Recently, the transgender press has been filled with such hatred and intolerance that we scarcely seem to of the same team. A few examples of what has been going on:
Dallas Denny, of AEGIS, wrote a treatise demanding full membership rights within Tri-Ess (The Society for the Second-Self). While Dallas is not a crossdresser, but rather a post-operative transsexual, she requests admittance into an organization founded for and by, heterosexual crossdressers and their partners. While Linda and I both like and admire Dallas, as well as her work at AEGIS (The American Educational Gender Information Service), we can see no point in her Quixotic display of tilting her lance at windmills. What was the purpose?
If Dallas feels betrayed, or somehow rejected by the very organization through its chapter in Atlanta that nurtured her, she is a bit off target. Tri Ess did help her, and she did help Tri Ess. Yet, when Dallas' path turned toward SRS (sexual reassignment surgery) her needs no longer could be met by Tri Ess. Now, there is at least one major organization, founded as a result of all of this, AEGIS. While AEGIS casts a broad net, a primary focus is transsexualism. Out of a need, a support organization was born. That is a positive.
Now comes Virginia Prince. Long hailed as the "Grande Dame" of crossdressing, she published an article in Cross-Talk (Oct. 96) which essentially calls transsexuals non-human.
Quote, "But those poor transsexuals! They don't have any of the confidence building mechanisms that gays have. They don't have any where to go because there are no effective organizations for TS's. So they remember, somewhat longingly, that they were crossdressers once and they kind of look back on those days with a kind of what might be called, 'sexual nostalgia'.... remembering the days when they were a kind of human, a male or a female, burdened with requirements and expectations to be sure, but nevertheless, they fitted in somewhere. Now, after surgery, they are neither fish nor fowl, since they have no reproductive organs of any kind and they probably could not survive without synthetic hormones without one kind or another the rest of their lives. They are not really male, and not really female and that has to be a major mental burden. (Although I am sure that they would be the last to admit it.)"
What a cruel, vicious and mindless thing to say. What purpose was there in this? Would Virginia likewise refer to a post-menopausal woman, or one who has undergone a hysterectomy as "non-human" because she has no reproductive abilities and requires the use of hormones?
An important player in all of this could be Jane Ellen Fairfax, chairwoman of Tri-Ess. She is in the perfect position to bring peace and sanity. In my opinion, Dallas and Virginia have both erred. Attempts to censure Dallas, without a reciprocal censure of Virginia would be viewed as unfair and only serve to continue the strife. As one who has long called for cooperation amongst the various transgender organizations, now is the time for Jane Ellen to step to the forefront and take action. She needs to employ the gifts she has for the good of all. In addition to Jane Ellen, all who call themselves Presidents, Chairwoman or Facilitator of any support organization should raise their voices, including Renaissance, TG Forum and ETVC.
Until such time as the TG organizations can learn to respect each other's special area of expertise, or ministry, it will be difficult for them to attract any supporters.
As for Linda and me, we cannot support any organization that fails to display compassion, caring and respect for others who may be different than themselves. It appears that IFGE, (The International Foundation for Gender Education) may be the one to step to the forefront. They have an opportunity to, possibly through Jane Ellen who is a board member, to bring together all of the various organizations.
"Things are as they are, " said Pooh. Virginia and Dallas, as well as all of us need to learn a valuable lesson. We are not all alike. We do not all have the same needs, desires or hopes. But, we are human beings with feelings and we are who we are.
