Chatsubo


The Chatsubo, or simply The Chat, is the bar made famous by William Gibson in his 1984 cyber-punk masterpiece NEUROMANCER. The Chat is where the cyberjocks, razorgirls and joeboys came to gather information and kick back. Please feel free to do the same here.

by JoAnn Roberts - CyberQueen

"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."-- Douglas Adams

I've never met a group more disinclined to learn from their past experience than the board of directors of the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE). In early March, I received my ballot to elect the new directors to the IFGE board. It would seem that no one there learned any lessons from the fiasco (and the conflicts of interest) of having board members who were also paid employees (Merissa Sherrill Lynn, former Executive Director and Yvonne Cook-Riley, former Office Manager and Treasurer) since they nominated not one but two of their current employees for seats on the 1997 board. Both Executive Director Alison Laing and Transgender Editor Jean Marie Stine appear on the ballot even though Ms. Laing says she asked not to be included. To add insult, the nominating committee saw fit to include Cook-Riley as a candidate for the 1997 board. Ms. Cook-Riley, you will recall, was fired from her job as Office Manager at IFGE earlier this year. I can understand wanting Ms. Laing and even Ms. Stine as members of the board, even though I wouldn't recommend it. Finding really good board members is difficult. But having a fired employee sitting on the board just seems really dumb to me. In light of IFGE's continuing financial difficulties (the ballot mailing was two months late because they didn't have the money for postage), why would you want the person responsible for those problems seated on your board?

One IFGE board member recently resigned, but not for the aforementioned faux pas. On March 7, Sheila Kirk, M.D. announced her resignation for the IFGE board of directors. Citing restrictions on her time imposed by opening a new medical practice oriented toward transgender care, and a position on the editorial board of an international journal, Dr. Kirk wrote in a letter to the IFGE board, "I firmly believe that an effective board member must be an active board member and at this time I am unable to devote the time necessary..." Dr. Kirk served as the Secretary of the Executive Committee and as a member of the board of IFGE since its inception. IFGE declined to comment on Dr. Kirk's resignation which followed the resignation of several other board members earlier in the year.

I reported in February that transactivists Riki Ann Wilchins and Dana Priesing visited with members of Congress who had supported the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and were told that adding transgendered people to the current language would queer any passage of the bill (I just couldn't resist the pun). What I failed to mention then was the fact that Wilchins and Priesing were accompanied by representatives of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), an organization that has not supported transgender inclusion easily. After that meeting both Wilchins and Priesing were convinced that transgender inclusion in ENDA was not feasible in the foreseeable future. Now, it looks like Wilchins and Priesing may have been suckered by HRC and taken only to certain offices where the message would be delivered the way HRC wanted. According to reports coming from another group of transactivists who visited the Hill at the beginning of March, transgender exclusion from ENDA is not a done deal at all. Many of the ENDA supporters said they would still support the bill if transgender inclusive language were added. We need to trust our instincts and not be so gullible. HRC is no friend to the transgender community as they have demonstrated time and again.

Most people think that guys have it made. They have all the power and the money, etc., etc. But, there are some who would say that men are just as restricted in their gender roles as women were at the beginning of the 1960's. A report entitled "On Behalf of Boys" was delivered at the 1997 National Association of Independent Schools by Haverford School psychologist Michael Reichert and assistant headmaster Tim Blankenhorn. They study, which was started in 1994 and will continue indefinitely, concluded that young males must be given permission to express their feelings with other males and adolescent females and to witness adult men and women in leadership roles to debunk gender-based myths. The study asserts that gender restrictions on boys results in problems like a suicide rate four times that of females and adult traumas such as failed marriages, absent fathers and violence. Twenty years ago, the women's movement led to gender studies for females and now the pendulum seems to be swinging the other way.

Several people called me to ask what's going on with Kymberliegh Richards and Cross-Talk magazine. I guess they call because I'm an associate editor and I talk with Kym frequently. Unfortunately, if you have a subscription to Cross-Talk, forget it. Ms. Richards says the cash just isn't there. The last issue (December 1996) was rescued from the shredder by a generous donation from an angel, but that's all she was able to do. She has also been trying to salvage the Cross Connection Bulletin Board System. But, in a conversation with Ms. Richards in late March, she said there's no money left for anything, not even her rent or her phone.

The board of directors of the Renaissance Education Association, Inc., the largest open membership transgender organization in the U.S., has announced a relaxation in the requirements to become a Chapter. In early March, the board deleted the requirement for incorporation within the chapter's home state if that state is not Pennsylvania, and also changed the membership requirement from 100 percent to 75 percent. The idea was to make it easier for Affiliates to become Chapters and share in Renaissance National's tax exemption. Any organization interested in becoming a Renaissance Chapter should contact Renaissance Executive Director, Angela Gardner at angela@ren.org.

Time to move on to the real news--a new fashion magazine for large size women. MODE is aimed at women size 12 and up. With 62 percent of American women wearing a size 12 or larger and with the average size a 14, it's about time. This is great news for crossdressers and other MtF transgendered people looking for stylish and fashionable clothes. The magazine says that just a few years ago there were maybe 200 large-size vendors and now there are over 2000. One thing you won't see in this slick new offering is an article on the latest fad diet. Six issues of MODE are only $9.95. Send a check or money order to them at PO Box 54275, boulder, CO 80323-4275. This mag is so cool and on target for our girl's, I'm almost tempted to drop my subscriptions to all the other fashion rags. BTW, I went shopping the other day and wandered through Nordstrom's, Penney's, Lord & Taylor, and Strawbridge's. All of them had fashionable clothing for women in larger sizes.

Here's a list of new "plus" size lines to look for in stores... AJSport by Andrea Jovine: I love her knit clothes but they're always cut so close to the body that they almost never fit me until now. Ms. Jovine is now designing clothes up to size 24 and they're available in most major department stores from $60 to $225... CoMPANY by Ellen Tracy: offers great knits with weekend style, in a great color palette, from $60 to $275... 2000ZEN by Jane Suttell: this is a younger, hipper line with unusual fabrics and vibrant colors priced from $45 to $375 in specialty stores and boutiques... Collection by Kay Unger: focuses on evening wear in sizes 14 to 24 with dresses, tunics and pants, priced from $450 at Saks Salon Z and specialty stores... Jones Jeans by Jones of New York: a casual line in denim and cotton twill is sizes 14 to 24 and 1X to 3X priced from $40 to $60 at most major stores.

The hot new shoe for Spring is the slide and you couldn't pick a more simple shoe. Unfortunately, many of the styles offered are plug ugly. My daughter came home the other day with a pair that I wouldn't want to be buried in, yet she says they're the latest "thing," and she should know. She's the fashion design grad student. (It runs in the family. My father started in business in the 40's as a woman's shoe designer.) But, if you can wait until Fall, the stiletto makes a reappearance after a few seasons left in the back of the closet.

The HOT color for Spring is yellow, both in makeup and in clothing, which is somewhat unique. Many of the Spring fashion shows sent the models down the runways with lots of yellow around their eyes, especially MAC Chrome Yellow. Makeup artists suggest that for reality based life, the bright yellow color needs to be toned down like just applying a yellow dusting to highlight the eye, or if you dare try Francois Nars' Goldfinger eye shadow. Yellow isn't limited to eyes, however. Chanel offers a neon-yellow lip gloss and Mary Quant offers opaque daffodil yellow polish called Help. On the clothing front, a yellow jacket paired with a chocolate brown skirt or slacks sets the right tone for spring. If you want to be a little exotic, wear lavender shoes.

One of the more interesting items in MODE, is the last page called LAST LOOK and the article there discusses Marilyn Monroe and points out that at various times in her life Ms. Monroe was indeed a size 16. I recall reading somewhere that the ultra-sexy black lace dress she wears at the end of Some Like It Hot was a size 14. Of course, Ms. Monroe's 1950's size 16 is today's size 10 or 12, so it's all relative, ya know. Meanwhile, check out Virtual Marilyn online at http://ligwww.epfl.ch/.

As with most fashion trends, if you wait long enough they all come back. For Spring we're seeing micro-mini skirts and go-go boots on campuses and in the streets. They 16 swaths were shown at most Fall and pre-Fall fashion shows. But, if you missed them the first two times around and need to get on style, try Bloomingdales/Dollhouse US$36, Saks/BCBG US$100, or Lord & Taylor/DKNY, US$125.

At the opposite end of the "size is everything" debate is a monthly contest sponsored by marie claire magazine where you can win a $1000 cover look, including the designer dress the model is wearing... as long as you're a size 6. If the average woman is a size 14, who is a size 6? Not anyone one I know.

The latest shot in the advertising sex change wars features supermodel Linda Evangelista. Billboard sized ads on the sides of busses plying New York City streets show Ms. Linda kissing a male in an ad for KENAR sportswear. 'Cept the "male" is really Evangelista touched up by the wonders of computer technology, with boyish hair and no breasts. W magazine called it "sexy." Bring in the clones!

I used to do quite a bit of airbrush painting of model trains and often wondered if one could apply makeup with an airbrush. Now I know the answer, Yes! The buzz in Hollywood these days is a makeup kit called Dinair sold to postoperative facelift clients to the tune of US$350. (What a rip off!). Anyway, the idea is to airbrush on the makeup to cover bruising from surgery without touching the tender skin. Listen, run down to your local hobby shop, grab a Badger air brush and a can of propellant for about US$30. Mix up your foundation with a little water and alcohol and you're ready to rock!

Speaking of model trains, over 60 percent of the transgendered people I personally know enjoy model trains as a hobby. I used to be very active in model trains 15 years ago and I'm getting back involved. If you have any O scale or O gauge you'd like to sell, drop me a line.

We suspected it all along because he seemed to like being in drag just a little too much. Allison Stern, Howard's wife spills the beans in the April issue of marie claire saying, " ... people think I'm the big anchor in the family. But really, he is--and he's really part girl. I mean the guy on the radio--there's nothing soft and sensitive about him. He's got no female side. But the other guy, I always said he was from Venus."

So, those are my opinions, but, hey, what do I know? You can lead a horse to water but teaching him to swim is another story. Comments? Write care of this publication or email them to CyberQueen@cdspub.com.


© 1997 by JoAnn Roberts