By Leah MacLean
ACK! What a day! It was only a year ago that I had finally convinced myself that "she" really existed and now I had just learned that there was some doubt that "she" really did exist. It was a bummer too because I had really gotten to like her. "She" had a terrific smile (thanks to a good orthodontist), big brown eyes and was just beginning to get the upper hand on that evil beard shadow. What a girl! I loved her as I would myself. I…
Okay, okay. So what was it that turned my voyage of self-discovery into the "Poseidon Adventure?" It was an interview of Nancy Nangeroni by Allie McLauglin in a recent edition of the TGForum. I love articles like this because it allows me to catch a glimpse of what direction our movement is taking. Well, everything was fine until I read some of Allie's remarks. First of all, she said that she is not surprised to see that transgendered folk tend towards liberal causes and secondly, is in fact surprised to run across someone from the TG community who has right wing or conservative values. When I read this I wobbled on my feet like it was my first time in heels and wondered what had hit me. I wandered back to my closet, looking for solid ground. Yep, the dresses were still there. The wigs were still lined up neatly on the shelf and the shoe rack was happily cluttered with black patent wickedry. Now hold on girl, I told myself, judging by your wardrobe it appears that you're still a "T" girl. It's just that perhaps your political leanings may be a tad different than some. Damn it anyway, I was just getting used to the idea of belonging somewhere. Perhaps I could leave my conservative philosophy in the closet with the sport coats and navy blue ties, then no one would ever know, would they? What kind of answer was that though? I had just gotten out of one closet. Was I doomed to live life again as an incomplete person, part of me sentenced to life in another closet? There had to be a better solution. What to do then? The soaring ideals of Ayn Rand clashed heavily against Allie's views with me caught squarely in the middle. I could not abandon my beliefs and I would not betray my conscience. (And I certainly wasn't going to abandon that hot black dress with the slit that goes way up to… um… here.) Here I was, seemingly "out of step" once again. What to do? After giving the matter some thought, I realized that since my transgendered self was already coexisting peacefully and happily within the framework of my conservative values, then why wouldn't it be possible that a conservative be accepted in the transgendered world? We do pride ourselves on our open mindedness, don't we? We do ask that others at least tolerate our differences, don’t we? We do ask that others not prejudge us, don't we? The answer is an unequivocal "yes" on all counts. So it certainly isn't too much to ask of ourselves to be open minded and tolerant, is it? Yes it's true, for a great many reasons I am a conservative, but let me make this perfectly clear, that regardless of my political convictions, I am first and foremost a "T" girl. |