The Bluegrass
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Newsletter of the Bluegrass Belles transgender Support Group |
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Next Meeting: Saturday, September 20
Our next meeting will be at the MCC Church/Pride Center, 387 Waller Ave, Lexington. The featured speaker is Sister Laverne, whom Dawn and Marjorie met at the "Coming Together" conference in May. As usual, following the meeting, we will be socializing at Vertigo.
Several Belles have been gathering for dinner at Lexington-area restaurants prior to the meeting; if you are interested in joining us, contact Anne at 502-672-8613 (pager), or Email Marjorie at efduhr1@ukcc.uky.edu, Anne at acasbeer@jcc-uky.campus.mci.net, or Angela at angelaky@hotmail.com, and we'll get word to you what restaurant we've chosen, and what time to get there.
Upcoming Events
Saturday, September 13th. RSICK Emperor's Follies at Vertigo, Lexington.
Tuesday, September 16, Community Forum, Fairness Headquarters, Louisville.
Tuesday, September 16, 7-9PM. Networking Night and Potluck for the GLBT Community.
Pride Center of the Bluegrass/MCC Church, 387 Waller Ave, Lexington, KY. A relaxed and
informal gathering of individuals and community organizations. This event is to be held
bi-monthly, with dates for November '97 and January '88 to be announced. Sponsored by
the Lexington Gay & Lesbian Services Organization.
Sunday, September 21, noon, The Capitol, Frankfort, KY. Vigil followed by: Singing for
Our Lives: Commemorating the 5th Anniversary of the KY Supreme Court's Overturning
of the Sodomy Law.
October 1st-5th, Atlanta, GA. Southern Comfort Conference. Contact Dawn at (606) 389-9304, or Anne at (502) 672-8613 if you are planning to attend this conference. We have
standing room reservations for those interested. Brochures are available from Anne if you
are interested.
Saturday, October 21, Bluegrass Belles meeting. Speaker will be David Williams, editor of "The Letter". David has been a friend of our group from its inception, and his publication is a great source of information for the transgendered community in Kentucky. Site of the meeting is to be announced.
National transgender community leader, Dee Skene McKellar, died on Saturday evening, September 6th, as she and her friends were being assigned their rounds with the Q-Patrol, a neighborhood watch group. She was felled by a massive heart attack and died before reaching the hospital. CPR was begun and Houston's EMS arrived within minutes of the attack. They treated McKellar, a well-know, non-surgical transsexual, with the utmost of professionalism and respect.
During the next day, many of her friends gathered along with Dee's daughter and planned for the activist's remembrance. The service will be an open casket, gravesite service on Saturday, September 13th, at 11AM, at the Woodlawn Cemetery, I-10 West, exit at Antoine. Everyone that knew and loved Dee (or David, as she was known in the NASA area prior to 1991) is invited. The Q-Patrol will serve as honor guard and all transgendered activists are encouraged to wear whatever activist t-shirt they may possess to the service.
Anyone wishing to visit with Dee prior to Saturday may do so at the funeral home chapel: Cremational Service International, 5601 Arlington, Houston (near Tidwell and I-45 North) 713-692-5555 on Thursday and Friday from 10AM
to 9PM.
Dee McKellar was a national leader in the transgender community. In 1991, she was one of the founding committee members for what has become the International Conference on Transgender Law and Employment Policy (ICTLEP) now in its seventh year. She served as a Director and as its Secretary for several years. With Dee's assistance and push, ICTLEP has been in the foreground of transgender re-integration within the lesbian/gay/bisexual community. Dee assisted in organizating, and attended, both the 2nd National Transgender Event in Washington DC in October 1995 and the 3rd National Transgender Event in Washington DC in February 1997. She spoke to countless people needing help who called, wrote or e-mailed the ICTLEP office.
While serving as a Director of the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association, Dee served on the NLGLA committee responsible for the unanimous NLGLA Board vote in August 1997 that brought bisexuals and transgenders fully within the bylaws of that organization. Dee also served as a Director of GenderPAC for a short time assisting with organizational and bylaw procedures.
At the state level, Dee was one of four who planned, and one of twelve who participated in the transgender protest of the 1995 Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby's March on Austin in the spring of 1995 in Austin. This LGRL event was to call attention of Legislators to violence and hate crimes against against gays and lesbians. The transgenders who were with Dee resented being purposefully left out of the LGRL push. As a result of the protest, most of the LGRL marchers were persuaded that the TG protest was right and proper and that TG issues of violence and hate crimes were the same issues as the gay and lesbian folks. Also, in that same legislative session, Dee assisted in the planning, and attended the hearings for transgender legislation dealing with document changes.
On the local level, Dee hosted two Transgender Employment Day events. She was a Director of Spectrum, a member of Q-Patrol, a member of Lesbians in Business (LiB), a volunteeer with both the Houston READ Commission and Annise Parker's Campaign for City Council, co-moderator of the local Helping
CrossDressers Anonymous (HCDA) chapter, and an instructor on transgender issues for classes of the Houston Police Academy. Dee is known to many others in Houston. She worked for the League of Women Voters several years ago and was a beloved member of the Houston Writers League.
Previously known as David McKellar, she attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed three years of engineering studies. She worked for Boeing in Seattle and later for contractors in the NASA - Clear Lake City area in computer flight simulation design for many of the early astronauts. She had a private pilots license and loved the skies. She was also an avid
photographer. So when you look up at the clouds, smile in case she is about to snap the shutter.
Dee is survived by her proud and loving daughter, her mother and two brothers, and a very large community of friends. Anyone wishing to send cards
may do so. Send a seperate card to daughter (Deborah Donaldson) and to mother (Elizabeth McKellar) in card of me at 5707 Firenza, Houston 77035 and I will forward. For more information, call Phyllis Frye at 713-723-8368.
by David Williams - Editor, The Letter -
For the third time in five years, the Fairness Amendment, a proposal designed to protect the citizens of Louisville against discrimination based on sexual orientation, has been defeated by the board of aldermen (city council). The vote was three in favor and seven against with two abstentions.
Immediately following the vote and a large outdoor rally across the street nearly 125 supporters of the ordinance stepped into Sixth Street, a four-lane thoroughfare in front of venerable City Hall, to stage a brief sit-down protest. When asked by city police to leave, all but 52 did so. As the crowd took up a noisy rendition of an old civil rights song, "We Shall Not Be Moved," police arrested the rest on charges of obstructing a highway. A hearing is set for October 1.
Among those arrested were most leaders of the Louisville Fairness Campaign and the Kentucky Fairness Alliance; several religious leaders, including the pastor of First Unitarian Church; and several members of the Louisville Youth Group (see partial list at end).
The vote followed weeks of frenzied activity within the city as the Fairness Campaign blanketed the city with bright blue and gold signs saying "Fairness Does A City Good." Fairness leaders were heartened by the fact that many of the signs sprouted in neighborhoods traditionally considered conservative, such as Germantown and the South End. In response, religious right opponents--mainly evangelical Protestants--filled churches with pamphlets replete with misinformation about gays and lesbians, much of it based on the discredited research of Paul Cameron. They also developed a counter-slogan seen in the last days of the debate: "Morality Does A City Better." Local newspapers were bombarded with op- eds, editorials, and letters to the editor. A battle of surveys also ensued. A Fairness poll released in August showed that 71% of registered votes oppose discrimination against gays and lesbians
in the workplace. But a religious right poll, which asked the question, "Do you favor granting special rights to homosexuals?", elicited a 53% negative response. A research expert at the University of Kentucky in Lexington considered the latter poll slanted while cautiously praising the Fairness poll.
In the 24 hours before the vote, Fairness supporters staged a candlelight vigil on the steps of City Hall. Braving torrential rains that came down that evening and the muggy air that followed, they flashed Fairness signs to motorists throughout the day. As the vote neared, supporters and opponents swamped the narrow entrance to City Hall to get seats for the meeting. By 4:30, one and a half hours before the aldermen convened, all seats in the small chamber were taken. Those left outside proceeded to engage in a noisy battle of chants and songs. To the right of the entrance, the religious right sang traditional Protestant hymns and held up such signs as "Final Rites for Special Rights." Many were bussed in from Evangel Christian Tabernacle in Okolona, a conservative Southern-oriented suburb to the south of the city limits. Ironically, most would not be eligible to vote in city elections. To the left, Fairness supporters sang civil rights songs, often interrupted by a favorite local responsive chant, "What Do We Want? Fairness! When Do We Want It? NOW!" Unlike their opponents, most supporters at tonight's vote are city residents. The near carnival scene eventually spilled into the street, causing traffic delays during rush hour.
ALDERMANIC VOTE:
YES:
Dr. Tom Owen
Denise Bentley
Paul Bather
NO:
Bob Butler
Barbara Gregg
Cyril Allgeier
Pres. Steve Magre
Dan Johnson
(Ms.) Bebe Melton
Greg Handy
ABSTENTIONS:
Keith Allison
Reginald Meeks
(both have previously voted in favor of similar proposals but decided to abstain, mainly as a protest to the political maneuvering leading up to the vote)
David Williams
Editor's Note: From the Belles, Angela Bridgman was fortunate enough to have been able to get into the chamber for the hearing and vote. Anne Casebeer and her friend Amy McCorkle were outside at the rally during the vote, along with Patti Hall of LGS. All of us participated in the street protest, but none of us were arrested or detained. No other transgendered people were on hand to my knowledge. Of course, protection for transgendered people was stricken from the Fairness Amendment some time before the introduction in August. There will probably be little or no action taken on Fairness again until 1999, at which time, with any luck, we will have a better group of Aldermen to convince.
A Personal Note
I would like to address this to all the GLBT people who have been so kind to my family at
this time of great stress, especially those members of the community who work at Columbia
Hospital! Things have gone from bad to worse; both of my parents are in the ICU. For
those who don't know, my aunt (read mom) underwent a total colonostomy. Then, my
uncle was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. They gave him nine months to live.
My uncle, the man who raised me, is dying of cancer and doesn't know it. My aunt is also
very ill, and may not be any better off. I can only hope and pray that they don't suffer. As
their "only child", it is now my responsibility to care for them.
Some people are probably saying, why should I care? Well, you may not, but for me it is important to enlighten those of you whose families turned their back on you. You see mine didn't, and many others in my conservative Baptist family didn't either. Although my parents do disagree with some of the things I have done, they did not abandon me. And I will not abandon them. For those who have parents walk away from them, remember the true measure of a person is in their actions, not their words.
Thanks to the gay doctor and nurses and the loving personality of my parents, I now have total control. All decisions must come though me and a niece. Now, to say my life has changed is an understatement. But more than that, I have found real friends and allies where I least expected it. Why is this
Important? Too many times, we in the transgendered community paint all situations with the same myopic brush as our oppressors. The truth is not exactly as
it seems. Case in point, the recent death of Dee McKellar. I had 4 messages on my email criticizing Dee, Phyllis and ICTLEP for not getting involved more
in a fight in the IFGE ranks. I deleted the messages. Good thing. They were sent by an outside person looking to cause trouble. Th truth was that ICTLEP was there from the beginning mediating the dispute. So, what is my point? Well, when my parents took sick, many people in my aunt's church had to swallow their earlier insults and ask me how they were. People who hated me got to see that I was not the person they had been told. Cousins were impressed that Little Jo could actually hold her own and survive as a TS!!! Peoples' perceptions can be changed if they have the right info. Sometimes it is your actions that speak louder than words.
"The Needs Of The Many Outweigh The Needs Of The Few" - John Locke
Thank you Mr. Locke. For those of you who do not know who he was, let me enlighten you. John Locke is a political theorist of the late 16th century. The reason that is so important is that many of our current political precepts in this country were founded on his theories! Now, what is the point? Well, the point is, these are the rules that the gay community is playing by when it comes to the rights of the transgendered. You see, we are the minority here, and they are the majority, so the majority rules, right? Not exactly. You see, what these so-called activists have forgotten is that a very vocal minority can do more damage than good. Case in point: our Outreach Chairperson is doing exactly what I hoped she would do: get on T.V. and force the issue. More and more of this is needed by the "trans" community to make our point: inclusion not exclusion! Remember ACT-UP? Well, I do. Using the tactics of the civil rights movement but more aggressively, ACT-UP brought needed attention to pertinent issues that were being covered up by the gay community leaders of the time.
So, is it time to get radical? Yes it is! But let us wait and see how committed Fairness is to the fight. Are they ready to carry the fight to the next level? What am I saying ? Well talk is cheap, It's now time for protests, It is now time for Menace tactics and labor union strategies. Yes, it is time for battle!
Gender hugs and stuff,
Marjorie Demaille
I was thinking that it would fun if we could get a bunch of the Belles and significant others together and take the Halloween cruise on the Belle of Louisville. Three hour cruise up the river, live band, dancing, pay as you go drinks, optional souvenir photo, high security, and no hassles. Cruise normally ends at 11:00 PM. I was thinking that we could have a late dinner at Kingfish (they're cool) afterwards, and that there would still be plenty of time to go to Connections, Murphy's or anyplace else. I think everyone would have a great time, particularly the people that don't get out much or at all. Check with Marjorie about last years cruise, when we took my friend Donald with us. He had a great time, even at Kingfish with us still in costumes.
Unfortunately, when I was writing this, the Belle was sinking into the river. Maybe the cruise will still be held, and maybe it won't, but we still could get together on Halloween as a group and go out. It's the one night of the year when everyone can get out and nobody thinks anything odd about it.
Anyway, I was at work today and heard on the radio that the insurance on the Belle of Louisville might not cover the restoration costs. With the Fairness vote so close, I was thinking that a fund raiser by the GLBT community would do a lot to show people that we are a very civic minded group of people and not a bunch of freaks. I was thinking that, with the help of the Imperial Court and Fairness, we might be able to get some ink in the papers. Who knows. Might even get some corporate donations. The Belles and the Imperial Court, at the courthouse, presenting a check to the Mayor and the Captain of the Belle. It should at least make the 6:00 news, and the morning edition of the Courier-Journal. Maybe when TG inclusion in the Fairness Amendment comes around, this will help to change some minds. Just thought I would throw the idea your way and see if it bounced. The Belle has been very good to the gay/les/bi/trans community with the trouble free cruises at Halloween and Kentucky Derby time. We owe it to the Belle and its crew.
TOODLES,
Terri
How to get yourself killed on A Saturday night....
Go to Leonard's, as in the Hikes Point Bar and Lounge. Allow two guys to sit with you at your table. Go ahead and actually dance with one of them, when he asks you, causing your heart to flutter. After about five dances with the guy, let him find out, or suspect that you're not really a girl, and that he really IS a redneck.....
This is not a made up story, girls. It really happened. Who else would get themselves into a situation like this? Of course, it was me! His name was John, and he was much too old for me, anyway. Also, I could have took him, if it came to a fight. Instead, I talked my way out of it, and I think I actually convinced this guy that 1) I'm really a girl. 2) That he hurt my feelings.
I think the other people in the bar started to catch on to the fact that Angela wasn't quite what she appeared to be. John wanted me to go outside with him, no specific reason, and I, quite stupidly, did so. Of course, I acted very hurt at his accusation that I just might be a boy in a dress, and vehemently denied this accusation. I then produced my driver's license, with the sex appropriately reading female (thank God Pennsylvania got one thing right...) He still wasn't convinced, but eventually, I did convince him, and he apologized. Talk about a close shave...
In other news....
I have been trying for awhile to locate some of my old high school friends. My 10-year reunion is coming up, and they all remember me as a dorky boy. Wouldn't want to cause any cardiac arrests when I walk into the ballroom in my full-length formal, and stiletto heels! So, I am trying to find some of these people, and break the news to them on-line first, to soften the blow (pardon the pun.)
Anyway, I was rewarded with some success last night, when I got an Email back from an old high school friend of mine, who may, or may not have been aware of my current status. Whatever, he's definitely aware of it now...
I don't know what his reaction might be, as of yet, since I haven't heard back yet, but, I
seem to remember him being fairly open-minded about many things, so we'll see... As of
right now, I sent him the Email, telling him about me only a couple hours ago, I think we'll
wait for the shock to wear off... He has a very neat web page though, and for those of you
with computers, you might want to check it out sometime. Will provide address at another
time, after I have his permission to do that, because there is also something on his page I
would like to publish next month, permission pending. I got a good laugh out of it, and I
think y'all will too!
Well, until next month, girls.... Love ya lots, like fer sher!
Angela Bridgman
Some People Like Us Part 2
Dear Anne and Friends,
Thanks so much for sending copies of your newsletter, and especially for your great column on Mr. Eagan's! The regulars read it, loved it, and some of the ones who missed the night you were here lamented their absence. Even Mr. Eagan himself saw it (he had a big chuckle over George "the incoherent")
We hope to see you all again next time you're in town. If you let me know in advance, I can
alert the troops - they would like to see you again!
Thanks again,
Ginny Swingle
The World-Infamous Mr. Eagan's
You may recall Marjorie's column from last month, where she talked about people who like those of us who identify as transgendered. Now, Marj was referring to people who are attracted to people like us for purposes of aerobic exercise and bedroom gymnastics (This publication is and will always be rated PG). I much prefer to talk about people who like us as people, people who, when they encounter us in public settings and places, treat us with respect, interest, good humor, happiness, and a curious spirit. I probably beat this horse until the old nag is ready for the Elmer's factory, but please realize that people who will abuse you for appearing in public cross-dressed are very rare; most will not notice or choose to say nothing, and those who notice will mostly express a healthy, friendly curiosity. One or two encounters with those who exhibit friendly curiosity will sell you on the fun of meeting and mingling with the public in a whole range of unexpected places. The task of making society accepting of transpeople falls on us. The more of us that get out in public, and the more often we do so, the better things will be for those who follow us. Those of you who aren't sure of this are welcome to talk to Marjorie, Angela, Dawn, myself, or others of us in this group. If we can get away with dressing up like girls in public in Kentucky, it can be done anywhere.
Friends are made one at a time, and here's an example of how it works. Some of you will remember my mention of a neighborhood pub in Washington, DC, called "Mr. Eagan's". This was the place on Connecticut Avenue NW. that Angela Bridgman, Vanessa Edwards, and I stumbled into in search of a post-lobbying brewski on a slow Monday evening. We found a lot more in that unassuming storefront than Murphy's Irish Stout; we found friends in a big city, and people who were open and accepting of us. I don't know if we were the first transpeople that Ginny or the regulars there had ever met, but they seemed to really think we were OK, and welcomed us warmly the next evening as well. Ginny insisted that she get pictures of us, and we exchanged addresses; in the ensuing months, I've added them to our newsletter listing. Well, they sent us a very nice card, and I've included the text of it. I think that we can conclude from this that they DID like us as much as we enjoyed them, and if you ever have business in DC, why not stop by and say that Anne and Angela sent you?
RoadMistress' Roadtripping - Southern Comfort and Beyond
As for the upcoming travels of a traveling trannie, I have an ambitious itinerary planned for the first week in October. I have already registered and paid for the Southern Comfort Conference in Atlanta from October 1st through 5th. After checking out around noon on the 5th, I will be driving north through the Eastern Seaboard to Atlantic City for the East Coast Video Show, which runs from the 6th through the 9th. I will leave there around noon on the 9th, and head for my half-brother's place in Pottstown, PA, to spend an evening. Morning of the 10th, I'll be heading for Nashville, where the Vals will be meeting on the 11th. This will be a wonderful time for me, since I relish the search for that place where the road and the sky collide, but that long on the road makes one yearn for a little warmth in the wilderness. Mr. Eagan's is a distinct possibility on the way to Atlantic City. The DC metro area is a good idea for a stopping point on the run from Atlanta to Atlantic City, and why leave a gender convention in male mode? That would be gutless and un-American! Of course, Anthony has to attend the ECVS, not Anne, but there is a party that Adult Video News Magazine is throwing, and where better for Anne to appear, floating through the casino at Caesar's Palace like a girl from a Bond movie? I wasn't ready for this last year, but now... It's a good thing that I have both transgendered and business activities on tap for that stretch of time, because I don't have enough of a wardrobe in either mode to survive a 12-day trip without running out of laundry. Of course, Anne's closet is 5'.5" long, and contains 12 pair of shoes; Anthony's is about 18 inches, and has 1 sport coat, a pair of wing tips, a pair of saddle oxfords, a pair of Reeboks, jeans and golf shirts, and that's, all folks. Men's clothes are boring, right? I'm really looking forward to this particular conference for a number of reasons, not the least of which being the fact that I need a change of scenery from the myriad obligations of life. Atlanta is a town that I haven't explored to any degree, I've mostly just blown by the place on the way to Florida, so I want to check the city out. I also usually go seminar-crazy at conventions, and I see a number of speakers on the list that will probably be interesting, including some who spoke at the Be-All in June. That leaves a few loose ends to straighten out: train store staff, find someone trustworthy who can watch after Mom for that period of time, and select and rehearse a suitable number for the talent show. Ah yes, the debate of the transgendered performer: to perform a male song in femme mode, thus invoking terminology unsuitable for a support group newsletter; or do a song by a femme artist. Since my voice usually permits me to sing high, the latter is an option, although a demanding one. One idea that I have ruled out is the David Lee Roth version of "California Girls" . I tried doing that little number at "The Rage" on a Friday night, and given that the clientele there is largely femme, that went over like a Led Zeppelin. Now, there's a idea, Stairway to Heaven? Anyway, I'll think of something good. Maybe a medley of John Lennon and Yoko Ono? Nah, I can sing better than Yoko...You shut up, Angela! I can too sing better than Yoko! But, that's no challenge...
Gender Jargon
I've brought up the subject of transgendered terminology once or twice in this column alone, and that brings to mind a mistake that I feel that we make as transgendered people; the excessive use of jargon. Jargon is used in all vocations and avocations; think of your place of employment, and the special terminology that is required. How many of you understand what rental turns, POP materials, sell-through titles, street dates, pay-per-view windows, and test screeners are? Unless you are in the video rental business, you probably don't understand these terms. The people we encounter in public react the same way to the lingo of the transgendered world. I have heard transpeople tell curious but friendly clerks and waitstaffers that they are MtF hetero CD's, or preop TS's. The normal reaction is a quizzical blank stare and a "Yes, of course." Human beings have been hanging tags on themselves ever since the first transgendered caveperson carved a "TG" in the rock over the entrance to the cavern she lived in, and went hunting in a black suede miniloincloth - I think we invented labels. We have SO's, GG's, MtF's, FtM's, Preops, Postops, DQ's, TV's TS's, and the ever-popular CD, not to mention every group and club abbreviation there could ever be. There's reason for these within our community, but don't expect others to understand us at all when we use them.
I've watched transpeople try to explain all of the jargon, even to people who have some connection to the community, like our sisters and brothers in the gay/lesbian/bi community, only to watch the eyes glaze over and the yawns begin. Maybe we need to back off the jargon a bit publicly. Here in Louisville, as most of you are aware, at this writing, the Fairness Amendment is coming up for a final vote. After all of the dust has settled, gender orientation isn't part of the amendment, largely due to the failure of Alderman Tom Owen, a co-sponsor, to understand the concept of gender orientation and it's importance to the Amendment. A number of people, members of Louisville Gender Society, Bluegrass Belles, and others, attended a planning meeting, where this was discussed. I watched Dawn give the technically correct explanation of a TS versus a CD versus a DQ....you've heard it before. I looked around the room, and watched the eyes glaze over. Now, Dawn is a forceful speaker, one who normally holds the interest of everyone in a room; yet, the subject was inducing inattention and yawns among the non-transgendered people in the group of about 30.
Now, I have felt myself to be a most-atypical transperson, one who didn't fit any molds neatly, one who really doesn't fit any particular holes. I suppose you'd say I'm a CD, but I've always enjoyed hanging out and listening to the TS people. Should I lean that way? I don't see having surgery, since my year and a half of dealing with things medical has made me singularly distrustful of doctors in general, and the equipment ain't broke, thank you. I wish I could dress more often and openly, but my earning power is more important to me than my desire to dress femme daily. If I were truly TS, my earning power would not be as large a consideration. So, what am I? Truth to tell, I don't think I want an abbreviation attached to my picture and name. I don't think any of us in this group are abbreviations. Yes, I realize that much of the jargon is medically-based, and serves a purpose in the diagnostic process.
My proposal is this: if we really want non-transgendered people to understand who we are, not to mention why, we need to drop the jargon, and instead use real people. Hello, Alderman Owen; I'm Anne Casebeer. I work in male mode, and dress for stress control and fun. I am heterosexual and date genetic women. I can be fired from my job and/or turned down for housing if the wrong person finds out I am transgendered. Now, meet Dawn Wilson; Dawn is Dawn all the time, handles work and family affairs in this mode, owns a business. She can and has been discriminated against not just because she is of African-American extraction, but also because she is transgendered. That isn't right, is it? Meet Marjorie Demaille. Meet Patti Hall. Here's Taylor Baxter. All of them have the worry in the back of their minds that someone might determine that they are transpeople, and use it against them. Here's Terri Hambaugh, she's had her transgendered status brought up against her in open court, yet another reason why we need protection. How about Angela Bridgman, who actually has experienced workplace discrimination in a jurisdiction where she had protection (New Jersey), but the wheels of justice are turning slowly. Then, Alderman Owen, you need to meet some of these folks over here, they may be female, but they look masculine. Others are males who are rather effeminate, all of us are in this gender boat together. Anybody who doesn't fit the societal norms of male or female belongs to the transgendered community, whether or not they realize it, and there are as many different definitions of the term "transgendered' as there are people. The problem here is that people generally think of gender as a pink vs blue issue. At a town meeting given by Congressman Northup, my friend Amy engaged a young gentleman nearby in a conversation of a political sort. A button on his hat identified him as being a Dittohead, which are people who listen to every word spoken by Rush Limbaugh. He predictably disagreed with her on her support for funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. He then asked what my issue was; I replied ENDA and gender inclusion. I was in male mode, less than 1 block from my place of employment. He looked at me with a puzzled look, and said this:"There are only 2 genders, male and female. What others can there be?" I started to explain that some folks fall between the two, at various points, and are described as transgendered, and he glazed immediately. He's not unusual. Most people who take this position don't know any transpeople, or haven't seen or met any. We need to change that. We need for them to meet us; in doing that, we stand a chance of the Alderman Owens' of the world not needing as much of an explanation.
The gay/lesbian community has appropriated the rainbow as their symbol, and it's a good one. It implies that people of all colors, all stripes are welcome, and should be respected. I don't want to take away their symbol. The
trans community, such as it is, has been using the pink triangle with combination gender symbol within. I maintain that we are the real rainbow, and should use it as well. Transpeople resist neat classification, each one of us have worked out a different solution to the equation, a different blend of blue and pink. So, let's adopt the rainbow. And, when you try to explain who you are to a non-transperson, drop the jargon. They won't understand it anyway. They will understand you, the human being, the individual who is trying to live life, support themselves and a family, be active in church and community, educate themselves, and have a little fun occasionally. That's what we have to get through their heads - the fact that we are individual people, not abbreviations.
Decent Exposures
I'm very happy to see that David Williams is planning to speak to our not-so-humble gender group in October. He's been a great friend of the Belles ever since our inception, has consistently supported inclusion of gender orientation in Fairness, and has provided us with a great deal of information, both via his publication ("The Letter") and e-mail. However, he's decided to grant a certain egomaniacal newsletter editor another forum for her random ruminations.
Actually, I'm really a pretty humble person, and this is a great honor and obligation. I've written plenty on the need to educate, through our presence in public. What I have observed in the effort for passage of Fairness (which, I regret, work hasn't permitted me to join to any great degree), is this: Not only does the general public not understand transgenderism, but the gay/lesbian community locally doesn't either. I think I understand why. We're hard to understand, and vary all over the map as far as our lifestyles and the way we integrate crossdressing and gender presentation into our lives. As noted above, I think jargon is much overused, but for my first effort for "The Letter", I think I'd better try to explain it all to the readers. Then, we can go from there, try to show how we live our lives, the fun we have. As Todd Rundgren asked once, "A little more humanity, please?" My friend, Miss Pamela DeGroth, from the Tennessee Vals, writes a monthly column for Xenogeny , which is the GLBT paper in Nashville, and has followed that approach, with good results; I will be asking her advice and counsel, despite the fact that I lack her cutting sense of humor . My greatest hope is that our brothers and sisters in the Louisville gay/lesbian/bi community will understand us a bit better as a result, and may see fit to seek and accept us into the community. Transpeople don't have the visibility in Louisville that we have in other places, but we are here, and we do exist in greater numbers than people realize. More and more of us blow down the closet door every day, and make our entrance into the greater world to live and have fun. We will have more of a local impact as a result. Indeed, in this year's Fairness battle, Angela from our group, has appeared on radio, TV, and in the Courier-Journal. Prior to this, I don't recall seeing many of us in the local mainstream media: the 1995 Courier-Journal article on LGS, and the late - 1980's article on "Kelly" being the only ones that I recall.
Freedom and Mascara!
Anne