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
"Nothing is as terrible to see as ignorance in action." -- Goethe
The American Psychological Association (APA) has finally passed a resolution that opposes portrayals of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth and adults as mentally ill due to their sexual orientation. The organization also supports the dissemination of accurate information about sexual orientation, and mental health, and appropriate interventions in order to counteract bias that is based in ignorance or unfounded beliefs about sexual orientation. The resolution was passed in response to critics' claim that the APA was somehow responsible for therapists who misuse APA diagnostic codes to label glbt and questioning youth. While the resolution is a positive step in the right direction, it probably won't stop the labeling practice.
I saw a report on the net that Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) members voted at their annual meeting to be transgender inclusive. Details were sketchy, but the report said the vote was nearly unanimous, with one dissenter, and that person wasn't all that unhappy with the decision. That's another notch in our handle. It's only a matter of time before we wear down the Human Rights Campaign and get them to be transgender inclusive as well.
It's not all rosy out there. Diane Torrance was scheduled to make a presentation to GABLE, the GLB group at Procter & Gamble. Her presentation was canceled due to lack of interest by the membership. It seems GABLE is unaware of any transgendered people working at P&G anywhere in the world (100,000 employees). The GABLE leadership team is interested in being trans-inclusive but is having a difficult time selling the concept. If you are a P&G employee reading this, please contact Diane dtorrance@mindspring.com.
Dr. Ray Blanchard of the Clarke Institute, Toronto, Canada, has a novel idea about what motivates some MtF crossdressers to have genital reassignment surgery (GRS). Such males, he says, are sexually attracted to the idea of themselves as women. He calls his concept "autogynephilia," an extreme form of heterosexual cross-dressing. Instead of being sexually aroused simply by the thought of wearing feminine clothing, an autogynephile is aroused by the thought of wearing a feminine body. It is, Blanchard thinks, a kind of fetishism -- a projection of the libido onto an atypical object or idea. There is some research done by transgender physician Anne Lawrence that supports this idea. The theory goes a long way to explain the startling large number of trans-people who present for surgery and seems to nicely dovetail with Dr. Richard Docter's notion of the "secondary transsexual."
Maybe Blanchard's theory has something to do with this next story by Natalie Angier appearing in the August 31 New York Times. Recent scientific research has found that the popularity of some male icons, like Leonardo Dicaprio, has more to do with their femininity than their masculinity. Women are more attracted to men with feminized faces than to men with more stereotypically rugged, manly faces. The scientists had predicted that women would be most attracted to "traditional hallmarks of male dominance and maturity," such as a large jaw, squared-off face, heavy brow. Instead, they found women to be attracted to men with "a touch of girlishness," as in a slender nose, lightened brow, etc. One of the researchers said when they first encountered the "feminine preference" no one believed it so they kept doing their surveys over and over with the same result.
Dr. Lawrence presented her research at the Second International Congress on Sex and Gender in 1997. The Third Congress in Manchester, England, just finished as I write this. The Renaissance Transgender Assoc., Inc., has announced it will produce the Fourth International Congress on Sex and Gender. The event has the "blessing" of the Center for Sex Research at the California State University at Northridge and Dr. James Elias, the Center's Executive Director. Dr. Elias along with Dr. Vern Bullough were responsible for the First Congress in 1995. Renaissance was the sponsor of the Second Congress. Meanwhile, an international steering committee is in the works to coordinate future Congress venues. Already in the schedule are Australia in 2000 and Manchester, England again in 2001. (By the way, congratulations go out to Dr. Bullough on his recent remarriage. His first wife, Dr. Bonnie Bullough, passed away in 1996.) You heard it on TGForum first!
From Judy Osborne we heard that Patti Summers, the wife of Ellen Summers, passed away from lung cancer in early September. Ellen was a well- respected figure in the northwest transgender community during the late 80's and early 90's.
I've been talking about the Millennium March for the past few months and I received this note from my good friend and sister Renaissance board member Phyllis Frye: "I personally endorse this event. Further, the Transgender Law Conference (ICTLEP) is an official co-sponsor of this event. I personally know most of the people listed below, and I trust them to insure a truly transgender inclusive event. [emphasis hers} I've had past quarrels with some of the people [on the MM board], but am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for this event due to the intensive TG-inclusive education they have been subjected to since our quarrels began. The only reason that there are no other national TG folks on the Board, other than Ms Ramierz-Murray, is that the several I know who were invited to be on the Board reluctantly had to decline from overwork or from lack of funds. We need some additional national TG folks to step up to the task, especially FTM. I will be at the March, and I hope that you will be there too!" The Millennium March on Washington for Equality will be held on April 30, 2000. Current board members for the March include:
- Elizabeth Birch (Ex. Dir., Human Rights Campaign, Washington, DC);
- Beverly Biddle (Ex. Dir., National Lesbian &Gay Health Assoc., Washington, DC);
- Rea Carey (Ex. Dir., National Youth Advocacy Coalition, Washington, DC);
- Duane Cramer (Board Member, Names Project Foundation, San Francisco, CA);
- Ann DeGroot (Ex. Dir., Out Front Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN);
- Dianne Hardy-Garcia (Ex. Dir., Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby of Texas, Austin, TX);
- Kerry Lobel (Ex. Dir., National Gay &Lesbian Task Force, Washington, DC);
- Rev. Troy Perry (Moderator, UFMCC, West Hollywood, CA);
- Nicole Ramierz-Murray (Co-Chair, National Latina/o LGBT Org., San Diego, CA).
Additional information on the March on Washington for Equality is available by e-mail at MMOW2000@aol.com.
Hey, I made it all the way down here without mentioning the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE). I'll bet you thought I forgot! Nope, they're still newsworthy even if the organization has been uncharacteristically silent of late. Virtually nothing of interest has been posted at the IFGE web site in nearly a month other than the conference cancellation notice mentioned last month. Several board members are fuming over that announcement since the BoD had not actually made a formal decision to call off the 1999 convention when the cancellation was posted on the IFGE web site by outgoing Executive Director, Nancy Nangeroni. Meanwhile, a new controversy is brewing around nominations for the Virginia Prince (VP) Award. Some think that the VP and Trinity awards are "tilted" toward the IFGE "faithful," thus diluting the importance of the awards. Joan Goodnight of the Powder Puffs of California reports she was asked to withdraw a nomination she'd made for the VP award. You may remember that I mentioned the great job Linda and Cynthia Phillips had done at the joint Cal Dreamin'/IFGE convention in Long Beach in 1997. Well, the Phillips have volunteered at all of the Cal Dreamin' events and Goodnight nominated them for both the Virginia Prince award and a Trinity Award. Goodnight later received a letter from Winnie Brant (IFGE Nominations/Awards Chair) asking her to withdraw the Phillips from consideration for the VP award. Brant's exact words were, "When I receive nominations of the same people for both awards, I usually ask the nominator(s) to reconsider; especially if the nominee has not previously received a Trinity award. I suggest that the VP nomination be withdrawn." Goodnight has not withdrawn either nomination. I did not know that you had to get a Trinity before getting the VP. Goodnight thinks the message is clear outsiders need not apply, the [IFGE] minds are already made up. I agree with her. The whole IFGE award process is upside down. Anyone can nominate anyone for a VP or Trinity, but only the IFGE "academy" can vote on who gets the award, and the member list of the academy is closely held. By the way, Linda and Cynthia went way beyond the call of duty at that conference and deserve some sort of recognition by IFGE.
Now some good stuff... Here's the perfect product for crossdressers too scared to venture out of the house to go shopping. ModaCAD (1-800-757-7707) has announced the release of the FashionTrip CD-ROM. Here's a description from their web site: "This interactive CD-ROM is the first of its kind, a revolutionary, interactive, personalized fashion consultant. It's jam-packed with fun features like a virtual dressing room, personal fashion profile, and an Internet Phone Book that links you to other fashion web sites. It also includes the latest in music videos, movie trailers and fashion shows. Try on clothes, chat with friends or shop on-line!" Someone who actually saw the software demonstrated says you can scan or import a picture of yourself into the computer, and it will dress you in your choice of the latest of designer fashions. When new collections are introduced, you will be able to update your software via the internet. Sounds pretty cool to me. I went to their web site and signed up for a free demo CD. Seventeen magazine plans to bind the CD right onto the cover of a Fall issue (I don't know which one). I have also seen ads for the software in the October issue of Mademoiselle. I've also heard there is a new version of Cosmopolitan Virtual Makeover (same idea as FashionTrip for hair and makeup), and that an Essence Virtual Makeover will be available soon for African American girls.
Here's the latest in fashion from the Washington, D.C., scene; a 100% all cotton navy blue t-shirt lets everybody know where you stand on the issue of sex in The White House. With "Summer Intern, The White House" printed on the left breast, and the "mark" (aka "the stain") of the President on the right shoulder, you may very well be mistaken for one of Bill's handpicked interns! (Hey, I haven't come across your face before.) The novelty t-shirts are being hawked by DLF Authentics, 8325 N Michigan Road, Box 326 Indianapolis, IN 46268-3635, 317-592-1319 (voice mail) and leave order and credit card information. Shirts are $20 (U.S. Funds) for the first shirt and $15 for each additional shirt thereafter, which includes shipping and handling ($20 for 1, $35 for 2, $50 for 3, etc.) Orders will be processed within 3 to 5 business days and shipped within the United States via USPS Priority Mail.
So, those are my opinions, but, hey, what do I know? Isn't every congressional office equipped with knee-pads? Comments? Write care of this publication or email them to CyberQueen@cdspub.com.
© 1998 by JoAnn Roberts
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