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"Of Evaporated Milk And Bananas"

The Great Taboo

By Bobby G

I was a captive audience to a radio talk show as I rode with a friend a few weeks ago. One of the listeners mentioned her son's poison ivy. A flood of telephone calls followed, offering all sorts of remedies to soothe the boy's itching. Recommended were: calamine lotion; baking soda; cortisone pills; bathing in tomato juice, although, in this case, the talk show host thought that this remedy was used to get rid of skunk's odor; pouring evaporated milk over the affected areas; and, finally, rubbing them with the inside of a banana peel (after eating the banana, of course). As I listened to this, I wondered how the TG Forum audience would respond to my itch.

I've been a member of the TG Forum for several months now, and read most of the articles each week. I think it's a great publication. I even have the Forum's CD featuring all the stories and articles of the past two years. I've read coming out and first time stories; insightful articles about what it means to be transgendered; beauty tips; advice to the transgendered, couples and SO's; comic strips; historical flashbacks; movie reviews; and editorials commenting on a wide variety of T-related subjects. Recently, there's been discussion over liberals versus conservatives in Genderland. But nowhere in this, the most popular voice and best online advocate of the transgendered community, is there mention of what I consider a significant problem for some, if not many -- the conflict of being both religious and transgendered.

Perhaps I'm prejudiced. After all, I do post the online Grace & Lace Letter International on AOL -- an evangelical Christian publication devoted to crossdressers, transgendered, and transsexuals. Maybe there's no interest. Then why should the hits on our sister Geocities page jump well over a thousand in past few weeks? Then again, perhaps there isn't a problem. But why would we get letters like the following to our page?

"I would just like to thank you for the time and effort you have put forth on this page. Being a TV Christian, I find myself struggling with this issue daily. I find myself taking comfort from your page and returning again and again. Thanks."

"Reading your letter this morning was one of the most important things I have ever done. Having been a crossdresser as long as I can remember, and discovering as I grow older (I'm 54) that I feel more and more like a woman in a man's body. I have lived with shame and guilt and fear of condemnation my whole life. Such is certainly the case with my wife, who despises me....... Middle age is presenting a new string of problems. I have learned to accept and even like myself through therapy, but the price for doing this is greater despisement by my wife and a constant fear of losing my wonderful children, and/or incurring their loss of love as well. Discovering your site at least gives me renewed faith in the rightness of God's creation of me and reassurance that I am not really some despicable unworthy beast. I will continue to return to your site for inspiration. Thank you."

Yes, there is a problem and a need to discuss these matters openly. But why is this subject never a topic in the TGF? Is religion taboo? Is it only to be mentioned in other publications, or too trivial to be included in this one? Can we fret over the politics of being conservative or liberal in Genderland and ignore a segment of this community that suffers daily trying to resolve this issue in their lives? I hope not.

I trust that others share my view, and that we see articles on this subject in the future. If we do, at least we'll never have to bathe in evaporated milk or gorge on bananas just to get the peels.



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