those who thought their personal pursuit of hate was more important than Matthew's life. I really, truthfully feel that we are going to see more of this. I hope to God I'm wrong, but until legislation against hate crimes becomes the law of every state, I think I'll sadly be proven right.

As transgendered people, we are starting to make progress, even though it's one step at a time in most cases. We need to continue to pursue HRC for Transgendered inclusion. We need to continue to present ourselves on the local level to our elected officials when an issue comes up that effects us. We need to be mindful that we are only ones capable of changing the publics perception of people of gender. The media is certainly not going to help us with this.

So where does our responsibility lie? Let me lay the ground work for my answer by telling a short story. I recently heard a young woman who is openly gay ask a group of people if they would

like to accompany her to a protest meeting against the 500th execution in this country. I have heard this same young woman denounce the brutality of Mathew Sheppard's death. It's almost as if she doesn't understand that by being openly gay, she herself is a target for the type of hatred exhibited in Wyoming.

This is what is perplexing to me. I have a hard time understanding why someone would not want to see murderers punished to the fullest extent of the law. It's almost as if the rights of the victims of crime have been totally forgotten in this country.

I'm fully aware of the fact that most GLBT people are liberal in their politics. That is their right.

I, however, have always made it known that I am a conservative. Take note, though, that I did not say Republican. I have to admit that I've come close to joining the Republican party a few times, but I've always been disgusted by what they have allowed the religious right to do with party politics. Those people do not represent me and my concerns, but I am still a conservative. I will remain a conservative because what I really want is the least amount of government intrusion in my life as possible.

I am equally perplexed as to why more GLBT people aren't conservatives, too. If we want the freedom to marry whom we want to, the freedom of not being penalized because of our sexual orientation, and the freedom to dress and appear in public as we wish, we will only obtain these things when government backs off and treats us as equals.. That should be central to our "pursuit of happiness."

When it comes to hate crimes, we need to be of one voice in our opposition to these atrocities. It's illogical to condemn a hate crime, but at the same time, condemn the very laws and corresponding punishments that should make anyone think twice about committing such a crime. I have said it before, but I've always felt that those who do not share these views with me are part of the crime problem. Until you're willing to stand and say, "I've had it. Enough is enough", you deserve what you get.

We have an entire new year laid out before us. What will your pursuit of happiness be?
 

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

Wasn't that a nice Holiday Banquet this year? I'd like to publicly commend Danielle on a good job of organizing this event, Dallas Denny for delivering a thought-provoking talk, and the Hilton Suites for always providing good service and hospitality. Congratulations are in order for Julie and Terry as this year's "golden doorknob" and Transie Award recipients. Also, Amy really enjoyed meeting all of you, and hopes to see you again sometime soon - may be at the IFGE convention. She ran a 13-mile mini-marathon that morning, while I spearheaded a movie sale, and this was just what we both needed to recover from our busy lives. I don't think Amy needed me to wake her up near the infamous Nathan Bedford Forrest statue on I-65 with my distorted rendition of AC/DC's "Moneytalks," however. And, yes, Ms. Jamie, this newsletter WILL have the correct address for the Swans. (I did get it right?) Sorry 'bout that!

I'd also like to mention the upcoming performance of Rent at TPAC. If you haven't seen Rent, you most certainly should purchase your ticket today. I attended a performance of Rent in Toronto at the '98 IFGE convention, and loved it from beginning to end. Since that time, the production has played in Louisville, where I caught it again, and loved it just as much. Until my CD player and CDs were ripped off recently, the Rent soundtrack was probably my most played disk for driving. It is true that a major character of the play is TG, but there are many more reasons than that to watch this play - it covers every emotion - love, laughter, contemplation, romance, passion, loss, death, tragedy, and redemption. It's thought-provoking and triumphant. Most of all, it's real people you can identify with. Don't wait for the movie - this is made to be seen on stage, not in a sterile multiplex.

Attempting Resolution

It's natural for most people to set goals for an upcoming year, in the form of New Year's resolutions. Since New Year's is not a holiday for me, I usually set January 3rd resolutions instead. So, for your dining and dancing pleasure, I will present mine. I reserve the right to break and/or bend any or all of these resolutions.

One, I've resolved that, for better or for worse, I'm going to locate the magic decoder ring that Dina Amberle of Renaissance can't seem to find for Marisa. Anonymous sources tell me that there has been a long-time shortage of decoder rings in the Northeastern US. I do not know if that is true in the Mid-South or Ohio Valley, but I've already dug through the piles of free swag that has accumulated in my office, and the best I've been able to find is one that interprets all code entered into it to read "Drink More Ovaltine." Marisa does not resemble Little Orphan Annie, nor I am capable of picturing her drinking Ovaltine unless it has been mixed with ol' # 9, and I don't want to ever hear of her shooting her eye out. I've put one of my intrepid employees on the case (well, she actually drives an Impala, but no matter), and she is going to seek and destroy all local flea markets, dollar stores, and yard sales until the ring is found. One way or another, it's going to turn up. Worst case scenario is that we'll just have to go to the KGB's going-out-of-business sale. My main directive was that it had to be in gold, had to have her birthstone embedded within it,, had to have at least 16 meg of RAM, and had to be able to decode STRIPE or MERCURY. Or, possibly Japanese. I'd even settle for Java, but that's likely to lock up the system.....

Obviously, the IFGE convention is the subject of a resolution. I've resolved that I'm going to do my best to give everyone a good time in my city, to work myself to a state of exhaustion doing so if necessary, and to give myself a vacation when it's over....I also intend to involve myself in the '99 Southern Comfort. I like conventions, have management and customer service skills, and think that I might be able to give back effectively to the community this way. Any way I can be of use, that's fine.

I've resolved to lose weight (big surprise...). There is more of me than there should be. A lot more. I'm going to have to do it the hard way by giving up everything in life that tastes good and causes a buzz, because I can't run right now. I managed to wreck my right knee again by slipping on oil in the parking lot outside my Indiana store. Those damned drippy Hoosier pickemup trucks got me again. It's now tied with the left knee 3 surgeries to 3 surgeries, which also ties it with the number of heart attacks suffered by George Carlin, and is one ahead of the number of times Richard Pryor has set himself aflame. If I have any more knee surgeries, I'll have to work for Hanes as a pantyhose model, like Joe Namath did. So, salad bar, here I come, complete with lo cal/low fat/low taste dressing, and diet Coke and Maxwell House instead of Guinness. Boo-hiss.

Another major change in the offing is that of career. 2 ex-employees have made personal attacks on me as a result of being fired for stealing. One broke into my van, pawned property, and kited personal checks. The other assaulted me in an alcoholic rage. I suppose these are hate crimes of a sort, but neither had anything to do with being TG; they had everything to do with the fact that I'd caught them stealing and was prosecuting them for it. I'm sick and tired of watching people steal and get away with it, and some time ago began holding those who did legally responsible in court. In the past, people caught stealing would be contrite and 'fess to their crime, then slink away in the night. Today, many people have the "in your face" attitude that causes them to retaliate when retaliation isn't warranted. I should probably thank these 2 subcretins for waking me up. When ex-employees can develop enough hatred to drive 16 miles to rip you off, or are willing to attempt a physical assault, it's probably time to get out of the line of fire. So, those resumes are going out, and I'm looking forward to a total change of career.

One change I'm going to have to make isn't going to be popular, but it's necessary for me and this group. I've decided that it isn't wise for me to run for Publications Editor again in April. I've enjoyed editing this newsletter, and would love to continue doing it. However, I can't escape the fact that I live 180 miles north of Nashville, and I feel strongly that anyone on the board of the Vals should live closer than I do. I just can't make the board meetings as regularly as I should, nor do I have the knowledge of local events or the ability to participate in short-notice events that a board member should automatically attend (the Matthew Shepard vigil comes to mind). So, someone else is going to have to step forward. You need a decent computer with a good desktop publishing or word processing program, an inkjet or laser printer, and the fortitude to walk into a print shop and ask a clerk to print 120 copies of a TG support group newsletter (not much needed, really). Those of you who are interested in running for this position are welcome to contact me directly, and I'll give you a template to play with, so you can learn prior to doing it for real. I'll also help you with news sources and tricks of the trade. When you have the kind of writers we have in this group each month, it isn't that hard to turn out a good newsletter. I do not plan to quit the Vals, plan to attend meetings as often as I can do so, and would like to invite anyone who wants to come and visit us in Louisville.

Political activism is going to be a big part of my agenda this year, and that, in part, is why I can't do the newsletter again. I need time to work with It's Time, Kentucky!, and the Kentucky Fairness Campaign. We stand a very good chance of passage of a trans-inclusive employment and housing/public accomodation rights ordinance in Louisville in '99. Dawn Wilson and I met recently with several members of the Louisville Board of Aldermen , and the newly elected aldermen are going to make the difference. There is now a probable majority for passage, but it's going to take work to make it real. I have reason to be optimistic, and I'm convinced that gender will not be a bargaining chip or afterthought this time around. The Matthew Shepard case raised consciousness, and the case of Alicia Pedreira, a lesbian who was fired from a child therapy position with a quasi-state supported agency in Louisville, has heated up the debate and put the Reich on the run. Still, I don't think the Roundheads will stay down. We must fight them on the land, the sea, and the air, and we must never surrender. It's war.

1999 promises to be an interesting year, but years have a way of turning out to be different than you expect. I don't feel that New Year's resolutions are broken due to a lack of willpower; rather, they're broken because they are impractical or incorrect for the times. So, finally, let us all resolve to be flexible, supportive of each other, and to work hard for the good of our families and community. That is a New Year's Resolution we all can keep. With or without the cold turkey or salad bar....

So be sure and drink your Ovaltine...
 
 

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Trans Am 
By Jessica Xavier

It's Your Privilege

One of the linchpins of modern identity politics is the concept of privilege, which my dictionary defines as "a right, advantage favor or immunity granted to some person, group of persons, or class, not enjoyed by others and sometimes detrimental to them." Privilege takes many forms, but it is generally acquired through birth and therefore is nearly impossible to subsequently attain. Most often, the privileged are unconscious of possessing it, and depending on your political beliefs, many of our current social ills can be blamed on the failure of the privileged to acknowledge having it and then to take responsibility for changing the social constructs that gave it to them in the first place.

Since privilege sets one person above another, its very nature makes it antithetical to egalitarian political movements, many of which have used it in their various critiques of society. Marxists relate class privilege to classism, and anti-racism activists connect white privilege to racism. Taken together, classism and racism are the most significant problems that face humankind.

The rise of feminist identity politics in the 1970s led to the saliency of male privilege in the consciousness of feminist women and the men who dealt with them. Before the women's liberation movement, the expectations for the sexes were radically different, and in some conservative families, they still are. A boy was raised to be a man, while a girl was raised, well, to be a girl. As a reward for meeting those higher expectations, men are automatically afforded a certain deference, which many later embrace and internalize as a sense of entitlement, of being right, especially when women questioned them. Born into male privilege, a man could do no wrong in a patriarchal society - unless you happen to be a feminist. As the source of sexism, male privilege became demonized by feminists, while the vast majority of straight men seemed uninterested, if not amused, by feminist attacks on their privilege, as they only grudgingly gave way to the women who fought for equality.

But the feminist assault on male privilege had perhaps its most significant earliest impact in the gay community. Like bisexuals and transgendered people today, there once was a time when lesbians too had to fight to be included. As the gay liberation movement gathered steam after Stonewall in the early seventies, lesbians agitated for their place in a liberation movement dominated by gay men, who found themselves under attack for possessing male privilege - even though for many of them, their privilege was somewhat diluted from their internalized homophobia from growing up gay. Although its not discussed openly, some lesbians still harbor resentment against gay men who act out their male entitlement.

Even more overlooked in the feminist attack on male privilege was the damage done to transsexual women and men. Contrary to popular thinking, many transsexual women are lesbian or bisexual in their sexual orientations, and they became members of their local women's communities. As the lesbian separatists became ascendant, they erected a gender hierarchy for women that sought to purge all elements of male privilege and male thinking from their midst. Butches, femmes, bisexual women and leatherwomen were suddenly excluded from women's spaces, and even lesbians who had children or who had sex with men in their pasts were looked down upon. And openly transsexual women, with their male origins, were driven in droves from their new homes in their women's community.

Many of the separatists reserved a special vehemence for transsexual women, who were accused of still possessing male privilege even after their sex reassignment surgeries. Writers like Mary Daly and Janice Raymond provided a specious rationale for why transsexual women simply couldn't be women and shouldn't be allowed in women's spaces. They cast transsexualism as the triumph of male arrogance, patriarchy's plot to subvert feminism, diluting and polluting the women's movement from within. Transsexual men were viewed as selling out their true gender just to obtain male privilege - something that any transman knows one must be born into to possess.

Consequently, many transsexual women, including Sandy Stone, Davina Gabriel and Riki Wilchins, were forced out of their women's communities, communes and spaces. But the separatists missed the obvious. Like gay men whose privilege was countered by internalized homophobia, the male privilege transwomen were alleged to possess was negated by our own internalized transphobia, along with growing up in the wrong body and being forced to live up to inappropriate gender role expectations. Most transwomen cannot undo our male socialization experiences while early in gender transition, since it can take years to unlearn all of our male-like behaviors. But I still find it very odd that transwomen are routinely condemned by separatists for our assertiveness and aggressiveness, which are admired traits in nontranssexual women.

One of the consequences of the separatists' transsexual witch- hunts was that many transsexual lesbians went underground, never mentioning their pasts. These stealthy transwomen have passing privilege and are undetectable. Thus the many controversies over our inclusion in women-only spaces like the Michigan Women's Music Festival are really moot. Don't ask, don't tell, don't be out and you're in. Yet the stigma remains, and it's hurtful to have to hide a major part of yourself in fear, just to belong. Perhaps many gay men and lesbians feel the same way when they have to be a part of straight circles and can't be comfortably out.

I estimate that only about one-third of all transsexual women have passing privilege, which like other forms of privilege is all too easily taken for granted by those who possess it. Generally, the majority of gay men and lesbians do, but most trans people do not, although most of the transsexual men I've met pass pretty well. Accordingly, transsexual women are far more readily singled out for homophobic discrimination, harassment and violence.

Passing privilege was a central topic of Erving Goffman's book, Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity . Goffman writes principally about light-skinned African-Americans who could pass for white and thus possessed white privilege. Unlike their unprivileged peers, whom Goffman calls the discredited , those with passing privilege are at risk of exposure and are thus discreditable . People with passing privilege are both admired and despised, sometimes simultaneously, by their stigmatized peers who lack it. Perhaps you now can understand why some trans people get extremely angry at the Human Rights Campaign, whose politics embrace the assimulationist's appearance standards of passing for straight.

Speaking of straight, its also common for most transgendered people, like bisexuals, to be accused of possessing straight privilege , since the majority of us are either married, heterosexual male crossdressers, or transsexual women and men in heterosexual marriages or relationships. Straight privilege affords them - as well as gay men and lesbians who pass for straight - an important choice: to be out or not about one's sexual minority status. Which choice do you think most of us make - regardless if we are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered? How many friends do you have who are completely out?

The harsh truth of our lives is that most transsexual women will never have passing privilege, and so many of us envy the birth privilege of non-transsexual women, many of whom still judge us harshly for struggling mightily to possess what may be the ultimate privilege - a gender identity that is simply accepted and taken for granted - like their own.
 



News TransMissions
 
 

COMEDIAN FLIP WILSON IS DEAD AT 64


 


LOS ANGELES -- Flip Wilson, who became the first successful black host of a television variety show with his turns as sassy Geraldine, the Rev. Leroy and other characters he mined for ethnic humor, died Wednesday night. He was 64. Wilson died of liver cancer at his Malibu home with his daughter, Michelle, by his side, said Angie Hill, the comedian's assistant. He had undergone surgery Oct. 2 for a malignant tumor that was close to his liver. "He passed very peacefully in his sleep," Ms. Hill said.

NBC's hit "The Flip Wilson Show" showcased the comedian's talents and brought a rare black voice, if sometimes stereotypical one, to TV during its 1970-74 run. While breakthrough actors like Bill Cosby on "I Spy" and Diahann Carroll in "Julia" had roles that downplayed their racial identity, Wilson reveled in such characters as Leroy, pastor of the "Church of What's Happening Now," who Wilson said was based on a preacher he listened to as a child. "I was very impressed with him, and I was always amazed that he wasn't well educated," he said in a 1971 New York Daily News interview. "But in his simple way, he was dynamic and exciting."

Geraldine, with Wilson in wig, high heels and a colorful minidress, was perhaps his most famous character. Her spunky catch phrases -- "The devil made me do it" and "What you see is what you get!" -- became part of the national language. "The secret of my success with Geraldine is that she's not a putdown of women," he once said. "She's smart, she's trustful, she's loyal, she's sassy. Most drag impersonations are a drag. But women can like Geraldine, men can like Geraldine, everyone can like Geraldine."

As for racism in the world of television, he said in 1971, "It would be ridiculous for me to say anything negative regarding blacks having an equal opportunity on TV. After all, I was number one in the ratings four times last year and twice this season."

Clerow Wilson was born into poverty on Dec. 8, 1933, in Jersey City, N.J., and raised in foster homes, quitting school at 16. He served four years in the Air Force, and earned the nickname "Flip" for his irreverent humor when he began entertaining the troops. Discharged in 1954, Wilson spent more than a decade working at odd jobs and developing a comedy act in small clubs. When Hollywood began to seek out black entertainers in the '60s, his career took up an upward turn. Wilson made his TV debut on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in 1965, and that led to frequent appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "Laugh-In" and on comedy series including "Love, American Style." A variety special in which he starred in September 1968 led to his own series, which earned him an Emmy for performing and one for writing in

1971. It took competition from a new drama, "The Waltons," to knock Wilson's show down in the ratings and off the air.

The comedian was divorced about the time his show ended and he won custody of his children. "I wanted to devote the same amount of time to my kids as I had to the show," he said in a 1985 interview with The Associated Press. He ended his absence from TV with guest appearances and then with two series: the 1984 quiz show "People Are Funny," on which he was host, and the 1985 CBS' sitcom "Charlie & Company," which co-starred singer Gladys

Knight. Both shows were short-lived. He is survived by sons Kevin and David, and daughters Stacey, Tamara and Michelle.
 


ASSOCIATED PRESS

Reprinted from the NY TIMES; Thursday, November 26, 1998


$2.8 Million Award in Tyra Hunter Wrongful Death Suit

A Victory for Transgendered People Everywhere

By Sarah Fox, PhD.


 


[QUILL: Washington, DC, December 12, 1998] On August 7, 1995, Tyra Hunter, a preoperative transsexual woman and highly successful hair stylist, was critically wounded in an automobile accident when a motorist ran a stop sign and broadsided her car. Finding today that she died in part because of negligence by the DC Fire Department and

malpractice by the DC General Hospital, a jury awarded $2.8 million in damages to Margie Hunter, Tyra's mother.

When three DC Fire Department EMTs, including Adrian Williams, removed Ms. Hunter's slacks to assess her bleeding at the 1995 accident scene, they discovered her male genitalia. One of them

exclaimed, "This ain't no bitch. It's a nigger. He's got a [phallus] and balls." Treatment was immediately discontinued. The EMTs ridiculed the still-conscious Ms. Hunter, allowing her to bleed profusely on the pavement while horrified onlookers begged them to

render aid. Treatment was resumed only after Fire Chief Otis Latin arrived at the scene.Still conscious upon her arrival at DC General

Hospital, Ms. Hunter was given a medication to paralyze her. She died about an hour later from blood loss. According to expert testimony, Ms. Hunter would have experienced "sheer terror" from

feelings of intense suffocation. That, combined with drug-induced paralysis and the probable memory of the EMTs hateful remarks, paints a macabre picture of Ms. Hunter's final moments.

A deposition by attending physician Joseph Bastian states that while Ms. Hunter lay dying in the ER, the EMTs continued ridiculing her in a nearby visiting area. They became so disruptive that the hospital staff reported them to the police.

The jury attributed Ms. Hunter's death in part to the EMTs' refusal to administer critical first-response aid and in part to the malpractice of Dr. Bastian. According to expert testimony, Ms. Hunter would have had a 71-88% chance of survival with prompt,

competent attention. The trial was riddled with unlikely testimony and missing evidence: EMT Adrian Williams testified he assumed Ms. Hunter was a man as he approached her and rendered aid, failing to notice that she had breasts, makeup, women's clothing, a woman's

hairstyle, and white nail polish. One subpoenaed DC General employee disappeared to Africa until late December. Important patient records were physically altered. Blood gas results and X-ray films were all lost.

Ms. Hunter's treatment has so incensed the American transgender population that activists have discussed it prominently when lobbying the US Congress for hate crimes protection. Tyra's story is surprisingly commonplace and speaks to the fears of most transsexuals, who sometimes feel pressured to undergo expensive sexual reassignment surgery and to alter their legal documents specifically to avoid such nightmares. It is disappointing that criminal action was not taken and that the offending EMTs were neither disciplined nor reprimanded, despite widespread complaint from Washington citizens. Still, the victory today is a milestone. Today a jury ruled that a transgendered person's life is worth protecting. Today the transgendered population became a bit more human in the eyes of the public.

In the words of transgender activist Jessica Xavier, "I think they came to see Tyra as an ordinary human being, just trying to make her life work, when it was taken from her by the proven negligence of city health care professionals whose duty it was to treat her. This is a victory for transpeople everywhere."



 


GID Removal From DSMIV: An Internet Hoax

By Anne Casebeer


 


In early December, an internet forum called TransGen contained a posting from Suzan Cooke, an long-time activist for GLBT issues in Southern California, in which she stated that GID had been removed from the DSM IV as a mental illness. News of this spread fast amongst the TG community; I received 6 emails regarding this in the next 24-hour period.

It was a hoax, perpetrated by Ms. Cooke. In her own words, she was promulgating a piece of "performance art" in order to make a point. It did stir debate: some TG people want the removal of GID as a mental illness, while others find no problem in this and use the diagnosis of GID to justify their transition to their families and emp.loyers. .

In any case, hoaxes like this are common on the internet and are reprehensible. When you read a piece of news originating on the internet, it is always best to make certain that it is verifiable fact before you accept it as reality. The spread of misinformation is the most harmful thing we can do to our community, and there is no excuse for what Ms. Cooke did. She should apologize publicly for it.



 


Dept of Justice to Pursue Gay Bias Complaints

Washington Blade, November 25, 1998


 




WASHINGTON -- The Washington Blade reports the U.S. Justice Department announced recently it will attempt to use current federal civil rights law to take legal action against businesses and state and local governments that engage in employment discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Legal observers quoted by the Blade said the Justice Department's decision was prompted by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, such as a recent case involving same-sex sexual harassment, that have expanded the legal reach of Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the U.S. Civil Rights Act Amendments of 1972. Justice Department attorney Aaron Schuham told the newspaper that existing laws banning gender-based discrimination could in theory be applied to certain cases of anti-gay discrimination. The legal impact of using this strategy to pursue gay bias cases will not be known until the courts hear arguments and issue their judgements. Schuham, who works in the Justice Department's civil rights division, said high-level officials, including Attorney General Janet Reno and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Bill Lann Lee, approved the decision to try and use existing civil rights laws to prosecute suspected cases of anti-gay bias. Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Helen Norton, told the Blade the Justice Department initiative would not be applicable in cases where anti-gay bias was the sole motive in a discrimination complaint. But if a transgendered person was discriminated against for "gender non conformity," for example, that could serve as the basis for a complaint based on sex discrimination, she said. Legal scholars say pursuing the "gender non-conformity" or "sex stereotyping" line could be useful for men who suffer employment discrimination for being perceived as "too feminine" and women who are similarly victimized for being perceived as "too masculine." Justice Department officials credit groups such as the transgender organization Gender PAC and legal groups including the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights for helping to codify the new policy.
 

The Justice Department is prepared to link sexual orientation discrimination and sex discrimination by citing the Supreme Court's recent decision in Oncale v. Sundowner. That decision established that same-sex sexual harassment is illegal under current sexual harassment law. The 1989 Supreme Court decision in Hopkins v. Price Waterhouse will also be cited for precedent. In that case a woman was denied a partnership in the Price Waterhouse accounting firm because her superiors felt she dressed and behaved in too masculine a manner. The court found such gender role discrimination and gender stereotyping a violation of Title VII as a form of sex discrimination. Schuham said civil rights attorney general Lee put the policy change into place "several months ago," although no formal announcement of the change was made. "It's a very serious commitment that has been directed by everyone from Janet Reno all the way down," Schuham was quoted as saying. "We can really bring our resources to bear on this."
 



Toledo passes human rights ordinance

Toledo passes GLBT civil rights ordinance

Measure is one of a few in the nation to include 'gender identity'

by Dawn E. Leach


 


Toledo-City council members on December 8 unanimously passed one of the most comprehensive lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights laws in Ohio. The ordinance bans discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, and public accommodations, and also creates stiffer penalties for anti-gay hate crimes. Sexual orientation is defined for the purposes of the ordinance as "real or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, or gender identity, by orientation or practice." Mayor Carleton Finkbeiner is expected to sign the measure.

Openly gay council member Louis Escobar introduced the ordinance November 10, and nine of twelve members co-sponsored it. After a unanimous role-call vote December 8, council members congratulated Escobar and members of Gays and Lesbians United, which organized efforts to garner support for the measure.

"I'm so excited," a breathless Dan Fields said moments after the vote. Fields is a member of GLU's human rights ordinance committee. Fields estimated that 140 people attended a December 7 hearing which the council's Law and Justice committee held to discuss the human rights ordinance. Committee members heard over two hours of testimony before sending the bill to the full council for final passage.

Among those who testified in favor of the ordinance were State Rep. Jack Ford, Toledo police chief Mike Navarre, Toledo fire chief Mike Bell, attorneys Mark Prajsner and Cindy Voller, three clergy members, and four GLU members.

GLU planned a victory party for the day after the vote so that everyone who worked for the measure could celebrate the fruits of their efforts. Toledo is now the eleventh city in Ohio to include sexual orientation in its civil rights ordinances. The others are Columbus, Cleveland, Youngstown, Yellow Springs, Athens, Oberlin, and the Cleveland suburbs of Lakewood, Westlake, North Olmsted and Cleveland Heights. Dayton and Cuyahoga County have measures covering city or county employees only.
 


Gay People's Chronicle, Cleveland, Oh., December 11, 1998


TRANSWOMAN MURDERED IN BOSTON


 


[Boston, MA: 30 Nov 98] TRANSGENDER WOMAN RITA HESTER was murdered in her Allston apartment on Saturday (28 Nov 98). She died of multiple stabs wounds. The Boston Globe reports that a neighbor heard a commotion at about 6:15 p.m. Saturday, but ignored the noise. "I heard a lot of bangs," she said, "but I just thought someone was pounding on the door." Police have no leads except to say that the victim probably knew the killer. Other neighbors are nervous. Said one, "I don't know much. But I wouldn't want to say much if I did know. You never know what [the killer] might do."

The Globe reports the death of William Hester.

"He was a nightclub singer and a party thrower, a man who sported long braids and preferred women's clothes..." The Globe editor responsible for the story decreed to his reporter that only male references would be made about the victim. Nowhere is acknowledgement made in their report that Hester was living as a woman. There will be a meeting of transactivists and interested citizens on Tuesday (1 Dec 98) in Boston to respond to Hester's murder and media misrepresentations of her. See contact above for details.
 


(c) 1998 In Your Face
GenderPAC's Online news-only service for gender activism


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