AEGIS Online News (Some Single Posts, 1997)

Subj: AEGIS-NEWS Digest Date: 97-01-02 08:40:38 EST From: aegisnws@xconn.com (List Server) Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com

============================================================================= AEGIS-NEWS DIGEST

A service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

=============================================================================

>From listserv@xconn.com Tue 31 Dec 1996 16:40:26 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E98Al; Tue 31 Dec 1996 16:40:26 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Defense Of Marriage Act administrative policies Date: Tue, 31 Dec 1996 16:40:26 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9612311640.E98Al@xconn.com>

Original Date: Tue, 31 Dec 1996 19:26:16 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

A friend of mine who works for the US Court system FAXed me the following document, which is the administrative information for the court system’s implimentation of DOMA for its employees.

Please pass this information as you think apropriate.

–Michelle

LEONIDAS RALPH MECHAM Director

CLARENCE A LEE, JR, Associate Director

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES COURTS

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20544

CHARLOTTE G. PEDDICORD Chief

Human Reources Division

December 17,1996

MEMORANDUM TO ALL APPOINTING OFFICERS

SUBJECT: Benefit Changes for 1996

1. Definitions of “Marriage” and “Spouse” for Benefit Purposes

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has recently informed us that the Defense of Marriage Act (Public Law 104-199) created a new section 7 to Title I of the U.S. Code. This new section provides that in the interpretation of any law enacted by the Congress, “the word ‘marriage’ means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word ‘spouse’ refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.” This definition is to be applied in “any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States.” According to OPM, this law clarifies that same-sex marriages cannot be recognized for benefit entitlement purposes under the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS), the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI), and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

However, this law does not effect [sic] the definition of “family member” found in both the Federal Employee Family Friendly Leave Act (Public Law 103-388), which allows federal employees to use sick leave to care for a family member and/or for purposes relating to the death of a family member, and the leave sharing program (Public Law 103-103). The definition of “family member” for these programs includes the following: “any individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.”

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>From listserv@xconn.com Tue 31 Dec 1996 20:35:25 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E08rQ; Tue 31 Dec 1996 20:35:25 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Right to be different in Rosario Date: Tue, 31 Dec 1996 20:35:25 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9612312035.E08rQ@xconn.com>

Original Date: Tue, 31 Dec 1996 22:15:00 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

Escrita en el Cuerpo – Archives and Library Electronic News Service

ANOTHER CITY DARING TO BE “DIFFERENT”

A proposal advocating for the acknowledgement and guarantee of the right to be different was submitted by Colectivo Arco Iris (gay/lesbian group based in Rosario, Argentina’s second city in size and population) to the local town council. The proposal is similar to the one adopted by Buenos Aires few

months ago. It was supported by Amnesty International, ILGA and the local University.

The proposal was passed on December 20 and the definite text reads: “no discrimination involving exclusion in the name of or under the excuse of race, ethnical affiliation, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, ideology, nationality, physical appearance, psychological, social, economical condition or any other circumstance will be allowed … The city promotes the removal of any and every type of obstacles that, actually restricting equality and freedom, impede a person’s full development and her/his effective participation in the social, political or economical community life.

Rosario’s activists celebrated the new clause, with the hope it will contribute to alliviate the hard realities currently faced by lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people there. Firings due to sexual orientation (the organisation receives around 30 complaints per months), arbitrary arrest and youth suicide are the main problems affecting the Rosario GLTTB community, as denounced by Arco Iris.

Colectivo Arco Iris is the main GLTTB organisation outside Buenos Aires. It was founded in March 1994, by Pedro Paradiso and Guillermo Lovagnini, now joined by an enthusiastic and highly efficient group of young lesbians, gays

and transgender people. Their current activities include: support groups (for people living with HIV/AIDS, for lesbians and for transgender people), massive distribution of leaflets educating about AIDS, work projects for people with AIDS, hot line for receiving discrimination complaints and an ongoing presence at the local media, community organisations and schools. Besides, Arco Iris was the host of the I National Gathering of GLTT and a key factor for its success.

If you want to congratulate Rosario activists for their victory, please write to: Colectivo Arco Iris C.C. 208 (2000), Rosario Provincia de Santa Fe Argentina Phone/fax: (54 – 41) 47 02 68

Alejandra Sarda Escrita en el Cuerpo Avda. San Martin 2704, 4to. C (1416), Buenos Aires, Argentina Phone: (54 1) 581 01 79 Fax: (54 1) 373 89 55 E.mail: ales@wamani.apc.org

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>From listserv@xconn.com Wed 1 Jan 1997 22:55:33 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E70FB; Wed 1 Jan 1997 22:55:33 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: MEDIAlert! – for 31 DEC 96 Date: Wed, 1 Jan 1997 22:55:33 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701012255.E70FB@xconn.com>

Original Date: Thu, 02 Jan 1997 00:57:58 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

From: Al Kielwasser <MediAction@aol.com> Subject: MEDIAlert! – for 31 DEC 96 To: GLB-NEWS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM

*** DID SHE, OR DIDN’T SHE? . . . Reuters/Variety (Dec. 23) reports that “HBO has halted work on a movie about J. Edgar Hoover, because it could not resolve such issues as whether to portray the late FBI director as a cross-dresser who had an affair with his right-hand man, Clyde Tolson.” Apparently, network executives objected to “the issue of drag and other allegations made in the Anthony Summers book ‘Official and Confidential: The

Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover,’ which served as HBO’s source material for the film.” However, HBO sources deny that the network is “shying away from volatile subject matter” and insist the script is still being developed.

Aside from a latenight phone call from an HBO staffer, Summers said he has not been fully briefed by the network. “Three weeks ago, I had a call from a

woman who was very rude at 9:30 at night, asking, ‘What’s this about Hoover being homosexual, what are your facts to back it up?,'” Summers said. According to Variety, HBO has “officially declined comment.”

Contact: HBO, Jeff Bewkes, President, HBO, 1100 Avenue of the Americas, New

York, NY 10036, fax 212-512-5517, web http://www.hbo.com/cmp/feedback.html.

ABOUT MEDIALERTS

Distributed as a community press service since 1992, “MEDIAlert!” [TM] (formerly “Media Watch”) is a biweekly, advocacy-oriented column of media criticism, primarily focused on lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender issues. Recipients may print, publish or post this material, in whole or part, under

this or any title, without prior permission. When appropriate, attribution can be made to “Al Kielwasser” and/or “MEDIAlert!” File copies of publications using all or part of any “MEDIAlert!” are always appreciated (and can be sent to the address below).

Next “MEDIAlert!”: January 15, 1997. Contact: A. P. Kielwasser, MEDIAction, 163 Park Street, San Francisco, CA 94110-5835, voice-mail 415-826-5203, fax 415-826-5203 (ext. 8), e-mail mediaction@aol.com.

Subj: AEGIS-NEWS Digest Date: 97-01-05 07:10:16 EST From: aegisnws@xconn.com (List Server) Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com

============================================================================= AEGIS-NEWS DIGEST

A service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

=============================================================================

>From listserv@xconn.com Sat 4 Jan 1997 00:28:08 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E89mR; Sat 4 Jan 1997 00:28:08 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: European Tradition of Clitorectomy Date: Sat, 4 Jan 1997 00:28:08 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701040028.E89mR@xconn.com>

Original Date: Sat, 04 Jan 1997 01:49:48 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

To: “ISNA news” <cchase@isna.org> From: Cheryl Chase <cchase@isna.org> Subject: European Tradition of Clitorectomy

European Tradition of Clitorectomy

A new book on early Christian attitudes toward sex between woman discusses the long European tradition of clitorectomy employed both to stem homosexuality, and against women with “overly large” clitorises.

“Without knowledge of the selective clitoridectomy performed on women with “masculine” desires, we might erroneously see nineteenth- and twentieth century lobotomies and hysterectomies performed on lesbians as absolute innovations” (Brooten 1996, p 18). A seventeenth century surgical textbook illustration demonstrating the technique for performing clitorectomy is reproduced. The technique is attributed to the gynecology text of Soranos (1st/ 2d C. CE).

European and Arab medical texts from the middle ages through the modern period have recommended clitorectomy for women “overly large” clitorises, which they associated with immoderate sexual behavior, and with a masculine desire to penetrate. The surgery is simple enough: the woman is to be placed lying on her back, with her feet together. The surgeon grasps the clitoris with a forceps, then removes it with a scalpel.

Though author Brooten, Professor of Christian Studies at Brandeis University, cites Kessler’s “Medical Construction,” she appears to doubt that large clitorises were common, or generally related to hermaphroditism.

Brooten, Bernadette J. 1996. Love between women: early christian responses to female homoeroticism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Kessler, Suzanne. 1990. The medical construction of gender: case management of intersexual infants. Signs 16 (1):3-26.

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>From listserv@xconn.com Sat 4 Jan 1997 00:28:08 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E45xe; Sat 4 Jan 1997 00:28:08 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: WOCKNER/1996/QUEEREST QUOTES OF 1996 Date: Sat, 4 Jan 1997 00:28:08 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701040028.E45xe@xconn.com>

Original Date: Sat, 04 Jan 1997 01:50:04 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

From:

============================= = QUEEREST QUOTES OF 1996 = = (c) Rex Wockner = =============================

Reprinted with permission.

“I do not impersonate women. How many women do you know who march around in 7-inch heels, 3-foot wigs and skin-tight outfits? Women don’t wear that, _drag queens_ wear that! The public persona of RuPaul is just a fabulous, eye-popping celebrity package designed to work well in front of the camera.”

–RuPaul to Chicago’s BLACKlines.

<><><><><>

“I don’t mind straight people as long as they act gay in public.”

–T-shirt worn by Chicago Bulls transvestite Dennis Rodman during a network-TV interview.

<><><><><>

“Old or young, healthy as a horse or a person with a disability that hasn’t kept you down, man or woman, Native American, native-born, immigrant, straight or gay — whatever — the test [for acceptance by others] ought to be: I believe in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. I believe in religious liberty, I believe in freedom of speech, and I believe in working hard and playing by the rules.”

–Bill Clinton in his speech accepting the Democratic nomination for president.

<><><><><>

* PET PEEVES *

“It _really_ bothers me when I see people doing my mother in drag. I mean, just imagine if you saw people doing that with _your_ mother.”

–Cher’s lesbian daughter, Chastity Bono, to Oregon’s Just Out.

<><><><><>

“It’s these propaganda queens who are really hurting us. These people who put out this lie that we’re exactly the same [as heterosexuals] and that we’re just straight people who fuck our own; that is just not true!”

–Kids In The Halls’ Scott Thompson to San Francisco Bay Times.

<><><><><>

“[W]ithout consulting the rest of us mere mortals, [NGLTF] suddenly rename[d] us ‘the gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgendered movement’ or, as one of NGLTF’s leaders recently said in a press release, ‘the g/l/b/t community.’ Sounds like a sandwich. … NGLTF’s often dated and unrealistic political dogma will be cast off by the gay masses in due time.”

–Out magazine columnist Michelangelo Signorile.

<><><><><>

“They offered me either the Queen or the Lincoln [bedrooms]. Being from San Francisco, the Queen intrigued me. [But] I’m doing the Lincoln. He cut me loose.”

–San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown on spending the night at the White House.

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>From listserv@xconn.com Sat 4 Jan 1997 00:28:08 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E01rx; Sat 4 Jan 1997 00:28:08 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Intersex Society of New Zealand Established Date: Sat, 4 Jan 1997 00:28:08 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701040028.E01rx@xconn.com>

Original Date: Sat, 04 Jan 1997 01:49:59 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

[1 January, 1997 — San Francisco]

ISNA is pleased to announce the establishment of the Intersex Society of New Zealand. ISNZ intends to provide peer support for intersexed people and their families, and public education and advocacy against harmful and unnecessary genital surgeries, secrecy, and stigma. Founder Mani Bruce Mitchell has already spoken before several groups of physicians, and is scheduled to appear before New Zealand’s Human Rights Commission.

Inquiries, letters of congratulation, or donations may be sent to:

Intersex Society of New Zealand PO Box 9196 Wellington New Zealand

Tel +6 4 4727386 Fax +6 4 4727387

Subj: AEGIS-NEWS Digest Date: 97-01-16 08:15:00 EST From: aegisnws@xconn.com (List Server) Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com

============================================================================= AEGIS-NEWS DIGEST

A service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

=============================================================================

>From listserv@xconn.com Sun 12 Jan 1997 21:00:18 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E97xz; Sun 12 Jan 1997 21:00:18 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: TRIAL STARTS ON TRANSPRISONER RAPE CASE Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1997 21:00:18 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701122100.E97xz@xconn.com>

Original Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1997 23:09:55 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

MEDIA ADVISORY – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Riki Anne Wilchins (212)645-1753, Riki@Pipeline.COM

TRIAL OPENS ON TRANSPRISONER RAPE CASE KICKED BACK BY SUPREME COURT

INMATE APPEALS FOR SUPPORT ====================================== [Madison, WI – January 10, 1996] The jury trial of raped trans-inmate Dee Farmer, whose case went all the way up to the Supreme Court, begins January 21st in Madison, Wisconsin. After Farmer had been raped in prison, she charged that prison authorities – who knew of her transgender status – had failed to take proper steps to protect her from a sexual assault which was virtually inevitable.

Wisconsin Federal Court Judge John Shabaz threw out Farmer’s case on grounds that the prison had not been properly notified of the special risks she faced. Ms. Farmer, with little money and few resources, refused to back down, appealing her case all the way to the Supreme Court. The Court heard the case last year, ruling that prison officials could not require notification if the risk at hand was obvious. The case was sent back to Judge Shabaz’s courtroom for trial.

Farmer’s suit affects all current and future genderqueer prisoners who are held in a sexually-hostile environment, subject to repeated sexual assault, and dependent upon prison officials for protection. Farmer’s case is unique in that – despite the tremendous odds against her – she has refused to drop her suit.

Ms. Farmer spoke to InYourFace from a prison in Oklahoma, where she is being held while in transit to her trial. Declared Dee, “Transpeople in prison deserve to be able to pay their debt to society free of the constant fear of sexual assault or rape, just because prison authorities consider them disposable inmates. When my case was first heard, the courtroom was empty and the judge simply threw it out. This time, I hope members of the queer community will show up and support me. Not only because my case affects queer- inmates all across the country, but because — although this time it’s me — the next time it could be any one.”

Ms. Farmer is being represented by Wisconsin attorneys, Virginia Jones and Peg Kelsey. For those interested in attending the opening day to support Dee, the trail is at:

Federal Courthouse 120 North Henry Madison WI Tuesday, January 21st Judge John Shabaz

### (c) 1996 InYourFace An on-line, news-only service for gender activism. When re-posting, please credit InYourFace.

Dallas Denny, M.A., Executive Director

American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc. A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation P.O. Box 33724, Decatur, GA 30033-0724 (770) 939-2128 Business (770) 939-0244 Information & Referrals (770) 939-1770 FAX aegis@mindspring.com or aegis@gender.org E-Mail

Visit the AEGIS FTP Site: ftp://ftp.mindspring.com/users/aegis/ User ID: anonymous Password: (your email address)

We have several electronic mailing lists: AEGIS NEWS: Trans-related news, press releases, and items of interest GENDER HELP: Discussion of issues related to transition and personal growth

(Send e-mail to listserv@xconn.com; on separate lines in the message, include the following: subscribe aegisnws subscribe gendhelp

If you’re on AOL, try the keyword AEGIS

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>From listserv@xconn.com Sun 12 Jan 1997 21:00:18 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E95et; Sun 12 Jan 1997 21:00:18 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: New List: glbt-workplace Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1997 21:00:18 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701122100.E95et@xconn.com>

Original Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1997 23:10:42 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

Caitlin Flowers and Tamara Alexander separately sent us this notice:

— Dallas

*** Please Post Widely ***

Announcing a new internet mailing list for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the workplace!

glbt-workplace is a general discussion list on any topic which is in some way related to both GLBTs and the workplace. There are many unique concerns that GLBTs have in the workplace – being closeted, outed and coming out; interactions with coworkers and managers; activism to attain equitable treatment; workplace activities in the community, etc. This is the appropriate place to post news stories, action alerts, questions, or just general discussion.

The goals of this list are to: – provide a supportive space for the workplace concerns of GLBTs – share what it is like to be GLBT in various fields – industry, acedemia, professional, blue collar, pink collar, etc. – facilitate activism and an exchange of ideas – share resources for information and mutual support

To subscribe, send email to Majordomo@QueerNet.ORG, with the body containing:

subscribe glbt-workplace your-email-address

Questions? Contact klyndon@queernet.org

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>From listserv@xconn.com Sun 12 Jan 1997 21:00:18 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E32ZK; Sun 12 Jan 1997 21:00:18 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: TRANSGENDER PRISONER SEXUALLY ASSAULTED Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1997 21:00:18 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701122100.E32ZK@xconn.com>

Original Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1997 23:19:42 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

TRANSGENDER PRISONER SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BY CORRECTIONS OFFICER Mid-Valley Support Coalition, a human rights organization dedicated to breaking the silence about psychiatric assault and promoting humane alternatives for people in emotional crises, is monitoring a case of transphobic sexual violence in the Wasington state prison system. We have taken-an interest in this case because our friends in prison are neglected, marginalized, and stigmatized in some of the same ways we as psychiatric survivors are; and transexuals are oppressed by institutionalized medical neglect both in prison and in the “free” world. Donald Merlyn Snook is an electroshock survivor, a prisoner in the Washington state prison system, and a paralegal. He is an old friend of Crystal, a pre-operative transexual prisoner who was sexually assaulted by a prison guard. When Don and Crystal began litigation against this guard, whose name is Robert Mitchell, prison officials waged a relentless campaign of sexual harassment and intimidation against Crystal. According to the article Don has written about this case, many prison officials were involved in this malicious and illegal retaliation, from the Dept. of Corrections Superintendant all the way down the hierarchy to the prison librarian.

Crystal and Don have filed a CIVIL RIGHTS ACTION against Robert Mitchell and other Dept. of Corrections employees. They have obtained a lawyer who is educating himself about transgender issues. Incredibly, the Washington state attorney general’s office is illegally using taxpayer dollars to defend Robert Mitchell. A tentative trial date for Crystal’s and Don’s CIVIL RIGHTS ACTION has been set for JULY 14th, 1997. We hope to publicize this between now and then, all over the country but especially in the Northwest, so that people will protest the Washington state prison system’s brutal treatment of Crystal and other transgendered prisoners. The trial will be in Walla Walla WA.

PROTEST FOR CRYSTAL IN JULY 1997! SEND US ADDRESSES OF TRANSGENDER ACTIVISTS, ESPECIALLY IN WASHINGTON! PHOTOCOPY THIS FLIER AND GIVE IT TO ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE FIGHTING RAPE, TRANSPHOBIA, HOMOPHOBIA, AND PRISON ABUSE OF ALL KINDS! GET A COPY OF DON’S ARTICLE AND SPREAD THE WORD!

Prison regulations require that correspondence use Crystal’s birth name: Douglas W. Schwenk #902875 Airway Heights Corrections Center P.O. Box 1839 N-B-9-L Airway Heights, WA 99001-1839

Donald Merlyn Snook #627618 Washington State Penitentiary 1313 North 13th Ave. 1-C-8 Walla Walla, WA 99362 Send letters of protest to: Nancy J. Krier Asst. Attorney General Corrections Division P.O. Box 40116 Olympia, WA 98504-0116

For copies of Don’s article write us at: Mid-Valley Support Coalition 131 N. W. 4th St. Suite #204 Corvallis, OR 97330 (send stamps if you can)

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>From listserv@xconn.com Sun 12 Jan 1997 21:00:18 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E55vE; Sun 12 Jan 1997 21:00:18 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: The National Lottery / UK Transgendered Yellow Pages Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1997 21:00:18 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701122100.E55vE@xconn.com>

Original Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1997 23:23:14 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

Dear All

1997 is off to a great start!

The Gender Trust has won The National Lottery.

The Trust has expanded greatly since its inception just 6 years ago. While this is a welcome endorsement of what we offer to our members and all those people who have turned to us for help, information or advice, it represents an ever increasing workload for a relatively small team of volunteers. The Trustees had begun to think of the possible merit of establishing a proper office with someone employed to help with this workload. Alas, this seemed to involve what must be a common dilemma for organisations at our stage of development. Without some extra help and facilities it would be difficult to meet the increasing demands on our services, yet without providing increased services, or reaching more potential members, we would not have the financial resources to pay for such expansion. Money was the obvious, if elusive, solution!

It then came to our attention that the National Lottery Charities Board were planning a round of grants dedicated to the theme of health, disability and care. There was not a lot of time to act, but we obtained the necessary application pack and submitted a bid. It was necessary to find an independent referee to support our application and we were delighted when Alex Carlile QC, MP agreed to act in this capacity for us.

What we were seeking was a grant to meet the major part of the costs of establishing a small office and employing one part time worker to help us over a 3 year period. We would obviously hope that after the period of the grant we would be able to sustain this level of activity from our own resources.

The funds available to the Board are always greatly over subscribed but we have been successful. The grant is one of 65 to be announced today (13th January 1997) and will, I am sure, be picked up by the national press. While we can hope for a positive response from the press, I think it would be naive to expect anything but bigotry from the tabloids – we have a long way still to go!

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UK Transgendered Yellow Pages

You can now find the UK Transgendered Yellow Pages at:

http://www3.mistral.co.uk/gentrust/index2.htm

If you have not seen them yet please take a look – if you have information that can be added to them, please e-mail me with details.

Lots of hugs

Tracy Dean Vice-Chair – The Gender Trust

Serving the Gender Community at http://www3.mistral.co.uk/gentrust

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>From listserv@xconn.com Mon 13 Jan 1997 21:59:13 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E99lV; Mon 13 Jan 1997 21:59:13 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: SLSA Conference – call for papers Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 21:59:13 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701132159.E99lV@xconn.com>

Original Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 21:48:10 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

Socio-Legal Studies Annual Conference Cardiff, UK, April 2nd -4th 1997.

Richard Collier and Lois Biibings are co-ordinating a stream: SEXUALITY, GENDER AND THE BODIES OF LAW The stream will include a wide range of papers which address inter alia issues of sexuality, gender, feminism, masculinity, the body and medicine. In line with the Conference theme of `Crossing Boundaries’, they are keen to include papers of an interdisciplinary nature, in particular they are keen to encourage speakers from other jurisdictions to offer papers.

If you would like to present a paper, please contact Richard Collier or Lois Bibbings, with the proposed title and a brief extract (200 words) by the 15th January 1997. It is likely that 10-12 papers of a sufficiently high quality will be published by Dartmouth Press in an edited collection within its Socio- Legal series.

Contact: Richard Collier, Reader in Law, Newcastle Law School, 22-24 Windsor Terrace, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, Tel: 0191 222 6000 ext 6655, Fax: 0191 212 0064, email: Richard.Collier@Newcastle.ac.uk OR Lois Bibbings, Department of Law, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Rd, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, Tel: 0117 928 8852, Fax: 0117 925 1870, email: lois.S.Bibbings@Bristol.ac.uk

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>From listserv@xconn.com Wed 15 Jan 1997 00:12:21 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E41ro; Wed 15 Jan 1997 00:12:21 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: (Australia) Brother Sister News – 9/1/97 Date: Wed, 15 Jan 1997 00:12:21 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701150012.E41ro@xconn.com>

Original Date: Wed, 15 Jan 1997 01:41:00 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

The following item is from

BROTHER SISTER – QUEER NEWS FROM DOWNUNDER

Issue #123 – 9/1/97

CINEMA’S A DRAG

Supermodel Elle Macpherson is tipped to portray famous transsexual performer Carlotta in an upcoming Hollywood movie. The Kings Cross veteran has sold the rights to her biography, He Did It Her Way, to a major Hollywood film company and although Macpherson must yet approve a final script, she has indicated an interest in the part. “When I was asked who I’d like to see doing the part, I’d said half-jokingly Elle Macpherson,” Carlotta said from Lismore, where her current tour Carlotta and Her Beautiful Boys is playing. “Then I heard that her agent had been approached and was interested, and that she was as well.” There is currently a writer working on a script in New York, but Carlotta said the author of her original biography, James Cockington, was also preparing a script. “Then they’ll present them to Elle to get the go-ahead from her,” she said. “Of course I’d love to see her so the part-who wouldn’t? I think it’d be the biggest laugh in Sydney. She might not have my legs, but the likeness is there in the tits.” Meanwhile, Carlotta’s next tour, Las Vegas By Night, will be premiering in Brisbane in March. Carlotta described her last appearance in her old stamping ground at Brisbane as “phenomenal”. She added, “I had a tear in my eye that evening.” Stephen Scott

Brother Sister is a fortnightly newspaper published in Melbourne, VIC and Brisbane, QLD, Australia. I have selected the main news stories as well as items of interest.

Overseas media who utilise any or all of the above material please credit Brother Sister as your source (and by-line if it is listed). Thank you.

Brendon Wickham

Subj: AEGIS-NEWS Digest Date: 97-01-24 07:19:20 EST From: aegisnws@xconn.com (List Server) Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com ============================================== AEGIS-NEWS DIGEST

A service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

=============================================================================

>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 23 Jan 1997 16:28:40 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E19Va; Thu 23 Jan 1997 16:28:40 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: WOCKNER/INT’L NEWS #140/1 Jan 1997 Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 16:28:40 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701231628.E19Va@xconn.com>

Original Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 19:09:35 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

============================================= = INTERNATIONAL NEWS #140 – Jan 01, 1997 = = (c) Rex Wockner = =============================================

Reprinted with Permission

>> NICARAGUAN TRANSVESTITE THROWN DOWN WELL

Managua, Nicaragua, transvestite Jose Ramon Martinez Arteaga, 22, spent eight days at the bottom of a well in mid- December after two homophobes raped him then threw him in, reported La Prensa. The tranny, also known as “Shakira,” said the men picked him up at a dance club. “With lies, they led me to a field where they violently assaulted me, one after the other, and when they had satisfied their animal desires, they tied a cord around my neck as if to strangle me,” Martinez said. Martinez fractured a leg when he was tossed into the pit and could not climb out. Searching family members heard his cries eight days later. “I slept next to a plastic pipe. The ants and lizards were my friends,” Martinez said.

(c) 1997 Rex Wockner

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>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 23 Jan 1997 21:26:23 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E05dM; Thu 23 Jan 1997 21:26:23 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: CBC Newsworld Sunday Morning Live Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 21:26:23 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701232126.E05dM@xconn.com>

Original Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 23:48:39 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

ANNOUNCEMENT

Please forward or post to others who may be interested

Holly Devor, Ph.D. Henry Rubin, Ph.D. Ray Blanchard. Ph.D. Sociologist Author, FTM Psychiatrist University of Victoria Boston Clarke Institute

Will be speaking about FTMs on CBC Newsworld Sunday Morning Live Sunday January 26th

Check local listings for times (approx. 8:30 am PST)

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>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 23 Jan 1997 21:26:23 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E98Vv; Thu 23 Jan 1997 21:26:23 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: ICOP ’97 Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 21:26:23 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701232126.E98Vv@xconn.com>

Original Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 23:48:45 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

Hi all–

The “International Conference on Prostitution: An Interface of Cultural, Legal and Social Issues” will take place in Van Nuys, California, March 13-16, 1997. This conference is co-sponsored by The Center for Sex Research at California State University, Northridge, and COYOTE LA. If anyone wants more information about this conference, email James E. Elias, Director of The

Center for Sex Research, at <james.elias@email.csun.edu>.

I’ve just received the preliminary program, which includes a session entitled

“The Transgendered Community and Prostitution.” The paper titles & presenters

in this session are: “She-Male Prostitutes: Who Are They, What Do They Do, and Why Do They Do It?”

Dwight Dixon, J.D., Ph.D., Joan K. Dixon, Ph.D., and Jan Eder, Psy.D., San Diego, California “Prostitution in The Transgender Community” Nora Gaberlya Molina, New York, New York “The $1500 Lick and Other Stories: The Lives of Transgender Sex Workers in Detroit, Michigan” Larry Gant, Ph.D., University of Michigan; Alvine Bell, Executive Director, Project Survival; and April Dancer, Homemaker, Detroit, Michigan

A session called “Law, Legal Reform and Sex Workers II” includes a paper entitled “Asian Pacific Islander Transgender Prostitution” by Stephanie Eng. Do any of you have any background on these folks? Should my antennae be twitching? Showing up with a carload of Transexual Menace t-shirts? Planning

to take careful notes and network with smart, cool trans studies scholars? Or

what?

Richard Green also has a prominent place on the program. His talk is entitled

“The Law and Sexual Tourism.”

Best, Jacob Hale

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>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 23 Jan 1997 21:26:23 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E42zL; Thu 23 Jan 1997 21:26:23 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: OP-ED: D’Emilio Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 21:26:23 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701232126.E42zL@xconn.com>

Original Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 23:48:48 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

********************************************************************* National Gay and Lesbian Task Force OPINION-EDITORIAL

Contact: John D’Emilio 202/332-6483 x3302 jdemilio@ngltf.org

2320 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 http://www.ngltf.org *********************************************************************

The following is an opinion/commentary written by Dr. John D’Emilio, the director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Policy Institute. This

month’s commentary is a tribute to the life of Dr. Evelyn Hooker, whose work did much to change scientific understanding of homosexuality.

Dr. D’Emilio is a noted historian and author. His works include “Making Trouble: Essays on Gay History, Politics and the University” (Routledge, 1992), “Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States, 1940-1970” (University of Chicago Press, 1983), and he is the co-author of “Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America” (Harper and Row, 1988). He is currently working on a biography of the late Bayard Rustin.

D’Emilio’s monthly column is available the last week of each month. Please publish or distribute this piece. Photos of Dr. D’Emilio are available by contacting Tracey Conaty at 202/332-6483 x3303.

…………………………………………………………….

Unsung Hero

By John D’Emilio Director, NGLTF Policy Insitute

Evelyn Hooker died in November at the ripe old age of 89. I’m willing to lay

odds that not many of us know who she is or what she did. Yet she deserves the status of hero in our community as a pioneering psychologist whose research has changed our world. Her career is also a fascinating case study of the potentially productive relationship between “the expert” and a social movement.

Hooker earned a Ph.D. in psychology in the early 1930s–not an easy achievement for an American woman of that era–and was teaching at UCLA when a former student who had become a friend challenged her to study him and his other gay

male friends. “Science” was pretty clear in its attitudes toward homosexuality in the mid-20th century. Physicians, psychoanalysts, and psychologists agreed

that homosexuality was a mental disorder that needed treatment and cure. Since virtually all of the homosexuals whom professionals studied were either institutionalized or seeking medical help, it wasn’t hard to prove that we were sick and disturbed.

With the help of the recently formed Mattachine Society in southern California, Hooker became the first professional to assemble a group of non-patient gay men, and match them with a group of heterosexuals with similar demographic characteristics. She then administered a series of standard psychological tests to each group and asked a panel of professionals, who were kept in the dark about the identity of the subjects, to evaluate the test results. Much to their surprise, and to Hooker’s delight, they were unable to tell the homosexuals from the heterosexuals, and rated the gay subjects high in personality development

and emotional adjustment. Two decades later, when I interviewed Hooker for a

book I was writing on the homophile movement of the 1950s, she chuckled mischievously as she remembered how baffled the other professionals were by the outcome.

Hooker’s work shattered conventional wisdom. Throughout the 1950s, Hooker kept giving papers at professional conventions and publishing scholarly articles about her research. In the 1960s, she began expanding her work to study gay men not just as individuals but as members of a community–a novel way of looking at us. Slowly, networks of dissenting medical and mental health professionals began to form, and Hooker’s work was the catalyst that made it happen. She also kept up her ties with the homophile movement, and provided support and encouragement for their efforts to make change.

In 1967, Hooker was approached by the National Institute of Mental Health to

chair a Task Force on Homosexuality. Gay activists were thrilled, since Hooker was clearly an ally and, in fact, the composition of the Task Force seemed stacked in our favor. When the Task Force released its report in 1969, the final document was without doubt the most enlightened statement on homosexuality ever to have emerged from our government. I have often wondered what difference it

would have made if the liberal Democrat, Hubert Humphrey, had been elected president in 1968, instead of Richard Nixon. Would the government have started to act on the recommendations of its own Task Force?

Meanwhile, Hooker’s work had started the ball rolling toward an historic achievement: the decision by the American Psychiatric Association in 1973 to

remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. Simultaneously, the open-minded approach of this pioneering psychologist also had its effects on her own professional organization, the American Psychological Association. Today, in the 1990s, the APA has probably done more than any other mainstream professional society to advocate for fair treatment of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered people. APA has a staffer dedicated to gay concerns; it produces publications that can be used effectively in advocacy work; it files court briefs and testifies at legislative hearings; and it actively encourages and

supports groundbreaking research on issues of sexuality and identity.

We can’t give Hooker credit for all these changes, of course. But it is possible to trace the historical lines of influence back to her pioneering scholarly work.

Sometimes, as I work at the Task Force to develop its Policy Institute, I watch swirls of activity around me as staff respond to the latest hot spot in some

corner of the country. Frankly, I wonder whether it makes sense to be putting

resources into research and the production of knowledge when there are so many immediate crises at hand. And then I remember the work of Evelyn Hooker, and the difference it has made, and I know that we need to operate on many fronts at

once, that knowledge, as someone famous once said, is a form of power.

…………..

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is a progressive organization that has supported grassroots organizing and pioneered in national advocacy since 1973. Since its inception, NGLTF has been at the forefront of virtually every major

initiative for lesbian and gay rights. In all its efforts, NGLTF helps to strengthen the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender movement at the state level while connecting these activities to a national vision for change.

###

_________________________________________

This message was issued by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Media Department. If you have any questions regarding this post, please direct them to one of the contacts at the top of this message

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>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 23 Jan 1997 21:26:23 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E53mj; Thu 23 Jan 1997 21:26:23 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Transformations conference Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 21:26:23 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701232126.E53mj@xconn.com>

Original Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 23:48:53 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

Stephen suggested I post to the list about this conference. I’m excerpting the below from conference material, and adding a plug for the panel Del Grace, Jack Halberstam & I will be doing. I don’t have the program yet.–Jacob Hale

******************************************************************************

*****************

Transformations: Thinking through Feminism

17-19 July 1997

Lancaster University UK

This conference is dedicated to a consideration of the transformative power of feminism: its ability to engender alternative ways of thinking and being,

to shift boundaries and undo certainties. The intention of the conference is

to provide a space to reflect upon histories, futures, investments and the politics and practices of feminism. Where are we in the 1990s and how did we

get here? Do we want to be where we are and are we satisfied? We want participants to reflect upon and interrogate the transformations that are part of feminism’s history, present and future. But also to reflect upon how

we know our history, place and fantasy: what are the conventions and the boundaries of our knowing? What narratives do we employ to understand our places? What do we leave behind when we think about the future? What spaces to we vacate when we move on, what are the effects of transformations?

Confirmed Plenary Speakers: Avtar Brah; Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak; Gail Ching-Liang Low; Moira Gatens; Jean Grimshaw; Sneja Gunew; Donna Haraway; Joanna Hodge; Anne McClintock; Maureen McNeil; Elspeth Probyn; Valerie Walkerdine.

Confirmed Panel: “Beyond *Woman*, Beyond *Man*: Transgender Transformations of Fundamental Categories”: Del/la Grace: “Hermaphrodyke” Judith Halberstam: “Butch Realness: The Art of Gender Transformations” C. Jacob Hale: “FTM Transsexuality and Leatherdyke Genderplay: Gender Transformations and the Fiction of Unitary Gender”

For further information about Transformations: Sara Ahmed Centre for Women’s Studies Lancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YL U.K. <S.Ahmed@Lancaster.ac.uk>

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>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 23 Jan 1997 21:26:24 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E44ho; Thu 23 Jan 1997 21:26:24 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Dennis Rodman Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 21:26:24 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701232126.E44ho@xconn.com>

Original Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 23:49:14 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

Reprinted with permission from Etcetera, 17 January, 1997, V. 13, No. 3. Copyright 1997, Etcetera magazine.

Cross-Dressing Basketball Star Admits to Queer Fantasies

by David A. Moore

In a recent interview that appeared in The Advocate’s January 21 issue, outrageous basketball player Dennis Rodman confirmed that while he’s not had sex with another man, he’s definitely thought about the prospect. “Oh, of course,” he told writer Peter Galvin. “I’ve done it. It’s easy to do.”

Rodman offered further insight about his experiences “making out” with a transsexual and what the future might hold for his sexual orientation. “I think the more that I keep exploring myself in that area maybe one day it will happen,” he stated, and I’m gonna’ do it. And I’m gonna’ enjoy it. If it happens for me I’m gonna’ damn sure enjoy it.” Rodman’s skillful exploitation of the media through various flashy experiments in gender-bending fashion have no doubt contributed to his recent success. Because of his honesty and clearly pro-gay stance, you’ll now find “The Rodman World Tour,” a half-hour variety-interview show for MTV, listed in the totally queer Homoculture Entertainment Calendar. (Note from Dallas: this calendar is a feature of Etcetera, the source of this article).

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>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 23 Jan 1997 21:26:24 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E43Yj; Thu 23 Jan 1997 21:26:24 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Slouching Toward Nebraska Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 21:26:24 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.01 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9701232126.E43Yj@xconn.com>

Original Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 23:49:24 -0500 Originally From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org>

For those who may care, this week’s New Yorker magazine has an article about

the Brandon Teena murders, written by John Gregory Dunne, whose major claim to fame seems to be that he is the husband of Joan Didion. Certainly, he doesn’t have a clue. Those who read it might drop a line to the editor of New Yorker pointing that out to them.

— Dallas

Subj: AEGIS-NEWS Digest Date: 97-02-28 07:10:00 EST From: aegisnws@xconn.com (List Server) Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com

============================================================================= AEGIS-NEWS DIGEST

A service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

=============================================================================

>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 27 Feb 1997 18:55:26 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E67fQ; Thu 27 Feb 1997 18:55:26 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: True Spirit Conference Press Release Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 18:55:26 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9702271855.E67fQ@xconn.com>

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

February 26, 1997 (Laurel, MD)

PRESS RELEASE TRUE SPIRIT CONFERENCE A SUCCESS!

The True Spirit Conference was an outstanding success. The Laurel, Maryland conference drew over three hundred people over two days this past weekend. True Spirit was the first transgendered conference to be held in the Washington-Baltimore area and the third national F2M conference ever. The conference featured speeches, presentations, workshops, panels, informal caucuses, a dance with live music by transgendered musicians, and an exhibit hall with vendors and educational exhibits. The conference’s Native American theme addresses the Spirit which moves within each of us, granting us visions of who we are and describing our complete essence.

Leslie Feinberg, author of Transgender Warriors and Stone Butch Blues, keynoted the conference Saturday night in a speech rich with detailed analysis and passionate conviction. Feinberg’s address connected the transgendered movement not merely to the larger gay, lesbian and bisexual movement but to other struggles for civil and human rights. Feinberg urged hir listeners to understand the deep connections between all oppressed peoples, and she pointed out the synergy possible when such groups unite for joint action, such as the upcoming protest against the President’s Summit Meeting planned for April 27 in Philadelphia. Feinberg’s speech was attended by over 250 people, and was followed by musical performances featuring transgendered musicians.

On Sunday, Leslie Feinberg and Minnie Bruce Pratt both did readings of their work, along with Conference Chair Gary Bowen; Cecilia Tan, editor of Genderflex; Jay Allen Sennett; Laura Antoniou, editor of Leatherwomen; while the cast of ‘The Berdache’ did a live reading of the play by Cheryl Costa; and others. Sunday workshop presenters and panelists included Leslie Feinberg; Mary Boenke of PFLAG’s Transgender Special Outreach Network (TG-SON); Gary Bowen, Kitt Kling, Jon Banks and Adam Parascandola of the American Boyz; Marcelle Cook-Daniels;

Loree Cook-Daniels; Reverend Judy Maynard of M.C.C.; Angela Brightfeather Sheedy; Cheryl Costa; Kira Triea of the Intersex Society of North America; C. Michael Munson of FORGE; Jay Allen Sennett; Lissa Freed; Dragon Xcalibur, Seattle Leather Ambassador; Dr. Kathryn Thomas, Associate Director of the National Institute for the Study, Prevention, and Treatment of Sexual Trauma; Jess Marlowe, spokesperson for the Deaf Transgender Alliance (DTA); Ben Singer from the Trangender Health Action Coalition (THAC); Phyllis Frye, Dee McKeller, and Joanna McNamara of the International Committee on Transgender Law and Employment Policy (ICTLEP); Jessica Xavier of It’s Time America (ITA); and many others.

Gary Bowen, Conference Chair, stated that:

“It was a tremendous outpouring of support, affection, and information. Everyone came away revitalized and prepared to take the next steps in community development and obtaining our civil rights. The courage of the attendees was amazing.”

The conference organizers plan to make True Spirit an annual event, to be held in the same hotel the third weekend in February. Information on advance conference registrations will be made available shortly. For more information or interviews, contact True Spirit Conference, c/o The American Boyz, P.O. Box 1118, Elkton, MD, 21922-1118.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

The American Boyz is an Atlantic region support and social group for people born female who feel that is not an adequate or accurate description of who they are, including but not limited to: tomboys, butches, f2ms, transmen, drag kings, female crossdressers, intersexuals, and others, with our SOs, friends, family, and allies. For more info send email to <majordomo@netgsi.com> with ‘info amboyz’ embedded in the message.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

transman@netgsi.com

“Those who say something cannot be done should not interupt those who are doing it.”–Chinese proverb

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>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 27 Feb 1997 18:55:26 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E20bb; Thu 27 Feb 1997 18:55:26 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Singer talk at CUNY Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 18:55:26 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9702271855.E20bb@xconn.com>

For those who are around the NYC area, Ben Singer is going to be giving a

talk on March 5th at the CUNY Grad Center (33 W. 42nd), titled “Velveteen Realness: Transsexual Autobiography, Transsexual Politics” According to Ben, he’s going to be talking about the whole debate of transsexual (conservative) vs. transgender (radical) politics, and trying to connect to a

politics which validate our own ideal of realness regardless of how each person identifies.

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>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 27 Feb 1997 18:55:26 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E30WA; Thu 27 Feb 1997 18:55:26 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Trans Video Arrest Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 18:55:26 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9702271855.E30WA@xconn.com>

We got this, relayed by Charlotte Henry:

Thought you would like to see this Content-ID: <0_8935_856632418@emout04.mail.aol.com.145485> Content-type: text/plain; name=”VIDEO”

Subj: Obsenity Ruling on Video Rental Date: 94-10-01 08:52:13 EST From: Starlyter

Today the St. Petersburg Times reported that a jury convicted a video store clerk on obsenity charges for renting Colossal Combos Vol. 12, “a video showing transsexual sex.” Interestingly, this conviction came after several acquittals for het and gay video rentals.

The arrest was past of a (still active) undercover operation within the sheriff’s department. The state attorneys office has said it will “continue to presecute video store clerks.accused of selling or renting obscene material.” Since het and gay videos have now been found within “communty standards,” does this mean concentration on trans videos.

Is anyone familiar with this video? Is there a significant number of trans videos that could be targeted? Anyone have any reaction to the ruling? I am a

reporter for a gay paper, so please let me know if your response can be quoted. Thanks.

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>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 27 Feb 1997 18:55:26 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E38te; Thu 27 Feb 1997 18:55:26 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: No Limits Conference Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 18:55:26 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9702271855.E38te@xconn.com>

——————————-NO LIMITS—————————–

Transgenderism: Negotiating Gender Boundaries

March 14&15 1997

Fourth Annual Women’s Studies Conference Sponsored by the Women’s Studies Association University of Nebraska-Lincoln East Campus Union 37th & Holdrege Streets THE CONFERENCE: The NO LIMITS Interdisciplinary Conference on Women’s Studies began in 1994 with a group of dedicated students who wanted to sponsor a conference that adhered to the basic tenets of Women’s Studies. Each year, NO LIMITS, has hosted more than sixty presentations from students and community members involved in Women’s Studies in numerous academic departments and community groups. Topics range from women and art to analyses of violence against women. NO LIMITS also has accepted a number of creative readings, along with artistic displays and performances. In the spirit of openness, NO LIMITS does not charge a conference fee, although pre-registration is required. NO LIMITS is funded through donations from University departments. THE PRESENTORS: LOREN CAMERON,BERNICE JOHNSON REAGON,and JANE GILMORE NO LIMITS is pleased to announce three exceptional speakers. Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon from the acclaimed Sweet Honey In The Rock, will begin our conference Friday morning. Jane Gilmore, a nationally recognized multimedia artist will speak at a special luncheon sponsored by the Women’s Center. She will give her talk on cultural myths about women through art. We invite all of you to attend the soup and salad buffet luncheon and enjoy Jane Gilmore’s presentation. Lunch will be from 11:45-1:45. Tickets are available for $7.50. You are welcome to bring a brown bag lunch to this event. Then Friday evening at 7:00pm, Loren Cameron, an FTM photographer and author, will give a talk entitled “Body Alchemy.” A booksigning will follow his very special presentation. We hope you enjoy these impressive presentations.

************************ Registration Form *************************** Please respond via e-mail for regristration purposes only. If attending the luncheon, or purchasing a conference t-shirt please copy this form and send it along with your payment. Thanks.

———————- NO LIMITS Conference March 14&15, 1997 ——-

Name___________________________________________

Address________________________________________

E-mail/phone___________________________________

CONFERENCE ASSISTANCE ________ I need child care. The age(s) of child(ren) needing care is/are:

_______ I request other special assistance such as an interpreter, etc. I need:

FRIDAY LUNCHEON _______*Yes, I would like a meal pass for the luncheon with artist, Jane Gilmore. I have enclosed $7.50 for the soup and salad buffet. Beverages will be provided.

_______ No, I do not want a meal pass, but please reserve a seat for me to attend the presentation.

______ I would be interested in chairing a session for a panel.

PARKING _______ Please send me a campus parking pass.

CONFERENCE T-SHIRT ______ *I would like a NO LIMITS ’97 Special Edition T-Shirt. I have enclosed $10.00. Circle size M L XL XXL

RETURN THIS FORM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

_________ Total Amount Enclosed. Please make checks out to NO LIMITS conference.

Return to NO LIMITS Conference c/o Women’s Studies Program University of Nebraska-Lincoln 337 Andrews Hall Lincoln, NE 68588-0303 phone(402) 472-9392 e-mail 00214358@bigred.unl.edu

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>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 27 Feb 1997 21:02:30 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E01Em; Thu 27 Feb 1997 21:02:30 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: IHOP details Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 21:02:30 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9702272102.E01Em@xconn.com>

American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc. For Immediate Release

On Monday, Feb. 03, 1997, Charles Henry, a transgendered person who was born

male and who was presenting as male, took his 10 year old daughter out to eat at the IHOP restaurant located on E Alabama Rd in Woodstock, Ga. While they were eating, Henry kept noticing 2 employees staring at him from the kitchen area.

While it made him uncomfortable, he saw no reason to draw his daughter’s attention to it. The time was 6:50-7:40 pm, during the height of the rush hour.

As Henry and his daughter got up to leave, one of the men came out of the kitchen and followed them into the lobby wearing a T-shirt bearing the message >SILLY FAGGOT, DIX ARE FOR CHIX<. This was obviously an attempt to confront Henry, since the man was staring at him. Henry asked the shift manager, Mr. Scott Dukes, for the

owner’s name and number, paid for his food, and left. As he left the building, he turned to see Mr. Dukes talking casually to the person wearing the t-shirt.

Upon returning home, Henry called the 800 number which was posted on the front door of the restaurant and reported the incident. The following morning, Henry called the owner, Mr. Joe Scripture, and informed him of the situation. Mr.

Scripture, who also owns the IHOP in Buckhead, assured Henry that he would take care of the situation.

The next evening Henry called the restaurant and asked Dukes what had transpired as a result of his complaint. Dukes informed Henry that he had been questioned by the owner, but that he was unaware of any such T-shirt and offered that it could have been a customer wearing the shirt. Henry asked Dukes if he would allow a customer to wear such an obscenity in the restaurant and he

said he would. Henry asked how he could allow that kind of message in the restaurant in the presence of children, and Dukes’ reply was that he would not ask a customer to leave because of the T-shirt.

To date, Henry says he has had no indication that IHOP has taken any action other than to inform their employees that the kitchen area is off limits to anyone who isn’t an employee.

Henry has also received a form letter that said “Thank you for your comments”

and “We hope you like our restaurants.”

Dallas Denny, M.A., Executive Director

American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc. A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation P.O. Box 33724, Decatur, GA 30033-0724 (770) 939-2128 Business (770) 939-0244 Information & Referrals (770) 939-1770 FAX aegis@gender.org E-Mail

Our website is http://www.ren.org/rafil/aegis.html Visit the AEGIS FTP Site: ftp://ftp.mindspring.com/users/aegis/ User ID: anonymous Password: (your email address)

We have several electronic mailing lists: AEGIS NEWS: Trans-related news, press releases, and items of interest GENDER HELP: Discussion of issues related to transition and personal growth

(Send e-mail to listserv@xconn.com; on separate lines in the message, include the following: subscribe aegisnws subscribe gendhelp

If you’re on AOL, try the keyword AEGIS

Subj: AEGIS-NEWS Digest Date: 97-03-06 08:20:34 EST From: aegisnws@xconn.com (List Server) Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com ============================================================================= AEGIS-NEWS DIGEST

A service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

=============================================================================

>From listserv@xconn.com Wed 5 Mar 1997 19:09:53 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E27ZT; Wed 5 Mar 1997 19:09:53 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: FTM needed for Fire Safety Panel in TX Date: Wed, 5 Mar 1997 19:09:53 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9703051909.E27ZT@xconn.com>

Calling for a transsexual man/men in public safety to step forward!

The Center for Gender Sanity is presenting a workshop at the 7th International Conference of Fire Service Women in Austin, Texas May 28-June 1, 1997

Presenters:

Michele Kaemmerer, Fire Captain, Los Angeles City Fire Department, gender

and lesbian rights advocate, transsexual woman

Janis Walworth, MS, Gender rights activist, writer, educator, counselor. Title:

Transsexuals in the Fire Service: Strategy for Managing Effective Transitions Description:

In recent years, several transsexual men and women have emerged in Fire Departments around the country. We will discuss the phenomenon of transsexualism, experiences of individuals who have transitioned in the Fire

Service and other occupations, strategies for successful transitioning, and ways for coworkers and managers to be supportive of transsexuals in the work

place.

Format:

Lecture or panel discussion with questions and answers; 90 minutes

We are looking for a transsexual man in public safety service to join with us on the panel to offer their experience and point of view.

Contact us at the Center for Gender Sanity, POBox 451427, Westchester, CA

90045. fax: 310.216.9469 Email: Merkin77@aol.com

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>From listserv@xconn.com Wed 5 Mar 1997 19:09:53 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E73sR; Wed 5 Mar 1997 19:09:53 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Sandra Golvin’s “Pumpkin Pie” at CSUN Date: Wed, 5 Mar 1997 19:09:53 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9703051909.E73sR@xconn.com>

LesBiGayTrS –The Institute for Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender Studies at California State University, Northridge– is pleased to announce:

Sandra Golvin will be presenting a spoken word adaptation of her solo performance piece “Pumpkin Pie: A Story of Cross-Gender Transcendence”

Tuesday, March 18, University Student Union Grand Salon, 7:30 pm

This event is free and open to the public

Golvin’s performances of “Pumpkin Pie” have received rave reviews:

“Thanks for your wonderful performance and words–I laughed and laughed. Stay

bad.”–Pat Califia

“…forceful and darkly moving…great work!”–Gil Cuadros

“Golvin flashes at us descriptions as vivid as police photos that intrigue, disgust, make us laugh and wonder.”–Connie Monaghan, L.A. Weekly

“The body is central of Golvin’s performance, and the self-assurance with which she uses hers is truly remarkable…a one-two punch or sardonic social

commentary and bizarre eroticism…”–Rusty Thomas, L.A. Village View

“I was moved, disturbed, transported–and even offended…packs a wallop!”–Douglas Sadownick

“Sandra Golvin weaves a rich, intricate tale which is at once sexy, funny, painful, and extremely powerful. Her words are riveting, the thought behind them dazzling, and her performance sharp, daring and honest. Her work has the

transformative and inspiring qualities of Kate Bornstein, the sexy spirit of

Annie Sprinkle, the gender play of Split Britches, and the outrageousness of

Roseanne. Her quicky, brilliant sense of humor brings tears to my eyes every

time. She’s a gender outlaw, a renegade, and an icon who incorporates the pleasures and perils of ‘girl’ and ‘boy’ into Pumpkin Pie in a magical way.”–Tristan Taormino

Sandra Golvin is a poet, a performance and ceremonial artist, as well as an attorney-mediator. She practiced law in a major international law firm where

she was a partner specializing in litigation. She left after ten years to seek means of expressing her passions for art, justice and community. Since then, her journey has taken her in many directions. She has toured nationally

as a performance artist, creating solo works as well as a series of collaborative performances with the award-winning group Queer Rites. Her solo

show “Pumpkin Pie: A Story of Cross-Gender Transcendence” was featured at the

Sixth Annual Ecce Lesbo: Ecce Homo Performance Festival at Highways Performance Space, where it played to sold out houses and rave reviews. Her poems, essays and short stories have appeared in a number of journals and anthologies, including *Hers: Brilliant New Fiction by Lesbian Writers* (Faber & Faber 1995), *Best Lesbian Erotica 1996* (Cleis 1996), *Best Lesbian

Erotica 1997* (forthcoming Cleis 1977), *Forbidden* (forthcoming Alyson 1997), and the Canadian journal “Fireweed.” She is the co-editor of the ‘zine

“Diabolical Clits” and she recently completed her first novel, *Speaking the

Language of the Dead (a more of less true story about life, love and linguistics in the City of the Angels at the end of the Second Millenium)*. Her visual art has been exhibited in venues throughout Los Angeles. She is the producer of OutAuction, a week-long series of arts events for the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Community Center, and is past president of the boards of The

Woman’s Building and The 18th Street Arts Complex. She has her own mediation

practice in which she assists others to resolve disputes and solve problems.

As the co-counded of Urban Rituals and a long-time student of Celtic-based traditions, she designs rituals and ceremonies for individuals and communities to honor important occasions and transitions. Her thing is gender, language and the belief in magic.

For more information, contact Jacob Hale at <jacob.hale@email.csun.edu>, <zeroboycjh@aol.com>, or 818-677-2757.

Co-sponsored by Genderqueer Boyzzz: a Southern California social group for people assigned female at birth or in

childhood and raised girl-to-woman who have masculine self-identifications some or all of the time.

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>From listserv@xconn.com Wed 5 Mar 1997 19:09:53 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E87Wm; Wed 5 Mar 1997 19:09:53 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Re: couple of items Date: Wed, 5 Mar 1997 19:09:53 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9703051909.E87Wm@xconn.com>

For those of you who wish a little information that has been published on the

Web check out a few of these sites:

Sex Change Indigo Pages http://www.servtech.com/public/perette/Sc/

Gender Reassignment Surgery – Dr. Menard & Dr. Brassard http://www.sit.qc.ca/grs/welcom.htm

Gender Web Home Page http://www.genderweb.org/

Transgender Community Forum Information Page http://members.aol.com.onqgwen/

FTM International http://www.ftm-intl.org/

When You Love The One You’re With… http://www.genderweb.org/~cirntri

Anti Jen Pages http://www.genderweb.org/~jenstar/

I’m working on another site for FTM’s as we speak, so I just happened to have the information in front of me.

Enjoy,

Jerry Kellen McCracken Opening Soon: FTM On Line Informational Network http://members.aol.com/ftmolinfo/

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>From listserv@xconn.com Wed 5 Mar 1997 19:09:54 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E86Ms; Wed 5 Mar 1997 19:09:54 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: National LGBT Youth Summit Date: Wed, 5 Mar 1997 19:09:53 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9703051909.E86Ms@xconn.com>

From: NYouthAC@aol.com Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 18:24:02 -0500 (EST) Subject: National GLBT Youth Summit

SAVE THE DATE!!!

SUNDAY, APRIL 27 – TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1997 WASHINGTON, DC

You are invited to attend the First Annual Summit of the National Youth Advocacy Coalition. The mission of the First Annual Summit is to create a forum for the exchange of cutting-edge information; the development of local,

state and national advocacy strategies; and to advance the field of services

and advocacy for and with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth.

To receive information on the NYAC Summit, please contact us via email or call us at 202/319-7596.

——————————————————————————

—————————– The National Youth Advocacy Coalition, sponsored by the Hetrick-Martin Institute, was established in 1993 to address the need for a national organization dedicated to improving the lives of young people facing discrimination based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The

Coalition addresses issues faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth through the collaboration of a broad range of community-based and national organization members across the country.

Subj: AEGIS-NEWS Digest Date: 97-03-15 07:10:11 EST From: aegisnws@xconn.com (List Server) Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com ============================================================================= AEGIS-NEWS DIGEST

A service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

=============================================================================

>From listserv@xconn.com Fri 14 Mar 1997 13:50:28 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E48IE; Fri 14 Mar 1997 13:50:28 From: OnQGwen@aol.com Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Hot from Missouri! Date: Fri, 14 Mar 1997 13:50:28 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9703141350.E48IE@xconn.com>

St Louis Post Net Web Site:

http://www.stlnet.com:8080/postnet/home.nsf/NewsBriefing/8625642000654DF986256

45800300689

Transsexual Divorced Dad Denied Custody Wednesday, March 12, 1997 By Tim Bryant Of The Post-Dispatch Staff

A divorced transsexual father, who is now a woman, lost joint custody of her

two sons Tuesday after a ruling by a state appeals court panel in St. Louis. The woman, now called Sharon, also may not see the boys again, unless a St. Charles judge decides that the visits would be in the children’s best interests, according to the 2-1 ruling.

The appeals court, at the mother’s request, uses initials to identify the parents. Some stories in the Post-Dispatch have used Karen as a pseudonym for

the mother, at her request, to protect the children’s privacy.

One boy is 10; his brother is 7.

Karen and the boys’ father met in 1982 while she was in college and he was in

the Air Force. They married in 1983.

Karen has said that their relationship was always strained. In 1991, the father refused to go with his family to visit Karen’s relatives. When she and

the boys returned three weeks later, the father told Karen that he had spent

the time living as a woman.

The couple separated in 1992. The father underwent a hair transplant, electrolysis, hormone treatments and psychotherapy. Karen filed for divorce in June 1993.

The father underwent sex-change surgery 71 days before the divorce trial. The

couple divorced in St. Charles County in 1995.

Tuesday’s appeals court ruling dealt with the divorce decree by St. Charles County Circuit Judge William T. Lohmar Jr.

Lohmar gave Karen primary custody of the couple’s sons but gave the father joint legal custody, which allowed the father unsupervised visitation for two

weeks in the summer and on alternate holidays. Lohmar had said visitation could begin a year after the date of the decree.

But the children have not seen their father in four years. Karen lives in St.

Charles, and Sharon lives in suburban Washington D.C.

“This is a unique situation, and it is imperative that evaluations of the parents and children are made prior to the children’s face-to-face reunification with the father,” Judge Paul Simon of the Missouri Court of Appeals wrote in the majority opinion.

Simon, joined by Presiding Judge Mary Rhodes Russell, gave the boys’ mother sole legal custody and returned the case to St. Charles County Circuit Court

for a hearing regarding visitation.

“If the trial court decides, after the hearing, that the children are not emotionally and mentally suited for physical contact with their father, then

the trial court should not order visitation until such time as the parties demonstrate it is in the children’s best interest to do so,” Simon wrote. Efforts to reach the father’s lawyer were unsuccessful Tuesday. The father can appeal the ruling to the full appellate court or ask that the case be transferred to the Missouri Supreme Court.

Karen’s lawyer, Susan Hais, applauded the court’s ruling.

“I think that in today’s environment, when you have so many policy decisions

that say gays have rights, everyone has rights, it takes a lot of courage to

say these little boys have the right not to be exposed to a transsexual unless they have the capacity to handle it, regardless of the fact that this

is their parent,” Hais said.

In his dissent, Judge Kent Karohl noted that Lohmar had found the father “loving and caring” toward the boys, who “had a significant bond with their father.”

Karohl added that he would have returned the entire case to St. Charles County for a trial on the issue of the parents’ joint legal custody.

When told of Tuesday’s ruling, Karen cried, said Hais.

“I think she is very relieved for the boys.”

Related Mo. Court of Appeals Opinion on this injustice! <http://www.state.mo.us/sca/eojls.htm

Posted by: <In2Chnge@aol.com> Renee White Transgendered Activist (Under Construction) St Louis, Mo

**As posted in the Transgender Community Forum **On America Online (Keyword: TCF) **TCF Info: http://members.aol.com/onqgwen

————————————————————————

>From listserv@xconn.com Fri 14 Mar 1997 21:41:57 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E11vq; Fri 14 Mar 1997 21:41:57 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Transsexual Part of Death Pact Date: Fri, 14 Mar 1997 21:41:57 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9703142141.E11vq@xconn.com>

Forwarded courtesy of Mikki Gilbert:

The following appeared in the Toronto Globe and Mail today [12 march 97.] Note the aggressive use of ‘man’ and ‘he.’

Transsexual Part of Death Pact [Canadian Press] Orillia, Ont. – A man who said he wanted to commit suicide in the arms of a woman probably did not know his paretner in a bizarre death pact was a transsexual, his brother says.

The bodies of Biran Lagace, 21, of Orillia, and a 24-year old man from Chicage were found on a bed in a Toronto hotel. The Chicago man had been undergoing a sex change.

Police believe Brian Lagace had posted an ad on the Internet sayiong he was looking for a woman to spend an evening with – one that wold end in a double suicide.

The man from Chicage responded, signing his messages with the names Shelly or Michelle.

Mr. Lagace’s brother, Paul, said he is still struggling to make sense of it all. “It’s like some really demented *Romeo and Juliet,* he told the Orillia Packet and Times. “There’s no way Brian wold have known it was a man. The police didn’t know until they did an autopsy.”

He said his brother had become obsessed with suicide and spent hours on the Internet talking to strangers about self-destruction.

“The thing he wanted was to die in somebody’s arms. He was afraid of dying alone. He tried to kill himself a couple of times. He always talked about suicide.”

When Paul saw TV footage of the hotel room where his brother died, he broke down and cried.

He said he doesn’t blame the Internet for his brother’s death. “He was going to kill himself anyway.”

-end-

 

Subj: AEGIS-NEWS Digest Date: 97-03-29 16:34:57 EST From: aegisnws@xconn.com (List Server) Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com

============================================================================= AEGIS-NEWS DIGEST

A service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

=============================================================================

>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 27 Mar 1997 05:36:34 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E06in; Thu 27 Mar 1997 05:36:34 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Transsexual Case Wins Arguments for Gays in UK Armed Forces Date: Thu, 27 Mar 1997 05:36:34 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9703270536.E06in@xconn.com>

<< Subj: If ever anyone doubted … Date: 97-03-14 18:39:16 EST From: Christine_Burns@compuserve.com (Christine Burns)

Transsexual Case Wins Arguments for Gays In the UK Armed Forces _________________

Introduction to UK News cutting by Christine Burns, Press for Change

_________________

If any soul ever doubted for one moment the far reaching implications of what our community is capable of achieving, then perhaps it’s time they opened their eyes this week.

As we have predicted since long before the case was even heard, over two years ago, the implications of the P vs S and Cornwall County Council case are now bearing fruit for a much larger community which once didn’t want to

know us.

P vs S is the case by a UK transsexual woman which outlawed employment discrimination against transsexuals in Europe last Sping. Now, as you’ll see from the newspaper article reproduced below, it is promising to bear fruit for the gay community too.

(Hey .. it’s OK folks .. don’t mention it. Just remember to learn to put that meaningful suffix T after the LGB in everything you write from now on though .. won’t you ?)

Personally I think it’s rather poetic of course …

An establishment that’s cynically ignored the pleas for justice from that funny little group of folk whom nobody wanted to be caught supporting a few

years ago may now be about to see the the entire ceiling come down on its’ head .. when it could have so easily taken us out of the equation.

One of society’s least powerful minorities .. for long the most maligned and least understood in western societies .. has become the instrument for a sequence of events far more significant than the modest administrative concession which it has sought for itself all along.

Just think if the government had gotten us out of their hair way back when …

One of the greatest ironies, of course, is that we now get to witness ministers and counsel for the crown intoning learnedly that, “gender and sex are very different things .. and that transsexuality isn’t to be confused with sexuality.”

Well, better late than never, I guess …

But, does that mean that if discrimination against transsexuals in employment is “different” from discrimination against gay people all of a sudden (because “transsexual” does not legally equal “gay” in that context), the same can be argued when it comes to marriage ? …

… Can they argue now with a straight face that “we can’t enable transsexuals to marry in their correct gender because that would open the door to homosexual marriage” ????

(Relax folks, I support homosexual marriage .. I’m just playing law games)

Hmm .. I can’t wait.

It all goes to show though that you don’t have to all suffer the *same* discrimination to be able to campaign effectively *against* discrimination

together. You don’t have to be the same colour .. or the same religion .. or the same sex .. or the same sexual orientation .. or the same anything else .. to fight discrimination. For discrimination, itself, makes no distinctions. By devaluing strangers on one arbitrary basis, the bigot devalues ALL of humanity. We are all diminished by each and every occasion when a person is robbed of their right to be who or what they are.

But if we cannot recognise that .. if we cannot see that the discrimination

against our neighbour has the same outcome as an act of discrimination against some part of *our* existence .. then we are no better than the bigot.

So let us profit from the experience of our two communities in working together .. in cooperating on the basis of what we share rather than isolating ourselves by the pointless and destructive effort to draw lines and divide ourselves. We don’t need to PROVE we’re different .. for in truth we’re all UNIQUE anyway.

And what better way to celebrate our uniqueness than to defend our neighbour’s

Good luck Tim .. the transsexuals who’ve been dismissed from the forces they were proud and happy to serve will doubtless be cheering you on when you get to court. And so will I.

Christine Burns Press for Change ______

Court threat to forces’ gay ban By Tim Butcher, Defence Correspondent

(The Electronic Telegraph and Daily Telegraph – Friday 14th March, 1997)

THE ban on homosexuals serving in the Armed Forces may have to be reviewed after a High Court judge referred a test case concerning a sacked Royal Navy medical assistant to the European Court of Justice yesterday.

In his judgment Mr Justice Lightman said “homosexual orientation is a reality today which the law must recognise and adjust to”. The judge agreed

to refer the case of Terry Perkins to Luxembourg for a ruling – probably in

about 18 months – on whether Britain was breaking the EU’s Equal Treatment Directive in the light of a recent European judgment giving transsexuals the same protection as other men and women from discrimination and unfair treatment at work.

Mr Perkins, 28, was discharged from the Royal Navy hospital at Gosport, Hants, in 1995, despite an exemplary five-year service record, after investigators discovered his homosexuality. If the ruling goes against the Government, hundreds of former service personnel dismissed for being homosexual could claim millions of pounds in damages.

In his 34-page ruling Mr Justice Lightman said the decision to apply the directive to transsexuals could be extended to homosexuals as both were “states of mind relating to sex”.

“It may well be thought appropriate that the fundamental principle of equality and the irrelevance of a person’s sex and sexual identity demand that the court be alert to afford protection to them and ensure that those of homosexual orientation are no longer disadvantaged in terms of employment, save and unless the discrimination is justified.

“After the decision in the Cornwall case [concerning transsexuals], it is scarcely possible to limit the application of the directive to gender discrimination, as was held in the Smith case [an earlier case turned down by the Court of Appeal], and there must be a real prospect that the European Court will take the further step to extend protection to those of homosexual orientation.” The judge said he believed Mr Perkins had a “significant prospect of success” in the European Court.

The ban, which is supported by ministers and senior officers, would have to

be scrapped if the court ruled it contravened European law. Nicholas Soames, Armed Forces minister, said the Government would continue to fight the case by arguing that the directive was not applicable in cases of sexual orientation and that military effectiveness required the ban to be maintained. “Homosexuality is not compatible with the trust that must exist

between comrades in arms,” he said.

An MoD spokesman said: “The MoD continues to believe that the directive applies only to discrimination against men or women on the grounds of gender and not sexual orientation. The MoD will be arguing in the European Court that the exclusion of homosexuals from the Armed Forces is purely for

the reason of combat effectiveness and incompatibility and such key defence

decisions are outside the scope of the EC treaty from which the directive derives and so are outside the scope of the Court of Justice.”

Mr Perkins’s legal team had argued that his dismissal contravened the directive as it applied to sexual orientation as much as it applied to gender. Such an argument had been dismissed in a different case last year when the High Court and Court of Appeal ruled the directive could not be extended to discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.

But in a subsequent ruling in the “Cornwall case” the European Court extended to transsexuals the full protection offered by the directive

At least 30 other claims for damages are being held pending the conclusion of the Perkins case. If the ruling goes against the MoD all members of the services who have lost their jobs on the grounds of homosexuality since 1979 would have grounds for compensation. Campaigners said there could be more than 1,000 claimants.

Mr Perkins said he was “over the moon” with the referral and had “no doubt”

he would win. “It is a very significant ruling. The stance of the MoD is so

narrow minded. I could have said I was not gay and stayed on but I wanted to be open. They wanted me to leave very quietly. In the end I was booted out and left with nothing.”

Copyright (c) Telegraph Group Limited 1997

“Electronic Telegraph” and “The Daily Telegraph” are trademarks of Telegraph Group Limited. These marks may not be copied or used without permission.

Details – http://www.telegraph.co.uk >>

————————————————————————

>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 27 Mar 1997 05:36:34 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E83cr; Thu 27 Mar 1997 05:36:34 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Urology Times Date: Thu, 27 Mar 1997 05:36:34 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9703270536.E83cr@xconn.com>

Return-Path: <cchase@isna.org> X-Sender: isna@holonet.net Date: Wed, 26 Mar 1997 11:18:15 -0800 To: “ISNA News” <cchase@isna.org> From: Cheryl Chase <cchase@isna.org> Subject: Urology Times notes growing social controversy re intersex tx

Is early vaginal construction wrong for some intersex girls?

As intersex surgery enters social debate, pediatric urologists rethink some medical aspects.

Urology Times February 1997 p 10-12, illustrated

American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology

* * * * * * * * * * * * I wonder whether we shouldn’t be rethinking the philosophy for early vaginal reconstruction for adrenal hyperplasia.”

David Thomas, MD * * * * * * * * * * * *

Protesters? Pediatric urology gained some notoriety at this year’s meeting as the target of a street protest.

Intersex demonstrators hoisted signs charging that most intersex children are victims of inappropriate surgery. The group distributed leaflets alleging that aggressive surgical intervention means a loss of genital sensation for most of them and leads to suicide later in life.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) countered with a position stating that management of the condition has improved over the last few decades, that successful early surgery minimizes these children’s problems, and that 6 weeks to 15 months is the optimal time for surgery. And to most pediatric urologists, the need for surgery is a given.

Some merit in the protest?

But in certain situations, “the people who are picketing the AAP at the moment do have a point,” said David Thomas, MD, a pediatric urologist who practices at St. James’s University Hospital and Infirmary in Leeds, England.

“I feel like Daniel stepping into the lion’s den. I recognize this may not be a popular message for this audience,” Dr. Thomas told his colleagues. “But I wonder whether we shouldn’t be rethinking the philosophy for early vaginal reconstruction for congenital adrenal hyperplasia.”

Dr. Thomas’s old assumptions were challenged by his review of the cases of some dozen girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia who had undergone early surgery to create a cosmetically satisfactory clitoris and external genitalia as well as to separate their “high vagina” from the urogenital sinus. He noted that very few studies have been done to gauge the long-term results of this early feminizing procedure.

The girls, aged 11 to 15 years, were assessed by a pediatric urologist, a gynecologist with extensive knowledge of vaginal reconstruction, and a plastic surgeon. Urogenital sinus was still present in six of the girls, despite the previous vaginoplasties. Two of the six girls who had begun to menstruate showed signs of hematocolpos [accumulation of menstrual blood in the vagina]. Clitoroplasty was deemed unsatisfactory in six girls, with atrophy apparent in five. Several of the clitoral reconstructions were quite visibly different from the original cosmetic result: withered and obviously nonfunctional. “Every girl required some additional vaginal surgery. The results are indifferent and, frankly, disappointing,” Dr. Thomas said.

Surprisingly, some of the poor outcomes shouldn’t have been the result of surgical inexperience. Although the poorest results were in girls whose original surgery had been performed by nonspecialists, Dr. Thomas pointed out that 70% of the original surgeries had been performed by full-time pediatric urologists in three specialist centers.

Rethinking traditional views

The findings caused him to re-evaluate some of his own views on the surgery. “We would certainly not advocate deferring procedures that provide a girl with normal-appearing external genitalia. . . . but no girl in her childhood needs a functioning vagina,” he asserted. Because every girl required some sort of further surgery later, Dr. Thomas thinks waiting until after puberty to do definitive vaginoplasty is a good idea. He noted problems and the need for revision especially in the case of girls who had undergone aggressive attempts to repair a “high vagina.” Currently, both genitoplasty and vaginoplasty are usually undertaken in infancy at the earliest, and toddlerhood at the latest.

“Scarring and fibrosis ensuing from early vaginal surgery may preclude tissue expansion,” Dr. Thomas warned.

Today’s surgery is better

Antoine Khoury, MD, chief of pediatric urology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, countered that the anatomy on review belonged to patients who had undergone surgery at least a decade earlier, before current refinements became available. He worries that in the climate of debate, parents may opt for delaying any surgery. Today, with the latest surgical techniques, there is far better preservation of nerve endings. “We have a lot more ability to dissect out the nerves,” said Dr. Khoury.

And the idea of waiting till later probably has its own set of adverse consequences, he pointed out. The girls at his center who undergo the surgery have had careful genetic screening — tests that demonstrate a clear XX profile, with no ambiguity. “These are girls — they will always be girls,” he said.

What about the effects on a little girl when her parents and care givers see her spend her early life with “a big huge phallus in the lower end of the abdomen,” he asked.

“I am pushing [for this surgery] at 6 weeks to 8 weeks of age,” he said. “We have started [at our center] to move the date earlier and earlier.”

Dr. Thomas concurred that the psychological issues are “poorly researched and understood.” The initial surgery for a normal appearing glans and external genitalia is justified, he said. And, he agreed, newer surgical techniques probably have made significant gains in preserving function. But he stressed that “great care” is needed to ensure that the vascularity of reconstructed clitoris is not compromised with early intervention.

“So many of these patients are lost to follow-up. If we do this surgery in infancy and childhood, we have an obligation to follow these children up, to assess what we’re doing,” he stressed.

Social issue sharpening

Questioning of intervention for intersex is beginning to move from the cultural fringe into the mainstream. General-interest magazines have recently carried stories on changing attitudes about intersex conditions and the debate over surgeries typically performed on intersex infants and children.

Intersex individuals have formed their own organization, the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA). This peer-support and education group publishes an international quarterly newsletter and offers information about intersex conditions.

The organization boasts a board of directors that includes three professional sexologists. And, like so many other consumer-advocate groups in medicine, its reach now extends globally, via a site on the World Wide Web. One of the pieces of advice on a recent website posting: “Vaginoplasty surgery is problematic, with many failures. ISNA advocates against vaginal surgery on infants. Such surgery should be offered, not imposed on, the pubertal girl.”

With growing public consciousness, it’s all the more important for urologists not only to refine their surgical techniques, but also to follow up these patients over the long term.

Subj: AEGIS-NEWS Digest Date: 97-04-14 09:13:41 EDT From: aegisnws@xconn.com (List Server) Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com

============================================================================= AEGIS-NEWS DIGEST

A service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

=============================================================================

>From listserv@xconn.com Sun 13 Apr 1997 18:50:28 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E97ct; Sun 13 Apr 1997 18:50:28 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Re: Gay Brains, Gay Genes, Human Rights Date: Sun, 13 Apr 1997 18:50:28 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9704131850.E97ct@xconn.com>

The following is from Cheryl Chase at ISNA.

— Dallas

An article by Simon LeVay, posted recently on AEGIS-NEWS, prompts me to write about the recent popularity of biological theories of sexual orientation.

Many gay activists, including Dr. LeVay, have embraced the idea that scientific demonstration of a simple biological explanation for sexual orientation (rather than a complex biopsychosocial one) will lead to full civil rights for gay people. The transgendered community has similarly welcomed “transexual brain” studies. I believe that this strategy is badly mistaken.

Biological arguments have historically been used to oppress, not to liberate, women, people of color, and poor people (see Fausto-Sterling’s book Myths of Gender for biological theories about women). Since the mid-nineteenth century, homosexuality has been studied as a biological phenomenon both by those who wished to depathologize it, *and* by those who wished to condemn it.

Neuroanatomist William Byne has written, “A requirement that an unconventional trait be inborn or immutable is an inhuman criterion for a society to use in deciding which of its nonconformists it will grant tolerance.”

The biological origin of sexual difference in intersexuals has never been questioned. That fact has not prevented intersexuals from being subjected to a medical policy of shame, secrecy, and surgical mutilation. Indeed, the fact that our difference *is* biological has been used as justification for such treatment. When the intersex movement has tried to bring the attention of activists campaigning against traditional African genital cutting to the fact that some 2,000 modified clitorectomies are performed each year in US hospitals on intersexed infants, we have been ignored or told outright that “We are not interested in biological exceptions.”

Transgender Nation pioneer Susan Stryker says that she has no interest in scientific demonstration of a “transexual brain.” “What if the test shows that I’m not transexual?” Likewise, imagine that a “gay gene” were to be demonstrated. Should a man who has sex with men, and who tests negative for the “gay gene” be considered sick or criminal?

I believe that an appreciation of the long history of biological theories of homosexuality might dampen enthusiasm among sexual minorities activists for “gay brains,” “gay genes,” “transexual brains.” An excellent collection of essays on this subject, titled Science and Homosexualities, has just been issued by Routledge.

Cheryl Chase

References

Byne, William. “The Biological Evidence Challenged.” Scientific American, May 1994, 50-56.

Rosario, Vernon ed. Science and Homosexualities. New York: Routledge, 1997.

Fausto-Sterling, Anne. Myths of Gender: Biological Theories about Women and Men. 2d ed. New York: BasicBooks, 1985.

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>From listserv@xconn.com Sun 13 Apr 1997 18:50:28 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E35Pz; Sun 13 Apr 1997 18:50:28 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: More on Valerie Nicole Taylor Date: Sun, 13 Apr 1997 18:50:28 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9704131850.E35Pz@xconn.com>

>From Etcetera, 11 April, 1997. Reprinted with permission.

A transsexual female charged with murder in Gaffney, SC will claim self-defense, her attorney says. Valerie Nicole Taylor is charged with shooting and killing Billy Posey at a motel in 1979. Taylor was named Freddie Lee Turner at the time. Taylor was arrested in California in May and charged with manslaughter in November. Her attorney, Usha Bridges, said Posey struck Turner after drinking and was shot in the groin with his own gun. A trial is expected this summer.

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>From listserv@xconn.com Sun 13 Apr 1997 18:50:28 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E11iS; Sun 13 Apr 1997 18:50:28 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: “Transgender Warrior” Organizing National Protest Date: Sun, 13 Apr 1997 18:50:28 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9704131850.E11iS@xconn.com>

Reprinted with permission from Etcetera, 11 April, 1997

“Transgender Warrior” Organizing National Protest

by Rob Nixon

New York City. Leslie Feinberg certain does her best to live up to the title of her latest book, “Transgender Warriors” (Beacon Press, 1996). A noted author and activist for the rights of the transgendered, gay people and the poor and working class of the U.S. for many years, Feinberg has bounced back from a life- threatening illness to help organize a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) contingent in a mass protest planned for later this month.

In Philadelphia on April 27, a progressive coalition called the National Peoples’ Campaign (NPC) plans to be out in force to protest President Clinton’s “Presidential Summit for America’s Future.” The event will be attended by former presidents Bush, Carter, and Ford, General Colin Powell and other political and economic leaders to propose increased private charity and volunteer labor as more and more social services fall under the federal budget ax.

“They’re attempting to put a bi-partisan face on the Contract on America,” Feinberg quips. “Charity and volunteer organizations are already understaffed and underfunded. When every social service we’ve won over 60 years of mass struggle is being threatened, there needs to be a national response.”

And Feinberg is very clear about why LGBT communities need to be part of that response, pointing out that it’s no accident that a reactionary economic and social program is being promoted at a time when civil rights are under attack. For Feinberg, the line is very think between “assaults on our standard of living” and attacks on black churches, women’s health workers, and bars like The OtherSide, the Atlanta club bombed in February. And she say such attacks have spurred a “breathtaking” response to NPC’s cal to action. The Philadelphia march has been endorsed by, among many others, a large number of gay and AIDS organizations and individuals like Sylvia Rivera, one of the original combatants of the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969.

“Embattled people search the horizon for allies. I think our communities instinctively know the need for coalition,” Feinberg says. “In a time when so many are being hit by economic reaction and scapegoating and bigotry, people are ready to make connections.”

Feinberg will be promoting those connections and participation in the march during an appearance at Atlanta’s Abundant Grace Community Church, April 12. She and local activist Pat Hussain will also be discussing the rise in racist and anti-gay attacks and the official rhetoric and response that surrounds such incidents. One thing that rankles Feinberg is the use of the term “deranged individual” to describe hate-crime perpetrators, a term used by Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell and others after the OtherSide bombing.

“To talk about the organized rise of fascist violence as being the work of a mentally deranged individual is really an insult to the mentally disabled community,” Feinberg retorts. “It’s not disabled people bombing bars or burning down churches. It’s racists and bigots, and they get their money and the green light not from people in mental institutions but from people in the highest institutions of power.”

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>From listserv@xconn.com Sun 13 Apr 1997 19:21:45 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E12gw; Sun 13 Apr 1997 19:21:45 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: ****IMPORTANT NATIONAL MARCH IN PHILA**** Date: Sun, 13 Apr 1997 19:21:45 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9704131921.E12gw@xconn.com>

PLEASE FWD TO ALL APPROPRIATE FORUMS:

APRIL 27 NAT’L MARCH IN PHILADELPHIA: Protest Bigotry, Racism, Budget Cuts & Repression!

Help build powerful Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans contingents!

Thousands of activists nationally are building an April 27 mass protest to challenge the bipartisan attacks on our social services and standard of living. The White House and Congress have united to throw millions of people off welfare; reduce millions of women and children to poverty; attack immigrants; downsize workers, and slash SSI. AIDS funding and public housing subsidies are being gutted, and affirmative action abandoned. Medicaid is on the chopping block, and Wall Street is trying to hijack Social Security. Hundreds of lesbian, gay, bi and trans activists and groups are working hard to build this national march. Although we will eventually all feel the effects of these and upcoming cuts, the most oppressed will be affected first: people of color, people with AIDS, youths, elders, unemployed, students, immigrants, welfare and SSI recipients. It’s no accident that this reactionary program is coinciding with a simultaneous rise in racist, transphobic and homophobic attacks, like the bombing of an Atlanta lesbian bar that welcomed gay, bi, trans and straight allies, attacks on women’s abortion clinics, Black and interracial churches, and the right of same-sex marriage. But these attacks have just begun. In Philadelphia on Apr. 27, Clinton will join George Bush, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Gen. Colin Powell, Nancy Reagan, Lady Bird Johnson and other political and economic figures for a “Presidential Summit for American’s Future.” They plan to propose to replace social services with our unpaid volunteer labor and private charity. Underfunded and understaffed charities are already unable to meet the overwhelming needs of poor people. And replacing wage workers with unpaid volunteers is part of a corporate drive that threatens millions of jobs of federal, state and municipal workers, and public sector unions. Our civil rights and social programs were won by struggles of millions of people over the last six decades–from the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion and almost 3 decades of our liberation struggles, to the great unemployed marches to factory sit-down strikes, to citywide work stoppages. It is time to build a new mass movement! It is time to say no to “lesser evil” politics! We can’t wait for “damage control” from the Clinton administration, which did much of the damage in the first place. We must break with the corporate stranglehold on politics in Washington by reviving the spirit of mass struggle. Activists from lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities across the country will join thousands in a massive protest to say NO to racism, bigotry, repression and poverty!

Partial list of lesbian, gay, bi and trans endorsers include: Kerry Lobel, Exe. Dir., Nat’l Lesbian & Gay Task Force*; Sylvia Rivera, Stonewall Rebellion combatant, co-founder STAR: Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, former Young Lord; Pride at Work, National Org. for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Labor; GALAEI, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Donald Suggs, Writer & Activist; Gay & Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative, Philadelphia, PA; Gay Activist Alliance of Morris County, NJ; Alice Walker, Author; A Slice of Rice-Asian gay/lesbian/bi/trans youth, Boston, MA; Lesbian Avengers of Great Barrington, MA; Queer Nation, Houston, TX; ACT-UP, Philadelphia, PA; Leslie Feinberg, Author, Transgender Activist; Emergency Comm. to Stop Anti-Gay Police Violence, LA; La Sarmiento, Washington, DC; Susan Hollinshead, Whitman-Walker Clinic, WA, DC; Ben Singer, Transgender Health Action Coalition*, Phila.; Judy Greenspan, HIV/AIDS in Prison Project, Oakland; Minnie Bruce Pratt, Lesbian Author, Anti-racist Activist; Mykael Hawley, Boston FTM Conference, Cochair; Letta Neeley, writer, Queer activist, Boston, MA; Wellesley Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgenders & Friends, Wellesley College, MA; Gary Bowen, Coordinator-in-Chief, The American Boyz; Kira Triea, Intersex Society Of North America*; Johnathon I. Thunderword, By The Way, Norfolk, VA; Drago Renteria, Deaf Queer Resource Center, WA, DC; Jessica Xavier, Transgender Nation, Silver Spr., MD; Robin McCubbin, faculty advisor, Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Transgender Student Union, Southwestern College, Chula Vista, CA; Kevin O’Mallley, Michigan FTM Support, MSU, MI; Jack Bragdon, Co-Founder Maine ACT UP; Gerry Scoppettuolo, AIDS Prevention Activist, Lifeguard Project*, Portland ME; Tania Hammidi, University of CA Davis, GLBT Center, CA; National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Student Caucus, Kevin Horwitz, Trans activist, San Diego, CA, Sarah Schulman, Author & Activist, NYC, Holly Hughes, Lesbian Preformance Artist.

Volunteers and funds needed, for more information on how you can help, contact: National Office: 39 W. 14th St., Rm. 206, NY, NY 10011; (212) 633-6646 e-mail: npcny@peoplescampaign.org WEB PAGE: http://www.peoplescampaign.org Philadelphia Office: (215) 724-1618

Union labor donated 3/97

National Peoples Campaign 39 West 14th Street, #206 New York, NY 10011 212-633-6646 212-633-2889 fax email npcny@peoplescampaign.org Web Page: http://www.peoplescampaign.org

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>From listserv@xconn.com Sun 13 Apr 1997 19:21:45 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E17HM; Sun 13 Apr 1997 19:21:45 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: SNL Date: Sun, 13 Apr 1997 19:21:45 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9704131921.E17HM@xconn.com>

SNL Strikes Again; this is a message that was sent to us…

Dallas

Saturday Night Live just had another fucked up “the fake news” news report.

They talked about the custody battle in the public eye right now involving a transsexual.

Norm said “hmm…I wonder whose going to win this one, the mother of the two children, or the guy who had his penis twisted into a fake vagina”.

There was not much laughter in the audience at least.

Sigh….

Subj: AEGIS-NEWS Digest Date: 97-04-27 08:10:11 EDT From: aegisnws@xconn.com (List Server) Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com ============================================================================= AEGIS-NEWS DIGEST

A service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

=============================================================================

>From listserv@xconn.com Sat 26 Apr 1997 21:45:31 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E10VN; Sat 26 Apr 1997 21:45:31 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: European Court of Human Rights Rules Against FTM Date: Sat, 26 Apr 1997 21:45:31 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9704262145.E10VN@xconn.com>

Return-Path: <FTMOLInfo@aol.com> From: FTMOLInfo@aol.com Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 02:13:06 -0400 (EDT) Subject: ECHR Case lost

In a message dated 4/23/97 6:27:05 PM, Stephen wrote:

Yesterday, the European Court of Human Rights ruled against ftm Stephen Whittle’s and his partner’s Sarah Rutherford, application to have Stephen legally recognised in the UK as the father of their donor inseminated children

Comment and Background to the “Transsexual” European Court of Human Rights judgement: X, Y and Z v UK Govt. given on Tuesday 22nd April .

Background: X (Stephen Whittle), who was registered as a girl at birth, underwent gender reassignment treatment in the 1970s and started to live as a

man in 1975. He has lived with his female partner Y (Sarah) for 18 years. In

1992, Y gave birth to their first child, Z, after donor insemination treatment at a licensed clinic.

X, who had agreed to be the father of Z for any social and legal purposes (which is a requirement under the regulation of licensed fertility clinics) then asked the Registrar General for Births and Deaths if he could be registered as Z’s father on her birth certificate, as would be the case for any other non-biological father whose children were conceived using fertility

treatment. The Registrar General refused this permission and Y received a letter from the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Security (Mrs Virginia Bottomley) that she would for all legal and welfare benefits purposes be considered a single parent.

As a result, X has no right to information about Z from her school, nor can

he approve medical treatment, and if Y died then he has no automatic right to

bring up Z as his child. In fact if Z died, as he is not her next of kin, or

even any relative, he could not register her death.

The application made by X and Y on behalf of their daughter Z argued that Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which states that “Everyone has a right to respect for his private and family life” was being contravened by the UK Government, in their refusal to respect that their was

family life between X,Y and Z, and that Z was being penalised because her right to privacy as regards her origins as a child of fertility treatment was

being contravened.

Comment on the decision

The decision, albeit very disappointing, will still be of great significance to, not only families like those of the complainants, but transsexual people throughout the United Kingdom. Even though holding that, in these circumstances, Article 8 has not been contravened the judgement states that it is the responsibility of future governments to monitor the rapidly changing social and medical advances made in the areas of transsexuality and families created through infertility treatment, to consider how the current inadequacies in law are to be addressed in order to

ensure that transsexual people and their close family members (and other alternative families) have their privacy protected.

The court did hold that there was family life between the applicants, something the UK government had consistently denied, but the court held that

as there was no consensus in Europe as yet as to whether non-biological fathers should be allowed to have their names on their children’s birth certificates, then nation states must be afforded a wide margin of appreciation in the rules they had in this area.

However the decision will greatly inform the future decisions in the ECHR “transsexual” cases of Sheffield and Horsham v the UK, which will be heard in

1998, and we feel certain that those decisions will move the law forward in this difficult area .

Stephen and Sarah are naturally very disappointed with the decision, however they do see themselves as simply being a small part of a much larger

movement, and they have felt honoured to have taken one more step up the ladder on behalf of other transsexual people and their loved ones. They would

hope that despite a ruling against them that a future Labour government will

take steps to amend the anomalies they face under the current legal position. The press coverage of the case has been astonishing with universal and overwhelming enthusiastic support for Stephen’s fight to be the children’s father. Even “Youth Concern and Family Rights”, a right wing family values group has expressed its total support for the family.

As he and Sarah have said: “we may not have won this battle, but we have certainly won the battle for hearts and minds. If our publicity has made life

better for one other transsexual it will have been worth it”. Sarah also said

“it is a truly liberating experience to know that the whole country knows I live with a transsexual man, and that I am proud to love him – and we have had the most amazing support and messages of sympathy – with absolutely no one being horrid”

THE END

———————————————————————— NOTE: The AEGISNWS list is a one-way newsfeed. You may not post to it. Your comments and news items should be sent to <aegis@gender.org>. For assistance with subscribing and unsubscribing, send the message HELP to <listserv@xconn.com>. ———————————————————————— You are invited to visit CROSS CONNECTION, host of the AEGISNWS list. Use your modem to call (818) 994-8887 (all lines 14.4 capable) for a free account, and please consider a paid upgrade for enhanced access. Your support helps Cross Connection provide services to the transgender community such as the AEGISNWS list.

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>From listserv@xconn.com Sat 26 Apr 1997 21:45:31 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E22AW; Sat 26 Apr 1997 21:45:31 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Re: Boston Conference Programming Date: Sat, 26 Apr 1997 21:45:31 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9704262145.E22AW@xconn.com>

In a message dated 4/25/97 2:22:27 PM, Henry Rubin wrote:

An Open Letter to the FTM Community

The third annual FTM Conference of the Americas in Boston, Massachussetts (August 8-10, 1997) is looking for you! The conference committee is in the process of establishing the workshops, panels, and participants for the conference program. If you have an idea for a workshop, some art you would like to exhibit, a trick you would like to teach us, or a story you want to tell, now is the time to step up to the plate. We already have a tentative set of workshops (see list below) and would like to encourage you to call or

write us about participating on one of these panels. This list is a work-in-progress, so if there is something you don’t see but would like to see, we’d be interested in hearing about it.

Write to Henry <hsrubin@fas.harvard.edu> or Mykael <IFGE@worldnet.att.net> or call Henry <617-441-5165> to volunteer yourself. We would like to include

as many people as possible, but some slots may already be filled.

Please try and get the word out to other guys who are not on-line.

Tentative Programming for “The Hero’s Journey”

Gay men’s workshop Tricks of the Trade Racism and Transsexuality Show and Tells Men’s Health Issues Living Long Term Relationships Coming out No-op/No hormone options Legal issues Parenting as an FTM Being a man/being feminist Spirituality Becoming a pro-active health care consumer safer sex big brother/little brother body image/sex political activism straight relationships s/m, leather, body modification

also, a track of workshops on parents, friends, allies, and significant others is being planned by Jeannette Hawley.

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>From listserv@xconn.com Sat 26 Apr 1997 21:45:31 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E20Tx; Sat 26 Apr 1997 21:45:31 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: A few ways to be … transvestite and Argentinean in the ’90s Date: Sat, 26 Apr 1997 21:45:31 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9704262145.E20Tx@xconn.com>

Posted by <apc@wamani.wamani.apc.org>

Escrita en el Cuerpo – Lesbian and Different Women’s Archives and Library. Electronic News Service

A FEW WAYS TO BE … TRANVESTITE AND ARGENTINEAN IN THE 90s (Second part)

Lohanna Berkins (Fight for Tranvestite Identity Association)

Situation of tranvestites in Argentina is very serious. The government maintains very hard laws that police are very devoted to implement, condemning us to absolute marginalization. We are arrested at any time of the day, in any place, no matter what we are doing; we are forced to get out of taxis, kidnapped in restaurant or cinemas, and then taken to police stations where we spend at least 24 hours and in most cases are victims of violence.

For a 90% of us, the only work affordable is prostitution. We have housing problems: many hotels charge us double fare and to rent a flat is impossible because landlords reject us. Many times a girl is arrested and once free she goes back to her hotel to find out the owner took all her property and left her homeless.

We are being forbidden access to health, education and work. Ours is not an identity or civel rights claim, it’s more basic than that: we are being denied the right to live. There is no law that protect us, and no strong institution either, not even so called “human right organiza- tions” take a step forward and denounce our situation.

Three years ago we founded ATA (Argentinean Transvestite Associa- tion) and from then on placed ourselves in a position to demand our rights from this perverse state. We also work to raise transvestites’ self-steem, to talk our sisters into not accepting anything and everything. Fifteen transvestites sued the police forces in 1995 … the cause already includes hundred of pages in testimonies and documents, but nothing is happening.

The media makes good use of us, in a yellow fashion, of course. Values are completely subverted in this country: if you call the media to tell you fucked a famous businessman, everyone comes because that sells, but if you denounce the murderer of a sister, you are rejected: nobody is interested. Anyway, it’s a positive thing to have the subject already our there, that people talk about us and acknowledges our existence. It does not matter if they are against us or for us, what is important right now if that they see us.

Now we are talking about transphobia; for us it means fear of the unknown. I think people feels overwhelmed before us, we appear as something terrible, like the end of the world, and very few are courageous enough to sit with us and see who we are.

Our first big battle was inside the lesbian/gay community (bisexuals were not visible when we started). Today I can say we won, after lots of explanations and fights, we are included.

We are also starting to work on the issue of identity, we do not want a physician or a psychologist, a police officer or a priest telling us who we are. In support groups we get to say we are proud of being who we are, to have been born with a masculine organ and then have built a feminine identity. I call myself a different woman. Some people tell me every woman is different; right, but we are the utmost difference because we are physically different and we build a different life too. I can not say I am a wo- man, because I am not, but I say and I love saying that I want to live as a woman and nobody can prohibit me to do so. It’s my right. The group I am facilitating right now is for people who are in transition … the hardest part is guilt, that guilt inoculated in us since childhood.

We have started an AIDS prevention and support programme specially for transvestites. The campaign is doing by ourselves with a transvestite language and obviously aimed at our sisters. It’s another step in the path to taking care of ourselves. We are aware of the risks but the subhuman conditions we live in shape our whole life. It’s impossible for me to speak without taking police into account, they are the owners of my time: I decide to go somewhere but I never know if I will arrive or not, because they might stop me and I will spend the night in a police station. That is whay for us sometimes life and death have the same value. We are constantly fighting against the idea that “what is the use of organizing a support group or fighting against AIDS or anything like that if tonight the police car might take me and I might be dead by tomorrow”. That is serious, really serious. It’s very hard for us to envision a future, to make plans about anything.

There is an organized campaign for our disappearance in Argentina; they want us finished as people and as culture. Last year, Police Edicts were repealed in Buenos Aires but it meant nothing, no change at all. The point is that we do not add power or prestige to the authorities or the Human Rights peple, that is why nobody takes our situation seriously. The violence against us is institutionalized and every single case we bring to the Courts is doomed from the very beginning.

My activism allows me to change that pasive role of a punished little girl who is to accept everything and say yes to everybody. No: now it is us who are right, because we are entitled to our growth as human being. I see the change in my sisters, they are demanding for more and are submitting less, and that is great. They want to build new ways of being, and that is good. We do not want crumbs, we want what we deserve: to be res- pected as people with soul, feelings and a wish to live. In the Movement we have already proved we can do the same as everybody else; in police stations sisters asked me how the fight is going, and that makes me feel we are doing the right thing, opening up possibilities for the new generations. For me it is important to feel that they have not won and never will: I will die proud of having my prick and my tits, proud of being a transvestite, proud of being Lohanna. The system did a lot against me, policemen have been beating me for years but nobody has managed to change me into a bitter person. And that is my victory. ###################################################### Marlene Guayas (OTTRA – Transvestites and Transsexual Organi- zation of the Argentinean Republic)

I reject the place of cultural and economical power enjoyed by men in our society. That is the reason why I do not want to be a man. Call me anything, except “man”.

Up to my 20s I was a gay like any other. I attended Art School and did not have any trouble with the other students; they knew who I was and accepted it. But when I decided to become a transvestite it was like, suddenly, I had ceased to exist. People passed by my side as if nobody was there. I do not know if people can understand how it feels like, to suddenly become a non-existent entity for everyone. #######################################################

Paula Rodriguez (ALIT)

I felt as a woman my entire life. Society took good care to discri- minate against me, to tell me my feeling was wrong. If to be a trans- vestite is to dress with the other sex’s clothes, I am not that because the clothes I wear are my own sex’s. The word “transsexual” feels more acceptable to me, because it means “somebody who trans- forms her/his sex”, not necessarily through an operation. I also like to introduce myself as a “different woman”. Womanness emanates from us, it can be felt, it is visible. It does not come out of a gay man; at best, he can be “effeminate” which is different. Women have a different energy. I feel a very special tenderness towards women; I do not like them sexually, but emotionally, and I feel a lot closer to women than to men. There is a certain pleasure in being toge- ther and that is hightly erotical too. I have to educate men to love me the way I want them to; that is not needed with women, and I love it. I have to teach men it is wrong that they expect me to cook or iron for them. They think transvestites are like “good old times women”, and they are deeply wrong.

Third part: Gay men

Avenida San Martin 2704 – 4to. C (1416) Buenos Aires, Argentina Phone: (54 1) 581 01 79 E.mail: ales@wamani.apc.org

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———————————————————————— NOTE: The AEGISNWS list is a one-way newsfeed. You may not post to it. Your comments and news items should be sent to <aegis@gender.org>. For assistance with subscribing and unsubscribing, send the message HELP to <listserv@xconn.com>. ———————————————————————— You are invited to visit CROSS CONNECTION, host of the AEGISNWS list. Use your modem to call (818) 994-8887 (all lines 14.4 capable) for a free account, and please consider a paid upgrade for enhanced access. Your support helps Cross Connection provide services to the transgender community such as the AEGISNWS list.

Subj: AEGIS-NEWS Digest Date: 97-05-16 08:20:53 EDT From: aegisnws@xconn.com (List Server) Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com To: thexgrrrl@aol.com ============================================================================= AEGIS-NEWS DIGEST

A service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

=============================================================================

>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 15 May 1997 23:48:45 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E32TQ; Thu 15 May 1997 23:48:45 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Man Dressed as Woman Shot, Beaten in Park Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 23:48:45 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9705152348.E32TQ@xconn.com>

Return-Path: <FTMOLInfo@aol.com> From: FTMOLInfo@aol.com Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 11:11:48 -0400 (EDT) Subject: MAN DRESSED AS WOMAN SHOT, BEATEN AT PARK

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

MAN DRESSED AS WOMAN SHOT, BEATEN AT PARK

A Louisville man was in intensive care at University of Louisville Hospital

after being shot and beaten at Shawnee Park yesterday morning. Louisville police spokesman Eric Johnson said officers patrolling the park at about 6:30

a.m were flagged down by someone screaming for help. Police found Jackie Willmer, 19, with a gunshot wound in each arm and in the lower back. Willmer,

who was found dressed as a woman, had also been beaten. Johnson said police are unsure of the circumstances behind the attack. Police have only a sketchy

description of the assailant.

This was in the Saturday, May 10, 1997 Metro section of the Louisville Courier Journal, p B4.

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>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 15 May 1997 23:48:45 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E69sV; Thu 15 May 1997 23:48:45 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: FTM Biker Contingent at SF Pride Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 23:48:45 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9705152348.E69sV@xconn.com>

Return-Path: <FTMOLInfo@aol.com> From: FTMOLInfo@aol.com Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 13:07:17 -0400 (EDT) Subject: FTM Motorcycle Contingent/SF Gay Pride Parade

In a message dated 5/14/97 11:38:08 PM, Loren & James wrote wrote:

Please shout far and wide:

In the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29, there will be a new motorcycle contingent for Transsexual Men! Also open to FTM transgendered people, the Trans Men’s Motorcycle Club

will preceed the FTM marching (walking!) contingent, and the men and women of

ETVC (mostly cross dressers and MTFs, but not entirely!). You can ride, too!

Rob Whitelaw and Loren Cameron are coordinating the motorcycle contingent, and will be leading the pack that day. You don’t have to own a motorcycle —

you can rent one. But you do need to sign up with Rob as soon as possible. Please contact him at:

ROB81154@aol.com

for more info or to sign up. Come on, be proud. Let’s ride!

————————————————————————

>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 15 May 1997 23:48:45 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E57DB; Thu 15 May 1997 23:48:45 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: ICTLEP Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 23:48:45 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9705152348.E57DB@xconn.com>

Return-Path: <terrihall@juno.com> To: aegisnws@gender.org Subject: Re: AEGIS-NEWS Digest References: <9705150333.E88lB@xconn.com> X-Juno-Line-Breaks: 0-1,3-4,6-7,9-20,22-23 From: terrihall@juno.com (Terri L Hall) Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 10:10:51 EDT

Just a reminder and to point out two key items;

ICTLEP is holding it’s 6th (and likely last) Annual Convention on transgender law and employment policy July 11th and 12th 1997 in Houston.

Of particular interest is the speaker on Friday evening (a free hors d’oeuvres and cash bar event) Reginald E. Jones of the EEOC.

The speaker for the Saturday Luncheon will be Ms. Kerry Lobel, the new Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Please repost and inform your friends and acquaintances.

For further information contact ICTLEP at;

PO Drawer 35477 Houston TX 77235-5515 or call; 713.777.8452 713.777.0909 fax

come join us and listen to these speakers. Terrihall@juno.com =============================================================== Please visit our website at : www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/4766/ (caps required where shown)

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>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 15 May 1997 23:48:45 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E83tC; Thu 15 May 1997 23:48:45 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Egyptian Tranny “Son” Inherits Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 23:48:45 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9705152348.E83tC@xconn.com>

Return-Path: <FTMOLInfo@aol.com> From: FTMOLInfo@aol.com Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 13:06:56 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Egyptian Tranny “Son” Inherits

In a message dated 5/13/97 5:50:28 AM, Emily forwards:

Monday May 12th 12:19 PM PDT

Egyptian Tranny “Son” Inherits

SUMMARY: An Egyptian court has ruled in favor of a transsexual whose brother

claimed she should now inherit like a daughter.

The Egyptian government-run “Al Akhbar” daily newspaper reported a court ruling on a question of transsexual inheritance. The deceased in the case was

a millionaire with two sons, who would normally split the inheritance in half

under Islamic law. But when one son underwent gender reassignment surgery after the father’s death, the other went to court claiming that the tranny should receive only the 1/3 of the estate normally granted to a daughter. A court in Alexandria dismissed the case, leaving the tranny to inherit as a son, because she was still a male when the father died.

Although the court case was said to be unprecedented, it was in line with a

June 1996 religious decree by the head of the Sunni Moslem Al-Azhar.

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>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 15 May 1997 00:28:02 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E18Tb; Thu 15 May 1997 00:28:02 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: SF Study Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 00:28:02 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9705150028.E18Tb@xconn.com>

Return-Path: <FTMOLInfo@aol.com> From: FTMOLInfo@aol.com Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 11:20:33 -0400 (EDT) Subject: SF Transgender Community Health Project

In a message dated 5/14/97 9:20:08 AM, Matt wrote:

Hey! This is Matt Rice. I’m now working for the San Francisco Department of Public Health on the new and fabulous Transgender Community Health Project. I’m really excited about this, and I hope all of us in the SF urban

sprawl can participate.

We are looking to recruit 200 Female to Male transgendered persons (of any kind) to participate in a study of HIV/STD risk behaviors. You have to be 18

or older and live, work or hang out in San Francisco. There is a test for HIV

but it is the oral one. We’re also testing for Hepatitis B orally. (the first 100 Hep B tests will be confirmed by a blood draw so if you’re squeamish, we’ll schedule you after those are done)

The way it works is, you call our 800 number (800-992-9120) and set up an appointment to come in for the interview section. The interiew takes an hour

or or maybe a little longer depending on how chatty we get. You get paid $40

for the interview. You get the HIV and Hep B tests, and in two weeks you can

come back to get your results. If you come back for the follow up appointment, you get an additional $10 whether or not you want to get your test results. (You don’t have to get them if you don’t want them) We also give you 5 recruitment cards, each worth $5 dollars to you if the person you

give it to is eligible and participates in the study.

Add it up — that’s $40 to $75 bucks just for being a tranny of one flavor or another! Who would have ever thought?

We are also recruiting 200 Male to Female people.

We are doing the interviews in English, Spanish, Vietnamese andTagalog.

I hope to hear from you. If you have any questions, feel free to call me at

(415) 554- 9013. You can send me e-mail to Matt_Rice@dph.sf.ca.us (work) or

to MattBlakk@aol.com (home)

Please, please, please help us with this study, it’s soooooooooooo important!!

Matt

————————————————————————

>From listserv@xconn.com Thu 15 May 1997 00:28:02 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E03ve; Thu 15 May 1997 00:28:02 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: TS Sentenced to Death in NJ Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 00:28:02 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9705150028.E03ve@xconn.com>

Return-Path: <FTMOLInfo@aol.com> From: FTMOLInfo@aol.com Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 11:11:04 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Death Sentence for Cop Shooting

In a message dated 5/13/97 11:44:11 PM, AP wrote:

.c The Associated Press

By MELANIE BURNEY

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) – A transsexual was sentenced to death Tuesday for killing a police officer who had responded to the shooting of two other law enforcement officers in the defendant’s house in 1995.

The jury said Leslie Ann Nelson deserved to die for fatally shooting Haddon Heights Patrolman John Norcross when he responded to the shootings in

April 1995.

The sentence makes Nelson the only woman on New Jersey’s death row.

The jury spared Nelson from a second death sentence in the killing of prosecutor’s investigator John McLaughlin, who had gone to her home with a warrant to search for weapons. In that death, Nelson faces life in prison with parole eligibility after 30 years.

A third officer, Detective Richard Norcross, the slain patrolman’s older brother, was wounded five times in the attack.

“We’re so thankful … we did get a death verdict,” said McLaughlin’s wife, Kim, their two daughters at her side.

Nelson, 39, was not in court when the verdict was announced but she pleaded for her life in court on Monday, saying she was prepared to spend her

life in prison.

Defense lawyer James H. Klein said he would appeal. “Naturally we’re very disappointed by the verdict,” he said.

The defense contended Nelson was mentally and emotionally disturbed at

the time of the shootings and suffered from a sexual identity crisis.

Klein said his client – formerly Glenn Nelson – was depressed and suicidal after undergoing a sex change in 1992, and was upset about her failed career as a go-go dancer.

The prosecution argued that she was aware of her actions and intended to kill the officers.

After the shootings, Nelson remained barricaded inside with a cache of

weapons for 14 hours as police pumped tear gas into the house. She emerged wearing a bulletproof vest and gas mask.

There are currently 12 men under death sentence in New Jersey.

AP-NY-05-14-97 0016EDT

Copyright 1997 The Associated Press. The information contained in the

AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Subj: AEGIS-NEWS Digest Date: 97-05-18 08:11:31 EDT From: aegisnws@xconn.com (List Server) Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com

[Only the first 2K of this message is displayed, as it is too long to view through AOL. The entire message has been turned into a text attachment, which you can retrieve by selecting Download. Once downloaded, open it with a word processor or text editor for reading.] ============================================================================= AEGIS-NEWS DIGEST

A service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

=============================================================================

>From listserv@xconn.com Sat 17 May 1997 16:26:43 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E11mx; Sat 17 May 1997 16:26:43 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: C’mon Eddie– Admit It! Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 16:26:43 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9705171626.E11mx@xconn.com>

For Immediate Release 5/15/97

The episode of Geraldo aired Thursday, 15 May, puts an end to Eddie Murphy’s “just helping a lady in distress, I didn’t know she was trans, honest” explanation about picking up a transgendered prostitute in West Hollywood on May 2nd, 1997. A number of transfolk described their relationships with Murphy. Holly Woodlawn (the author of “A Low Life in High Heels” who was immortalized in Lou Reed’s song “A Walk on the Wild Side,” said she had slept several times with Murphy. From the stories of the other ladies, it seems that the relationships generally stopped short of sexual relationships. “Transsexual adult movie star Summer St. Cerely said Murphy hired her several times in 1982, apparently only to talk and stare at her feet.” (Quote from Etcetera Magazine, 16 May).

Murphy says “I love my wife, and I’m not gay.”

But Eddie, c’mon now, admit it– you do like the girls.

Dallas Denny, M.A., Executive Director American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

Subj: AEGIS-NEWS Digest Date: 97-07-22 08:02:56 EDT From: aegisnws@xconn.com (List Server) Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com ============================================================================= AEGIS-NEWS DIGEST

A service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

=============================================================================

>From listserv@xconn.com Mon 21 Jul 1997 08:20:06 -1200 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E45Vx; Mon 21 Jul 1997 08:20:06 -1200 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Key Win by Transsexuals Date: Mon, 21 Jul 1997 08:20:06 -1200 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9707210820.E45Vx@xconn.com>

Dear list members:

If any of you happen to be subscribed to our aegis-list mailing list, I apologize for the multiple postings that appeared over the weekend. The list was subscribed to another list (Press for Change) by the owner of that list without permission from AEGIS.

I will be reposting items of interest from the Press for Change list on this

list; please bear with the following if you have seen it before.

I also apologize for the repeats of messages fon the list. Please bear with

us until Kym gets things sorted out.

Dallas Denny

Return-Path: <null@mbcomms.net.au> Date: Fri, 18 Jul 1997 18:39:49 -0400 From: Christine Burns <Christine_Burns@compuserve.com> Subject: Key win by transsexuals – The Guardian, July 16th To: UKPFC-News@mbcomms.net.au (Press for Change News list) Content-Disposition: inline Reply-To: null@mindspring.com (You cannot post to this list) X-To-Unsubscribe: pfc-lists@mbcomms.net.au (message body: leave UKPFC-News) X-ListMember: AEGIS@MINDSPRING.COM [ukpfc-news@mbcomms.net.au]

————————————————————————— ————————— Key win by transsexuals

Tribunal rules people who change sex should not suffer bias at work

by Clare Dyer Legal correspondent (From The Guardian, July 16th, 1997) ————————————————————————— —————————

TRANSSEXUALS have won a landmark ruling giving them protection against discrimination for the first time under English law.

The Employment Appeal Tribunal has held that the Sex Discrimination Act, which makes discrimination on grounds of sex unlawful, also protects transsexuals from unfair treatment because of their sex change.

The test case judgment, delivered a fortnight ago but only made public yesterday, means employers cannot treat a transsexual less favourably than other employees. It is now unlawful to sack an employee for undergoing a sex change, to refuse to hire a transsexual on that ground alone, or to fail to prevent their harassment.

The tribunal made the ruling in the case of a rides technician, named only as C, at an unnamed amusement park who was ostracised by colleagues after changing sex and was dismissed in July 1994 on grounds of incapability.

The judgment means that the Equal Opportunities Commission’s brief to enforce the Sex Discrimination Act will now extend to transsexuals. In April 1996 the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled that transsexuals were protected from discrimination under European Community law.

This gave public but not private sector employees the right to bring discrimination claims against their employers in British courts and tribunals.

C took her case to an industrial tribunal which held that she was covered under EC law and the Sex Discrimination Act.

The Employment Appeal Tribunal upheld the ruling, giving transsexuals rights against discrimination.

C joined the amusement park as a male employee in January 1987 and in July 1991 announced she was undergoing a sex change. The tribunal found she underwent “prolonged and serious harassment and ostracism” by some of her male colleagues”.

———-

Postscript:

Dr Lynne Jones MP, chair of the Parliamentary Forum on Transsexualism and Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak responded to the above news with the following question to the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday .. somewhat unintentionally wrong-footing the PM, who was (because of an administrative mix up) expecting a question about something else. Reflecting on the outcome afterwards she commented “I hope that the shock will fix the subject in his mind!”.

Dr Lynne Jones:

Will the Prime Minister join me in welcoming the decision of the employment appeals tribunal that gives transsexuals the protection of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975? Does he agree that more needs to be done to help to combat the appalling discrimination faced by sufferers of gender dysphoria? In particular, they should have the right to have their birth certificates amended to give their correct gender.

The Prime Minister:

I have not seen the tribunal decision to which my hon. Friend refers, but I have no doubt that it will be studied by the appropriate people.

**************** The UK Press For Change News List **************** For help send a message to: pfc-lists@mbcomms.net.au with this text in the message body: help ukpfc-news

UKPFC-News is a service operated by Press for Change, the UK’s transsexual rights campaign. For more details of the campaign and the news behind the news, visit our web site at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Press_For_Change/

You cannot post to this list. To submit a news item, please send email to UKPFC-News.submit@mbcomms.net.au

For more information about this list, see http://www.siberia.demon.co.uk/pfclists/

—————————————————————– To contact the administrators: ukpfc-news.admin@mbcomms.net.au ********************************************************************

————————————————————————

>From listserv@xconn.com Mon 21 Jul 1997 08:20:06 -1200 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E60vy; Mon 21 Jul 1997 08:20:06 -1200 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Sheffield (UK) Policy on GRS Date: Mon, 21 Jul 1997 08:20:06 -1200 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9707210820.E60vy@xconn.com>

The following is excerpted from a longer, analytical posting on the Press for Change newslist.

Dallas

SHEFFIELD HEALTH AUTHORITY

Recommendation from the Clinical Policy Purchasing Advisory Group

Gender Dysphoria

It is recommended that Sheffield Health ensures through their Purchasing Plan that there is a mechanism in place locally for the psychiatric and psychological assessment and treatment of patients presenting with gender dysphoria.

* that the assessment and non-surgical treatment and follow-up treatment for these individuals are carried out by a designated psychiatrist with a special interest in psycho-sexual health and this service is purchased through local contracts.

* that the purchasing of surgical treatment for gender dysphoria is considered very low priority for Health Service expenditure. Gender realignment surgery should not generally be considered for Health Service funding unless exceptional clinical indications could be demonstrated by the designated psychiatrist who would need to demonstrate the capacity of the individual patient to benefit from the surgery. That patients be considered for gender realignment only after a second independent assessment.

* that as a low priority for health service funding gender realignment surgery should be considered against a background of other health considerations requiring funding. Availability of resources should be considered year on year.

* Sheffield Health generally does not purchase cosmetic surgery for non clinical indications. Clinical procedures requested by people with gender dysphoria other than gender realignment surgery should be considered a cosmetic procedure under the ECR policy and subject to the same conditions.

In the discussions several points were noted as follows:

1. That the judgement of what were considered clinical exceptional circumstances cannot be decided by the purchaser or established through purchasing mechanisms, but must be that of individual clinicians using their clinical judgement.

2. The group gave careful consideration to whether gender realignment surgery could be considered a health need which should justify NHS funding as opposed to a medical solution to a social need. It was considered that any psychiatric distress which may accompany gender dysphoria could constitute a mental health need. As far as possible these mental health needs should be treated by conventional psychiatric and psychological therapies and non-surgical interventions which should be covered within existing contracts with local providers. That these needs should be met subject to funding being available.

————————————————————————

>From listserv@xconn.com Mon 21 Jul 1997 08:20:06 -1200 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E57bE; Mon 21 Jul 1997 08:20:06 -1200 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Stearns objects to man in dress working for state Date: Mon, 21 Jul 1997 08:20:06 -1200 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9707210820.E57bE@xconn.com>

This was forwarded to us by a list member for posting.

Dallas

Stearns objects to man in dress working for state

Worker described as ‘an excellent employee’ BY MARIAN RIZZO STAFF WRITER

OCALA — U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns is asking state officials to set dress standards for government workplaces after a male state health agency employee in Ocala began reporting for work dressed as a woman.

Stearns, R-Ocala, said several employees in the Ocala offices of the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Department of Juvenile Justice and Developmental Services were offended and distracted by the cross-dressing of Sabrina Marie Theodora Robb, formerly Dale T. Robb, an AHCA human resources counselor.

“It sends wrong signals to our children and people of this county if we tolerate these cultural values,” Stearns said. “I think the public would have a high level of discomfort with his work activities. That’s why I feel pretty strongly about doing this. It’s antithetical to our morals in Ocala.”

Sabrina Robb declined to comment to the Star-Banner.

Robb is employed through the AHCA’s Gainesville office and works as an assistant to Dotti Pohleven in Ocala. Pohleven said that while Robb’s change of dress has been a distraction to some, it has not affected his work performance.

“He’s an excellent employee and a great asset to the MediPass program,” Pohleven said. “He’s very dependable. He’s thorough. We have, from time to time, contact with (Medicaid) providers and with clients, and it’s been a concern what their reaction is. But it’s too soon to really know if there’s any reaction at all.”

The agency’s employee handbook does not have a dress code; however, one paragraph says, “employees are expected to be neat and clean in appearance and to dress appropriately for the office and for contact with the public.”

Stearns said he became involved because local officials had not acted on the complaints.

“From our standpoint, we think that this is really a state problem,” Stearns said. “This is a state employee in a state agency. However, as an elected fellow officer, I think it’s important to point out that there’s a legal precedent that a state can act on this particular case. I think the state should address it immediately and set in place something, to set a standard because of this, and that they should implement something to stop this.”

In a letter to Florida Senate President Toni Jennings and Speaker of the House Daniel Webster, Stearns cited two cases that he believes allow the government to regulate a worker’s appearance. In one case, the Supreme Court decided the government can determine the proper length of a police officer’s hair; in the other, the court ruled that “The First Amendment guarantees free speech and assembly, but it does not guarantee the government employ.”

Both Jennings’ and Webster’s offices are looking into the matter. A staff member from Jennings’ office contacted the agency, but no action has been taken, said Colleen David, AHCA spokeswoman in Tallahassee.

The goal of the agency is to protect the rights of all the employees, as well as the public, David said.

“There are issues that are optional and may need clarification,” David said. “Uniform dress code is an issue that may require clarification in context with the policy set forth for all state employees.”

According to David, Robb works in an administrative position, dealing primarily with health care providers. Although Robb’s job description includes some public contact, most of his work is done by telephone or by written correspondence, and he generally does not have contact with Medicaid recipients, David said.

“We are continuing to work with Sabrina and the other employees in that office to assure that the workplace is professional and productive,” she said.

In such situations, the constitutional rights of the individual are considered, but the courts usually do not restrict government employers from establishing dress standards, said Robyn Blumner, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, headquartered in Miami.

“Certainly the employer can and should tolerate differences in personal appearance and dress, but the likelihood is the court would find that the state employer is not constitutionally obligated to tolerate them,” she said.

Blumner added, however, that the employer should consider whether the employee is doing his job and whether he is disrupting the workplace.

“If he’s acting like a disruptive influence, an employer should respond to that,” she said. “The courts would uphold the employer’s ability to regulate the workplace. If the employer is interested in leaving this guy alone to let him do his job, then leave him alone, and good for the employer for having an open mind about this.”

But some of Robb’s associates say his attire is a distraction. When Robb first came to work dressed in women’s clothing, it was somewhat of a shock, said Gary Hauge, a human services counselor for Developmental Services.

“While I, personally, am an advocate and supporter of one’s individual civil rights, as state employees, we should feel compelled to dress in appropriate attire and project the most favorable impression to the clientele we serve,” Hauge said.

Russell S. Crum, a human services program specialist, said Robb changed his appearance gradually, then one day reported to work entirely in female dress. “He was dressing a little bit more feminine, and then he decided to wear dresses and high heels,” Crum said. “My question was, basically, ‘How do we answer questions from the public?’ ”

A written dress code would settle the issue once and for all, said Zolika Heath, an AHCA specialist.

“Give me a break. This is a state agency,” she said. “If this is all right, then he deserves it in writing. Or, if it’s not all right, then he deserves it in writing. You know, let’s be fair to everybody.”

————————————————————————

>From listserv@xconn.com Mon 21 Jul 1997 08:20:06 -1200 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E93wp; Mon 21 Jul 1997 08:20:06 -1200 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Now Passes Transinclusion Resolution Date: Mon, 21 Jul 1997 08:20:06 -1200 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9707210820.E93wp@xconn.com>

Return-Path: <owner-iyf-online@asylum.apocalypse.org> X-Authentication-Warning: asylum.apocalypse.org: majordom set sender to owner-iyf-online using -f X-Sender: riki@pop.pipeline.com Date: Sat, 19 Jul 1997 11:39:41 -0400 To: RIKI@pipeline.com From: Riki Anne Wilchins <riki@pipeline.com> Subject: N.O.W Passes TransInclusion Resolution Sender: owner-iyf-online@asylum.apocalypse.org

MEDIA ADVISORY – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Riki Anne Wilchins (212)645-1753, Riki@Pipeline.COM

. NOW PASSES TRANSINCLUSION RESOLUTION

. CONSERVATIVE’S CONFERENCE CALLS HOMOSEXUALITY “TRAGIC AFFLICTION”

. HERMS INVADE DATELINE NBC

. NOW PASSES TRANSINCLUSION RESOLUTION ====================================

(Memphis, TN: 6 Jul 97) AFTER YEARS of debate and dialog, the National Organization for Women (NOW) has finally passed a resolution on transinclusion. The successful vote followed personal support by NOW President Patricia Ireland, and concentrated efforts by NOW-NJ President Bear Atwood and NOW Lesbian Rights Coordinator Kim Ward.

The measure was originally introduced and unanimously passed at NOW-NJ’s State Conference in 1994, and then introduced at the 1995 National Conference in Columbus, OH. A dozen gender activists in Menace T-shirts showed up to get signatures on petitions supporting the measure. But, in spite of signatures by over half the attendees and apparently overwhelming support, the measure was tabled to the National Board, where it languished for the next 2 conventions.

The breakthrough was prompted by an invitation Ms. Atwood extended to activists from GenderPAC and other groups to address the State Coordinators Conference in San Francisco several months ago. As more State Presidents got behind the measure, Ms. Ireland asked activists to address the NOW National Board at the current conference.

###

CONSERVATIVE’S CONFERENCE CALLS HOMOSEXUALITY A “TRAGIC AFFLICTION” ===================================

(San Francisco: 20 Jun 97) GAYS AND lesbians suffer from “gender disturbances” and an “infantile refusal to accept reality” maintains the American Public Philosophy Institute, a group of conservative ‘intellectuals’ who held a 3-day conference at Georgetown University. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that 350 people from around the country attended, including William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, who addressed the conference.

Organizers said their purpose is to understand homosexuality “as a tragic affliction, with harmful consequences for both individuals and society….” George Rekers, a professor at South Carolina Medical School, opened the conference with a discussion of gender roles in children.

He said that lesbians tend to be tomboys in childhood, preferring “masculine” toys and demonstrating, “a distinct dislike for doll play and other female activities.” Male homosexuals show the opposite pattern, “preferring the company of girls and wanting to wear lipstick and dresses.” He maintains that “gender disturbance” can be corrected by therapy during childhood.

Funded by Taxpayers ——————- Reker’s work, which is heavily funded by the federal government through research grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, features “aversion therapy,” a technique that punishes nonconforming behavior (limp wrists in boys or swaggering in girls) and rewards conforming behavior (girls playing dolls, boys playing baseball).

Said another panelist, Joseph Nicolosi, “There is no such thing as a gay person,” because homosexuality is “a fictitious identity that is seized on to resolve painful emotional challenges.” Homosexuals engage in “a narcissistic refusal to accept a gendered world and the human biological reality on which that world is based.”

###

HERMS INVADE DATELINE NBC ===========================

(San Francisco: 21 Jun 97) FOR THE first time a major network news show has focused on Intersex Genital Mutilation. On June 17, Dateline NBC, a top-ten news show seen by 25- 30 million viewers, featured an interview with Intersex Society of North America (ISNA) founder Cheryl Chase. Included in the segment was footage from the August ’96 demonstration by Hermaphrodites With Attitude outside the annual conference of the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP).

A surgeon representing the AAP declared that surgery is now so improved that operating on intersex genitals has virtually no adverse consequences. He compared the surgery to facial surgery to remove a deformity.

But ISNA members, now numbering over 200, state flatly that the surgery has harmed them terribly. Many have been left with little or no erotic sensation. Some have ongoing urinary complications, and almost all of them are outraged and angry that their bodies were cut up without their consent.

Following the Dateline report, the San Francisco Chronicle also ran a piece highlighting IGM. A segment on ABC’s Prime Time Live is reportedly in the works for the fall. This media attention follows a half- page story in the New York Times Science section, and a 3-page spread in Newsweek magazine.

Noting that Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as practiced in African or Muslim countries has drawn wide condemnation in the US, Ms. Chase said, “Genital mutilation is a phrase that’s easy for us to apply to somebody who belongs to a third-world culture. “Yet any mutilating practice that’s delivered by licensed medical practitioners in our world has an aura of scientific credibility.”

###

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Subj: AEGIS-NEWS Digest Date: 97-07-29 04:16:08 EDT From: aegisnws@xconn.com (List Server) Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com ============================================================================= AEGIS-NEWS DIGEST

A service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

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>From listserv@xconn.com Mon 28 Jul 1997 06:10:21 -1200 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E75Jy; Mon 28 Jul 1997 06:10:21 -1200 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Sheffield City College Gives up the Fight Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 06:10:21 -1200 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9707280610.E75Jy@xconn.com>

Return-Path: <null@mbcomms.net.au> From: Stephen Whittle <S.T.Whittle@mmu.ac.uk> Organization: Manchester Metropolitan University To: UKPFC-News@mbcomms.net.au (Press for Change News list) Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 16:40:21 GMT Subject: Sheffield City College gives up the fight Priority: normal Reply-To: null@mindspring.com (You cannot post to this list) X-To-Unsubscribe: pfc-lists@mbcomms.net.au (message body: leave UKPFC-News) X-ListMember: AEGIS@MINDSPRING.COM [ukpfc-news@mbcomms.net.au]

Lindsey Henley has been single-handedly fighting Sheffield City College for the last 3 years, and this week with the help of PFC has won a major victory.

Lindsey, a mtf ts, orginally signed on for the college’s “Women Only Motor Mechanics Course”. When her legal status was discovered she was barred from the course. The college refused to let her register for the mixed course – which was all male – on the basis that they could not guarentee her safety.

Lindsey has sought help in this matter for some time – she was refused legal aid on the basis that the Sex Discrimination Act (SDA), which covers vocational training, did not cover transsexuals.

However, PFC activist and solicitor, Michelle Wilson picked up Lindsey’s case a few weeks ago and her work, along with Lindsey’s persistance has come to fruition.

The college have finally conceded and will allow Lindsey to take the course. The decision was almost certainly influenced by the recent Employment Appeal Tribunal (involving the mtf daughter of another PFC activist) decision which held that transsexuals were protected by the SDA. Although that decision is to be appealed by the employer, their chances of success are remote.

This is just one more example of the effectiveness of PFC, when we change life for one we change it for many.

Stephen

********************************************************************* Stephen Whittle Tel: 0161 247 6444 (work) Senior Lecturer in Law Tel: 0161 432 1915 (home) The School of Law Fax: 0161 247 6444 (work) Manchester Metro University Fax: 0161 432 8454 (home) Hathersage Rd Manchester M13 0JA United Kingdom

work email: s.t.whittle@mmu.ac.uk home email: stwhittle@msn.com ********************************************************************** Celebrating and affirming insurgent intellectual cultural practice …. an invitation to enter a space of changing thought, the open mind that is the heartbeat of cultural revolution (b.hooks, 1994) ———————————————————————-

**************** The UK Press For Change News List **************** For help send a message to: pfc-lists@mbcomms.net.au with this text in the message body: help ukpfc-news

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>From listserv@xconn.com Mon 28 Jul 1997 07:06:25 -1200 Received: from xconn by xconn.com with uucp id E38lf; Mon 28 Jul 1997 07:06:25 -1200 From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Reply-to: aegisnws@xconn.com Subject: Repost from UKPFC-NEWS Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 07:06:25 -1200 X-Sender: UUPlus Listserver 2.03 for DOS To: anechoxc Message-Id: <9707280706.E38lf@xconn.com>

Return-Path: <null@mbcomms.net.au> Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 18:36:13 -0400 From: Christine Burns <Christine_Burns@compuserve.com> Subject: US Military Creates Gender Limbo To: UKPFC-News@mbcomms.net.au (Press for Change News list) Content-Disposition: inline Reply-To: null@mindspring.com (You cannot post to this list) X-To-Unsubscribe: pfc-lists@mbcomms.net.au (message body: leave UKPFC-News) X-ListMember: AEGIS@MINDSPRING.COM [ukpfc-news@mbcomms.net.au]

Friday 25th July, 1997

Hello again everybody .. and welcome to the many new names who’ve signed up to the UKPFC-news list during its’ first week. The list is now subscribed by over 140 people and is proving to be a splendid way of passing out information about not just our own campaign, but the efforts of our sisters and brothers worldwide.

On that note, you’ll see that I’m forwarding, below, a fascinating article sent to me by Susan Parker, whose friend is in an astonishing position created by the US military. I’ll not spoil the story .. you can read it below .. but it’s a pointed reminder of the depths of absurdity which (supposedly) rational people can sink to because of their inability to cope with people who don’t fit their simple model.

Another interesting piece of reading was pointed out to me by another correspondent this week too. It’s a paper by Michael Gilbert and it puts some very good counter arguments to the central objections of the Greer school of essentialist feminism, especially in terms of whether “women” or “men” or “transgendered” are all that homogenous as groups to compare or contrast meaningfully. He also makes some interesting points about the potential for transgendered people to absorb much the same environmental socialisation as those with the “right” genitals.

The text is at http://www.yorku.ca/faculty/academic/gilbert/transgen/tgtalk.htm and will be added as a new link to the web site this weekend.

But finally, before I press the button and head up to bed I’d also like to add a belated note of thanks to our benefactor, Kym Kovan, without whom (as they say) none of this would be possible…

The two new PFC lists are in fact hosted on Kym’s own private web domain (mbcomms.net.au), operated from Australia. (In other words, our messages will usually have been twice around the world before they reach you <grin>).

Claire Macnab, who administers our lists tells me that Kym herself is a former Ukranian, 20 years in Australia, and she has very generously offered her computing resources for TG space. Her server now hosts the 3 TGFolk lists, PFC’s two lists, PLUS the web pages for the Australian good Tranny guide (which you’ll find linked from our web pages under the heading about the New Zealand legislation). I gather that it will shortly also be hosting some other new services soon too .. but we’ll tell you about those in due course. Anyway .. the point is that we owe a lot of thanks to Kym for all the work she has put in at the technical end to get the new services operational .. and it’s one more nice reminder of how much we can all achieve when we link hands around the world for the common good.

Thank you Kym.

Actually I think it’s quite fitting that these messages are coming to you from an Australian computer too .. after all, if you’re going to turn the status quo upside down then a computer that’s upside down too seems rather fitting ! (Or is it that the computer’s the right way up and we’re the .. um .. “inverted” ones ??? <gd&r>)

Stay tuned this weekend, anyway .. Time permitting, my next little job is to write a review of Mildred Brown’s excellent new book, True Selves .. which you’ll find advertised on the web site and which is an excellent addition to anyone’s gender library. It’s the first book I’ve seen that’s really designed to explain transsexuality to friends and colleagues who are, so often, the bewildered bystanders in a transition .. and it does it well. More details later though .. because now it’s this campaigner’s bedtime.

Happy and enlightening reading everyone .. and keep pressing.

Kindest regards

Christine Burns Press for Change

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Press_For_Change

————-Forwarded Message—————–

Military Creates Gender Limbo by Tere Frederickson, Major, USAF (Ret.)

While we all celebrated Pride Month, there was a person here in San Antonio who sat stuck in the closet. It wasn’t her choice to be there, she was ordered by her commander to either stay in the closet (under virtual house arrest) or appear in public cross-dressed as a male. To “preserve the good image of the military,” etc., etc., the military has ordered a legally recognized female to cross-dress!

She is fighting her fight to be herself with very little support from our community and against all odds. She’s treading in such new territory that even her civilian attorney is almost completely baffled by her successes doing battle with “the system.”

Her commander has denied her request to vote (twice) – unless she cross-dresses as a male. Her commander has denied her request to attend church – unless she cross-dresses as a male. Her commander has denied her request to participate in the local PTA (she’s the vice president) – unless she cross-dresses as a male. Her commander has denied her request to participate in the education of her children – unless she cross-dresses as a male. In fact, she can’t even go to the grocery store – unless she cross-dresses as a male.

The military went on a “witch hunt” violating her rights. They interviewed her neighbors; they interviewed her pastor; they sent her for three psychiatric evaluations; they sent her to a discharge physical without informing her of its nature; they gave her two Article 15s, demoted her (subsequently suspended on appeal), and fined her $300. And they violated “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” by asking her neighbor if she was gay, and then pursuing it by asking if men frequently visited her (you can try to figure out the logic of that question). Her commander even tried to get the State of Texas to investigate her suitability as a single parent.

By all public and private records except one, she is female. The Texas courts ordered an amendment of gender marker; the State of Pennsylvania issued her a new birth certificate with her correct gender; Texas DPS gave her a new driver’s license; she has a new voters registration card; the Social Security Administration amended their records and gave her a new Social Security card; and all her personal records reflect her female gender. Military psychiatrists have cleared her for world-wide duty (as a woman) and access to classified information. They also said that her commander’s actions had resulted in a diagnosis of gender identity disorder (GID). Even her military medical records reflect a female gender, and medical authorities see a need for continuing assistance for her complete transition. She also wears the smaller insignia designated for women on her BDUs (unisex battle dress uniform except for size of insignia). The insignia were issued to her by her Orderly Room personnel.

The only remaining record in the world with a masculine gender marker is her master personnel file. It seems despite all evidence and medical research to the contrary, the Military Personnel Headquarters alone classifies one’s gender by the sole criteria, “if you have one, you are one.” She attempted to appeal to the Social Actions office (military equivalent of EEOC) citing a long litany of military gender bias abuses of her legal status as a female, but the five-sided puzzle palace (AKA: Pentagon) won’t touch her case, even though they did determine that discrimination has occurred. It’s all because she is in military gender limbo, neither recognized completely as female nor male. She’s in the proverbial “Catch 22,” because if she has genital reconstructive surgery then it constitutes “mutilation of the genitalia” and is grounds for declaration of unsuitability for military service, in other words, “if you get rid of it, we get rid of you.” And by not having surgery she is mired in the military personnel system of gender limbo.

So she lives in forced social exile in her “gulag closet” created by the military. However, she is redefining gender in the military. She’s a hero in our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered struggle for equal rights and fair treatment.

=========================================================

********************************************************** * * * “IT IS NEVER too late to be what you might have been.” * * * * George Eliot (1819-1880) * * The pen name of Mary Ann Evans, English Novelist. * * * **********************************************************

**************** The UK Press For Change News List **************** For help send a message to: pfc-lists@mbcomms.net.au with this text in the message body: help ukpfc-news

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Subj: AEGIS Internet News 8/8/97 Date: 97-08-08 18:35:18 EDT From: aegis@gender.org (Dallas Denny) To: aegis@gender.org

In a message dated 97-08-06 08:28:24 EDT, tgs-pflag writes:

NEW ZEALAND CANCELS SEX-CHANGE OPERATIONS

Midland Health in Waikato, New Zealand, cancelled three sex- change operations last week after realizing that no other regional public-health authority funds gender-reassignment surgery, reports Mark Proffit.

Alan Wilson, Midland Health program director, explained to the New Zealand Herald that a sex-change operation is cosmetic surgery no different than a nose job.

The three people who were awaiting the operation must now come up with NZ$18,000 (US$12,240) each for the surgery. ————————————- Reprinted (with permission) from Etcetera, 1 August, 1997

Delores Dickerson, president of the transgender activist group Trans Action and a founding member of the California equal rights group Voices for Justice, called for the repeal of a San Diego city ordinance during that city’s Pride celebration, July 25. The ordinance bans anyone person from crossdressing “with the intent to deceive another person for the purpose of committing an unlawful act.” Dickerson said the law has been used to harass members of the transgender community and has no practical value for protecting the public, “except for a few johns actually fooled by male prostitutes in drag.” ———————————————– Reprinted (with permission) from Etcetera, 1 August, 1997

U.S. Rep Acts Against Transsexual State Worker

by Rob Nixon

Ocala, FL– U.S. Rep Cliff Stearns (R-FLA) is pressing Florida officials to set a dress-code for state office workers to stop a transsexual from dressing as a woman on the job.

On June 20, Stearns wrote to Florida Governor Lawton Chiles, state House Speaker Daniel Webster, and state Senate President Toni Jennings to “express my concern regarding the professional appearance of Dale Raab [sic], who commonly refers to himself as Sabrina.” Robb is employed as a human resources counselor at the state’s Health Care Administration office in Ocala, which is in Stearns’ district.

Robb gradually began changing her appearance to a more feminine one and has in recent months started wearing dresses and heels to work. Her immediate supervisor, Dotti Pohleven, told the Ocala Star Banner that Robb is an asset to the program and an “excellent employer” whose new book has been a distraction” to some coworkers but has not affected her performance. But Stearns, claiming to act on numerous constituent complaints, wanted the state to prevent Robb’s cross-dressing.

“In my hometown of Ocala, this manner of behaving is particularly appalling,” wrote Stearns, a conservative who has advocated for less government interference in people’s private lives. “I content that the practice of an individual’s free speech must not infringe on the rights of the general public. In this case, the general public can be defined to include both Mr. Raab’s co- workers and the citizens who seek assistance provided by this… office. You can imagine what consternation they feel when confronted with this deviant behavior.”

In his letter, Stearns cited what he sees a constitutional precedent for denying Robb the right to cross-dress: 1951 Supreme Court case guarantying free speech and assembly but not government employment and a 1976 case allowing law enforcement agencies to regulate the length of a police officer’s hair.

“A lot of folks are out there worrying where their next meal is coming from, and this guy is worrying about what one person wears to work,” Robb told the Orlando Sentinel. At press time, none of the officials Stearns contacted had responded publicly to his complaint. ——————————————— Reprinted from Playboy’s Playboy After Hours feature, September, 1997

Serb Somebody

The troubles in Serbia have apparently spawned a rash of soothsayers. Newspaper are clogged with ads for fortune-tellers, and business is brisk. The queen of the Serbian soothsayers is Kleo Patra, a 36-year-old transvestite whose clients include the wife of Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic. His $80 fee is the equivalent of an average month’s salary. He sports long ree hair and diaphanous gowns, and though he weighs more than 200 pounds, he sells diet teas and pills called Kleo tablets that promise to make the user more vital. He even has a TV show on which he warns that the “Serbs are a doomed people destined to slaughter themselves in catastrophic wars in the next century.” As for the U.S., he says, “Don’t worry about America. In your country I see lots of floods.” Whew. Patra is also sought out for relationship advice. “I tell couples who have trouble that they have to go out and find new sexual partners. If you love someone you have to be able to give them up for others to love. For Kleo Patra, physical betrayal does not exist.” Patra does not take criticism lightly. When a local paper accused him of being a sham, he said that he was preparing “to beat that so-called reported like a cat.”

AEGIS Internet News is a service of The American Educational Gender Information Service. To subscribe, send a message to aegisnews@gender.org and ask to be be put on the mailing list.

 

Dallas Denny, M.A., Executive Director

American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

Subj: AEGIS Internet News 8/11/97 Date: 97-08-11 12:00:43 EDT From: aegis@gender.org (Dallas Denny) To: aegis@gender.org

From: Rex Wockner <rwockner@NETCOM.COM> Subject: WOCKNER/2,000 RALLY AT PRIDE KICKOFF To: GLB-NEWS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM

2,000 RALLY AT PRIDE KICKOFF {729 words}

Transgendereds Embraced, Bisexuals Excluded

by Rex Wockner

SAN DIEGO — Transgendered people were welcomed but bisexuals were excluded — and they protested — as 2,000 people launched Pride weekend Friday night at the Spirit of Stonewall Rally outside the Lesbian & Gay Men’s Community Center.

The event featured comic Elvira Kurt, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Kerry Lobel, 1996 U.S. figure-skating champion Rudy Galindo, City Councilwoman Christine Kehoe, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund attorney Myron Dean Quon, and Delores Dickerson of San Diego’s Trans Action, among others.

Dickerson — a last-minute addition to the speakers’ list — spoke against San Diego Municipal Code Section 56.19 which bans wearing “apparel customarily worn by the opposite sex with the intent to deceive another person for the purposes of committing an unlawful act.”

The antiquated law — used exclusively in recent years against male, non-white transvestites, some of them alleged prostitutes – – is the target of a repeal campaign that is gathering steam — mounted by Trans Action and by Voices for Justice, the continuation of VOICES ’96, the group that protested last year’s Republican National Convention.

Dickerson had been denied a slot at the rally podium until local drag leader Nicole Ramirez Murray came to her rescue with a threat that 100 drag queens would picket the event.

Bisexuals had no such advocate so their late request to speak stayed rejected. Members of the San Diego Bisexual Political Action Group, BiPol, demonstrated with signs reading “Not Seen, Not Heard” and a banner reading “Inequality Through Invisibility,” a takeoff on the pride slogan, “Equality Through Visibility.”

“We’re doing a silent protest at the exclusion of any bisexual presence at this rally,” said Jan Hansen. “I spoke to [Pride Executive Director] Mandy Schultz several days before Delores Dickerson did and I was told on June 26th that the schedule was locked in and there could be no exception made.”

Fellow protester Ray Paquette added: “With the theme this year, they should have already invited a bisexual speaker and a transgender speaker.”

Subhead: San Diego: A National Model

Such flaps notwithstanding, NGLTF head Lobel told the Gay & Lesbian Times that San Diego’s gay community is “a model for the rest of the country.”

“The level and depth of organization of the community here is unparalleled,” she said. “There are hundreds of volunteers ready to go, there’s a [gay] center that has increased its budget every year, there’s a community that’s hooked into feeling invested in itself and it’s really rare what’s going on here and it’s a model for what should go on around the country.

“Part of it is location, location, location,” Lobel noted. “People want to live here. Some of the best and brightest people have moved here and they stayed involved instead of checking out which should be a model for anyone who’s moving to a nice place.”

Kurt, the Canadian comic who emceed the rally, joked about the Andrew Cunanan media feeding frenzy.

“Between [the] Heaven’s Gate [suicides] and [Cunanan’s appearances on the TV show] ‘America’s Most Wanted,’ this is the only place in the world where the gay community is mainstream,” she said. “You know there’s been too much media [attention] when even the gay community is going: ‘Please! Leave us alone!'”

Added Lobel: “I’ve seen your Gay Mart [on TV] at least 200 times [but] you handled yourselves so well over the past few months.”

Several awards and recognitions were handed out at the rally. Toni Atkins was named Woman Of The Year. An aide to Councilwoman Kehoe, Atkins has been a gay activist for 10 years.

“The rewards have been many and I have not regretted being out as a lesbian, not for one moment ever,” she said.

Men of the Year were Joe Pascale and Jeff Palmer, a businessman/photographer couple who have* donated more than $380,000 to AIDS organizations. They run coming-out groups at the gay center and created Halloween’s “Nightmare on Normal Street.”

The American Civil Liberties Union was named Friend Of The Year and the Live & Let Live Alano Club received the Stonewall Award For Community Service. Other Community Service Awards went to Imperial Court de San Diego Emperor Noel Guanzon, queer-youth activist Karleen Pendleton Jimenez, P-FLAG leader Diane Warner, and longtime activist Mike Lloyd.

“One of these days,” Pride’s Mandy Schultz suggested at the rally’s end, “we’re not going to have a pride celebration anymore because we will be equal and we won’t need to be here anymore.”

-end- From: Al Kielwasser <MediAction@aol.com> Subject: “MEDIAlert!” [B] – 08.11.97 (Media/Briefs & Web Watch) To: GLB-NEWS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM

Only trans-related content is in this posting)

[4]

*** ROCK AND SOULS . . . . The latest “media devil” for the fundamentalist set seems to be singer Marilyn Manson. Manson’s unorthodox music has been attacked for advocating everything from bisexuality to suicide.

Among Manson’s detractors is Al Menconi, the president of Menconi Ministries — a self-described “Christian Ministry whose mission is to educate and equip Christian parents, leaders and youth to consider the values communicated in their entertainment — especially today’s music.” In a recent column for the “AFA Journal” (August, 1997), Menconi says of Manson: “This popular drug-using, bisexual rocker is one of the most demented artists to hit the scene in the history of rock music.”

Unlike many of his colleagues in censorship, Menconi has at least listened to Manson’s music — and even went to one of his concerts to witness the depravity first-hand. “I couldn’t believe how shocked some of my Christian friends were when they heard that I went to see Marilyn Manson,” said Menconi. “Some of them even asked if I wasn’t afraid of demon possession!”

Menconi further reported that “the concert was loud and profane, with many in attendance cross-dressing just like their hero.” While the singer “did strip down to a leather jock strap,” he failed to offer any of the “animal sacrifices” Menconi expected.

Manson is also the subject of a boycott supported by the American Family Association and the Minnesota Christian Coalition. These Right Wing groups are advocating a campaign against the Best Buy Company, because the nationwide retailer was one of several sponsors of “Ozzfest” — a tour which featured Marilyn Manson.

“Best Buy’s promotion of this hateful act is the moral equivalent of dealing drugs to children,” explained Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association. “The company doesn’t deserve the patronage of families struggling to raise children in difficult times.”

C o n t a c t : Al Menconi, President, Menconi Ministries, P.O. Box 5008, San Marcos, CA 92069, tel. 619-591-4696; Tim Wildmon, Vice-President, American Family Association, P.O. Drawer 2440, Tupelo, MS 38803, tel. 601-844-5036, fax 601-844-9176, web-site www.afa.net; Richard M. Schulze, Chairperson, Best Buy Co., P.O. Box 9312, Minneapolis, MN 55440-9312, tel. 612-947-2000, fax 612-947-2422; Marilyn Manson/Interscope Records, e-mail interscope@interscoperecords.com, web-site www.interscoperecords.com.

GLAADALERT August 8, 1997 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

(Only trans-related content is in this posting)

2. AP Warns Community of Serial Killers

Last week, the Associated Press (AP) brought public attention to the numerous unsolved serial murders of gay men and transgender people. The article states, “from New Jersey to Virginia to Texas, the slayings of as many as 30 gay men or transvestites, which activists believe are the work of five serial killers, remain unsolved.” The article mentions that in some localities working relationships between the police and gay community have recently been forged, yet “other activists remain frustrated and say it still takes a lot of pushing to get many officers to take seriously any crimes involving homosexual victims, even homicides.”

This article is a positive step on the part of AP to create awareness around the egregious lack of attention to these murders by some law enforcement officials and the media. Now than Andrew Cunanan is dead, it is important that people realize our community has always been, and currently is, at risk for anti-gay violence.

Please thank AP for taking these crimes seriously and responding to the call for action from anti-violence activists.

Contact: Darrell L. Christian, Managing Editor, Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10020-1666, fax: 212.621.7520, e-mail: rgersh@ap.org.

Note: AEGIS has considered the probability of trans-serials killers for years; in fact, we published an article in The Advocate in 1992, which follows:

Copyright 1997 by Dallas Denny and Margaux Ayn Schaffer

The following, which appeared in April, 1992 in The Advocate, was written in response to the murder in Atlanta of three crossdressed persons in Atlanta in as many months. Here is the citation:

Denny, D., & Schaffer, M.A. (1992, 21 April). Vox Populi: Do transgender issues affect the gay community? Violence against transgendered persons: An unrecognized problem. The Advocate, 601, 114.

 

 

Violence Against Transgendered Persons: An Unrecognized Problem Dallas Denny and Margaux Ayn Schaffer The American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

They turn up alongside the interstate highways and in back alleys throughout the nation: dead women, who, upon inspection of their persons and paperwork, turn out to be men, or to have once been men. Others, fortunate enough to still be among the living, show up crossdressed, bruised and bloody, at the emergency rooms of hospitals or on the doorsteps of friends. Beaten. Robbed. Shot. Stabbed. Raped. The police have been known to laugh at the violence and throw the unfortunates back into the pool with the predators. The media either ignore the victims or focus on their gender status, making them, and not the violence which has been done to them, the story. The most respectable, most productive person, if transgendered, becomes just another “transsexual” or “transvestite” when assaulted or murdered. Due to their often ambiguous appearance, transgendered persons present easy targets for ridicule or abuse. Those who are living crossgender often have difficulty in changing their victim profile, for their body habitus is frequently at odds with their gender identity and their social role. Unlike the case with other sexual and gender minorities, transsexualism provides visual stigma which pervade every waking moment, even when the individual is trying to blend in. Although they are certainly at risk when crossdressed, drag queens and male crossdressers can and do go home and take off their dresses and go back to being men, and crossdressed women go back to being women– but the transsexual woman is not impersonating a woman, and the transsexual man is not impersonating a man. They are doing their dead level best to be men and women, and it can get them assaulted or killed. Despite the fact that they are much more often victims of violence than they are perpetrators, transgendered persons are frequently portrayed in the media as psychotics or criminals. This is a legacy left us by Alfred Hitchcock. His “Psycho” is mirrored in such films as “Dressed to Kill” and, more recently, “Silence of the Lambs,” as well as on innumerable television shows. In actuality, violent crimes by transgendered persons are quite rare, but homicide and assault of transgendered persons are very common. Yet how many television shows and movies have focused on transgendered persons as victims? The murders of three transgendered persons in Atlanta in one month have made us acutely aware of the problem of violence in our society. We remembered having read newspaper accounts of such killings, but when we checked, we were appalled at the magnitude of the problem. Transgendered people have been turning up dead in many of our cities: San Diego, San Francisco, Dallas, New York, Chicago. We found that transsexual people are sometimes beaten by the police, and have been abused and raped by their jailers. We found that transgendered inmates are sometimes housed in common areas with the general population of their original gender (recently, one transsexual woman had her breast implants ruptured in a scuffle with male prisoners in a holding tank). We found that care providers will sometimes refuse to treat transgendered persons, even when they are in obvious physical or mental distress. We found that there is little support for those who have been abused or attacked, and that perpetrators are rarely apprehended. Our conclusion was that violence against transgendered persons pervades our society, and that a system to monitor and prevent it is not in place. We would estimate that dozens of murders of transgendered persons are occurring every year. Most happen for unknown reasons, and are never solved. Certainly, the police in different cities do not seem to be communicating with each other. We doubt, for instance, that the Atlanta police have spoken with the police in San Diego, where there have been a number of recent killings. Perhaps all these murders are unrelated, but consider this: what if there is a serial killer of transgendered persons? What if there are several serial killers? How would we ever know? The murders and violence will continue unless our culture comes to understand that the transgendered are people, too. One need only substitute words for other classes of people for “transsexual” or “crossdresser” to see just how our society devalues transgendered men and women: “Three Children Murdered in Inner City!” “Another Dentist Found Dead on Interstate!” Would the police take immediate action if those were the headlines? Of course. Would the media make a big deal of it? They certainly did a decade or so ago, right here in Atlanta, when children were being murdered. You can bet that there would be a police task force and national headlines if schoolteachers or preachers were turning up dead in Atlanta. But with three transgendered women recently murdered, the police and media don’t seem to be taking the problem seriously. There is a problem, of course, and it is not an Atlanta problem, not a Georgia problem, not a Southern problem. It is a national problem. It is time that violence against transgendered persons is recognized as a matter for national concern, just as has happened with violence against gay men and lesbians. But just as it is not a local problem, it is not a gay matter, nor a transgender matter. It is a question of safety for all people. Everyone is at risk, especially those who do not fit into rigid gender stereotypes. Last year, for example, a woman who was walking with her husband in San Francisco was beaten because bashers perceived her to be a gay man. The United States is based on freedom of expression. Allowing violence against any of its citizens subverts the intention of its founders. Inaction by the authorities can lead only to increasing violence and widening circles of victims. We must work cooperatively to deal with the problem of violence against American citizens, no matter what their sexual orientation or presentation of gender. We can do this in forums such as this, by approaching our lawmakers, and by educating those who are ignorant. We can do it by supporting hate crime laws, and by demanding that those who are sworn to protect us do so. We must let the authorities know that we do not demand special treatment, but that we do demand equal treatment. But by all means, we must take action now, for the violence has gone on for too long. From: Wrede <101526.2743@CompuServe.COM> To: “‘Denny, Dallas'” <aegis@mindspring.com>

The International Journal of Transgenderism Editors: Friedeman Pfaefflin and Eli Coleman Assistant Editor: Brunhild Kring Language: English URL (internet adress): to be announced in late August

is a scientific journal on all aspects of transgenderism. Its first issue is to be published in early September ’97 in an online edition on the Web. Frequency will be quarterly. Additionally, a short version of each issue will be available in print, containing the abstracts and the URLs of the articles.

*

Table of contents of the first issue:

Blending genders: Contributions to the Emerging Field of Transgender Studies by R. Ekins

Gender Identification and Sexual Orientation Among Genetic Females with Gender-blended Self-perception in Childhood and Adolescence by A.E Eyler

Self and Gender: Narcissistic Pathology and Personality Factors in Gender Dysphoric Patients. Results of a prospective study by U. Hartmann, H. Becker and C. Rueffer-Hesse

The Medicalization of Gender Migration by S. Hirschauer

Legal Aspects of Transsexualism in Brazilian Law by C.L Marques and E.Ramos da Silva Introducing the archive section, we will republish with the first issue:

A Sex Difference in the Human Brain and its Relation to Transsexuality by J.N. Zhou et al, originally published in Nature.

The archive section is to serve as a source of ‘milestone’ articles, published elsewhere in the past. Also, the first issue will contain the abstracts of the papers, to be presented during the HBIGDA meeting in Vancouver.

*

Access to the Int’l Journal of Transgenderism will be free of charge for the current issues. Starting in early ’98 we will offer additional services for a small subscription fee, including:

The short version of the IJT, to be mailed to the subscribers in its printed or electronic version in advance of the new online issue.

Access to the complete archive section with milestone articles and past issues of the IJT.

Electronic versions of books on transgenderism, starting with: Follow-up Studies on Sex Change. A commented review of literature 1961 – 1991 By F. Pfaefflin and A. Junge. Full text search of all our contents.

*

We would like to provide you with the URL, as soon as possible, and some free copies of the printed short version.

In case you are interested, please mail to: Claudia Wrede, 101526.2743@compuserve.com

—————————- (ATLANTA-BASED) PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP FOR TRANSGENDERED PERSONS

A psychotherapy group is now forming for people of MtoF transgender experience. This group is designed to assist members in the following ways:

· supporting self-discovery · exploring identity within the cross-dressing/ transgender/transexual spectrum · dealing with feelings about transgender experience · finding ways to become more at ease and self-accepting · integrating transgender experience into general identity and life · enhancing communication with significant others · addressing “coming out” for those who wish to do so · exploring options for congruent gender expression · offering support through the process of gender transition, when and if that is desired and appropriate

Time: Wednesdays, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Place: 1924 Clairmont Rd. Suite 120, Decatur GA Cost: $40 (inquire about sliding scale if necessary) Statements provided monthly for your insurance reimbursement Membership: limited to 8 people Twelve session initial commitment requested

We will work together to create an atmosphere in which safety, support, and respect are emphasized, in order to foster exploration and affirmation of individual differences. This will be a therapy group rather than a support group, and therefore appropriate for people who have serious interest in exploring their issues at some depth.

The group will be led by Virginia Erhardt, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and sex therapist who writes a monthly column about emotional health in Southern Voice newspaper. Dr. Erhardt trains professionals to work with people who have gender issues, and follows the Standards of Care of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association. For more information and an intake interview, contact Dr. Erhardt at 404/256-6664 or by e-mail at VIRGPSYCH@aol.com.

————–

A Call for Proposals for the Third Annual West Coast Conference on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Education: Opening Minds

Saturday, November 1, 1997 James Logan High School, Union City, California

Sponsored by GLSTN/San Mateo and GLSTN/San Francisco Bay Area (formerly BANGLE)

The GLSTN Conference Planning Committee cordially invites you to submit a proposal to present at the Third Annual Bay Area Conference on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Education. The conference is scheduled for Saturday, November 1, 1997, at James Logan High School in Union City, California. The site offers easy driver access and is within walking distance of the Union City BART Station on the Richmond-Fremont Line. Conference goals are to make school environments safe and supportive of ALL students and to provide concrete tools and tested activities to combat homophobia on campus.

Please submit your proposal(s) on the enclosed form postmarked or e-mailed no later than Wednesday, September 10. Please feel free to duplicate and share this invitation with others. All workshops are planned to be 75 minutes. This includes time to allow for questions or discussion. We regret that we are unable to reimburse presenters. However, all presenters will receive complimentary registration for the conference.

——————————————————————-

Proposed Title ____________________________________________________

Presenter(s) ______________________________________________________

Affiliation ________________________________________________________

Address, Phone Number, E-mail Address of Presenters: __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

A/V Equipment Needed ____________________________________________

I can repeat my presentation. [ ] Yes [ ] No

Brief Description of Workshop (75 words or less–use back if necessary) __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Return to: Wanda & Ben Steffens 7 Creekside Dr Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 Or e-mail to: steffens@aol.com For more info, call: (415) 726-6902

Return by Wednesday , September 10, 1997

GLSTN 121 West 27th Street, Suite 804 New York, NY 10001 212-727-0135 http://www.glstn.org

Subj: AEGIS Internet News Digest 8/14/97 1 of 2 Date: 97-08-14 13:56:08 EDT From: aegis@gender.org (Dallas Denny) To: aegis@gender.org

AEGIS Internet News Digest Part 1 of 2 8/14/97

This Mailing List is a Service of the American Educational Gender Information Service (AEGIS). To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to aegisnews@gender.org.

—————————————— From Southern Voice, 7 August, 1997. Reprinted with permission.

Transsexual Seeks Myrtle Beach City Council Seat

by Laura Brown

Campaigning on a platform of diversity and change, a 30-year-old African-American transsexual has announced her plans to run for City Council in Myrtle Beach, SC.

White men make up five of the seven members of the council, but if Sharon Franklin Brown has her way, those numbers will change in November’s election. All members are elected citywide, and three of the four-year terms will be filled this fall, said Myrtle Beach City Manager Tom Leath.

“I”m qualified as an individual coming from an oppressed group that’s still looking for avoid and has not been represented. Being a minority and a woman, too, we need equal and adequate representation,” Brown said. “I’m a strong believer in democracy, that majority rules, but you have to protect the rights of minorities, and I think we’ve lost sight of that, especially in Myrtle Beach.”

Brown said she became involved with the City Council in March, when Councilman Mark McBride was quoted as saying, “We don’t want this garbage on the Boulevard” and “I don’t want to end up seeing transvestites and drag queens and people being led around on leashes in dog collars” in reference to a gay ar opening in Myrtle Beach’s Pavilion area.

“I was living in Myrtle Beach at the time Mark McBridge made those comments about gays being garbage, and I went to the Council and voiced my opinion, and it led from there,” she explained. Brown said she has attended every council meeting since the gay bar debate.

McBride, who is running for mayor in November’s election, said he has “no problem” with Brown’s candidacy and denied making the “gays are garbage” comment.

“We are a family beach…” he told Southern Voice. “Whether it’s obscene T-shirts, drug paraphernalia, prostitutes, gangs, or gay bars, all that in my opinion is garbage, but I never said gays are garbage… If I was her– I mean his– inspiration for running, then OK, whatever. I’m not a supporter of the gay lifestyle, but what someone does is their own business.”

John Maxwell, who is finishing his second term on City Council and plans to run for a third, said he welcomes Brown to the race. “I see Sharon as a very articulate and intelligent girl, and she is certainly qualified to serve.”

“Myrtle Beach is not a sleep southern town anymore. It’s a city, and as cities grow, their outlook has to grow,” he continued. “When it comes to transsexuals or homosexuals, like with people of different races and religions, those who have a problem with it are showing a lack of intelligence or understanding. They are people, and they deserve equal opportunity like everyone else.”

Maxwell also said Brown’s background should be an issue “no more than my background as a construction worker. Why should people hold your background against you? You’re there to serve. She brings a culture and experience from beyond the city limits, and I think that’s good.”

Brown, born Franklin Brown, said she had Sharon added to her legal name and began living as a woman about nine years ago. “As far back as I can remember, I knew I was a girl. I never identified as gay,” she said of her childhood in rural, segregated Louisiana.

“Any black person, especially raised in the Deep South, has to deal with major obstacles, and that’s been even more than being transsexual. I was pretty popular in school. I had name calling, but only a few times, and I was very competitive academic-wise.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration and pre-law at Northeast Louisiana University, Brown said she began a master’s program in psychology and business at North Carolina’s Fayetteville State University, where she was fired from her job as a resident hall director in a women’s dorm.

“I was up for promotion, and they said they needed to confirm my degree. It came back with my birth name, and they thought I was trying to use my brother’s degree, so I had to explain,” she said. “They asked me to prove my sex, and when I refused and asked them if they require that of all applicants, they dismissed me.”

After the incident, Brown said she began speaking out about the need to include gender identity and sexual orientation in non- discrimination policies. While she said she takes female hormones, she declined comment on whether she will have gender- reassignment surgery.

“When people ask about that, I always say, does it matter to my candidacy?” It doesn’t, so that’s it,” she said. Still, she said her gender identity has been a big issue in her campaign, and she has been frustrated by press reports calling her a “transvestite,” a “cross-dresser,” and “he.”

“People really do get hung up on that, and that includes the gay community as well. A lot of gay men and women don’t understand the transgendered community, too.”

Although her candidacy might help shed light on gender and sexual orientation issues, Brown stressed that mere visibility is not the goal of her campaign.

“Our population is changing rapidly, and Myrtle Beach has to change, too,” she said. “From public safety to public transportation, we have a lot of problems to deal with. I’d also like to see a non-discrimination ordinance passed citywide, where it would be illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.”

In the meantime, Brown said she’s looking for a campaign manager who isn’t afraid of being considered “gay by association.” She’s also continuing her jobs at Applebee’s restaurant and as a Whitney Houston impersonator at Metropolis By the Sea, the club whose opening McBride opposed.

Regardless of the outcome of the City council election, Brown said her political career has just begun. “Whether I’m elected or not, one day I want to run for state house and then governor. It may be 10 years down the road before I feel comfortable enough and like I have the political background to do it, but it has to start somewhere, and I’m starting here in Myrtle Beach.”

“Some little kids have dreams about being millionaires or rock stars, but when I was a kid I wanted to be in the White House,” she concluded. “In 20 or 25 years, I’ll be about 50, and who knows? A lot can happen in 25 years; just look at how far we’ve already come.” —————————————- Lest We Forget…

This is a selection from an article in Southern Voice, 7 August, 1997. Reprinted with permission.

History of the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival by David Blanco

…. The most recent– and perhaps the most wrenching– major debate has been over the participation of post-operative male-to- female transsexuals at the event. One such transsexual, Nancy Burkholder, participated clandestinely at the 1990 festival. When she openly shared her story the following year [this is erroneous– she didn’t share her story– Dallas], security guards escorted her from the premises. A “camp Trans” was set up outside the gates of the festival [several years later– Dallas] to protest the “womyn-born-womyn-only” policy adopted in 1993 and some women were spotted with “Friend of Nancy” buttons. But festival organizers continued to defend the policy. As one woman put it, “It’s the dick in their heads I don’t want here.”

————————————————— From “Odds & Ends” in “Weekly Alibi” (Aug. 13-19), New Mexico alternative news and entertainment publication.

Dateline: Senegal — Officials in Dakar are trying their best to quell the growing mob frenzy over so-called “sorcerers” capable of shrinking a man’s penis to nothing with a mere handshake (hey, I could have saved $10,000). Scores of people have been beaten and burned to death in the West African nations of Ghana, Ivory Coast and Senegal in the past year. Daily newspapers in Dakar, Senegal, published pictures of suspected “genital thieves” (Dr. Biber on vacation?) killed in the latest waves of panic along with headlines like “Have We Lose Our Common Sense?” Police have tried to assuage public fears by assuring West African populations that allegations of vanishing penises are baseless. –compiled by Devin D. O’Leary

Subj: AEGIS Internet News 8/26/97 Date: 97-08-26 10:09:58 EDT From: aegis@gender.org (Dallas Denny) To: aegis@gender.org

AEGIS Internet News Digest Tuesday, 26 August, 1997 AEGIS Internet News Digest is a Service of The American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to aegisnews@gender.org. —————————————————————————- ————————-

Return-Path: <apc@wamani.wamani.apc.org> To: lista-ales1@wamani.wamani.apc.org Subject: National Campaign to Penalize Discrimination From: ales@wamani.apc.org (Alejandra Sarda) Date: Fri, 22 Aug 97 14:22:16 ARG Organization: Red Wamani – APC Networks – Argentina

PENALIZE DISCRIMINATION To discriminate is a crime

National Campaign for Penal Code amendment

Background

a) Argentinean legislation

No legal norms protecting from discrimination based on sexual identity and orientation exist in our country. Thanks to the work of gay, lesbian, transvestite, transsexual and bisexual individuals and groups, Buenos Aires Statute states -in its Article 11- that: “the right to be different is acknowledged and guaranteed; no discrimination aimed at segregating people on the basis or race, ethnical origins, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, ideology, beliefs, nationality, physical features, psichophysical – social – economical condition or any other circumstance that implies exclusion, restriction or demeaning will be accepted”. This article only applies to the city’s public administration. It’s not national in scope and does not apply in the private sector. No penalty is prescribed for those committing discriminatory acts. National Law Against Discriminatory Acts (number 23.592) does not penalize people who discriminate and the only punishment eventually prescribed is “to stop committing the discriminatory act”. This law does not specifically mention sexual identity and orientation as basis for discrimination. Those two traits render the law useless.

b) Other countries Several countries have national level laws protecting sexual minorities against different forms of discrimination. Such protection might be included in the Constitution (South Africa), discriminatory behaviour might be forbidden by the Penal Code (Spain, Island, Slovenia, France, Denmark) or there might be a Human Rights Protection law (Netherlands and Canada)

Current Situation

Police edicts are enforced in the whole country. Police has the power to arrest people as a “preventive measure”. The edicts are unconstitutional, and they are used by the police force against citizens’ civil rights. People are arrested, beaten, tortured and murdered with total impunity. Discrimination is also rampant at the workplace, specially in the private sector. Many people are not hired or loose their jobs because of their sexual identity or orientation. The same situation is affecting People Living With HIV/ AIDS.

Proposal

The National Campaign Penalize Discrimination, To Discri- minate Is A Crime, is aimed at preserving human and civil rights through introducing a Penal Code amendment. That is the only way for discrimination to be considered what it really is: A CRIME. As discrimination is an action against people, only the Penal Code prescribes penalties according to the nature of the act and leaves open the possibility of civil lawsuits against the infractor for moral and material damage.

Article to be included in the Argentinean Penal Code, Chapter VII, Book II, Title I (Crimes against persons), through the passing of a National Law: “Anyone who through discriminatory acts or omissions or publicly inciting to hate based on race, ethnical origin, gender, sex, sexual orientation, sexual identity, language, religion, ideology, beliefs, age, nationality, physical features, psycho-physical – social – economical condition impedes, obstructs, limits or in any way incites to undermine the full exercise of rights and guarantees stated in our National Constitution for all citizens, will be penalized with 6 months to 2 years imprisionment”. The Campaign is conducted by Gay, Lesbian, Transvestite, Transsexual and Bisexual individuals and groups in Argentina.

Information and support: Phones: (54 1) 373 89 55 and/or (54 1) 361 36 43 Fax: (54 1) 373 89 55 and/or (54 1) 382 90 95 Mailing addresses: 4to. Piso, Buenos Aires and/or Pte.Roca 663 Of.5 (2000) Rosario, Prov. de Santa Fe. E.mail: ales@wamani.apc.org and/or jlhb@pinos.com

———————————

MEDIA ADVISORY – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Clare Howell, clareq@gpac.org (718) 638-7062

. NYC POLICE SODOMIZE HAITIAN MAN . MENACE, GENDERPAC & TOPS JOIN OUTCRY OVER CASE OF POLICE RACISM & BRUTALITY

NYC POLICE SODOMIZE HAITIAN MAN ===============================

(New York, NY: 11 Aug 97) ABNER LOUIMA, A 30- YEAR-OLD Haitian immigrant, was arrested by NYC police on 9 August outside a Brooklyn nightclub, beaten repeatedly, taken to the 70th Precinct house, beaten again, and anally raped by the arresting officer and several others. The story has quickly ballooned from a simple arrest into national news.

Mr. Louima, a security officer and married father of two, alleges that he was sodomized with the handle of a toilet plunger while being subjected to racial epithets. His front teeth were knocked out when the plunger was then jammed into his mouth. Mr. Louima made the allegations from his Long Island hospital bed, where he lay in critical condition from a torn rectum and ruptures in his bladder and intestines.

### MENACE, GENDERPAC, TOP JOIN OUTCRY OVER CASE OF POLICE RACISM & BRUTALITY ==========================================

(Brooklyn, NY: 16 Aug 97) THOUSANDS OF ANGRY MEMBERS of the Haitian community and black civil rights leaders were joined today by groups including the Gay & Lesbian Anti- Violence Project, Jews for Peace and Reconciliation, and the Transexual Menace to protest police brutality against minority citizens. The demonstration was sparked by the alleged police assault last weekend on Haitian immigrant Abner Louima.

This marks the second time gender activists have publicly protested on the troubling issue of prisoner sexual abuse, an issue Menace spokestrans have long accused gay and feminist organizations of ignoring. Said one, “We were asked why we’re here; I have no trouble at all connecting the beating and anal rape of a black man with gender- based oppression.”

Carrying banners, toilet plungers, and chanting, “No Justice–No Peace,” approximately 150 protesters gathered outside the 70th Precinct stationhouse to voice their outrage, as more than 2,000 protesters marched from the nightclub to join them. Despite the sweltering heat, angry marchers, and scores of police officers on the scene, no arrests were made during the afternoon- long demonstration.

Last week both GenderPAC and Transgender Officers Protect & Serve (TOPS) signed a letter drafted by the Lesbian & Gay Anti- Violence Project and address to NY Mayor Rudy Guiliani, deploring the brutality and racism of the Louima beating.

A second protest, marching all the way across the Brooklyn Bridge to the Mayor’s office in Manhattan, has been called for August 29. Menace activists are expected to attend.

###

Online Editor: Clare Howell, clareq@gpac.org

Subscriptions. Please send: Subscribe iyf-online OR Unsubscribe iyf-online TO MajorDomo@Apocalypse.Org

For prior press releases, check the GenderPAC web site at: http://WWW.Gpac.Org

(c) 1996 InYourFace An on-line, news-only service for gender activism. When re-posting, please credit InYourFace.

——————————-

Several trans-inclusive Conferences: 1. PROGRESS SUMMIT 2. ’98 Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender College Conference: February in Chicago Date: Thu, 21 Aug 1997 07:45:53 -0700 From: Kelly Lyndon <klyndon@QUALCOMM.COM> Subject: PROGRESS SUMMIT MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”us-ascii”

DALLAS TO HOST ’97 PROGRESS SUMMIT SEPTEMBER 19 – 21

PROGRESS Now National Organization Los Angeles — August 19, 1997 — PROGRESS, the nation’s largest coalition of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employee resource groups, today announced that it has selected Dallas to host its third annual PROGRESS Summit for Workplace Leaders, to be held at the Fairmont Hotel from September 19 – 21. Dallas-based Leadership Lambda will co-host the Summit. Official sponsors of this year’s Summit include The United Way, Visa International, Pacific Bell, Human Rights Campaign, Kaiser Permanente, American Airlines, Genentech, and the Los Angeles Gay & lesbian Center.

Openly-gay Texas State Representative Glenn Maxey has been tapped as the Summit’s key-note speaker.

“Hosting the Summit outside of California this year demonstrates PROGRESS’ growth as a national coalition,” said Sarah Fairchild of Kaiser Permanente, event co-chair. “PROGRESS is now educating employers nationwide about inclusive workplace policies and showing them how employee groups play an integral role in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights movement.”

San Francisco Bay Area human resources and diversity expert Paula Jones developed the leadership program in conjunction with the PROGRESS Event Committee. The committee is made up of workplace activists and professionals from national and multinational corporations.

This year’s Summit is expected to be the largest ever, with participants from dozens of corporate, governmental, non-profit and educational workplaces nationwide. PROGRESS Summit ’97 registration fees range from $95 – $235 including lodging, meals and seminars. Information on the PROGRESS Summit is available by telephone at 888-PRO-LGBT or email at PROGRESSUS@aol.com.

Founded in 1995, PROGRESS provides programs and services to employee groups, employers and individuals addressing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workplace concerns. Its programs and services include The PROGRESS Report, the “PROGRESS Page” website <http://www.bayscenes.com/np/progress>, the Leadership Training Program, education manuals, and the Sample Document Library.

Leadership Lambda was established in 1993 to strengthen skills for existing and new leaders in the gay, lesbian and bisexual community of Dallas. Leadership Lambda offers a six-month intensive skills-building Seminar Series, as well as customized technical assistance to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender organizations across the United States.

PROGRESS Contact: Garrett Hicks 888-PRO-LGBT

** Please post widely ** Date: Thu, 21 Aug 1997 10:58:42 -0500 From: David Barnett <barnett@UIC.EDU> Subject: ’98 Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender College Conference: February in Chicago MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”us-ascii”

For Immediate Release

*******************************************************************************

“Across the Fruited Plain” — The 1998 Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender College Conference

The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is proud to host this conference on our campus February 20 to 22, 1998. The conferen organizers are pleased to announce they have booked Urvashi Vaid, Leslie Feinberg, and Michelangelo Signorile as our three keynote speakers and singer-songwriter Melissa Ferrick as one of our entertainers. The conference will also feature dozens of workshops, panels, and programs, two dances, a vendor fair, and more. The conference web site offers the most current information: http://www.uic.edu/depts/quic/mblgtcc

The conference is cosponsored by PRIDE at UIC: Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgendered People Advocating Diversity; The UIC Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Issues; the UIC Office of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Concerns; and the Office of the Chancellor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The conference has been a regular event in the Midwest for the past half decade. The 1997 conference, held at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, had attendance near 600 — the highest to date. Previous conferences have been held at Beloit College, Southern Illinois University, Earlham College, and Iowa State University. 1998 marks the first time the conference will take place in a major metropolitan area. Due to space constraints, UIC can accommodate a maximum of 1100 registrants at this conference. Register early to avoid disappointment.

Workshop proposals: The theme for the conference is “across the fruited plain.” Workshop proposals are being accepted now and the conference organizers urge early submission of proposals. This provides an opportunity to highlight programs for those considering attending the conference. The organizers plan to offer a variety of programs and workshops during the conference on a wide range of topics of interest of college and university students. They also plan to provide a series of workshops for faculty and staff advisers of campus LGBT student organizations.

Proposals (or intents-of-proposal) should be sent to: MBLGTCC-98 Program Committee OGLBC (M/C 369) 1007 West Harrison St 4078 BSB Chicago, IL 60607-7140 or by Fax: 312-996-4688 or by e-mail: mblgcc98@uic.edu

The registration form is now available on-line at the web site and hotel accommodation information will also be on the web site in a few weeks. For those who need help finding another registrant to reduce expenses, the conference planners are providing a roommate matching service. In addition, they will be seeking free community housing in Chicago for registrants who cannot otherwise afford to attend (there will be a limited number of these spaces).

The program booklet will include paid advertising from organizations and commercial firms. Those interested in purchasing an ad or renting a booth at our vendor fair should contact Jennifer Mueller (jmueller@uic.edu) at 312-413-8619. Proceeds from advertisements and vendor booths will help to finance the conference.

Questions can be directed to the Office of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Concerns at (312) 413-8619 or send them to mblgcc98@uic.edu

-30-

************************************************* David Barnett, Ph.D., Director Office of Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Concerns University of Illinois at Chicago 1007 W Harrison St 4078 BSB (M/C 369) Chicago, IL 60607-7140 (voice) 312-413-9862; (FAX) 312 -996-4688 http://www.uic.edu/depts/quic/oglbc/ *************************************************

From aegis@gender.org Thu Sep 4 16:20:01 1997 Date: Thu, 04 Sep 1997 16:32:56 -0400 To: aegis@gender.org From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Subject: AEGIS Internet News 9/4/97

AEGIS Internet News Digest

4 September, 1997

 

This mailing list is a service of AEGIS, the American Educational Gender Information Service. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to send us news, direct your e-mail to aegisnews@gender.org.

Contents

1. Incredible Statements from Religious Right in Louisville 2. Lavender Law Conference ’97 3. BBC Documentary 4. Holiday at Sea 5. NZ Marriage Appeal 6. NOW Quote

————- Forwarded message: Subj: Incredible Statements from Religious Right in Louisville Date: 97-08-29 08:24:51 EDT From: Will Nich

Our religious right opponents are coming up with some really incredible crap in order to defeat the Fairness Amendment in Louisville. A vote is scheduled for Sept. 9. If someone had called me up and asked if I favored “special rights for homosexuals,” I would have also told them no.

–David Williams, Louisville

Louisville Courier-Journal Friday, August 29, 1997

GAY-RIGHTS FOES CLAIM BIG BACKING Their poll finds 53% oppose what they call special rights

by Beverly Bartlett, The Courier-Journal

Opponents of the proposed “Fairness Ordinance” said yesterday it would force the city of Louisville to spend millions of dollars to create new restrooms for transvestites. They also disclosed a new poll showing that most Louisvillians oppose “special protection” for gays and lesbians. In a news conference on the steps of City Hall, Ron Smith, a lawyer who is a member of the American Family Association, also said that enactment of the gay-rights measure would prohibit people from reading the Bible in church and prohibit churches from refusing to hire homosexuals as clergy. The poll, of 604 people who identified themselves as residents of Louisville over 18, was commissioned by the American Family Association of Kentucky, which is headed by Dr. Frank Simon, a prominent opponent of gay rights. Fifty-three percent said they would oppose granting homosexuals “special protections like those given to minorities or the disabled.” The use of the phrase “special protection” has been controversial nationally because advocates of gay rights say they are asking only for equal protection. Teri Wood, director of the Survey Research Center at the University of Kentucky, said in an interview that the use of the phrase might skew the results. “I think the question is suspect,” she said. She said supporters of the proposed gay-rights ordinance asked fairer questions in their recent poll, which showed that 68 percent of registered voters in Louisville believed that it should be illegal to refuse to rent an apartment to someone because of his or her sexual orientation, and 71 percent said it should be illegal to fire someone because of his or her sexual orientation. A Courier-Journal Bluegrass State Poll of Louisville residents in June 1996 found that 65 percent of the respondents said they would favor a law to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination in housing and employment. The proposed ordinance would add “sexual orientation” to laws that prohibit discrimination in housing and employment to people based on race, color, religion, national origin or handicap. Smith defended his group’s poll and said the proposed ordinance would add sexual orientation to civil-rights law and “elevate” homosxuals to “minority class status.” Supporters disagreed with that assessment, saying that the law pertains to everyone by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation–whether it be heterosexual or homosexual. Maureen Keenan, co-coordinator of the Fairness Campaign, said she also believed the poll question posed by Smith’s group was offensive to minorities and disabled people, implying that their hard-won civil rights were somehow “special protections.” Vince Heuser, Jr., another lawyer who opposes gay rights, said at the news conference that protections offered minorities and the disabled were different because they protect those groups from discrimination based on things they cannot change–their race or their disability; Heuser said he believes homosexuality is a choice. Smith said that the ordinance’s provision requiring “full and equal enjoyment” of “goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations” would allow transvestites to demand access to women’s restrooms–“creating a chaotic situation”–or at least to have separate restrooms opened for them. Kennan said Smith’s remarks about restrooms “defy reason and don’t even justify a response.” Smith also contended that the ordinance would hurt churches because it would not allow them to refuse to hire a homosexual clergy member. He said it would forbid the reading of the Bible–with its condemnation of homosexuality–based on a section of the law that would prohibit “any person or organization” from limiting or classifying its membership based on sexual orientation. Alderman Tom Owen, a sponsor of the ordinance, said he believes it should be amended to make a clear exception for churches. Keenan said the campaign is also willing to have such an exception added to the ordinance, which she said couldn’t override people’s First Amendment religious rights anyway. The American Family Association of Kentucky’s poll was conducted Aug. 20 to 26 by National Data Questing, Inc., of Louisville. The margin of error was 4 percentage points. Jim Lunger, a vice president at the firm, said that it didn’t choose the question asked or analyze the data, and that its participation doesn’t imply that it supports the American Family Association’s position.

[NOTE FROM DAVID WILLIAMS, LOUISVILLE: Jim Lunger is gay and also a friend of mine: I can hear him smirking now….]

—————————

The electornic version of the brochure for the Lavender Law Conference is courtesy of Phyllis Frye.

LAVENDER LAW ’97

WEST HOLLYWOOD

OCTOBER 23-25, 1997

LAVENDER LAW 1997 IS THE SIXTH CONFERENCE OF THE NATIONAL LESBIAN AND GAY LAW ASSOCIATION (NLGLA). Established in 1988 and an affiliate of the American Bar Association since 1992, NLGLA sponsors year-round regional and local events throughout the United States. NLGLA has rapidly become a national voice for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders in the legal profession. Lavender Law 1997 offers training for practicing attorneys and theoretical debates on evolving legal issues confronting our community. Presenters and attendees are practicing attorneys, judges, law students and law professors who share this unique opportunity to learn, compare strategies, network, strengthen each other’s efforts, and build a stronger community. Lavender Law 1997 begins on Thursday, October 23, with afternoon workshops and presentations, followed by the opening plenary and reception featuring KEYNOTE SPEAKER SHEILA KUEHL. Ms. Kuehl, Speaker Pro Tem of the California Assembly, has been a professor of law, and was a star of the television series, “Dobie Gillis”. Friday includes a full day of workshops and presentations. Saturday morning activities include regional caucuses, special interest group meetings, and final workshops. The Dan Bradley Luncheon honors the outstanding efforts of a member of our community who has led the way for equality under the law. The Conference concludes with a mid-afternoon plenary business session.

NEW THIS YEAR On Friday, October 24, the morning and early afternoon sessions will lead to a plenary session entitled: CIVIL RIGHTS ROUNDTABLE, a discussion of current high profile litigation and legislative proposals, theories about strategy, and the political future of our movement. Professor William Rubenstein of UCLA Law School, former head of the Gay and Lesbian Rights Project of the ACLU, will serve as moderator for this session.

WORKSHOP SESSIONS will include panels for beginning lawyers as well as advanced panels in family law, estate planning, litigation techniques, and AIDS law. Transgender issues will be covered both in the Transgender Law Cluster and in workshops in other clusters.

WORKSHOP CLUSTERS INCLUDE AIDS law, careers, civil rights, criminal law, employment law, estate planning, family law, juvenile law, non-profit organizations, right to marry, transgender law.

CONFIRMED PANELISTS INCLUDE Carol Anderson, Carla Arranga, Michelle Benecke, Roberta Bennett, Pat Cain, Jerry Chasen, Matt Coles, Jon Davidson, Henry Doering, Jeffrey Erdman, Phyllis Frye, Jamison Green, Catherine Hanssens, Fred Hertz, Kate Kendall, Hon. Stephen Lachs, Roger Leishman, Jean Love, Allison Mendel, Shannon Minter, Dixon Osborne, William Rubenstein, Even Wolfson, Emily Doskow, Michael Hernandez, Ed Jajeh, Jeff Kim.

(Phyllis adds that also being considered are Spenser Bergstedt, Melinda Whiteway, Diana Cicotello, JoAnna McNamara and other tg legal professionals and legal activists.) ACCOMODATIONS AND TRAVEL

HYATT WEST HOLLYWOOD, the Lavender Law 1997 Conference Hotel, is next door to the House of Blues and the Comedy Store, in the heart of West Hollywood’s sunset strip. Services include a roof-top swimming pool and deck with a panoramic view of Los Angeles.

REQUEST Lavender Law 1997 room rates at the Hyatt West Hollywood. Single $120, Double $120, Triple $135, Quad $150. Applicable taxes total 13%.

AMERICAN AIRLINES IS THE OFFICIAL AIRLINES OF LAVENDER LAW 1997.

The Travel Express Division of Revel Travel Services, in Beverly Hills, is the Official Travel Agendt for Lavender Law 1997. Revel is prepared to assist with all your travel needs for the conference, from flight and hotel reservations to specially-negotiated car rental rates and optional side trips for spouses, significant others and family. In addition to the services provided to conference attendees, NLGLA benefits by receiving a percentage of the revenue earned by the Revel Official Travel Agency

TO BOOK FLIGHTS AND RESERVE HOTEL ACCOMODATIONS, call Revel at 800-227-3835. Revel can also be reached at 310-553-5555 voice, 310-553-5554 fax and e-mail: tvlexpress@aol.com. REGISTRATION FEES cover costs of materials, the opening reception, and all coffee breaks. Information concerning optional Conference activities will be sent to registrants with confirmation of registration.

NLGLA is committed to assisting students with the expense of attending Lavender Law 1997. In addition to the reduced registration rate, Lavender Law 1997 will offer stipends to help defray student costs as funds are available. Please consider a contribution to the fund for this purpose.

If you cannot attend Lavender Law 1997 but would like to purchase the printed conference materials, the cost is $100, postage included. Materials will be sent 4-6 weeks after the Conference. For more information, please call 213-654-7449.

REGISTRATION FEES FOR MEMBERS

—————————————————-by 10/15 ——– after 10/15

Attorneys: income over $60,000 —– $285 —————– $300 Attorneys: income $40-$60,000 —– $255 —————- $270 Attorneys: income $25-$40,000 —– $225 —————– $240 Attorneys: income under $25,000 — $165 ————— $190

Law students ——————————– $ 50 —————– $75 Non-Attorneys —————————– $75 —————— $100 Significant Others ———————— $100 —————– $150 Legal Workers —————————- $100 —————– $150 Speakers ———————————– $100 —————- $150

REFUND POLICY Refunds may be requested by those who pre-register for the Conference but later find they are unable to attend. A procession fee of $25 will be assessed. Notice of cancellation of pre-paid registrations must be received no later than October 16, 1997. No refunds will be granted after that date. REfund requests should be sent to NLGLA Conference, 1279 North Harper Avenue, Suite 3, Los Angeles, CA 90046

REGISTRATION FORM:

name _______________________________________________

firm _______________________________________________

address _______________________________________________

city, state zip _______________________________________________

business phone and fax _______________________________________

home phone and fax __________________________________________

e-mail screenname ___________________________________________

principle areas of legal practice ___________________________________

— if you would like to receive move information regarding the following items, please circle the appropriate options: Child care, alternative housing, others __________

— I authorize publication of the above information in the list of Lavender Law 1997 participants YES NO

— I authorize publication of the above information in the next edition of the NLGLA Legal Directory YES NO

— I authorize acknowledgement of my donation to the student fund in the Conference Program YES NO

— I am a law student. Please send me stipend information YES NO

— If your significant other is registering: name _______________________________________________ occupation _______________________________________________ TO BECOME A MEMBER OF NLGLA

——————————————————————— for 1 year ————-for 2 years

income under $30,000 ————————————— $25 ——————– $45 income $30-$60,000 —————————————– $50 ——————- $90 income $60-$80,000 —————————————– $75 ——————– $135 income $80-$100,000 ————————————— $125 ——————- $225 income over $100,000 ————————————– $175 —————— $315 nonprofit organizations ————————————- $100 ——————- $180 Students ——————————————————– $10 ——————– n/a

PAYMENT OF ALL REGISTRATION FEES:

fees for attorneys, law students ——————————– $__________ significant others, legal workers, speakers —————- $__________ CLE surcharge ($5 per state) ———————————– $__________ Contribution to Student Fund ———————————– $__________ non-NLGLA member surcharge ($50) ———————– $__________ printed materials only ($100) ———————————– $__________

total ——————————————————————— $___________

paid by enclosed check? __ charge to visa card? —– __ charge to mastercard? – __

credit card number ____________________ exp date ______________ name as it appears on card ____________________

signature _____________

make checks payable to NLGLA Conference

mail form to NLGLA Conference, 1279 North Harper Avenue, Suite 3, Los Angeles, CA 90046.

——————————-

Saturday 30th August

A FRESH CHANCE TO SEE THIS GROUND-BREAKING DOCUMENTARY ON BRITISH TELEVISION

Channel 4 is to repeat the excellent Oliver Morse documentary, “The Wrong Body” on two successive Saturday evenings this coming month as part of a rerun of the series “The Decision”.

Broadcasting Support Services, the organisation which provides telephone counselling to viewers, is also planning to provide a hotline for people to ring on both nights, as it did for the original showing, and is looking for volunteers with relevant experience to staff the lines.

——

Oliver Morse’s ground-breaking documentary, which took two years to make, was first shown on British television in the weeks following the second reading of the Alex Carlile bill in Parliament in February, 1996, and remains (in my view) the most significant and compelling piece of transsexual- related television ever made in this country.

The film has also be shown, under other names, in some other countries since then too.

Over the course of two hour-long episodes the programme probes the lives and hopes of two juvenile FtM transsexuals, and follows them on a pilgrimage with their families to Amsterdam, and to Louis Gooren’s gender team, in search of better understanding and treatment than they could find at home in the UK.

The programme’s most important contribution, on its’ first showing, was not just that it centred exclusively on transgendered *children*, but that those children were FtM’s. This, perhaps more than any other single event at the time, contributed to the weakening of the classic stereotypes about transsexuality, and startled many observers and pundits into pausing long enough to look deeper.

The film’s two most enduring and powerful messages were (first) that transsexuality was not about sexual desire or sexuality (these were pre-pubertal children talking unequivocally about their ROLE in life) .. AND (second) that transsexuality affects both sexes (rather neatly severing the association with transvestism into the bargain).

Transsexual men had, perhaps, the most to gain from this treatment. Before “The Wrong Body”, they were the truly invisible transsexual subclass .. regarded as a statistical aberration in an otherwise neat generalisation that painted all transsexuals as people born with penises .. and people, moreover, who were just an extreme case of a single category of crossdressing folk. “Women” were considered to be rather “above” that kind of thing .. and those “few” who did, were cast as misguided dykes, who had somehow gone wrong somewhere on the one true road to lesbian enlightenment.

One infamous feature article by the journalist Sally Vincent, writing for the Guardian’s weekend magazine in October 1994, memorably epitomised that viewpoint.

In a masterpiece of character assasination upon transgendered people, the author stated that the she had only managed to find “a couple” of female to male transsexuals in her research.

You didn’t need to read far in her article to realise that transsexual men with any sense were probably using their invisibility to give her a very wide berth when she came prowling though.

The sad part at the time, however, was that such a transparently obvious indication of poor research could go editorially unremarked, and be awarded the newspaper’s stamp of authority.

“Invisible” may threfore be something of an understatement to describe the status of transsexual men in Britain till last year.

“TWB” was the right programme at the right time, however. It rode on an interest already cultivated by Alex Carlile’s private member’s bill, and picked up the threads tantalisingly left hanging by so many other media morsels at the time, and turned this into a subject which had not just *political* but also (as seen in the film) evident and substantial medical understanding and support.

Through this clever and original approach, the film created a new and far more accurate picture of *all* transsexuals.

The film depicts transsexuality as a thing that begins in childhood, and which has the capability to blight a life from the very dawn of consciousness and individuality. It is seen as a matter of identity, not of sex. The people in the film are all very ordinary and .. unlike any other film I can recall .. there is a thought for the people AROUND the transsexual .. the parents and siblings who have to come to terms with and learn to support the transsexual child in a harsh world, often with next to no support and guidance offered THEM.

If you tape nothing else this year, tape this one .. and make sure it reaches the audience that missed it last time around.

—

If you have a background in counselling or care line work and live within reach of Manchester city centre then Broadcasting Support Services could do with some help too .. and they’ve contacted us and other groups, like the Gender Trust and Samaritans, to find sufficient volunteers to cover what is expected to be a very strong demand for advice in the hours after the programme.

On its’ first screening, over 200 people contacted the telephone number given out after the two broadcasts .. and calls kept coming in from 10pm until 2am, when the lines were closed. Not just people who needed advice on their *own* feelings either. Many calls came from parents worried about their children .. and a tragic few from parents still trying to make sense of why a child had disappeared forever from their lives decades ago. People who were suddenly seeing a light.

The person to contact for an application form is Lizzie Mearns, the project manager for this particular programme .. but you’ll need to be quick, because forms need to be back to her by Tuesday 2nd September. She can be reached, however, on 0161 455 1212 (fax 0161 455 0066).

The programme screening times are :

Saturday 13th September – 20.00 – 21.00 Saturday 20th September – 20.00 – 21.00

The BSS lines will be open from 20.30 till 00.15 both nights.

Christine Burns Press for Change

—————————–

Return-Path: <JEFTRIS@aol.com> From: JEFTRIS@aol.com Date: Wed, 3 Sep 1997 00:44:58 -0400 (EDT) To: AEGIS@mindspring.com Subject: PRESS RELEASE – HOLIDAY AT SEA

PRESS RELEASE SEPTEMBER 1, 1997

As most of you know by now, the 1997 HOLIDAY EN FEMME was cancelled due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control. In its place we will sponsor the first HOLIDAY AT SEA. The event will be a cooperative effort of the Tri-Ess International Board of Directors and Dignity Cruises.

Those who have saved money and vacation time in anticipation of the Holiday will not be disappointed, for the Holiday at Sea will be in the same affordable price range, and fill about the same amount of time as the Holiday En Femme. The base price is $329 plus port charges and taxes of $78.50. Thus $407.50 is the total cost, since you will have no additional room, entertainment or food charges. We believe you will be experiencing the best of both worlds: The Holiday, known for quality, education and pleasure, plus the Dignity Cruise which represents a dream come true for crossdressers around the world, the ultimate in femme expression.

The traditional activities of the Holiday will be scheduled – including the Awards Ceremony which recognizes the Leader Servant, the Chapter of the Year, and Commended Chapters. The Tri-Ess National Board will have its official meeting Saturday morning while the ship is in port at Nassau. When the brief meeting is over, there will be ample time to explore Nassau and Paradise Island, since the ship remains in port until 3:00 A.M. While there will be some serious programming, the emphasis of this Holiday will be on fun.

There will be a few noticeable differences between the Holiday En Femme and the Holiday at Sea. The vending area will be replaced by a spectacular five-story Centrum Lobby lined with boutiques featuring clothing and jewelry. The entertainment will be on a grand scale with beautiful Las Vegas or Broadway stars. Traditional convention food will be replaced with gourmet meals, featuring more options than you can imagine! You can even stay with your diet if you choose to do so, since the menu offers “heart-smart” and vegetarian selections. The added touch is the waiter who helps each lady with her chair and napkin and addresses her, “Madam.”

Other features will include a beauty salon, a casino for those who want to spend a bit more on the cruise, two cinemas if you want to catch up on the latest films, a health club with classes in aerobics, a sky walk for joggers, and a fun-filled excursion to our own private island, CoCoCay, where there will be a delightful picnic. The Conference Center has been reserved for special programs and activities. If you want to start the fun sooner we will have a hotel reserved near the pier for Thursday night. The cost will be $59 per person which will include the transfer to the ship on Friday.

Cruise lines tend to sell all available space, so IT IS VITAL THAT WE RESPOND QUICKLY. Call Brenda at 800-247-7021 for details about your deposit which will guarantee space. Final payment will be due near the time you had planned to pay for the Holiday En Femme. Hurry! We are saving a deck chair for you!

HOLIDAY AT SEA

SPONSORED BY TRI-ESS INTERNATIONAL aboard Royal Caribbean’s

SOVEREIGN OF THE SEAS

January 15-19, 1998 Roundtrip from Miami to the private island, CocoCay, and Nassau, Bahamas

FINE DINING, PAMPERED SERVICE, SPECTACULAR SCENERY PLUS: ENJOY THE FREEDOM TO EXPRESS YOURSELF WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GENDER-GIFTED COMMUNITY!

Rates (Cruise Only, Per Person, Double occupancy)

Category Brochure Rate Group Rate Port Chgs. Total

L/Inside Cabin $679 $329 $78.50 $407.50 G/Picture Window 829 379 78.50 457.50 C/Deluxe 999 589 78.50 707.50 Single Occupancy 150% of selected category, plus port charges

Also available: Low cost airfare and pre-and post-cruise packages

LIMITED SPACE-CALL TODAY TERMS: $250 per person deposit with reservation secures cabin and rate. Balance due November 7, 1997. Payment can be made by check made payable to CRUISES, INC, or VISA, MASTER CARD, DISCOVER, or AMERICAN EXPRESS. CANCELLATION CLAUSE: $25 charge on any cancellation after the deposit is made. Additional penalties apply 60 days prior to sailing. Optional cancellation insurance available. For Reservations or information call CRUISES, INC. 800-247-7021. Ask for Brenda, Master Cruise Counselor

HOLIDAY AT SEA SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES JANUARY 15-19, 1998

JANUARY 15, 1998 THURSDAY OPTIONAL PRE-CRUISE HOTEL AVAILABLE $59 including transfer to the ship

JANUARY 16, 1998 FRIDAY 9:00 A.M. BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL for those with the optional extra night BUFFET LUNCH AS YOU ARRIVE ON BOARD CONFERENCE CENTER OPEN, deck 7 near Champagne Bar 7:30 P.M. MEET IN THE SCHOONER’S PIANO BAR, deck 5 near the Casino for drinks before dinner. 8:30 P.M. DINNER

JANUARY 17, 1998 SATURDAY 9:00 A.M. TRI-ESS BOARD MEETING, CONFERENCE CENTER , deck 7 7:30 P.M. CAPTAIN’S COCKTAIL PARTY 8:30 FORMAL DINNER VISIT NASSAU UNTIL 3:00 AM SUNDAY

JANUARY 18, 1998 SUNDAY VISIT THE PRIVATE ISLAND CONFERENCE CENTER OPEN, deck 7 7:00 P.M. AWARDS CEREMONY AND PRIVATE COCKTAIL PARTY Location TBA 8:30 P.M. DINNER

JANUARY 19, 1998 MONDAY SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR FRIENDS AND HEAD FOR HOME. NEXT WEEK: POUR YOUR OWN JUICE AND MAKE YOUR OWN BED!

REGISTRATION HOLIDAY AT SEA, January 15-19, 1998 ROUNDTRIP FROM MIAMI TO THE PRIVATE ISLAND, COCOCAY, AND NASSAU, BAHAMAS 1. NAME AS IT APPEARS ON PASSPORT, DRIVER’S LICENSE, OR BIRTH CERTIFICATE. __________________________________

2.CURRENTADDRESS______________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

3. TELEPHONE NUMBER__________________________________

AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SEND YOUR $250.00 DEPOSIT TO:

Brenda Cyrus 5111 Rogers Ave # 551 Fort Smith, AR 72903

Payment may be made by Check, Visa, Master Card, Discover, or American Express. If you plan to use your credit card please include the account number,______________________________, your name as it appears on the card,___________________________, the expiration date,__________ and the address where the bill is to be sent if different from the address above:

_______________________________________________________ Final payment is due by November 7, 1997. Rates( Cruise only, per person, double occupancy)

CATEGORY BALANCE DUE NOVEMBER 7, 1997

L INSIDE CABIN $157.50 G PICTURE WINDOW 207.50 C DELUXE 457.50 Price includes cabin, port charges, all food, and entertainment on board.

Add $59.00 if you plan to book an extra night in Miami on January15th. The $59.00 includes transfer to the ship.

SINCE WE ARE DEALING WITH A MAJOR CORPORATION, ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISE LINE, WE WILL FOLLOW A MORE STRICT TIME FRAME FOR REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT. ALL AVAILABLE SPACE WILL BE SOLD, THEREFORE THE CRUISE LINE MAY RELEASE OUR SPACE TO OTHERS IF OUR ACCOUNT SHOWS LITTLE OR NO ACTIVITY. MAIL THIS FORM WITH $250.00 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CALL BRENDA TOLL FREE AT: 1-800-247-7021

———————-

Return-Path: <owner-glb-news@LISTSERV.AOL.COM> Approved-By: julie@DRYCAS.CLUB.CC.CMU.EDU X-Sender: xtr99465201@pop3.xtra.co.nz (Unverified) Date: Sun, 31 Aug 1997 21:50:13 +1200 Reply-To: GAP Wellington New Zealand <gap@NZ.COM> Sender: Information Repository for News of Interest to GLB* Folk <GLB-NEWS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM> From: GAP Wellington New Zealand <gap@NZ.COM> Subject: [GLB-NEWS] MEDIA RELEASE – Monday 1st September, 1997 To: GLB-NEWS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM

NATION-WIDE MARRIAGE APPEAL LAUNCHED TODAY

“Just because” -Minister of Justice, Hon Doug Graham, when asked why he objected to same-sex marriage

“Treating homosexual and heterosexual de facto relationships as the same as marriage is sensible and consistent” -Justice Baragwanath, President Law Commission 15 August 1997 This Wednesday and Thursday (3 & 4 September) Jools Joslin and Jenny Rowan, along with Lindsay Quilter and Margy Pearl from Auckland and Sarah Anderson and Sam Court from Christchurch, are taking their case for legal recognition of their relationships (under the Marriage Act 1955) to the Court of Appeal.

Last year Judge Kerr, at the High Court in Auckland ruled against their right for legal recognition stating that any decision on interpretation of the Marriage Act should be made by Parliament. However, in 1995 the same Act was interpreted to include transexuals resulting in full legal marriage rights and protection for transexuals, but not for same-sex couples. The issue has raised serious concerns about equality of legal rights and protection for lesbian and gay relationships under our Bill of Rights and the Human Rights Act Amendment.

The ruling of this week’s Court of Appeal, New Zealand’s highest court, in Wellington will challenge Judge Kerr’s decision on legal grounds and in the context of the current human rights legislation in this country.

The outcome of this case has implications for us all. Currently, the only piece of legislation in our country that provides full legal recognition and protection of relationships is the Marriage Act. Although this Act is gender neutral, currently the Registrar General prohibits same-sex couples from registering their relationships under this Act. Our choice now is either to rally in support of legal marriage or to concede the issue, have no choice of marriage, and remain second-class citizens in New Zealand.

The couples involved in the case undertook a major fundraising exercise last year that netted enough funds to cover the 1996 High Court case, with $7,000 in the bank for the Appeal case. Unfortunately, just this week, they were advised that a further $8,000 is required to cover legal costs to take this case to the Appeal Court.

We ask you to please consider making a donation to the costs of this case. Cheques made out to ‘Parity in Law Fund’ or provide your credit card details below. Post to Box 122 70, Wellington.

*More info available on-line at http://www.base2.co.nz/agm/agm.html or http//www.gap.org.nz/newsletter MORE INFO & COMMENT: Jools Joslin, Ministry of Health Telephone 04 496 2441 wk, 04 475 3663 hm Jenny Rowan, Commissioner, Planning Tribunal Tel 04 04 915 8300, 04 475 3663 hm Nigel Christie, Law Commission, Tel 04 473 3453 wk, 04 389 0420 hm, 025 819 648

 

___________________________________________________ GAP is Australasia’s largest business & professional network proudly supporting gays and lesbians.

Box 122 70, WELLINGTON 6038

Fax: +64 4 472 22 26 GAP INFOline +64 4 472 5006

Email gap@nz.com http://www.gap.org.nz

—————————–

The following is courtesy of Rex Wockner “[T]he transgender community is today’s cutting edge. Transgender people are now doing the pioneering work in exposing artificial constructs of gender and breaking down the stereotypes and barriers which divide us all.”

–National Organization for Women Action Vice-President Rosemary Dempsey as NOW passed a transgender-inclusion resolution at its recent conference in Memphis. The resolution states, in part, “BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we acknowledge that gender is a patriarchal social construct used to oppress women.” — End —-

Subj: AEGIS Internet News Digest– 9/8/97 Date: 97-09-08 13:55:48 EDT From: aegis@gender.org (Dallas Denny) To: aegis@gender.org

The AEGIS Internet News Digest is a service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc. (AEGIS). To subscribe or unsubscribe from the list, send e-mail to aegisnews@gender.org.

——————————–

Dee McKellar Passes

On the 6th of September, 1997, Dee McKellar (DeeMcKellr@aol.com), a prominent member of this community and former Executive Secretary of ICTLEP passed away. Dee collapsed at 8:55pm, while waiting for the Houston Q-Patrol to begin. Despite immediate help, all efforts to revive her, failed. She was 55 years of age.

Ms. McKellar had recently been terminated from her job at the International Conference on Transgender Law & Employment POlicy, Inc. (ICTLEP). Information provided by Marie Denise (MarieDeniG@aol.com) and Gwen Smith (OnQGwen@aol.com) ——————————————————- Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 11:11:59 -0400 From: Wrede <101526.2743@compuserve.com>

The International Journal of Transgenderism launched.

The first issue of The International Journal of Transgenderism is now online. You may access it at http://www.symposion.com/ijt

The IJT is the first scholary journal on transsexualism, crossdressing and related topics. The journal is peer-reviewed and its editorial board consists of many well known scientists from all over the world.

Exclusively available on the internet, the IJT is published quarterly with additional updates during the respective quarter. Access to the current issue is free.

The second issue is due September ’97 with the abstracts (and some fulltext) of the HBIGDA meeting in Vancouver.

A limited number of copies of the 1st issue’s printed digest is available on request to transgender media, and a free email newsletter is available to everybody.

Contact adress: Claudia Wrede, Email 101526.2743@compuserve.com

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Date: Sun, 07 Sep 1997 22:10:00 -0500 From: Dawn Atkins <datkins@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>

Queer & Dis/abled

Special Issue of The Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity Guest Editors, Dawn Atkins and Catherine Marston

Looking for original scholarly articles, clinical studies, research papers, cultural and literary theory and analysis, history, as well as personal essays, interviews, and poetry which explore the intersections of lesbian/bisexual/gay/transgendered and disabled identities. Would particularly welcome contributions from people with various disabilities (physical, mental, developmental and learning disabilities) and people of color.

Deadlines:

Scholarly articles: Require a 250 word abstract by Jan. 1, 1998. (Final manuscripts of those selected by the editors will be due April 15, 1997.)

Personal essays, interviews and poetry: Due by Jan. 1, 1998.

Send for submission quidelines via email to dawn-atkins@uiowa.edu or with self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Dawn Atkins & Catherine Marston, 114 MacBride Hall, Anthropology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242.

For more information contact:

Dawn Atkins Email: dawn-atkins@uiowa.edu Phone: (319) 354-0549 Regular Mail: 114 MacBride Hall, Anthropology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242.

Catherine L. Marston Email: catherine-marston@uiowa.edu Phone: (319) 356-6252 Regular Mail: 205 Communications Center, Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242.

Subj: AEGIS Internet News Digest 9/18/97 Date: 97-09-18 21:31:54 EDT From: aegis@gender.org (Dallas Denny) To: aegis@gender.org

From The Advocate, 9/30/97

Tolerance for the Transgendered

Only about ten cities nationwide provide antidiscrimination protections based on gender identity, and now the transgendered can count the Chicago suburbs of Evanston, Il, as one of them. With a unanimous city council vote July 28, Evanston became the first city in the state to extend such protection.

“The city council really opened up their hearts and minds to what we go through,” said Stephanie Young, chairwoman of It’s Time, Illinois!, a transgender political action committee that lobbied for the change. ITI, which presented the council members with a report that documented 21 reports of discrimination and violence against transgendered people, was supported in its efforts by the parents of a female-to-male transsexual who have started a support group for other parents.

“Being transgendered is not something you can change,” Young said. “It’s not a choice. It’s inherent in your person. When you get to the point where you need it to be a bigger part of yoru life, you don’t have any way to hide it. This isn’t something that’s done for shock value.”

Home to Northwestern University, Evanston already banned discrmiination based on sexual orientation. The July decision strengthened those laws, giving the city authority to act on complaints. Young said ITI, which faced no opposition in Evanston, next will focus on tougher battles for transgender protection in Oak Park and eventually Chicago.

————-

In an Advocate (9/30/97) article titled “Pinball Machines with a Twist,” the magazine says “Michael Brown has made some of the butchest pinball wizards in the world go girl. Brown is creator of Go Girl!, a drag-themed pinball game that puts players in high heels, wign, and makeup while they take shots at Senator Jesse Helms and the Reverend Fred Phelps.” The article goes on to describe how the game “literally puts players in drag. The player must stand in high heels at the base of the machine, allowing a camera to capture a graphic image of the player’s face.” The player then selects a wig and makeup styles for the video image.

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The Advocate of 9/30/97 also dedicates a page to dish about Madonna’s 39th birthday party, in which the “drag-queen part of the evening did not go so well.” Indeed, as Justin Bond was reportedly kicked and threatened by soul singer D’Angelo for putting his drink drink on D’Angelo’s table; Madonna apparently sided with D’Angelo, saying “Don’t let that silly little drag queen bother you.”

————-

If we’ve already transmitted this, I apologize.

Dallas

Return-Path: <cchase@isna.org> X-Sender: isna@holonet.net (Unverified) Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 18:28:18 -0700 To: “ISNA News” <cchase@isna.org> From: Cheryl Chase <cchase@isna.org> Subject: Prime Time Live misses the mark on groundbreaking story

NEWS RELEASE September 8, 1997 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRIME TIME LIVE MISSES THE MARK ON GROUNDBREAKING STORY KEEPS INTERSEXUALS BEHIND POTTED PLANTS

Intersex activists were shocked by the September 3 Prime Time Live story which rendered them invisible, permitting doctors to speak for them. “While we were pleased to see Prime Time take note of the controversy over medical treatment of intersexuals, it is surprising that a respected national news magazine would get the story so wrong, especially in light of the fair and accurate coverage that intersex people have received over the past year in such serious journalistic outlets as NBC Dateline, Newsweek, and the New York Times,” said Minnesota journalist and intersex activist Martha Coventry.

We urge Prime Time Live to do a follow-up story to allow intersex people to speak for themselves, and to place the issue in an accurate historical and cultural context. Five years ago such a confused presentation of the issue might have been understandable. Given the advances made in recent years by Intersex Society of North America and other intersex advocacy groups worldwide, this shoddy production is disappointing.

Psychologist Dr. Howard Devore, who investigated intersexuality at Johns Hopkins, who treats intersexuals in his private practice, and who earlier this year addressed the American Psychiatric Association on the issue said, “It is unconscionable to present this as a problem of merely getting the sex right or wrong. Prime Time did all their viewers a disservice by not informing them of the worldwide network of intersex advocacy organizations and the availability of peer support for the option of a healthy intersex identity.”

Prime Time Live presented a man whose identity was disguised by an oversized hat, electronic blur, pseudonym, and altered voice. “By failing to use footage of openly intersex activists which they had already filmed, Prime Time cast the story in a sensational slant reminiscent of the 1967 CBS interview of a shame-filled homosexual hiding behind a potted plant which represented homosexuality as essentially shameful,” said Intersex Society director Cheryl Chase.

Prime Time viewers were told the surgery is “so new that here at Hopkins, there has been very little follow-up — to find out how these children fare when they grow up to be adults.” Yet the surgery has been standard practice since the late 1950s, and intersex activist Kira Triea, who was treated at Hopkins says, “They wouldn’t listen, even when I returned as an adult and made it clear that I desperately needed help.” Hopkins surgeon Gearhart was quoted in the New York Times last year dismissing intersex patient-advocates as “zealots.”

“Experts estimate that 2,000 surgeries are performed each year in the US,” says Dr. Alice Dreger of the Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences at Michigan State University. By focusing only on an unusual case in which the patient rejected the sex assigned by surgeons, Prime Time ignored the real tragedy: Intersex advocates point out that many former patients are left emotionally traumatized and sexually dysfunctional, even if they do not change sex role.

 

Contact: Cheryl Chase 415 575-3885, cchase@isna.org

Intersex Society of North America http://www.isna.org

A transcript of the segment “Boy or Girl” is available at http://www.abcnews.com/onair/ptl/html_files/transcripts/ptl0903d.html.

###

———– Return-Path: <PRFrye@aol.com> From: PRFrye@aol.com Date: Thu, 11 Sep 1997 11:57:44 -0400 (EDT) To: PRFrye@aol.com Subject: WITH LOVE, FROM THE CHILD OF A TRANSGENDERED PARENT

WITH LOVE, FROM THE CHILD OF A TRANSGENDERED PARENT

Phyllis here:

The following was written by Dee McKellar’s daughter only days before Dee died. I do not know if Dee ever saw it, but Dee already knew that her daughter loved HER!

We were given permission by the daughter to share this and Vanessa Edwards (moonflowrr@aol.com) did the keyboard work.

Please share and post

##################################

DEALING WITH CHANGE – FROM THE DAUGHTER OF A TRANSGENDER FATHER By Debbie McKellar Donaldson

When I was growing up, there were good times and conflicts as in any other family I knew. We were living the average middle-class American life and everything seemed fine. It was not until I was nine years old that I was told about our family secret. My father was a cross-dresser and had been for all of my life. This admission shocked me, of course, but I was really too young to understand what was going on. Over the next four or five years the cross-dressing continued with my knowledge. However, our encounters at home were infrequent enough when he was ‘dressed’ that I was able to block out the feeling that I thought my father was a freak. Things changed, however, when I was thirteen or fourteen years old. He actually started wearing these clothes in front of me on a regular basis! It became a routine. When he came home from work he would check the mail and proceed to go change. Other than the clothes, the evenings went on as always. During my teen years, I spent a lot of time in my room to get away. I also kept very busy with school, a job, and spending time with my friends. I did anything I could to distance myself from the freak. Needless to say, there was a lot of discord in the house and animosity between us.

Things finally came to a head when I was eighteen. I found my own place and moved out. Things were tough, but there was no way that I was going back. Shortly thereafter, my parents separated and filed for divorce. In a period of approximately seven or eight months my father had effectively erased his family from his life.

Over the next two years or so, I would occasionally visit my father and share small talk to catch up. A close friend of mine likened these visits to business meetings because of our demeanor. Over time, however, I began to notice changes. His hair was getting longer and he seemed to be developing — dare I say it — breasts! Finally, my father put me out of my questioning misery and gave me a letter. This was his way of coming out of the closet to publicly live his life as a woman. The letter explained the steps that would follow; such as name change, changing the sex on the driver’s license, and everything else that goes with becoming a new person. When I read that letter I felt as though I would fall over. This piece of paper was telling me that my father was essentially dead. After this revelation, I saw my father even less than ever. Suddenly, about three years ago, I grew up. Visits became more frequent and conversations were longer and more enlightening.

Now, I am twenty-eight years old. I am proud of who my father has become and the person that she is. She is not ashamed of her identity and does a lot of work in the community. She is also a major force in the transgender community. She is working nationally and internationally to help make things better for other people who are having trouble adjusting to their identity.

I still have problems getting my pronouns straight and on occasion I still accidentally call her Dad in public. She is patient though, and tells me that it will just take time. She tells me that she is thankful that we are talking because there are kids that sometimes turn completely away from their parents. I sometimes apace my visits apart, but I could never lose complete contact. After all, deep down inside is the person that raised me. She is my father.

note: Debbie Donaldson is the only child of noted transgender activist, Dee McKellar. She wrote this article just days before Dee passed away suddenly on Sept. 6, 1997.

—–

>From: listwrangler@netgsi.com >Subject: Fabulous New Ezine for F2M Erotica!

> >PRESS RELEASE: Please forward to all interested parties >12 Sept 97 > >Roughriders Erotic Ezine of f2m erotica is now online. Catering to all f2ms >of all orientations and gender expressions, with a special focus on gay/bi >transmen and intersexed men, Roughriders Ezine features top quality erotic >fiction, reviews, humor, and letters. Stop in and read it at: >http://www.netgsi.com/~listwrangler/roughriders.html. Or for more >information, guidelines, or submissions, send email to: >listwrangler@netgsi.com. > >Volume One features fiction by Britain’s hot new gay author, Jack Dickson, >plus fiction by Raven Kaldera, Nady/alec Arnaoot, and Sir Gwen M’Clatchy, >as well as letters, humor, and a review of Sex Changes: The Politics of >Transgenderism by Pat Califia. > >Thanks to the American Boyz for hosting our ezine! > >Editor & Staff

————-

From: transman@netgsi.com

PRESS RELEASE: Please distribute to interested parties

Latino Transgendered Resources 12 Sept 97

The American Boyz is sponsoring a Latino email round robin for Latino/a and Spanish-speaking f2ms and soffas. The American Boyz is the largest grassroots organization in the United States serving people who were assigned female gender at birth but who feel that is not an adequate or complete description of who they are, including but not limited to: tomboys, butches, female crossdressers, drag kings, transsexuals, transgenderists, intersexuals, and others (f2ms), along with our significant others, friends, family, and allies (soffas).

To subscribe to the Amboyz-Latino email round robin, send a subscription request to: listwrangler@netgsi.com. Posts to the round robin can be in English or Spanish. The American Boyz has begun work translating transgendered information into Spanish. Our first document, ‘Transgenero?’ is a set of questions and answers on the topic. It is available via email from: listwrangler@netgsi.com or on our web site at: http://www.netgsi.com/~listwrangler. As additional Spanish language documents become available they will also be posted to the web site.

The American Boyz has a Spanish-speaking contact person, Calico Rechy, who was born in Mexico but now lives in Boston. She can be reached at: calrechy@aol.com.

The American Boyz is in the process of compiling a list of resources both online and offline for Latino/a and Spanish-speaking people; if you have any information to contribute to this list, please send it to: listwrangler@netgsi.com.

 

transman@netgsi.com, or: http://www.netgsi.com/~listwrangler — — — — — —- — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — For more info about The American Boyz, send email to: majordomo@netgsi.com with the command ‘info amboyz’ in the body of the message. The American Boyz serves all types of f2ms and soffas (people born female for whom that is not an adequate or accurate description of who we are, along with our Significant Others, Friends, Families, and Allies) with email forums, web sites, newsletters, local contacts, meetings, and the annual True Spirit Conference. — — — — — —- — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — “Those who say something cannot be done should not interupt those who are doing it.”–Chinese proverb

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Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 13:11:46 +0100 (BST) From: CV Hemmings <cvh1@york.ac.uk>

Subject: Call for Papers 5th International Bisexual Conference (IBC5) “One World, Many Faces”

CALL FOR PAPERS The 5th International Bisexual Conference (IBC5) will take place in Boston Massachusetts on April 3, 4, and 5, 1998. The IBC5 conference theme is “One World, Many Faces: Unity and Diversity in Bi Communities, Queer Communities, and the World.”

We are currently seeking proposals for papers, presentations, panel discussions, performances, and workshops in the following subject tracks:

– Activism – Organizing – Youth/Student – Writers/Literature – Media/Culture – Relationships – Gender – Research/Theory – Bisexual History – Spirituality – Safer Sex/HIV – Personal Growth – Sexual – Computer/Internet – Non-Bi Partners/Families – Performance – Film and Video – Track X (other sessions) – Our Bodies: Differing Ability, Health, Image – Global/Regional/Racial/Cultural/Class Differences

The official language of the conference will be English; however, sessions in Spanish are encouraged and other languages will be considered. If you would like to present your session in a language other than English, please include that information in your proposal.

Please follow the format of the proposal submission form below. Regardless of the language to be used during the session, please complete the form in English. The deadline for proposals is February 1, 1998. Send completed forms to:

IBC5 Call for Papers P.O. Box 639 Cambridge MA 02140 USA

Alternatively, you may submit proposal forms electronically by sending them to lbggs@hcs.harvard.edu and including “ATTN: PAPERS” in the subject line. This address and subject line can also be used to contact the program coordinator.

Further information about the conference can be found on the worldwide web at http://hcs.harvard.edu/~lbggs/conference.html .

5th International Bisexual Conference Session Proposal Form

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From: glaad@glaad.org (GLAAD) Subject: GLAADAlert 9.12.97

GLAADAlert — September 12, 1997 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Intersex People Hidden Behind Potted Plants (ABC Prime Time Live)

SF Chronicle Looks Back at Transgender Films (San Francisco Chronicle) Intersex People Hidden Behind Potted Plants An otherwise excellent September 3 ABC Prime Time Live story entitled “Boy or Girl?” on intersex issues and the debate over medical genital mutilation of intersex children ignored the voices of intersex activists and misrepresented certain key facts. Featuring talking heads of doctors and a mother who had struggled with the decision to have her child surgically made a girl, the story examined “What can happen when doctors are forced to play God,” according to Diane Sawyer. While one pediatric surgeon who opposed the controversial surgery was represented, a great deal more time was spent with Dr. Gearhart, a pro-surgery advocate who pronounced certain intersex children “boy” or “girl” during a slide presentation. Prime Time Live failed to mention that Gearhart has always refused to engage in a dialogue with intersex activists. In addition, the only adult intersex person Prime Time Live presented was a man who was disguised by a large, floppy hat, dark lighting, a pseudonym and an altered voice. “By failing to use footage of openly intersex activists which they had already filmed, Prime Time Live cast the story in a sensational slant reminiscent of the 1967 CBS interview of a shame-filled homosexual hiding behind a potted plant,” said Intersex Society of North America (ISNA) Director Cheryl Chase. In addition, the program failed to note the support resources now available for intersex people. In an ISNA press release, psychologist Dr. Howard Devore added, “It is unconscionable to present this as a problem of merely getting the sex right or wrong. Prime Time did all their viewers a disservice by not informing them of the worldwide network of intersex advocacy organizations and the availability of peer support for the option of a healthy intersex identity.”

Please urge Prime Time Live to do a follow-up story to allow intersex people to speak for themselves, openly and honestly, and to place the story in a context which acknowledges the strides made by intersex activists and advocacy groups in the past five years. Contact: Phyllis McGrady, Executive Producer, ABC Primetime Live, 147 Columbus Ave., 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10023, fax: 212.456.1246.

SF Chronicle Looks Back At Transgender Films In anticipation of the release of the critically acclaimed film Different for Girls, the San Francisco Chronicle featured a September 6 article on the history of transsexuals in film. “Kim, the modest secretary in Different for Girls, isn’t the first big-screen transsexual, but she’s one of the first whose gender reassignment and surgical history weren’t treated with freakish curiosity,” it begins. Going back to “the dour biopic” The Christine Jorgensen Story in 1970, the article notes that “the movie manages to be simultaneously dull, lurid and embarrassed by itself.” It discusses Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, a 1971 movie about a transgender serial killer, but fails to mention the far more popular Silence of the Lambs (1991). Along with the works of John Waters and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, PBS’ Tales of the City (1994) and John Lithgow’s Oscar-nominated performance as Roberta Muldoon in The World According to Garp (1982), it describes Terence Stamp as “demure and poignant” in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994).

As audiences around the country discover Different for Girls, which opened September 12 in limited release, the Chronicle’s placement of the films in a historical context gives the multi-layered film even greater depth.

Please thank the San Francisco Chronicle for this brief history of film representations of transsexuals. Contact: Jerry Roberts, Managing Editor, San Francisco Chronicle, 901 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103-2988, fax: 415.896.1107, e-mail: chronletters@sfgate.com.

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End

Subj: AEGIS Internet News 9/30/97 Date: 97-09-30 11:06:59 EDT From: aegis@gender.org (Dallas Denny) To: aegis@gender.org

AEGIS Internet News is provided courtesy of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to aegisnews@gender.org. GLAADALERT September 26, 1997

Sports News Says That Steroids Make The Lesbian On September 17, Los Angeles radio station KFWB “News 98” morning reporter Brett Lewis suggested that steroid use makes female athletes lesbians. During the 6:45 am broadcast, Lewis reported on an athlete who had been permitted to return to competition after a suspension for using steroids (testosterone), adding, “I guess that means she’ll have to cancel her scheduled appearance on Ellen.” United at United, the lesbian and gay employee group at United Airlines, is meeting with the airline’s management to urge them to pull advertising from the station after requests for a retraction from Lewis went unanswered.

Lewis’ comment propagates the worn-out stereotype that all lesbians are “mannish,” and adds his own bizarre twist, implying that taking testosterone would make a woman “more of a man,” and thus, a lesbian. Further, that once an athlete stopped using testosterone, she would be restored to heterosexuality, and so would no longer want to be on Ellen, since it is a “lesbian show.” While the athlete probably never had anything to do with the show in the first place, Demi Moore, Oprah Winfrey, Billy Bob Thorton, Gina Gershon and Dwight Yoakam would certainly be surprised by Lewis’ assertion that guest appearances on the show are predicated by one’s sexual orientation. The reporter’s off-hand remark was probably not meant to offend, and yet reveals his own homo-ignorance and anti-gay bias as a journalist.

Insist that Lewis issue an on-air retraction and let United Airlines know that you support their pulling sponsorship of the station if KFWB is unwilling to correct its immature and wrong-headed mistake. Contact: KFWB-AM, PO Box 4310, Los Angeles, CA 90078, fax: 212.871.4670, e-mail: quake@kfwb.groupw.wec.com; John Kiker, Vice President, United Airlines-WHQPR, Corporate Communications, P.O Box 66100, Chicago, IL 60666. Chronicle Of A Self-Made Man An excellent front-page story of the Sunday, September 21 San Francisco Chronicle features James Green, a leader of the female-to-male(FTM) transgender community. Below a full quarter-page shirtless picture of the well-built, bearded Green, the headline “A Self-Made Man,” is followed with the lead-in, “When James Green was a little girl, he saw Mary Martin play Peter Pan and knew right away he could do a better job.” Staff writer David Tuller says that Green “wants people to understand one thing about masculinity: It has more to do with a man’s inner life than with his genitals.” Tuller takes pains to explain how FTMs have struggled for visibility even within the transgender community, and the difference between “sex” (“the biological category represented by the genitals”) and “gender” (“the psychological identity that nestles wherever a person’s most intimate sense of self resides–in the mind, or in the soul or in the heart”). Filling two inside pages, the text continues by recounting Green’s appearance in almost erotic terms: “His voice is deep and rich as chocolate. His arms and upper torso are thick and muscular. His beard is full, and his hairline is receding. His booming laugh explodes across the room like a grenade,” Tuller writes. In addition, the inner pages feature nine pictures of Green, from early childhood to adulthood, with his brother, as a woman with her daughter, and with his girlfriend. Alternating between descriptions of Green’s life and discussions of the logistics and politics of FTM surgeries and the struggle for transgender rights, Tuller represents a full, well-rounded group of perspectives on Green and the issues of FTM transgender people.

To feature an article on FTMs in a major daily newspaper is exceptional. To do so with such sensitivity and at such length, and to illustrate the article with so many photographs brings the subject to life, making readers >see both the common humanity and the differences and challenges that FTM transgender people embody.

Please commend the San Frncisco Chronicle for an outstanding and sensitive feature on an often overlookd segment of our community.

Contact: Daniel Rosenghei, an Francisco Chronicle, 901 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-2988, fx: 415.512.8196, e-mail: chronletters@sfgate.com SOUTHERN COMFORT BRINGS TRANSPEOPLE TOGETHER: Hundreds of transgender people and friends will gather in Atlanta for the Seventh Annual Southern Comfort Conference October 1-5. “From basic presentations for newly out crossdressers concerned with beauty and appearance to nitty gritty legal, medical and political issues, to informative seminars on family relationships, sexuality and spirituality, our schedule reflects a deep commitment to serve the diverse needs of the transgender community and probe cutting-edge thought and action on gender issues,” said conference organizers. For more information contact Donna Johnston (Southern Comfort Conference) at (404) 633-6470 or e-mail sccatl@aol.com. Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org

TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA – Call GLAAD’s Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online.

(End GLAAD Section) ———————————————–

Here’s one to try (I haven’t yet).

— Dallas <FONT COLOR=”#0000ff” SIZE=3>IS GOD FEMALE?</FONT><FONT COLOR=”#000000″ SIZE=3> Could a woman be Pope? Before you say no, read <A HREF=”http://www.bizarrenews.com/popejoan/”>POPE JOAN</A>. She is the legend that will not die–the woman who sat for two years on the papal throne. This stirring novel tells the dramatic story of a woman whose courage makes her a heroine for every age. <FONT COLOR=”#0000ff” SIZE=3>”Love, sex, violence, duplicity and long-buried secrets.” (LA Times)</FONT><FONT COLOR=”#000000″ SIZE=3> <U>Soon to be a major motion picture from New Line</U>. Click here for <A HREF=”http://www.bizarrenews.com/popejoan/”>POPE JOAN</A>

The URL is http://www.bizarrenews.com/popejoan

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Some more interesting URLs

New England Journal of Medicine http://www.nejm.org

Journal of the American Medical Association http://www.ama-aassn.org/public/journals/jama

Online Medical Health http://www.coil.com/~grohol/

Healthfinder http://www.healthfinder.com

Mediconsult http://www.mediconsult.com

USDA Food & Nutrition Research Briefs http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/usda/fnrb

———————————

From Etcetera, 26 September, 1997 Reprinted with Permission

Three Films

Ladyboys (Waterbearer Films).

Charles Herman-Wurmfield’s 1995 documentary about female impersonators from Thailand and their struggle to attain notoriety is thought-provoking and entertaining. The effort provides a detailed portrait of two gay teenage boys– Odd and Dod– from northern Thailand.

The pair aspire to win a title in a local pageant in order to move south to the larger city of Pattaya where many clubs offer lavish drag reviews. After failing to win, they choose to make the trip anyway, hoping that somehow they’ll find work. In Pattaya both view for drag jobs, one successfully, the other not Along the way, the viewer if privy to the emotional ups and down of Odd and Dod, as well as several other entertainers by whom they are befriended. Story’s end leaves you wanting an explanation to their fate today.

David A. Moore Days of Pentecost (Videoactive Releasing).

Lawrence Elbert produced, directed and edited (all on video) this gen of an independent release. Apparently spoofing “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” and “Valley of the Dolls,” his unique vision of a group of black and latino holocaustal drag queens on the lam provides sufficient laughs (especially from Melena D’L’Moja, played by Marcus Kuiland- Nazario.

All three are employed by a West Hollywood gay bar as dancers, where they must endure the continual jobs of asinine clientele. After a particular nasty confrontation with a customer they flee the big city, but quickly find themselves trapped in a small town after their car breaks down. Here they are forced to content with a completely different world, including a self-loathing closeted auto mechanic. From a nearby gay club they abduct a bar patron whom they continuously torture and provide impromptu musical numbers for. It ends as one might expect, with an elaborate chase scene, ala “Set It Off.”

Despite the fact the production values are bordering on painful (perhaps that’s part of the charm), Elbert’s efforts should encourage wannabe moviemakers to get off their butts. If John Waters had access to video back in the mid ’60s, we know what direction he would’ve gone.

P.S. Keep your eyes peeled for Alexis Arquette. David A. Moore Fanci’s Persuasion (Turbulent Arts).

Campy, outrageous and utterly nonsensical, “Fanci’s Persuasion” is a full-throttle gender-bending, pansexual farce about a lesbian wedding in San Francisco.

In the passionate heat of doing the nasty, butch Loretta asks the punk-femme Fanci for her hand in marriage, and chaos quickly ensues. A power outage, a ripped wedding dress, dueling supernatural friends, a disapproving mother and a butch with cold feet are just some of the normal-gone-bizarre obstacles that Fanci must face the day before her wedding.

But don’t expect an entirely comprehensible plot. Half of he time it’s hard to know what’s going on in any given scene, but the wackiness seems to be the point, even if it sometimes misses its aim and falls short of funny. Then again, when Fanci hangs upside-down in suspension boots wearing her miles-of-lace wedding dress or when the friendly witch Olive stages a version of “West Side Story” starring dogs and cats, it’s difficult not to experience a sudden sense of the playfully ridiculous.

There’s a fabulous performance by Justin Bond as Kiki DuRane playing Fanci’s evil homophobic mother and an appearance by director Herman-Wurmfield as the sadistic, pretty-boy-in-killer- reg Theo. The sexy-stud Boa as Loretta and the pun-lovely Jessica Patton as Fanci make for yummy eye-candy , and there’s a mild dose of kinky sex as good measure. A marriage of the weird and the mundane, “Fanci’s Persuasion” is a queer cult film with a kinky-sweet message for gender-transgressive, self-identified perverts of the wedding-aisle persuation.

Ami Morrison — End AEGIS Internet News —

Subj: AEGIS Internet News 9/30/97 Date: 97-09-30 11:06:59 EDT From: aegis@gender.org (Dallas Denny) To: aegis@gender.org

AEGIS Internet News is provided courtesy of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to aegisnews@gender.org. GLAADALERT September 26, 1997

Sports News Says That Steroids Make The Lesbian On September 17, Los Angeles radio station KFWB “News 98” morning reporter Brett Lewis suggested that steroid use makes female athletes lesbians. During the 6:45 am broadcast, Lewis reported on an athlete who had been permitted to return to competition after a suspension for using steroids (testosterone), adding, “I guess that means she’ll have to cancel her scheduled appearance on Ellen.” United at United, the lesbian and gay employee group at United Airlines, is meeting with the airline’s management to urge them to pull advertising from the station after requests for a retraction from Lewis went unanswered.

Lewis’ comment propagates the worn-out stereotype that all lesbians are “mannish,” and adds his own bizarre twist, implying that taking testosterone would make a woman “more of a man,” and thus, a lesbian. Further, that once an athlete stopped using testosterone, she would be restored to heterosexuality, and so would no longer want to be on Ellen, since it is a “lesbian show.” While the athlete probably never had anything to do with the show in the first place, Demi Moore, Oprah Winfrey, Billy Bob Thorton, Gina Gershon and Dwight Yoakam would certainly be surprised by Lewis’ assertion that guest appearances on the show are predicated by one’s sexual orientation. The reporter’s off-hand remark was probably not meant to offend, and yet reveals his own homo-ignorance and anti-gay bias as a journalist.

Insist that Lewis issue an on-air retraction and let United Airlines know that you support their pulling sponsorship of the station if KFWB is unwilling to correct its immature and wrong-headed mistake. Contact: KFWB-AM, PO Box 4310, Los Angeles, CA 90078, fax: 212.871.4670, e-mail: quake@kfwb.groupw.wec.com; John Kiker, Vice President, United Airlines-WHQPR, Corporate Communications, P.O Box 66100, Chicago, IL 60666. Chronicle Of A Self-Made Man An excellent front-page story of the Sunday, September 21 San Francisco Chronicle features James Green, a leader of the female-to-male(FTM) transgender community. Below a full quarter-page shirtless picture of the well-built, bearded Green, the headline “A Self-Made Man,” is followed with the lead-in, “When James Green was a little girl, he saw Mary Martin play Peter Pan and knew right away he could do a better job.” Staff writer David Tuller says that Green “wants people to understand one thing about masculinity: It has more to do with a man’s inner life than with his genitals.” Tuller takes pains to explain how FTMs have struggled for visibility even within the transgender community, and the difference between “sex” (“the biological category represented by the genitals”) and “gender” (“the psychological identity that nestles wherever a person’s most intimate sense of self resides–in the mind, or in the soul or in the heart”). Filling two inside pages, the text continues by recounting Green’s appearance in almost erotic terms: “His voice is deep and rich as chocolate. His arms and upper torso are thick and muscular. His beard is full, and his hairline is receding. His booming laugh explodes across the room like a grenade,” Tuller writes. In addition, the inner pages feature nine pictures of Green, from early childhood to adulthood, with his brother, as a woman with her daughter, and with his girlfriend. Alternating between descriptions of Green’s life and discussions of the logistics and politics of FTM surgeries and the struggle for transgender rights, Tuller represents a full, well-rounded group of perspectives on Green and the issues of FTM transgender people.

To feature an article on FTMs in a major daily newspaper is exceptional. To do so with such sensitivity and at such length, and to illustrate the article with so many photographs brings the subject to life, making readers >see both the common humanity and the differences and challenges that FTM transgender people embody.

Please commend the San Frncisco Chronicle for an outstanding and sensitive feature on an often overlookd segment of our community.

Contact: Daniel Rosenghei, an Francisco Chronicle, 901 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-2988, fx: 415.512.8196, e-mail: chronletters@sfgate.com SOUTHERN COMFORT BRINGS TRANSPEOPLE TOGETHER: Hundreds of transgender people and friends will gather in Atlanta for the Seventh Annual Southern Comfort Conference October 1-5. “From basic presentations for newly out crossdressers concerned with beauty and appearance to nitty gritty legal, medical and political issues, to informative seminars on family relationships, sexuality and spirituality, our schedule reflects a deep commitment to serve the diverse needs of the transgender community and probe cutting-edge thought and action on gender issues,” said conference organizers. For more information contact Donna Johnston (Southern Comfort Conference) at (404) 633-6470 or e-mail sccatl@aol.com. Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org

TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA – Call GLAAD’s Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online.

(End GLAAD Section) ———————————————–

Here’s one to try (I haven’t yet).

— Dallas <FONT COLOR=”#0000ff” SIZE=3>IS GOD FEMALE?</FONT><FONT COLOR=”#000000″ SIZE=3> Could a woman be Pope? Before you say no, read <A HREF=”http://www.bizarrenews.com/popejoan/”>POPE JOAN</A>. She is the legend that will not die–the woman who sat for two years on the papal throne. This stirring novel tells the dramatic story of a woman whose courage makes her a heroine for every age. <FONT COLOR=”#0000ff” SIZE=3>”Love, sex, violence, duplicity and long-buried secrets.” (LA Times)</FONT><FONT COLOR=”#000000″ SIZE=3> <U>Soon to be a major motion picture from New Line</U>. Click here for <A HREF=”http://www.bizarrenews.com/popejoan/”>POPE JOAN</A>

The URL is http://www.bizarrenews.com/popejoan

—————————–

Some more interesting URLs

New England Journal of Medicine http://www.nejm.org

Journal of the American Medical Association http://www.ama-aassn.org/public/journals/jama

Online Medical Health http://www.coil.com/~grohol/

Healthfinder http://www.healthfinder.com

Mediconsult http://www.mediconsult.com

USDA Food & Nutrition Research Briefs http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/usda/fnrb

———————————

From Etcetera, 26 September, 1997 Reprinted with Permission

Three Films

Ladyboys (Waterbearer Films).

Charles Herman-Wurmfield’s 1995 documentary about female impersonators from Thailand and their struggle to attain notoriety is thought-provoking and entertaining. The effort provides a detailed portrait of two gay teenage boys– Odd and Dod– from northern Thailand.

The pair aspire to win a title in a local pageant in order to move south to the larger city of Pattaya where many clubs offer lavish drag reviews. After failing to win, they choose to make the trip anyway, hoping that somehow they’ll find work. In Pattaya both view for drag jobs, one successfully, the other not Along the way, the viewer if privy to the emotional ups and down of Odd and Dod, as well as several other entertainers by whom they are befriended. Story’s end leaves you wanting an explanation to their fate today.

David A. Moore Days of Pentecost (Videoactive Releasing).

Lawrence Elbert produced, directed and edited (all on video) this gen of an independent release. Apparently spoofing “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” and “Valley of the Dolls,” his unique vision of a group of black and latino holocaustal drag queens on the lam provides sufficient laughs (especially from Melena D’L’Moja, played by Marcus Kuiland- Nazario.

All three are employed by a West Hollywood gay bar as dancers, where they must endure the continual jobs of asinine clientele. After a particular nasty confrontation with a customer they flee the big city, but quickly find themselves trapped in a small town after their car breaks down. Here they are forced to content with a completely different world, including a self-loathing closeted auto mechanic. From a nearby gay club they abduct a bar patron whom they continuously torture and provide impromptu musical numbers for. It ends as one might expect, with an elaborate chase scene, ala “Set It Off.”

Despite the fact the production values are bordering on painful (perhaps that’s part of the charm), Elbert’s efforts should encourage wannabe moviemakers to get off their butts. If John Waters had access to video back in the mid ’60s, we know what direction he would’ve gone.

P.S. Keep your eyes peeled for Alexis Arquette. David A. Moore Fanci’s Persuasion (Turbulent Arts).

Campy, outrageous and utterly nonsensical, “Fanci’s Persuasion” is a full-throttle gender-bending, pansexual farce about a lesbian wedding in San Francisco.

In the passionate heat of doing the nasty, butch Loretta asks the punk-femme Fanci for her hand in marriage, and chaos quickly ensues. A power outage, a ripped wedding dress, dueling supernatural friends, a disapproving mother and a butch with cold feet are just some of the normal-gone-bizarre obstacles that Fanci must face the day before her wedding.

But don’t expect an entirely comprehensible plot. Half of he time it’s hard to know what’s going on in any given scene, but the wackiness seems to be the point, even if it sometimes misses its aim and falls short of funny. Then again, when Fanci hangs upside-down in suspension boots wearing her miles-of-lace wedding dress or when the friendly witch Olive stages a version of “West Side Story” starring dogs and cats, it’s difficult not to experience a sudden sense of the playfully ridiculous.

There’s a fabulous performance by Justin Bond as Kiki DuRane playing Fanci’s evil homophobic mother and an appearance by director Herman-Wurmfield as the sadistic, pretty-boy-in-killer- reg Theo. The sexy-stud Boa as Loretta and the pun-lovely Jessica Patton as Fanci make for yummy eye-candy , and there’s a mild dose of kinky sex as good measure. A marriage of the weird and the mundane, “Fanci’s Persuasion” is a queer cult film with a kinky-sweet message for gender-transgressive, self-identified perverts of the wedding-aisle persuation.

Ami Morrison — End AEGIS Internet News —

Subj: AEGIS Internet News Digest 10/6/97 Date: 97-10-06 12:08:22 EDT From: aegis@gender.org (Dallas Denny) To: aegis@gender.org, VIRGPSYCH@aol.com (Virginia Erhardt), VIRGPSYCH@aol.com (Virginia Erhardt)

AEGIS Internet News Disgest is a service of The American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to aegisnews@gender.org.

 

From Etcetera, 3 October, 1998. Reprinted with permission.

Eight demonstrators from the activist group Hermaphrodites with Attitude and Transexual Menace, Sept. 20, protested former Surgeon General Dr. Jocelyn Elders’ keynote address at a fundraiser for the Mautner Lesbians with Cancer Project in Washington, D.C. Stressing they had no quarrel with the Mautner organization, the protesters carried banners denouncing Elders’ advocacy of performing cosmetic surgery on newborns to conform to genital physical “norms.”

——–

From Etcetera, 3 October, 1998. Reprinted with permission. The Uneasy Gay-Trans Alliance by Chris Crain

All to often, arguments about whether transgendered issues have a place in the movement for gay civil rights come off like a bad episode of the McLaughlin Report. A lot of posturing and one- liners, and only the true political junkies stay tuned in.

Many gay political leaders take the position that we are asking way too much too soon from our heterosexual allies by including transgendered issues in our movement and civil rights legislation, effectively destroying any real chance at winning equal rights for gays– at least in this lifetime. The Human Rights Campaign has taken this approach and has included only sexual orientation– and not gender identity– in its Employment Non-Discrimination Act, for example.

To many, this attitude smacks of the same “my-civil rights-come- first” attitude that lesbians endured in the women’s movement of the ’60s and ’70s.

Transgendered activists, on the other hand, often resort to demanding a place at the gay rights table because gender-benders have always been “in the forefront” of “the movement.” And invariably, they trot out the fact that the 1969 Stonewall riots were started by drag queens.

Whatever the moral force of that argument, it’s unlikely to win many hearts and minds. Just ask the lesbians who had hoped that their commitment to AIDS causes might win over a little reciprocal support from gay men on lesbian health issues like breast cancer.

heterosexual majority that sexual orientation ought to be considered morally and legally neutral– a straight person is no more deserving than a gay person of respect and equal rights under the law.

For transgendered folks, on the other hand, the struggle is to convince a skeptical heterosexual majority (along with a sizable number of skeptical gay men and lesbians) that gender, for some of us, is psychological and not purely biological. Among the more radical element, transgendered activists go a step further and argue that gender is a prison from which we all should be liberated.

Besides these more obvious differences, many gays feel additional discomfort because much of the education process around sexual orientation issues involves debunking myths about whether gay men and lesbians are the way we are because of our own gender identity issues.

Even in the late ’90s, it is not at all uncommon for a well- intentioned straight person to wonder out loud whether men are gay because they are uncomfortable being men, or for a lesbian couple to be asked which one “plans the wife” and which one “plays the husband.”

Burdened with society’s stereotypes, so many gay men, especially, have had their own struggles reconciling being gay with being a man. Not because their gender didn’t seem a good fit, but because their sexual orientation didn’t. For them, joining hands with the transgendered movement reopens those old, internal battles.

But perhaps, even at this move vulnerable level, there is some unexpected common ground.

Being gay has always been about challenging gender roles. Living openly as a man who loves another man strikes many heterosexuals as unnatural primarily because “that’s not what a man is supposed to do.”

The Hawaii Supreme Court even said as much. We will win the right to marry in that state not because the Court accepted that heterosexuals and homosexuals are entitled to equal dignity under the law, but because those judges recognized that preventing a man from marrying another man is a form of gender discrimination based upon prejudice about proper gender roles.

Moreover, lesbians and gay men have always found to expand the scope of gender roles. As many a straight woman has complained, it is gay men who have proven that emotionally sensitivity and personal flair are not incompatible with masculinity. And as the history of the women’s movement will attest, lesbians have long been in the forefront in challenging notions about what it means to be feminine.

Still, there is at least a difference in degree between stretching the bound of gender and crossing the line entirely, much less liberating us from gender as some arbitrary construct imposed by society.

Understanding these differences, and determining how they play out in the middle of a struggle for our basic civil rights, is a task of no small order.

As we homosexuals are so fond of telling our heterosexual counterparts, education is the first key to understanding our differences. Open and honest communication should follow– without fear of being labeled an “ist” or a “phobe” of some sort.

So let’s leave the partisan bickering about political realities and historical obligations to the self-appointed leaders of the gay and transgendered movements.

At least until they sort things out for the rest of us, gay people and transgendered people need to talk freely about what makes us tick, and what we can reasonably expect from each other.

———-

Return-Path: <postmaster@ngltf.org> Sender: postmaster@ngltf.org Errors-To: postmaster@ngltf.org X-Listserver: Macjordomo 1.1a4 – Macintosh Listserver by Michele Fuortes Date: Tue, 23 Sep 97 15:53:43 EST From: “NGLTF” <ngltf@ngltf.org> To: Multiple recipients of presslist – Sent by <ngltf@ngltf.org> Subject: New NGLTF Mission Stmt, Bd Chairs, Members NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Mark F. Johnson, Media Director mfjohnson@ngltf.org 202/332-6483 x3314 pager 1-800-757-6476

2320 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 http://www.ngltf.org

…………………………………………. NEW NGLTF MISSION STATEMENT ADOPTED;

WASHINGTON, DC—September 19, 1997—The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) today announced the adoption of a new mission and vision statement. In addition, the organization announced the election of new board co-chairs and the appointment of three new members to its board of directors.

At a September 13 meeting, the board adopted new language for its mission and vision statements. The newly approved mission statement reads: “The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force works to eliminate prejudice, violence and injustice against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people at the local, state and national level.” The language in the new vision statement reads: “As part of a broader social justice movement for freedom, justice and equality, we are creating a world that respects and celebrates the diversity of human expression and identity and where all people may fully participate in society.”

“Our revised mission statement is the result of discussions by our board and staff to add clarity to our work,” said Kerry Lobel, executive director of the NGLTF. “As gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people, our future is closely linked to other movements for social justice. We have recommitted ourselves to that important work.”

——————

Date: Fri, 3 Oct 1997 14:52:40 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation <glaad@glaad.org> Subject: GLAADAlert 10.03.97

GLAADALERT October 3, 1997 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

Ru And Improved On October 2, on the always fun and flamboyant RuPaul Show on VH-1, Ru introduced the audience to his family. First the show featured footage of RuPaul performing at a large family reunion. Then RuPaul brought out his three sisters and father, and they reminisced about his childhood and his deceased mother. When RuPaul asked one of his sisters what she would do if her son asked if he could be a drag queen “just like his Uncle Ru,” she responded, “I’d say ‘Let’s go to Patricia Field,'” a New York shop that caters to drag queens.

Since the show was revamped in July for its second season, the RuPaul Show has seen the host reveal his more outrageous side, with the biting humor of a drag queen, his open expression of his sexual orientation and a stronger sense of camp. In doing so, VH-1 has a stronger, better program on its hands, showing once again, just as with Ellen, that by allowing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and issues to be openly celebrated and explored, television becomes more engaging and entertaining.

Please thank RuPaul and VH-1 for this continually fun, gay-positive, drag extravaganza. Contact: RuPaul and Jeff Gaspin, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production, VH-1, 1515 Broadway, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10036, fax: 212.846.1751, e-mail: Shows@vh1.com.

————-

I had heard about the sex scandal with sportscaster Marv Albert; I didn’t know about the women’s clothing involved…

Dallas

Marv Albert

By Patricia Wilson

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept 25 (Reuter) – The trial of veteran U.S. sportscaster Marv Albert, accused of biting a woman and forcing her to perform oral sex, ended abruptly on Thursday when he pleaded guilty to assault to avoid the graver charge of forcible sodomy.

His main employer, NBC Inc., reacted by firing Albert, saying that in May he had assured senior management there was nothing to any of the charges. Another employer, the MSG cable network, later said Albert had resigned.

Albert, one of the top U.S. sportscasters, agreed to plead guilty to the misdemeanor of assault and battery against the woman in a hotel in this Washington suburb in return for the prosecution dropping the charge of forcible sodomy, which in Virginia includes oral sex.

“I felt I had to end this ordeal for myself, my wonderful family, my fiancee Heather (Faulkiner), my friends and my supporters,” he told reporters outside the courtroom in suburban Washington.

In a statement later, Albert said, “I have resigned from MSG and was let go from NBC. I fully understand the position in which the networks found themselves, due to my very painful situation. In the interest of my family, my friends and my many supporters, I step aside with deep humility, and seek to reconstruct my personal and professional life.”

The 54-year-old NBC broadcaster was accused of repeatedly biting a 42-year-old woman on the back and forcing her to perform oral sex in an Arlington hotel room on Feb. 12.

Testimony in the four-day jury trial, which drew wide media attention, came from witnesses telling of Albert’s demands for rough sex and multiple partners.

One woman on Wednesday related an encounter with Albert in which she said he had appeared in a Chicago hotel room wearing lingerie and a garter belt. She said she escaped after distracting Albert by pulling off his toupee.

Albert’s lawyer Roy Black said he advised his client to accept the plea bargain because the judge had excluded valuable evidence about the previous conduct of his accuser, who lives in Washington’s Virigina suburbs.

On Wednesday Black told the judge, in the absence of the jury, that she was a vindictive scorned woman dedicated to seeking revenge on men who jilted her. He said she had a history of harassing and stalking her former boyfriends.

But Arlington Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Kendrick refused to allow her testimony.

“Eighty-five to 90 percent of our defense had been excluded. That made it difficult to proceed as we intended … it took a lot of soul-searching but I felt that based on the court rulings this was the best way for Marv to end this matter,” he said.

Albert will be sentenced on Oct. 24 and faces a jail term of up to 12 months and a $2,500 fine instead of possible life imprisonment had he been convicted on the forcible sodomy felony charge.

Lead prosecutor Richard Trodden said Albert’s team was offered the exact same deal before the trial and changed their minds this week partly in response to surprise testimony by the second woman who said she went through an almost carbon copy experience.

“I think the significance of that testimony was profound,” Trodden said.

But Black, a renowned Miami attorney who succeeded in having William Kennedy Smith acquitted of rape charges in another high profile case, disputed the prosecutor’s assessment.

“It was the inability to present our evidence that explains what happened,” he told reporters.” “My only regret is the rulings under Virginia law which excluded our defense.”

NBC said: “When charges against Marv Albert became public, Mr. Albert asserted his innocence, and assured NBC senior management that there was no basis whatsover to the charges … Today, given Marv Albert’s plea of guilty to assault and battery, NBC terminated its relationship with Mr. Albert.”

Albert worked 30 seasons as the voice of the New York Knicks basketball team and 32 seasons broadcasting for the New York Rangers hockey team, most recently on MSG. He also covered football, boxing and the Olympic Games for NBC.

——–

Date: Wed, 01 Oct 1997 14:19:11 -0700 From: “Jude Patton, PA-C” <pattjf1@ghc.com> Subject: HBIGDA consumer concerns Hi :

As you may already be aware, Dr. Sheila Kirk and I were elected to the board of directors for HBIGDA,Inc. last month. I had previously served on their board of directors from 1979 to 1981, as far as I know the FIRST openly FTM person to do so. Now I get a second chance. This time the other board members are, for the most part, VERY pro-community. Unfortunately, some of those serving on the SOC revisions committee are very conservative and rigid, resulting in the present unacceptable revision draft.

Dr. Richard Green, HBIGDA’s new president, has asked Dr. Kirk and me to estabish a consumer concerns committee to provide an opportunity for the trans-community to voice opinions, suggestions and recommendations for enhancing medical care for transpersons and for addressing other consumer concerns such as quality of life issues.

I am making a committment to my community to make sure that any issues brought to me to present to the consumer concerns committee will be discussed and given every consideration.

Everyone is welcome to send their proposals to me:

E-mail: JUDEPATTON@aol.com

Phone: (425) 787-5094

Snail Mail: Jude Patton CMHC, CMFT, PA-C The T Group 1812 East Madison, Suite 102 Seattle, WA 98122

I need your assistance in distributing this information throughout your organization and to other transpersons organizations. Thanks- Jude

—————

From: “Kim” <trans@mundivia.es>

TRANSNEWS From Cibeles, the web of Identidad de Genero

http://www.personales.mundivia.es/personales/trans/ E-mail: trans@mundivia.es

 

ROSARIO, URGENT

ROSARIO, Argentina, September, 29,1997. Gay activist, Pedro Paradiso, from Colectivo Arco Iris, has called urgently about transgender and gay people’s situation in Rosario. Every month, about 150 transvestites are arrested in Rosario, not counting these ones being without trial or not appearing in the police´s register books. Sexual harassment and rape are usual police practices. They are arrested 20 days for transvestitism and 30 for working in prostitution, according to Code of Faults, frequently in basements, without mattresses nor light. The same number of gay people, approximately, are arrested every month. Colectivo Arco Iris, from Rosario, has presented in the Courthouses a document reporting transgender and gay people situation. In the last ten months, there were four murders. On July, 29, Marcela Arias, which was stabed, was then abandoned in the street by the Police and the municipal ambulance No. 4; after that she died. Gay activist Pedro Paradiso is death threatened. We ask for protest e-mails (in evidence of international follow-up) to Dr Hermes Binner, Intendente Municipal de Rosario, in binner@rosario.gov.ar or faxes to Ing. Jorge Obeid, Gobernador de Santa Fe, 54-42-591067 or to Dr Rosua, Ministro de Gobierno de Santa Fe, 54-42-596147 No one of these authorities, in a so hard situation, has never received Colectivo Arco Iris. We ask you to send this information through your webs. Thanks.

——-

From: DAINNA@aol.com Date: Sat, 4 Oct 1997 11:19:48 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Fwd: Women Athletes

HI ALL!

….Proving once again that transcending gender-roles out in public is *THE* problem, sexual orientation is not the real problem, I offer the following…..

A very good column! –David Williams, Kentucky Gay and Lesbian Library and Archives

Special to Louisville Courier-Journal September 30, 1997

THE WHISPERS WOMEN ATHLETES HEAR by Victoria E. Murden

(The writer is project administrator for the enmpowerment zone of the Louisville Development Authority. She and teammate Louise Graff, formerly of Charleston, SC, and now living in Louisville, are the only all-female team entered in a trans-Atlantic row-boat race).

The values institutionalized in competitive athletics–strength, stamina, swiftness, and skill–have been traditionally defined as masculine. This being the case, how are athletic women to prove their femininity? Through weakness and vulnerability, by being slow or clumsy? More often than not, it is the weak and fragile woman who is portrayed as sexually alluring. Do we not see time and again leading ladies in films stumble and fall only to be rescued by powerful male heroes? When a man is strong and aggressive and excels in a sport, he often receives a paycheck. When a woman is strong and aggressive and excels in a sport, she must face questions about her “masculine behavior” and whispers of lesbianism. I am six feet tall. I am strong as a bull moose. I can row for hours on end and there isn’t a man or woman in Louisville who can beat me rowing single sculls. My records demonstrate that I am a successful athlete. But with that mastery comes the insinuation that to succeed as an athlete is to fail as a woman. Pardon me for mentioning it, but that’s not fair. I plan to race a 23-foot rowboat 3,000 miles across a powerful ocean. My partner and I are the only American team entered in the Atlantic Rowing Race. Out of 33 teams, there are 29 men’s teams, three mixed teams, and we are the only all-female team. What does it mean to be the only women’s team in the world willing to take on the challenge of rowing across the Atlantic? Well, if I can be honest, the ocean is not the challenging part. On several occasions, individuals have asked whether my partner and I are lesbians. At first I was startled. I wondered how many of our male competitors will be asked if they are gay. My public responses have ranged from laughing to growling. My private responses have run the gauntlet from sputtering frustration to feminine tears. I am not promiscuous enough to defy the homophobic stereotypes that are attached to women with my physique and temperament. Even if I could find willing gentlemen, promiscuity does not seem an intelligent response to prejudice. I am an athlete. I am a woman. My dream is to be part of the first all-women’s team to row across the Atlantic Ocean. If the price of following that dream is that I will be labeled a lesbian, it is a price I am willing to pay. I am strong enough to carry a label that does not fit. I mention this not because I care about what others think. I mention it because this issue has been taking up space in my head. I must clear my head for the journey that lies before me. I must be able to support my partner without second-guessing how that support will appear to shallow-minded individuals. If this were a community where Fairness ruled, I would not be obsessing over a misfit label. After all, I am Tori Murden. I have climbed tall mountains, skied across a continent, and as an encore I will tackle an ocean. Sticks and stones have broken my bones; I didn’t let them make me cry. But I have allowed the names to hurt me. If every strong, competent woman willing to take on the challenge of exploration is a lesbian, I should meet more of them. I need to make these women my friends. The world may think what it will. Louise Graff and Tori Murden are going to row the Atlantic. Call us gay, call us straight, call us whatever you want. I call us winners, because that’s what we are.

——-

Date: Sat, 4 Oct 1997 13:17:27 -0700 (PDT) From: “H. Devor” <hdevor@UVic.CA> Subject: new FTM book

PLEASE POST OR FORWARD TO OTHER INTERESTED PEOPLE

 

Holly Devor’s new book

FTM: Female-to-Male Transsexuals in Society

is now available from Indiana University Press Price: $49.95 hardcover phone (US & Canada): 1-800-842-6796 email: iuorder@indiana.edu internet: http://www.indiana.edu/~iupress/ordering.html For further information:

Holly Devor, Ph.D. Professor Sociology Department University of Victoria Box 3050 Victoria, BC Canada V8W 3P5

Phone: 250-721-7577 FAX: 250-721-6217 EMAIL: hdevor@uvic.ca

http://web.uvic.ca/~hdevor

——————-

End

Subj: AEGIS Internet News Digest 10/8/97 Date: 97-10-08 15:35:54 EDT From: aegis@gender.org (Dallas Denny) To: aegis@gender.org

AEGIS Internet News Digest is a service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to aegisnews@gender.org.

—————-

From: OnQGwen@aol.com Date: Mon, 6 Oct 1997 15:23:04 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Community Feedback Questionnaire

*Please consider posting the following to your lists* Howdy folks,

The following was given to me during the Southern Comfort Conference in Atlanta, and I felt it important enough to pass around.

Gwen Smith

====================================

Community Feedback Questionnaire

Dallas Denny and I have been asked by the publisher of my book In Search Of Eve: Transsexual Rites Of Passage to write a followup book. A number of changes have occured in the transgender community since I undertook my original journey in 1980. We would like your guidance for this new book. Would you please answer the following questions intended to give us feedback from the transgender community. You may mail your response to Anne Bolin, 1223 Franklin St., Burlington, NC 27215, or e-mail Dallas Denny at <book@gender.org>. Your responses will be completely confidential. Please feel free to pass this questionnaire on to friends. And if you think of something else to add at a later date, please contact us. If you need extra space, continue on the back of this sheet.

1. Age

2. Ethnicity

3. Would you please describe yourself as a member of the transgender community. Is there a gender identity that best describes you?

4. We anticipate that our primary audience will include academics (researchers and college students), professionals from the caregiving community (clinicians, mental health helping professions, and others), members and future members of the transgender community, and families, friends, co-workers among others. With this in mind, would you please tell us what topics or issues you think we should cover in this new book and why: are there any special points you would like us to make?

Provided by Anne Bolin, Ph.D Associate Professor of Anthrolopology Elon College Department of Sociology Provided online by the Transgender Community Forum AOL: Keyword: TCF

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We received the following regarding our post of 10/23, which included a press release from GenderPac about the DSM Reform. I think the sender did not realize GPAC is advocating reform and has not called for removal. Nonetheless, her it is. We removed her eddress and name, as she did not reply when we asked her if we could include it in a repost. Date: Sun, 5 Oct 1997 00:25:00 -0400 (EDT) To: aegis@gender.org, Clare@gpac.org Subject: Re: AEGIS Internet News Digest 10/23/97 Part 2 of 3

To whom it may concern,

If you people actually do manage to get GID removed from the DSM-4 thousands of pre & non-op Transsexuals will no longer get ANY reimbursement from their insurance companies. As a post-op TS I have spent $57000.00 on various surgeries. I would not of been reimbursed for over $10000.00 in therapy bills. I know other post-ops that have managed to get their ins.. companies to cover therapy and a number of other bills. ( SRS, Electrology, etc… ).

It is not right for you people to say that, we as a whole, no longer need this diagnosis number. Those in the middle of transition and those waiting to start it and the thousands of us that will follow will have no medical insurance benefits. Had I not had them and the luck of a sizeable inheritance I would have chosen one of two paths, Prostitution or Suicide. Either way in a few years I would have been dead. Last summer I buried a friend that died of Aids. Having been kicked out of her house at the young age of 14 by religious parents she turned to the only available means of financial support she could find…prostitution . She was 22 when she died. Not every one has the ability, knowledge or luck to have a great job that stands behind you when you transition. People in so much pain from the inner conflict of GID often rebel and never finish Collage or High School. That equals out most of the time to a low paying job. A person can barely get by on such wages much less pay for Therapy, Electrolysis, Medicine, Save for SRS if they so desire and possibly other surgeries.

Unless Gender Pac provides for a diagnosis that can be used to help get insurance reimbursement while a TS goes through the process I will fully oppose and warn others to oppose the work of Gender Pac on this issue as I have done so in the past. Respectfully,

<name withheld, as we did not receive permission to print it>

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I was informed that the following will be run in Southern Voice; I wrote it in response to Chris Crain’s article about transgender inclusion, which was in the last AEGIS News Digest.

–Dallas Dear Editor:

In his editorial in the 25 September Southern Voice, the points made by Chris Crain were right-on. However, I feel that Mr. Crain is flogging a dead horse.

Several years ago, the issue of trans inclusion in the gay/lesbian/bisexual movement was a hot topic in both the transgender and GLB communities. However, it is a done deal. While some individuals in both communities and even a few organizations (most notably the Human Rights Campaign in the GLB community and Tri-Ess in the trans community) are against or see no need for inclusion, ‘most everyone else is busy working together. Consider just a few indicators, taken from both camps:

* More than 150 PFLAG chapters have T-SON coordinators for transgender issues.

* The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (as have many other GLB organizations) recently changed its mission statement to be trans-inclusive.

* Atlanta Pride (as are most other Pride organizations) is inclusive of transgendered, intersexual, and other queer-

identified folk.

* GenderPAC, which started as a transgender political action group, is inclusive of sexual orientation, gender (not just transgender) and racial issues.

* When the topic of working with gay and lesbian and bisexual people was raised at the Town Hall meeting on 4 October at Southern Comfort, no voices spoke against inclusion.

As more transfolk identify as bisexuals, gay men, or lesbians, and as more GLB folk acknowledge their own transgender issues– and as we continue to come under common attack from those who do not differentiate between us– I hope, as does Mr. Crain, that we continue to communicate and concentrate on the may ways we are the same, and not the few ways in which we differ.

Dallas Denny Executive Director American Educational Gender Information Service

 

— END —

Subj: AEGIS On-Line New Digest 10/10/97 Date: 97-10-10 09:57:42 EDT From: aegis@gender.org (Dallas Denny) To: aegis@gender.org

AEGIS On-Line News is a service of the American Educational Gender Information Service. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to aegisnews@gender.org.

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Transsexual Harassment Suit Ok’d

By LARRY NEUMEISTER

NEW YORK (AP) – A federal judge Thursday refused to dismiss a transsexual’s harassment lawsuit against New York University just because the victim was then a man in the process of becoming a woman.

U.S. District Judge Whitman Knapp allowed Jennifer Miles’ $14 million lawsuit to go forward, saying federal law protects her.

Miles was studying musicology in a graduate studies program and undergoing hormone treatment in advance of sex change surgery when she claims Professor Cliff Eisen began harassing her in 1993.

Eisen fondled her breasts, buttocks and forcibly tried to kiss her and repeatedly requested a sexual relationship, her lawsuit against the school claims.

NYU sought to have the lawsuit dismissed.

“There is no conceivable reason why such conduct should be rewarded with legal pardon just because, unbeknownst to Professor Eisen and everyone else at the university, plaintiff was not a biological female,” Knapp wrote.

“There can be no doubt that Professor Eisen’s conduct with respect to Jennifer Miles, assuming it can be proven, related to sex and sex alone,” Knapp said.

The school reprimanded Eisen but let him continue to teach.

The school later assured the professor that the reprimand would have no effect on its decision to award him tenure, the judge said. Knapp called the assurance “bizarre” considering four other female students had previously accused the professor of inappropriate sexual advances.

The professor was not awarded tenure and his contract was not renewed.

John Beckman, a spokesman for New York University, said the school does not comment on legal matters.

The plaintiff, a 31-year-old New Jersey resident, was too traumatized by her experience at the university to complete her studies, said her lawyer, Daniel Kaiser.

Kaiser said his client was not suing the professor because the statue of limitations had passed. He said there is a different statute of limitations for the school’s liability.

AP-NY-10-09-97 2210EDT

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Haig backing phone venture

Sky Station International (Chantilly, VA) has filed with the FCC to build a worldwide wireless telecommunications service via a sky platform suspended from helium balloons

Electronic Media, Vol. 15, n 19, p 1+ 6 May, 1996

BY DOUG HALONEN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF

Washington — So, what’s Alexander Haig up to these days?

Well, according to a recent Federal Communications Commission filing, the former general and Reagan administration Secretary of State is now backing a plan to use helium balloons to suspend a new generation of 250 communications platforms in the sky to create an international network for portable smart telephones.

The current generation of communications satellites are usually blasted 22,300 miles into space — into what’s known as geo-stationary orbit.

But in its FCC filing, Sky Station International — headed by the general’s son, also Alexander — is proposing to use giant helium pontoons to hoist its network of 650-foot, 37-ton communications platforms 18 miles into the stratosphere worldwide, then hold them in place with high-tech “ion engines.”

“This is a technological breakthrough that will offer consumers worldwide wireless telecommunications services at lower prices than current systems,” said the younger Mr. Haig. “It they can put the platform up there and keep it up there, it’s a real breakthrough,” said Tom Tycz, chief of the FCC satellite radio communication division.

Martine Rothblatt, the attorney/satellite entrepreneur credited as one of the brains behind the operation, told Electronic Media last week that because the platforms will be so close to earth, they’ll be able to beam signals to receivers no bigger than cellular telephones.

“It’s a broadband smart phone with Internet/Web capabilities,” Ms. Rothblatt explained.

Sky Station International, based in Chantilly, Va., is requesting use of frequencies in the 47 gigahertz band, which it says virtually nobody else is using.

The company’s chairman is Harry Darlington IV, who, according to Ms. Rothblatt, is an independently wealthy activist who has also been trying to “raise public awareness about the need to close the ozone hole.”

Ms. Rothblatt, who was formerly a man, announced in 1994 that she had undergone a sex-change operation because she wanted to be a lesbian.

The Sky Station technology is credited to Alfred Wong, head of the plasma physics department at the University of California, Los Angeles.

According to the FCC filing, Sky Station projects that its system could be fully deployed worldwide by 2005 for $4.2 billion. It says up to half of that total cost could be realized from revenue generated as the first platforms launch.

Sky Station is a client of Andrew Barrett, who recently resigned as an FCC commissioner to become an executive for Edelman Public Relations Worldwide.

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Dial 1-900-OVERCHARGE

Telmex will soon introduce to the national audiotext market new ‘policy controls’ in order to clear its name of blame

Business Mexico, Vol. VII, n 5, p 14+ May 1997

by Kristen Smith

[snip]

Mexico pay-per-call companies already have straggled to create a market niche free of pornography and where, at first, they lacked live-line technology, the mainstay of the U.S. market. Mexican industry is unique,in fact, in an international market that is best known for its sleazy adult lines. Unlike in the United States and Europe, Mexican audio-text companies do not provide live adult fantasy lines. Telmex barred pornography from the market when the SCT allowed “pay-per-call” companies to open business in 1992. Companies became creative using taped audio-text, the same kind of thing customers hook into for automatic checking account totals. Data Dial, for example, has joke lines that would probably not go over well in the United States, but are very popular in Mexico, says Andreas Seppelt, commercial director of the audio-text company.

Its sexually deviant character Beba the transvestite, played by the comic Victor Trujillo, gives women cues about men’s no-good ways.

Date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 16:00:11 -0500 To: aegis@gender.org From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Subject: AEGIS Internet News 10/29/97 Part 1

AEGIS Internet News 10/29/97

To subscribe or unsubscribe from this news service, please send e-mail to aegisnews@gender.org. Well, folks, it’s good to be back in the office after 10 days away. Lots of stuff to send, so a multi-parter today.

— Dallas From The Advocate, 28 October, 1997

Albert and a Transvestite?

Was a male transvestite the reason sportscaster Marv Albert copped a plea September 25 in his sexual assault case? According to the New York Post, it may have been. The Post quoted unidentified law-enforcement sources as saying that Albert, who had been accused of forcing a woman to perform oral sexa nd biting her, had a 15-year-old relationship with a “raven-haired” male transvestite. Prosecuters were reportedly alerted to the unidentified man, a retired Broadway dancer, by an anonymous letter, and New York City detectives tracked him down and confirmed the allegation. Albert may have pleaded guilty to an assult charge to prevent the information that coming out in court, even though the transvestite disappeared after he was subpoened. “He was a normal civilian person who would be outed in a sense if this story ever came out,” an associate of the transvestite told the Post. “The relationship he had with Marv Albert– there was no violence, no rudeness, no inappropriateness. It was just straight transvestite sex.

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From: CousinKat@aol.com

Subject: Film festival info The First International Transgender Film and Video Festival

During the festival over fifty films and videos will be screened. Themed programmes of shorts include “Hermaphrodites with Attitude” which looks at the identities of intersexual people who have sexually ambiguous bodies. Artists’ short work includes Linda/Les and Annie (1992) with performance artist Annie Sprinkle in the first female to male transsexual love story and Reel Girls, an anarchic and eclectic programme of film and video from San Francisco’s lively drag underground. Work from the Archive includes Kristiene Clarke’s Sex Change-Shock ! Horror ! Probe ! (1984), the first documentary about transsexualism on British TV by a transsexual filmmaker.

Gala Ball: at Charlie Wrights International Bar, 45 Pitfield Street, Hoxton. 5 minute walk from the Lux Centre. Time: 9.30 til Late. Prices: minimum donation #5 / #3 concessions. DJ Vicki Lester (Geezer, Oi!, Heaven) plus a glittering star-studded cabaret featuring Chloe Poems. Come in costume for the complimentary whore-dervs. Vogue for the stars a la Jennie Livingston’s film, “Paris is Burning”, sink into the East-end underworld as a gangster/moll, or zoom through the stratosphere as your own special creation. Profits will go to produce safer sex materials addressing the special needs of the transgender community.

Photographic Exhibition in the cinema foyer: The photographic exhibition will include the work of Debbie Humphry whose photographic project with text “Gender Crossings” present images of familiar contexts which on a second reading subtly challenge our expectations of gender. Del LaGrace Volcano’s (formerly Della Grace’s) photographs of “Transversity” and “FTM Visibility” stridently document the community and confronts the viewer with representations of the post-modern beyond of gender identities.

The First International Transgender Film and Video Festival Lux Cinema, Hoxton Square, London, 29/10/97 – 2/11/97

* *STOP PRESS* * * *Press Update* *

Highlights: Transexual Menace, Opening Night, Wed. 29 Oct., 7pm Dir. Rosa von Praunheim, 1996, Germany, 90 min. Rosa von Praunheim’s TS Menace documents the birth of transgender activism in the States and its demands for basic human rights. Personal in its approach, the film has a range of cross-cultural interviewees who have sought refuge in the US from Africa, South America, the Philippines, Japan and Europe as well as Hawaiian, Native American and African American perspectives.

I Am My Own Woman, Thurs. 30 Oct., 7pm also by von Praunheim, 1992, Germany, 91 min. Award-winning portrait of notorious Berlin transvestite Charlotte von Mahlsdorf.

Glen or Glenda ? (I Led Two Lives) in two double bills (+ Let Me Die A Woman, Thurs. 30 Oct., 9pm / + Women In Revolt, Late Night screening on Halloween Fri. 31 Oct. at 10pm) Dir. Ed D. Wood Jrn., 1954, USA, 67 min. Probably the first ever transgender film: Glen or Glenda ? (I Led Two Lives), made in 1954 soon after Christine Jorgensen’s story became the world media’s first representation of a person who had “changed sex”. Wood, a cross dresser himself, was inspired by her story and called for tolerance with his sympathetic, if quirky portrayal of intersexuals, transsexuals and transvestites.

Let Me Die A Woman, Thurs. 30 Oct., 10pm Dir. Doris Wishman, 1978, USA, 77 min. Cult director Doris Wishman’s film is a first in its explicit portrayal of sex change surgery. Called “a sort of Glen or Glenda goes to Hell”.

Warhol’s Women In Revolt, Fri. 31 Oct., 10pm Dir. Paul Morrissey, 1971, USA, 98 min. Andy Warhol’s radical and amazing (but sadly overlooked) Women In Revolt with transgender superstars Candy Darling, Holly Woodlawn and Jackie Curtis.

You Don’t Know Dick-The Courageous Hearts of Transsexual Men, Saturday 1st Nov., 8pm Produced & Directed: Candace Schermerhorn & Bestor Cram, 1997, USA, 75 min. Winner of the Best Documentary at the 1997 New England Film and Video Festival, presents interviews, testimonies and recollections tracing the journeys of transition made by six female-to-male transsexuals.

Mirror, Mirror, Sat., 1st Nov., 6pm Dir. Baillie Walsh, 1996, France, 86 min. Baillie Walsh’s Mirror, Mirror, a portrayal of Hispanic transsexual Consuela Cosmetic, living with AIDS and negotiating a mastectomy.

Paradise Is Not For Sale, Sun. 2 Nov., 4pm Dir. Teit Ritzau, 1984, Denmark, 59 min. With rare early footage of Christine Jorgensen, the film follows her meeting thirty years later with the surgeons that performed what became known as the world’s first “sex change” operation.

Phantom Pain, European premiere, Closing Night, Sun. 2 Nov., 7pm Dir. Neil Matsumoto, 1996, USA, 83 min. Kristy Nichols is a pre-op transsexual prostitute working the streets of Hollywood. Gently comic, the film looks at Kristy’s confusing life, downplaying the usual issues of gender identity. When a professor of sexology asks her to star in a film about a transsexual prostitute, Kristy thinks she may have finally found some direction in her life. She’s wrong. SYMPOSIUM: THREE PANELS AND PLENARY AND THREE DISCUSSION SESSIONS

1. Representation & Trans-aesthetics, 10-11.30pm Wednesday 29 October including Kristiene Clarke and Chris Straayer 2. Trans-youth, 2.30-3.30pm, Sat. 1st Nov. 3. Cybergender + Plenary, 9-10.30pm, Sunday 2 Nov. 4. Hermaphrodites with Attitude Discussion, Friday 31 Oct., after 8pm screening 5. You Don’t Know Dick Discussion, Sat. 1st Nov., after 8pm screening 6. Let Me Die A Woman Discussion, Thurs., 30 October after 9pm screening

The Symposium will take the form of three panel events with practitioners, theorists and activists discussing and debating topics of identity, body politics, social construction and performance of gender, post-modern gender and technology, trans-aesthetics and cross-cultural expression of gender.

KEY SPEAKERS INCLUDE: *Chris Straayer*, Assoc. professor, Dept. Cinema Studies NYU, author of “Deviant Eyes, Deviant Bodies”; *Susan Stryker*, has taught at Women’s studies Dept at UC Berkeley and History at University of San Francisco, *Jay Prosser*, London based trans-theorist who has written on transsexual autobiography and photographing the TS body; *Dr. Stephen Whittle*, who has just fought a case in the European Court of Human Rights for the right to be the legal father of his four children, he is a law lecturer, trans-activist and writer on subjects like cyber-genders in cyber-space; *Kate More* known for transgender activism in HIV and campaigns for TS prisoners’ rights, a founding editor of the trans-theory journal Radical Deviance.

TICKET PRICES: Day pass tickets must be booked in advance to insure places. Uncollected tickets go on resale a half hour before the performance. Lux Cinema annual membership: #10/#8 concessions. Day pass: standard #18 / members #17 / concession #15 / members concession #14. Tickets for Opening & Closing Night (including panel ) and Double Bills: #8/#7/#5/#4. Single Screening: #6/#5/#4/#3. Single Panel: #5/#4/#3/#2. Box Office: 0171 684 0201, telephone bookings from 3.00-9.00pm.

VENUE: The Lux Cinema in the Lux Centre 2-4 Hoxton Square, London N1 6NU. The centre is on the west side of Hoxton Square, right next door to the Blue Note cafe and nightclub. From Old Street Underground Station, walk straight ahead from exit 2 and turn left at Rufus St.

Space for sponsors logos [Have: Lux/G&SA/London Film & Video Agency/Still need: Channel 4 TV]

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Return-Path: <null@mbcomms.net.au> Date: Sat, 25 Oct 97 20:07:06 UT From: “Christine Burns” <C_Burns@classic.msn.com> To: UKPFC-News@mbcomms.net.au (Press for Change News list) Subject: Report from Vancouver – The HBIGDA Conference Reply-To: UKPFC-Forum@mbcomms.net.au (Reply to the PFC Forum. Members only) X-To-Unsubscribe: pfc-lists@mbcomms.net.au (message body: leave UKPFC-News) X-ListMember: AEGIS@MINDSPRING.COM [ukpfc-news@mbcomms.net.au] Saturday October 25th, 1997

VANCOUVER – THE HBIGDA CONFERENCE REPORT

Foreword by Christine Burns Report by Tracie O’Keefe (katfox@easynet.co.uk)

———————————— Foreword

Last week the dominating theme on the UKPFC-forum was the issue of labelling and people’s perceptions of what they were in their own and other people’s eyes. It’s hardly surprising, therefore, that when the debate moved on it should alight next on the subject of Gender Identity Clinics (GICs), the personalities who run them, and the touchy matter of who serves whom in the whole process.

Understandably this is a very touchy issue, not helped by the fact that scarce funding for treatment in the UK places the people who run the only substantial GIC in the UK (Charing Cross) in an almost impossible position, swamped by overwhelming numbers of referrals. all of whom require an extent of careful and time-consuming evaluation which, in an ideal world, would keep a DOZEN Charing Cross’es busy full time.

We haven’t GOT a dozen Charing Cross’es though .. and that’s maybe the biggest part of the problem. When there IS no effective choice (or we know the choices to be even worse), the consumer’s only effective weapon lacks ammunition.

It is very easy to criticise, of course .. and, in the process, focus anger on the individuals seen as gatekeepers, failing to recognise that practitioner and client are both subjects of the same system.

It is easy too, to take every hearsay story which comes along as gospel, forgetting that the blame is sometimes wrongly assigned to innocent individuals as it is handed down on the grapevine .. and that some of the people originating the stories have as much an agenda as the people being vilified. People don’t always tell the whole story. Clinical decisions take place in a room where two people often start with the unfortunate expectation that confrontation is the order of the day, and that the task of one is to batter their way past the other. When parties evaluate each other in those settings, is it any wonder that the “real” picture doesn’t always come across straight away to the person sitting behind the desk ?

This isn’t an apology for the very real instances of bad treatment and neglect that occur in the various UK centres though. …

Even if only ONE client had ever reported having been treated like a carcass on a production line, or felt their evaluation had been swayed by the practitioner’s subjective values ..

Even if only ONE person had said they felt talked at, rather than being listened too, or felt they were part of a Stalinist regime ..

Even if only ONE person had written to me to say that they came away feeling physically violated, and emerged more damaged than when they went in ..

… That would be one too many .. and the OVERALL treatment of vulnerable gender dysphoric people in the UK remains as much a scandal as it was when a man called Randall dominated the franchise, with his own brand of authoritarian subjectiveness.

By common assent, in the eyes of the clients, things at centres like Charing Cross leave a lot to be desired.

It is rather too easy to throw the baby out with the bathwater though .. to assume that ALL practitioners toiling against an impossible workload are equal in blame, rather than possibly being victim to the same desensitisation which is the trap awaiting all overworked and stressed people in caring professions.

Evaluation of gender issues takes time, experience and cooperation .. of which the most precious and least plentiful asset is the first. The client is in a hurry. The professional has a queue outside the door and a home to go to. Not a recipe for joy.

It isn’t just the patient who lives and is constrained by an ignorant and sceptical world, either. Gender Clinic workers inhabit the same world as us .. they face the same challenges to the verity of what they’re doing .. couched in different terms, maybe .. and played out in funding and peer review meetings, rather than at the bus stop .. with a career and funding for their work at stake.

So, whilst it is right for the community to vigorously question those who serve it .. and I’ve often tried to encourage that through what I’ve written and reported .. we MUST do that questionning and finger-pointing responsibly, and on the basis of FAIRNESS and FACT, otherwise we cease to be an intelligent lobby and become a mob.

This week it’s very timely, therefore, that I’ve received not one, but TWO very relevant reports from Tracie O’Keefe and Katrina Fox, whose book “Trans-X-U-All” we reviewed in the Press for Change newsletter, and on this news list a few weeks ago. (Don’t forget that you can buy the book thorugh PFC now too, and contribute substantially to PFC’s campaign funds in the process).

Six weeks ago Tracie and Katrina attended the fifteenth annual symposium of the organisation which originated the infamous Standards of Care, in Vancouver. Now Tracie has written a report on the symposium itself, and Katrina has accompanied that with an interview of the HBIGDA’s new president, Professor Richard Green.

These reports can be found on Tracie and Katrina’s growing web site, where you can also read more reviews about Trans-X-U-All, and some of Tracie’s professional papers .. you’ll find a link to the book review on the PFC web site front page .. or you can go direct to –

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~katfox/tran1.htm

Tracie’s report on the conference follows below, for the benefit of those who don’t have access to the web. Katrina’s interview with Richard Green, follows behind, in a separate message posting.

Read them .. and then approach the debate about Standards of Care, and the people framing and practicising them, in a different light.

Christine Burns Press for Change

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A review of the XV Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association Symposium September 10 -13, 1997

By Tracie O’Keefe

After having travelled several thousand miles from London to Vancouver my partner and associate Katrina Fox found the Canadians a charming and polite people, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Since I am in private practice and not skimming off the profits of my government’s health system or on the expense account of a teaching hospital we stayed at the YWCA hotel.

The conference, however, was held at a down town five star hotel called The Sutton Place, more suitable for a convention on pyramid selling than an academic meeting of minds. With jet lag we made it to the welcoming cocktail party to find that the board members were absent and unwelcoming. In fact they were all having a silver service dinner in a private dining room and much too busy filling their faces to mingle with the rest of the association. The cocktail nibbles the rest of us were left would have been sent back to the kitchen in the very seediest of diners.

Alice Webb told me with confidence that the organisation would be more democratic in future as she had just been voted president elect. Also two transpeople, Jude Patton and Sheila Kirk had now been voted onto the board, which I was assured would make a difference. There were hopes too that Richard Green, the new president would help recapture the spirit of Harry Benjamin during his presidency.

The conference was a fine collection of many of the world’s most talented and adventurous professionals involved in helping people find their own sex and gender identities. From the biologists came the latest discoveries about the differentials in the inner brain in males, females, gays, and the rest of us. Apparently the distribution of certain neurological compositions in the brains are different when an individual is subject to certain hormones. However, they were unable to conclude whether this was due to nature in humans or indeed the result of the biological manifestation of nurture. Neither could it be determined if this supposed biological phenomenon had its causes in pre-natal or post-natal development.

Just when the sociologists had reminded us that Harry Benjamin was happy to adopt the psychosocialbiological model of human sex and gender identity, the proceedings were brought to a dead stop by the arrival of demonstrators. Apparently some of Vancouver’s less affluent gender and sex adventurers felt they were being deprived of knowledge because they could not pay hundreds of dollars to get in. To be fair to the organisers, the conference was for professionals dealing in the field, and not open to the general public. Most of us were in private practice and put our hands deep in our pockets to be there, as well as carrying out a great deal of pro-bono (free) work during our working year.

However, the disturbance did open up the “us and them” debate between the HBIGDA and the client group and how many people in the world felt that their needs were not being listened to. Whether that sunk in with the board members will only be seen in a historical context. The calls from the protesters to do away with categorisation met with profound logical reasons to keep them. In short, if there is to be no diagnosis then there will be no funds for treatment because a clinician cannot claim for treating nothing. Further to that my abstract suggested many other dimensions of sex, gender and sexuality that need to be considered as part of the human experience and covered by the HBIGDA.

By far one of the most important announcements was that the HBIGDA was to publish a journal on the internet, making information available for the whole world to access free of charge. This would include abstracts presented at conferences and articles written by experts in the field presenting state-of-the-art research and treatment.

This was now beginning to turn into one of the best conferences for professional carers I had ever been to and far better than I had expected. There were a lot of transpeople who were also professionals in the field at the conference, moving the atmosphere towards facilitating the needs of the client group. Amongst them was Rosalyn Bloomenstein from New York, who works with members of the gender community who are on the streets, working in the sex industry, or HIV positive; Petra Klene, from Holland, who runs the trans-identity section of the Humanitas social welfare organisation; the writer and campaigner James Green from the Bay area of San Francisco; Dallas Denny, writer and international organiser of transinformation; Marsha Botzer, the American therapist and social researcher; Sandra Framboise, executive director of the High Risk Project in Vancouver, and myself. To top that, many were presenting too.

The reports of metoidoplasty were that it seems to be a very successful technique and an adjustment in cosmetic foreskin design was exhibited by J Joris Hage. The presentations on phalloplasty were profoundly different, consisting of lower arm, leg and midriff donor sites. One local young man spoke of the fear and trepidation he had in researching surgeons and their methods, whilst trying to sort out the information from the misinformation circling around the transmen community.

There was a further presentation on the enlargement and styling of the neoscrotum by using tissue expanders to give it more length and volume. The surgeon rightly pointed out that the effects were much more realistic when the testicular prostheses were put in, since the majority of men have low hanging scrotums.

An American surgeon reported on his progress and success in operating on people who were HIV positive. He also believed that it is the responsibility of the surgeon to know if a client is HIV positive, because then the appropriate treatment can be particularly devised to assist the patient’s recovery. He further went on to say that being HIV positive is no reason not to operate on a patient; after all, anyone could have had a serum conversion days before the surgery and the surgeon would be none the wiser. It is also the duty of a doctor to do the very best they can for a patient. It was also a surprising revelation that so many surgeons did not test for Hepatitis B or C pre-operatively.

Another presentation talked of colonoplasty as first process of vaginoplasty, indicating that depth of vagina was very important. He further went on to say that this left more penile skin for design of the labia minora, allowing the cosmetic results to look more authentic. Some surgeons disagreed saying that colonoplasty was too complicated an operation to use as a first choice and should only be used as a salvage process or if minimal penile skin is available. It was further pointed out that penile inversion did generally produce the desired vaginal lengths for clients who managed to have a very satisfactory sex life. One woman pointed out that in the older transsexual intercourse was less important and often not required as they were seeking a purely cosmetic solution to their conundrum. Ultimately it must be up to the individual client to choose because in the case of minimal penile tissue colonoplasty as a primary option may be the only choice.

The conference had changed its attitude to being more concerned with the treatment of gender dysphoria and less concerned with the perpetual search for the derivation of the condition. Indeed it was accepted that much could be done to completely dispel the gender dysphoria in the majority of the cases through hormones, surgery and psychotherapy. The debate once again opened up as to who was dysphoric and who was not, as many patients felt they knew exactly what they needed and sometimes that did work. There are of course the kind of patients for whom treatment only partially dispels the dysphoria and for them that diagnosis still needs to be used to help them become more whole.

At the end of the conference Dr Sheila Kirk and Dallas Denny made a plea for the transgendered group of clients to be included under the protection of the Harry Benjamin criteria. James Green further pointed out that those who are cross-dressers and take minimal amounts of hormones, perhaps dressing part- time, should also be included, and someone else added that transvestites should also be included. A psychiatrist commented that the general public would probably have a hard time dealing with these concerns.

The funny thing is though: Is this not the same argument that led Harry Benjamin to forming the association in the first place – to move towards treating and helping transsexuals? Is giving transsexualism an elite status simply replacing one type of stereotypical prejudice with another?

As I said earlier only time will tell if the lessons of this conference will be integrated into the HBIGDA criteria and guidelines. If they are not then I believe one of the most innovative and generative conferences I have ever been to will have been partly wasted. However, as I left I heard that Jude Patton and Sheila Kirk had been appointed to set up a sub-committee to look into what the client requirements might be.

Tracie O’Keefe

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This report will also be found on the World Wide Web at :

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~katfox/review.htm **************** The UK Press For Change News List ****************

AEGIS Internet News is a service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to aegisnews@gender.org. Subject: Re: News of the World… Nov 02/97… Page 33… Date sent: Sun, 2 Nov 97 18:28:27 +0000 From: Brenda L Smith <Brenda.L.Smith@btinternet.com> To: “Claire McNab” <claire@siberia.demon.co.uk>

She-male sues over job snub

A PERSON who claims to be male AND female is taking legal action ater being turned down for a job at a women’s centre. Sarah-Jane Brooks, also know as William Brooks, is suing for discrimination. The hermaphrodite–with male and femaile genitals–used to decide each day whether to be a man or a woman, but for 18 months has been living as a female. Mr/Miss Brooks, 40, applied to work at the council-run Watford Women’s Centre after holding similar jobs in London and Manchester. He/she said: “When I turned up they would not let me in because they said I looked too much like a man. “But I am both a man and a woman. They have no right to choose which sex to judge me on. I will be taking them to court over this.” A spokesman for Watford Council said: “We feel he cannot be admitted to the centre which is a focal point for women.”

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Return-Path: <TGirlMardi@aol.com> From: TGirlMardi@aol.com Date: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 01:54:05 -0500 (EST) To: aegis@gender.org Subject: some…umm…news.

Here is something for yoiur newsletter perhaps…if ya don’t mind “downer” news that is. The following I wrote:

Nov. 5 1997 Seattle WA.

Init 677, which would have mandated equal employment rights for GLB and T persons failed at the polls yesterday. The morning unofficial results show it losing 560,000 to 347,000 with over 50% of results in. Final official results will not be in until Wed., Nov 20th.

The only openly gay member of the WA legislature said that it set the clock back a generation for any hope for advancement of gay rights in this state. Opponents were, of course, joyful and claimed vindication and that this would be a message to be well noted by the US legislature re: ENDA.

The loss came dispite the pro 677 group outspending those against 10 to 1. ($775,000 to $72,000) Included in the promotion for the passage of the initiative were several versions of TV ads which were frequently aired in the last three weeks of the campaign emphasizing that discrimination existed, was legal, and that jobs were actually lost. No TV was used by the opposition.

Possibly figuring in the defeat was the presence of a gun control measure on the same ballot. The strong, well financed campaign by gun rights advocates, such as the NRA, guaranteed a heavy conservative turnout at the polls. The gun control measure, I-676, failed at a rate of 70%-30%.

Mardi Clark

Certainly it is a shame. Especially since we were included in the initiative despite early polling that predicted just this result! The same polling indicated easy passage without trans inclusion. Hopefully the backlash will be minimal.

Mardi

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Return-Path: <apc@wamani.wamani.apc.org> To: lista-ales1@wamani.wamani.apc.org Subject: Speeches # 3 – Buenos Aires LGTB Pride Parade From: ales@wamani.apc.org (Alejandra Sarda) Date: Wed, 05 Nov 97 21:43:24 ARG Organization: Red Wamani – APC Networks – Argentina

VI LESBIAN, GAY, TRANSVESTITE, TRANSSEXUAL AND BISEXUAL PRIDE PARADE Buenos Aires, November 1 1997

The following speech was read at the end of the parade.

TRANSVESTITES (Speaker: Lohanna Berkins)

When no consensus exists in the political discourse to deal with those problems more related to people’s lives and everything on the debate about security gets banalized, on the one side daily life’s dangers and the violence present in marginalized sectors are exaggerated as a way to justify authori- tarian responses, while on the other side police brutality never gets denounced beyond the level of “humanitarian concerns”. In our case, we transvestites have more than 70 victims, our sisters that are not here any longer.

It’s impossible to speak of us, transvestites, without relating to the perverted and sinister control that the State exerts on us. Every day we are brutalized and beaten, forced to a status of marginalization and forbidden access to spaces that should be open to everyone, like the educational system, for instance. We are forced to become society’s most vulnerable segment, and that very same society many times turns its face away. The way we are and the way we have chosen to be are rejected.

Here we are, expressing ourselves in all ways possible, before this patriarchal and sexist dominant system. The fight against all forms of racism, violence, exclusion, will not end before each one of us -in the deepest core of her/his being and her/his daily life- seriously attempts dismantling the oppre- sor that lives in her/himself. Because all of us have an oppressor inside and many times she/he does not alow us to live freely.

We have been fighting for a long time to be recognized as what we are, people; for the police to stop punishing us on a daily basis; to find our own dignity that has been thrashed for so long time. In this day of celebration we want to mention those groups that had worked for transvestites’life and dignity: ATA – Argentinean Association of Transvestites; OTTRA – Transvestite and Trans- sexual Organization of the Argentinean Republic and ALIT – Fight for Transvestite Identity Association, as well as all the groups that have been created in other parts of the country. We also want to remember our gay brothers, our lesbian, transsexual and bisexual sisters with whom we have work on equal basis all those years. They have shown their solidarity with us as did other people who have also walked this path with us. Today, transvestites celebrate our life with pride, repudiating discrimination and violence.

Escrita en el Cuerpo Lesbian, Bisexual and Different Women’s Archives and Library Peru 1330 4to., Buenos Aires, Argentina Phone: (54 1) 581 01 79 Fax (54 1) 382 90 95 E.mail: ales@wamani.apc.org

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From ========================================= = QUOTE UNQUOTE #103 – Oct 17, 1997 = = by Rex Wockner = ========================================= Used by permission

<><><10><><>

“The physical appearance of gay men is determined by considerations of sexual attraction. A new breed of gay men is being shaped by its aversion to ‘femmishness.’ The trend is toward a body with tight muscles formed by machines that will not disturb hairstyle. The walk is becoming a strut in equal parts Madonna and Clint Eastwood. Hands increasingly cling to the hips in horror that idle hands may relax into a limp wrist, that hips may swish. The laughter, consciously brusque, often breaks into a shriek in the late hours of nonsexual contact. If that direction is pursued, there will emerge a figure of effeminate masculinity, a new, conforming ‘stereotype’ as identifiably gay as drag or leather — created to avoid ‘looking gay.'”

–Author John Rechy writing in the Advocate, Oct. 14.

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Here’s a very handy listing state by state of the status of same-sex marriage.

Dallas

Return-Path: <owner-glb-news@LISTSERV.AOL.COM> Approved-By: julie@DRYCAS.CLUB.CC.CMU.EDU X-Sender: lambda@aloha.net X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by listserv.aol.com id SAA16534 Date: Wed, 5 Nov 1997 13:34:22 -1000 Reply-To: Martin Rice <lambda@ALOHA.NET> Sender: Information Repository for News of Interest to GLB* Folk <GLB-NEWS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM> From: Martin Rice <lambda@ALOHA.NET> Subject: [GLB-NEWS] SA 274: POTENTIAL STATUS OF SSM IN THE U.S. To: GLB-NEWS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM

Aloha awakea kakou.

A research project follows to identify those states that could, in theory, support successfully the initiation of a same-gender marriage court case based on their constitutional law and the individual state’s degree of protection afforded to a suspect class.

It should be noted that this list is in no means complete or comprehensive of all of the factors and statutes that could come into play, but merely presents a guideline along the “Hawai`i-approach,” i.e., denial of marriage licenses to same-gender couples is tantamount to gender discrimination, could be initiated. But, this approach is by no means the only approach, as witnessed by the current New York and Vermont cases. The current Alaska case could be similar to Hawai`i’s, however, I’m not familiar with those dynamics either.

Also, if anyone has any additions, corrections, etc., please contact me directly so that they may be added and rebroadcast for everyone’s edification (lambda@aloha.net).

I would also like to express my MAHALOS to Bob Summersgill, in New Mexico, whose spontaneous volunteerism and enthusiasm regarding this project is greatly appreciated. I would also like to express gratitude to Richard Harold, Bill Lorentz, Frank Kameny, Bill Kelly, Alan Easton and Peter Cannon for their contributions too.

A hui hou,

Martin I. Same-Gender Marriage court cases currently initiated or pending:

ALASKA–http://www.gov.state.ak/ltgov/akdon/art01.html ARTICLE 1, SECTION 3. CIVIL RIGHTS. No person is to be denied the enjoyment of any civil or political right because of race, color, creed, sex, or national origin. The legislature shall implement this section. HAWAI`I–http://www.state.hi.us/lrb/con/conart1.html ARTICLE I, SECTION 4. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of his civil rights or be discriminated against in the exercise thereof because of race, religion, sex or ancestry. NEW YORK–gopher://lbdc.senate.state.ny.us:70/11/.const/ ARTICLE I, SECTION 11. No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws of this state or any subdivision thereof. No person shall, because of race, color, creed or religion, be subjected to any discrimination in his civil rights by any other person or by any firm, corporation, or institution, or by the state or any agency or subdivision of the state. VERMONT–http://www.leg.state.vt.us/statutes/const/const.htm

II. Potential states that could support a SSM lawsuit (i.e. states that constitutionally and explicity ban discrimination based on “sex”):

COLORADO–http://www.ppld.org/costatutes/streldoc/coc0029.html ARTICLE II, SECTION 29. Equality of the sexes. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the state of Colorado or any of its political subdivisions on account of sex. Adopted November 7, 1972 — Effective upon proclamation by the Governor, January 11, 1973. (See Laws 1972, p. 647.) ARTICLE II, SECTION 30, PARAGRAPH b. No Protected Status Based on Homosexual, Lesbian or Bisexual Orientation. [Martin Rice’s note: Repealed by the U.S. Supreme Court in Evans v. Romer. “No state can make a class of its citizens strangers to it laws.”] CONNECTICUT–http://www.ctstate.edu/state/historical/ct-const.html ARTICLE XXI. Article fifth of the amendments to the constitution is amended to read as follows: No person shall be denied the equal protection of the law nor be subjected to segregation or discrimination in the exercise or enjoyment of his or her civil or political rights because of religion, race, color, ancestry, national origin, sex or physical or mental disability. Adopted November 28, 1984. ILLINOIS–http://www.state.il.us/gov/bio/const1.htm ARTICLE I, SECTION 18. No discrimination on the basis of sex. The equal protection of the laws shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex by the State or its units of local government and school districts. LOUISIANA–http://www.senate.state.la.us/sen/senate.htm ARTICLE I, SECTION 3. Declaration of Rights. No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws. No law shall discriminate against a person because of race or religious ideas, beliefs, or affiliations. No law shall arbitrarily, capriciously, or unreasonably discriminate against a person because of birth, age, sex, culture, physical condition, or political ideas or affiliations. Slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited, except in the latter case as punishment for crime. [Special Mahalo to Bob Summersgill of New Mexico] MARYLAND–http://www.state.md.us/md/docs/mdright.html ARTICLE XLVI. Equality of rights under the law shall not be abridged or denied because of sex. MASSACHUSETTS–http://www.state.ma.us/legis/const.htm ARTICLE XVI. Article I of Part the First of the Constitution is hereby annulled and the following is adopted: All people are born free and equal and have certain natural, essential and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring, possessing and protecting property; in fine, that of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness. Equality under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of sex, race, color, creed or national origin. MONTANA–http://161.7.121.6/const.htm ARTICLE II, SECTION 4. Individual dignity. The dignity of the human being is inviolable. No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws. Neither the state nor any person, firm, corporation, or institution shall discriminate against any person in the exercise of his civil or political rights on account of race, color, sex, culture, social origin or condition, or political or religious ideas. NEW HAMPSHIRE–http://www.state.nh.us/constitution/billofrights.html ARTILCE 1, SECTION 2. [Natural Rights.] All men have certain natural, essential, and inherent rights – among which are, the enjoying and defending life and liberty; acquiring, possessing, and protecting, property; and, in a word, of seeking and obtaining happiness. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by this state on account of race, creed, color, sex or national origin. June 2, l784, Amended l974, adding sentence to prohibit discrimination. NEW MEXICO–http://www.governor.state.nm.us/pubaccess/const/con_II.htm ARTICLE II, SECTION 18. [Due process; equal protection; sex discrimination.] No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law; nor shall any person be denied equal protection of the laws. Equality of rights under law shall not be denied on account of the sex of any person. The effective date of this amendment shall be July 1, 1973. (Adopted by the people November 7, 1972.) [Special Mahalo to Bob Summersgill of New Mexico] PENNSYLVANIA–http://www.state.pa.us/PA_Constitution.html ARTICLE I, SECTION 26. No Discrimination by Commonwealth and Its Political Subdivisions. Neither the Commonwealth nor any political subdivision thereof shall deny to any person the enjoyment of any civil right, nor discriminate against any person in the exercise of any civil right. ARTICLE I, SECTION 28. Prohibition Against Denial or Abridgment of Equality of Rights Because of Sex. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania because of the sex of the individual. TEXAS–http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/txconst/toc.htm ARTICLE 1, SECTION 3a – Equality Under the Law. Equality under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of sex, race, color, creed, or national origin. This amendment is self- operative. (Added Nov. 7, 1972.) VIRGINIA–http://hod.state.va.us/ctoc.htm ARTICLE I, SECTION 11. Due process of law; obligation of contracts; taking of private property; prohibited discrimination; jury trial in civil cases. That no person shall be deprived of his life, liberty, or property without due process of law; that the General Assembly shall not pass any law impairing the obligation of contracts, nor any law whereby private property shall be taken or damaged for public uses, without just compensation, the term “public uses” to be defined by the General Assembly; and that the right to be free from any governmental discrimination upon the basis of religious conviction, race, color, sex, or national origin shall not be abridged, except that the mere separation of the sexes shall not be considered discrimination. WASHINGTON–http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/other/washington_constitution ARTICLE I, SECTION 12. Special Privileges and Immunities Prohibited. No law shall be passed granting to any citizen, class of citizens, or corporation other than municipal, privileges or immunities which upon the same terms shall not equally belong to all citizens, or corporations. ARTICLE XXXI, SECTION 1 Equality not denied because of sex. Equality of rights and responsibility under the law shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex. WYOMING–http://www.state.wy.us/state/government/constitution/ text_constitution.html SECTION 97-1-003. Equal political rights. Since equality in the enjoyment of natural and civil rights is only made sure through political equality, the laws of this state affecting the political rights and privileges of its citizens shall be without distinction of race, color, sex, or any circumstance or condition whatsoever other than individual incompetency, or unworthiness duly ascertained by a court of competent jurisdiction. SECTION 97-6-001. Male and female citizens to enjoy equal rights. The rights of citizens of the State of Wyoming to vote and hold office shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex. Both male and female citizens of this state shall equally enjoy all civil, political and religious rights and privileges.

III. States that could support a SSM lawsuit (i.e. states that implicity ban discrimination based on “sex” as a part of a broader range of inclusiveness):

CALIFORNIA–http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/const-toc.html ARTICLE I, SECTION 8, PARAGRAPH b. A citizen or class of citizens may not be granted privileges or immunities not granted on the same terms to all citizens. Privileges or immunities granted by the Legislature may be altered or revoked. INDIANA–http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/inconst/art-1.html#sec-1 ARTICLE I, SECTION 23. Equal privileges. The General Assembly shall not grant to any citizen, or class of citizens, privileges or immunities, which, upon the same terms, shall not equally belong to all citizens. IOWA–http://www.sos.state.ia.us/register/r7/r7iacons.htm ARTICLE I, SECTION 6. Laws uniform. All laws of a general nature shall have a uniform operation; the General Assembly shall not grant to any citizen, or class of citizens, privileges or immunities, which, upon the same terms shall not equally belong to all citizens. MAINE–http://www.state.me.us/sos/arc/general/constit/conscont.htm ARTICLE I, SECTION 6-A. Discrimination against persons prohibited. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person’s civil rights or be discriminated against in the exercise thereof. [Special Mahalo to Bob Summersgill of New Mexico] MINNESOTA–http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/cco/rules/mncon/mncon.htm ARTICLE 1, SECTION 2. Rights and privileges. No member of this state shall be disfranchised or deprived of any of the rights or privileges secured to any citizen thereof, unless by the law of the land or the judgment of his peers. There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the state otherwise than as punishment for a crime of which the party has been convicted. NORTH DAKOTA–http://www.harbornet.com/rights/nodakota.txt ARTICLE I, SECTION 20. No special privileges or immunities shall ever be granted which may not be altered, revoked or repealed by the legislative assembly; nor shall any citizen or class of citizens be granted privileges or immunities which upon the same terms shall not be granted to all citizens. OREGON–http://www.sos.state.or.us/BlueBook/1997_98/constitution/ constitution.htm ARTICLE I, SECTION 20. Equality of privileges and immunities of citizens. No law shall be passed granting to any citizen or class of citizens privileges, or immunities, which, upon the same terms, shall not equally belong to all citizen WISCONSIN–http://folio.legis.state.wi.us ARTICLE I, SECTION 1. Equality; inherent rights. [As amended Nov. 1982 and April 1986] All people are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights; among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; to secure these rights, governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. [1979 J.R. 36, 1981 J.R. 29, vote Nov. 1982; 1983 J.R. 40, 1985 J.R. 21, vote April 1986] [Note from Bob Summersgill: I found this to be very funny, and illistrative that the above language is meant to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex: ARTICLE I, SECTION 1 – ANNOT. Prostitution raid focusing only on female participants amounts to selective prosecution in violation of equal protection; in depth discussion of constitutional analysis. State v. McCollum, 159 W (2d) 184, 464 NW (2d) 44 (Ct. App. 1990).] [Note from Peter Cannon, Senior Research Analyst, Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau: I know of no language in our constitution related to gender discrimination. There is language at 111.36, Wisconsin Statutes, prohibiting employment discrimination because of sex.]

IV. States that do not include equal protection hased on “sex,” but have anti-discrimination clauses or amendments based on other criteria (race, religion, etc.) embedded in their state constitution:

FLORIDA–http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/flconst.txt ARTICLE I, SECTION 2. Basic rights.–All natural persons are equaL before the law and have inalienable rights, among which are the right to enjoy and defend life and liberty, to pursue happiness, to be rewarded for industry, and to acquire, possess and protect property; except that the ownership, inheritance, disposition and possession of real property by aliens ineligible for citizenship may be regulated or prohibited by law. No person shall be deprived of any right because of race, religion or physical handicap. History.–Am. S.J.R. 917, 1974; adopted 1974. MICHIGAN–http://www.migov:state.mi.us/constitution/i.html ARTICLE I, SECTION 2. Sec. 2. No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws; nor shall any person be denied the enjoyment of his civil or political rights or be discriminated against in the exercise thereof because of religion, race, color or national origin. The legislature shall implement this section by appropriate legislation. [Note from Richard Harold of Michigan: “. . . discrimination based upon the sex of the individual is illegal in Michigan via statute, known as the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. We may not have it in our constitution, but we have it on the books.] NEW JERSEY–http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/folio.pgi/njconst.nfo ARTICLE I, SECTION 5. No person shall be denied the enjoyment of any civil or military right, nor be discriminated against in the exercise of any civil or military right, nor be segregated in the militia or in the public schools, because of religious principles, race, color, ancestry or national origin. ARTICLE X, SECTION 4. Wherever in this Constitution the term “person”, “persons”, “people” or any personal pronoun is used, the same shall be taken to include both sexes. [Bill Lorentz’s note: See: N.J.S.A. 10:5-1 et seq.] RHODE ISLAND–http://www.state.ri.us/rihis/riconst.htm ARTICLE I, SECTION 2. Laws for good of whole, Burdens to be equally distributed, Due process, Equal protection, Discrimination, No right to abortion granted. All free governments are instituted for the protection, safety, and happiness of the people. All laws, therefore, should be made for the good of the whole; and the burdens of the state ought to be fairly distributed among its citizens. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied equal protection of the laws. No otherwise qualified person shall, solely by reason of race, gender or handicap be subject to discrimination by the state, its agents or any person or entity doing business with the state. Nothing in this section shall be construed to grant or secure any right relating to abortion or the funding thereof.

V. Anti-discrimination laws of a non-constitutional nature:

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA [Note from Frank Kameny: The D. C. Human Rights Law or Act is found at Sections 1-2501 through 1-2557 of the D.C. Code.] [Note from Bill Kelly: I am fairly conversant with online legal research and can find no online source for D.C. ordinances, except a very few not relevant here.] IDAHO–http://www.idwr.state.id.us/idstat/const/constTOC.html TITLE 18, CHAPTER 73, PARAGRAPH 1. Freedom from discrimination constitutes a civil right. The right to be free from discrimination because of race, creed, color, sex, or national origin is recognized as and declared to be a civil right. This right shall include, but not be limited to: (1) The right to obtain and hold employment without discrimination. (2) The right to the full enjoyment of any of the accommodations, facilities or privileges of any place of public resort, accommodation, assemblage or amusement.

VI. Anti-discrimination clauses not found:

ARIZONA–http://www.azleg.state.az.us/ars/const/const.htm DELAWARE–http://www.state.de.us/facts/constit/welcome.htm GEORGIA–http://www.law.emory.edu/GEORGIA/gaconst.htm BUT: ARTICLE 1, PARAGRAPH 25. Status of the citizen. The social status of a citizen shall never be the subject of legislation. KANSAS–http://skyways.lib.ks.us/kansas/KSL/Ref/GovDocs/ Kan/State_Const/ks_const.html KENTUCKY–http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/const/000.htm BUT: ARTICLE I, SECTION 2. Absolute and arbitrary power denied. Absolute and arbitrary power over the lives, liberty and property of freemen exists nowhere in a republic, not even in the largest majority. Text as Ratified on: August 3, 1891, and revised September 28, 1891. History: Not yet amended. MISSISSIPPI–http://www.mscode.com/msconst/index.htm MISSOURI–http://www.moga.state.mo.us/const/moconstn.htm [Mahalo to Alan Easton of Missouri] NEBRASKA–http://unicam1.lcs.state.ne.us/legdocs/consti~1.htm NORTH CAROLINA–http://hal.dcr.state.nc.us/NC/STGOVT/PRECONST.HTM OHIO–http://members.aol.com/OhioAtty/Const.html or http://www.conwaygreene.com/oconst.htm OKLAHOMA–http://www.onenet/oklegal/okcon/index.html SOUTH CAROLINA–http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/reports/sccnst00.htm SOUTH DAKOTA–http://www.state.sd.us/state/pride/con-index.htm TENNESSEE–http://www.state.tn.us/sos/tnconst.htm UTAH–access at http://www.scvol.com/states/utah.htm WEST VIRGINIA–http://www.state.wv.us/const/default.htm

VII. Sex anti-discrimination clause not determined for the following state constitutions because:

ALABAMA–on-line version not found ARKANSAS–under reconstruction, will be posted in the future NEVADA–incomplete at http://www.harbornet.com/rights/nevada.txt and, hard to read at http://www.scs.unr.edu/bgic/nev_cons.html End

Date: Mon, 03 Nov 1997 12:47:50 -0500 To: aegis@gender.org From: Dallas Denny <aegis@gender.org> Subject: AEGIS Internet News Digest 11/3/97

AEGIS Internet News Digest 11/3/97

AEGIS Internet News Digest is provided as a service by AEGIS, the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to aegisnews@gender.org.

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From the Spout-Off Feature in Etcetera:

“Atlanta may be going to hell in a handbag, but it’s a Chanel handbag, sweetie, and that makes all the difference.”

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Note: The 10/23/97 issue of the Atlanta-based Southern Voice contains three letters from transpeople (John Fleckenstein, aka Lola Cola; Dallas Denny; and Charlotte Henry), written in response to Chris Crain’s editorial in the 9/25 issue, which was posted here. We haven’t bothered to include them, but the essence of each is that in the authors’ judgement the issue of transgender inclusion in the G/L/B community is no longer controversial, but pretty much a fait accompli.

From Southern Voice, 9 October, 1997. Reprinted with permission.

GEP Fights Transgender Battles

To the editor:

Both a letter to the editor from Dr. Erin Swenson in the Sept. 18 issue, and an editorial by Chris Crain in the Sept. 25 issue, remind us of the ongoing and oft-heated discussions regarding inclusion or exclusion of transgendered people in gay/lesbian/bisexual organizations. Both cite examples of conscious choices to limit a focus to sexual orientation. Absent in both are examples of organizations that have chosen to include gender identity. Such exist nationally, but perhaps more pertinent to your readers, there is a local and statewide group that dared probe far deeper than the “political realities and historic obligations” you referenced and emerged convinced of the absolute importance of and need for inclusiveness. The Georgia Equality Project deliberately included “transgendered” in its mission statement two-and-a-half years ago, and, as a part of the proposed language for a Georgia Employment Nondiscrimination Act, voted unanimously to name “sexual orientation and gender identity” as categories to be protected under such legislation. This was not a whimsical decision on the part of bleeding heart liberals changing mantras to utopia: the probably and potential repercussions were carefully and painstakingly evaluated from numerous perspectives, ranging from the persona to the practical to the political. We are proud of our decision, and equally proud of the process that led us there– one that highlighted the foundatio philosophy of GEP. The months and years ahead will reveal wha can actually be accomplished in our state’s climate; our hunch that the degree of freedom we enjoy is proportional to our involvement in the process. Consider this an invitation to all– most especially to those in the transgendered community who are, admittedly, unde represented– to join one of the few organizations working for full equality, politically and legislatively, for all Georgian

Cindy L. Abel Executive Director Georgia Equality Project

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GLAADALERT October 31, 1997 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

Trans-stupid Turn At Union Square On the Halloween (October 30) episode of Union Square, a new NBC show by Caroline in the City creator Fred Barron and Marco Pennette revolving around people who frequent a New York coffee shop, what could have potentially been an enlightening and humorous show on transgender issues devolved into a series of jokes leaving the transgender character as the butt of the joke. In the episode, a man dressed as a disheveled woman enters the coffee shop. Union Square regular Gabriella Diaz (Constance Marie) begins to talk to the new customer and finds out that he is dressed that way as a dare by his friends for Halloween. As they talk more, they both begin to find out that they have many things in common and decide to see each other again the next day. When the do meet again, Gabriella, much to her chagrin, finds that her date is still dressed as a woman. She reminds him that it isn’t Halloween anymore and that she thought he was embarrassed last night because his friends dared him to dress up. He says, “Yes, as a floozy! This is the way I normally dress.” Finally, when she asks why he is interested to her when he is gay, eavesdropping waitress Carrie (Christine Burke) tells her, “He’s a crossdresser. He’s not gay, he just likes to dress in women’s clothing.” Gabriella’s date thanks Carrie for clarifying and says, “See, its all perfectly normal.” Unfortunately, Carrie retorts, “Well, I didn’t say that.”

From there the show turns from what could have been an educational show about transgender issues into cheap transphobic humor. Gabriella tries to overcome her fear of her dream date being a crossdresser, but everytime her date turns around, she makes off-hand comments about him that provoke the audience to laugh. In the end, she tries to leave the restaurant with him, but after someone cat calls to him, she runs back in the restaurant, screaming, “I can’t do it.” While the transgender character was a confident and proud person who is comfortable dressing in women’s clothes, he is, in the end, the butt of the joke and Gabriella is the one with whom the viewers are intended to empathize.

Please let Fred Barron and Marco Pennette know they were on the right track with such a confident and comfortable transgender character, but in the future, should make it an opportunity to use humor to educate that transgender people are people, not props for cheap laughs. Contact: Fred Barron and Marco Pennette, Executive Producers, Union Square, NBC Studios, 330 Bob Hope Drive, Burbank, CA 91523, e-mail: UnionSquare@nbc.com.

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Psychologist/Assistant Professor Wanted

The Program in Human Sexuality (PHS) at the University of Minnesota Medical School is seeking a Psychologist/Assistant Professor with a clinical, research and teaching background in sexuality. Duties include conducting individual, family, couple and group psychotherapy. PHS is a unit within the Department of Family Practice and Community Health; therefore, the applicant should possess a strong interest for collaborative research and teaching in family medicine. Our faculty are strongly committed to the promotion of sexual health through research, educational, clinical, and community health programming. Applicants should have a superior record of scholarly activity and ability to attract external funding. Applicants must have a Ph.D. or Psy.D degree and be eligible for Minnesota licensure. Apply by December 31, 1997. Start by March 31, 1998. Send letter stating clinical, research and teaching interests, representative publications, a curriculum vitae and three references to Eli Coleman, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Program in Human Sexuality, 3100 S. 2nd Street, Ste. 180, Minneapolis, MN 55454.

Postdoctoral Clinical/Research Fellowship

The Program in Human Sexuality at the University of Minnesota Medical School is seeking applications for its 2-year postdoctoral fellowship training program. The fellow will provide individual, family, couple and group psychotherapy in a large clinic treating a wide range of sexual dysfunctions and disorders including sex offenses, marital and sexual problems, gender identity disorders, sexual orientation concerns, compulsive sexual behavior and paraphilias and HIV counseling. Fellows are expected to complete a research project within one of the faculty’s research projects. Applicants must have their Ph.D., Psy.D. or M.D. and be eligible for Minnesota licensure. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. The stipend is $22,000-$26,000 with excellent benefits. Send letter stating clinical, research and teaching interests, representative publications, a curriculum vitae and three references to Eli Coleman, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Program in Human Sexuality, 3100 S. 2nd Street, Ste. 180, Minneapolis, MN 55454.

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

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From Etcetera, 13(42), 17 October, 1997.

Midnight in the Garden of The Lady Chablis

(Note from Dallas: For another good article about The Lady Chablis, Clint Eastwood, and the movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” see the current The Advocate (11 November, 1997). You’ll find Clint on the cover). Throughout her career, the Lady Chablis has always gone after what The Lady Chablis wanted. So when Clint Eastwood signed on to direct the film version of John Berendt’s best-seller “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” which features the performer, and started casting the film, The Lady Chablis knew no one else could fill her shoes.

by Jim Farmer “I’m a living person, and there’s no other like me. Who else could play me?” she said. A year-and-a-half ago, while Lady Chablis was in Los Angeles, she jumped at the change to me with Eastwood’s camp. Although the director wanted her to do a screen test, she balked (later telling Eastwood that if he wanted to see her perform, he could get one of her cassettes or come to one of her shows). Eventually, though, she got the part, putting to rest rumors that the role would go to Diana Ross or to Angela Bassett. “They both rallied for it, as well as some others, but I think it was a given that the role would be given to me,” Chablis said.

“I told Mr. Eastwood that if he wanted to get himself an Academy Award nomination, he had better cast me. As for me, I’m going to win Best Actress and Best Actor.”

Chablis, the female impersonator who for years performed in Atlanta and in Savannah before becoming a household name with the publication of “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” was certainly happy to add actress to her ever-expanding resume.

Reached by phone at her Columbia, S.C. office and home (where she greets callers with the line “Hello, this is the Grand Empress,”) Chablis is eager to discuss with Etcetera the film and her upcoming plans.

She felt very positive about nabbing the role once she met and hit it off with director Eastwood. “meeting Clint was like going home and meeting your boyfriend’s daddy. He was a perfect gentleman. He was filming “Absolute Power” at the time and introduced me to the case. When he offered me the part, I thanked him for his courage, because he didn’t know if I could act. He told me afterwards it would not be my last movie,” Chablis said.

The filming lasted almost ten weeks, starting in May of this year, with exteriors shot in Savannah and the interiors in Hollywood. Like most film adaptations, though, some of the book had to be left out. “Obviously some of the book had to be cut. The movie is based more on the trial. But some material has bee added. In the book, I didn’t have much to do with the trial, bu in the movie I do,” Chablis said. Altogether, she has eight scenes, including one of the famous Debutante Ball.

In the film version, Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey takes on the role of Jim Williams, the gay antiques dealer put on trial for shooting his lover, while John Cusack is journalist John Kelso. In the movie, Kelso’s character has a girlfriend, played by Eastwood’s daughter Alison.

Chablis has not seen the finished product, but will be in Los Angeles for the star-studded premiere November 17. The movie opens nationwide November 21.

Initially, according to Chablis, a lot of the crew were uncomfortable with her. “There was a lot of whispering and mumbling the first few days,” but eventually Chablis charmed them. “By the time filming was almost over, the crew was tight.

“In my [show] monologue I usually have audiences say, ‘Hey Bitch.’ That’s a compliment to me. One day I was PMSing and Clint and everyone else knew it, and all at once they yelled ‘Hey, Bitch.’ Near the end of the filming, Clint would come up and say ‘Come and sit on Daddy’s lap.”

On the set Cusack and Eastwood’s daughter Alison apparently had their own romance, although Chablis jokes that both she and Alison were vying for the actor’s attention.

Although she didn’t get a chance to work much with Spacey, she did get t know him and is very unhappy with the recent Esquire magazine, which outs the actor. “To me, it was rude and trashy. It was right out of the National Enquirer. If you’re going to point the finger, go ahead and do it. I have no idea and don’t care what Kevin’s sexual orientation is.

“However, I do feel that today, if Ellen can come out, it is the perfect opportunity for anyone. I tried to live my life secretly for a while, but now that it’s out, it’s a weight off my shoulder,” she said.

A minor “to-do” occurred this summer when Chablis was asked to attend Atlanta’s gay and lesbian [and bi and transgender, dammit! — Dallas] Pride celebration. At the last moment, however, she was called to Los Angeles to complete some reshoots. “It was basic stuff, like shots from other angles. I had to make a decision, to show up for Pride or do this. I chose the filming, because I wanted to make the role perfect, and make sure everyone could be proud of this.”

By now, though, Chablis should be used to running with the stars. Years ago when Demi Moore was filming “Now and Then” in Savannah, the two hit it off and have remained close.

“She caught my show one night and everyday after we were together. We would go out dancing and shopping. She didn’t show me the movie star. She showed me the mother, the friend, the party girl, the girlfriend. She paid me to do the wrap party for the movie,” said Chablis.

She also hung with “Now and Then” costars Melanie Griffith (who kidded Chablis that then-hubby Don Johnson had a crush on her) and Rita Wilson and her husband Tom Hanks. Rosie O’Donnell wa also on the set, but Chablis found her “frosty.”

Last year Lady Chablis’ biography “Hiding My Candy” came out, chronicling her turbulent childhood years (born Benjamin Edward Know in Quincy, Fla., she soon realized she was not like everyone else), her beginnings as a female impersonator and her problems with drugs and run-ins with the law before her big break performing in clubs in Atlanta and Savannah.

One thing Lady Chablis bristles at is the notion that she is a “drag queen.” “I di not like that phrase, it’s offensive. I don’t like to be labeled. Only your parents can label you. I prefer to think of myself as a female impersonator,” she said.

Despite her notoriety, Chablis claims that little has changed since she became famous. “I travel more. I have more bills. Honey, you should see my cellular phone bill. Also, there are a lot more expectations. I’m a role model, and I don’t want to be that.”

“I do get letters from kids and elderly people, and visitors from different countries come to see me. It’s much harder to socialize because everybody _recognizes_ me these days.”

As The Lady Chablis will tell you, though, it’s hard to keep a good girl down. With the success of “Hiding My Candy,” she has sold the book rights to a film company. In a few weeks she will be flying to New York to do a small part in Mike Meyer’s comedy film about Studio 54. She has also signed with the William Morris Agency, will be emceeing a celebrity wedding (she is reluctant to give out details) and is still doing shows at Club One in Savannah and at conventions and private parties. She is also thinking of opening a restaurant (think Planet Hollywood, with the Chablis signature). On November 1, Lady Chablis will be hosting “Burnin’ down the House in the Garden of Good and Evil,” a benefit for PALS (Pets are Loving Support) in Atlanta. Of course, she can’t divulge what she will be wearing, but does promise a grand entrance.

“I’m happy; my health is good; traveling is fun; I’m still engaged. But there’s nothing grand about me. I still have chipped fingernails and am the same person I always was. God has blessed me, and I’d like to be able to open doors for others and help those who helped me get where I am.” The Halloween masked costume ball, “Burnin’ Down the House in the Garden of Good and Evil,” benefitting PALS, was November 1, at the Atlanta Women’s Club and Axys Courtyard.

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From The Buffalo News, 10/10/97

Sexual Harassment Suit Filed by Transsexual Will Proceed

New York– Sexual harassment is sexual harassment– even when the true gender of the intended target isn’t clear, a federal judge has ruled.

U.S. District Judge Whitman Knapp ruled Thursday that a transsexual can go forward with a $14 million lawsuit against New York University, saying the claim is protected by federal law.

The plaintiff, Jennifer Miles, was in a graduate studies program and undergoing hormone treatment when Professor Cliff Eisen allegedly began the harassment in February 1993.

Eisen fondled Ms. Miles’ breasts and buttocks, forcibly tried to kiss Ms. Miles and repeatedly requested a sexual relationship, Ms. Miles’ lawsuit claims.

NYU sought to have the lawsuit dismissed.

“There is no conceivable reason why such conduct should be rewarded with legal pardon just because, unbeknownst to Professor Eisen and everyone else at the university, plaintiff was not a biological female,” Knapp wrote.

Ms. Miles filed a complaint against the professor with the school’s Sexual Harassment Committee in March 1993. The school gave Eisen a written reprimand but let him continue to teach.

The school later assured the professor that the reprimand would have no effect on its decision to award him tenure, the judge said. Knapp called the assurance “bizarre” considering that four female students had previously accused the professor of inappropriate sexual advances.

The professor was not awarded tenure and his contract was not renewed.

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From Etcetera, 24 October, 1997. Reprinted with permission.

Opera with a Dash of Crossdressing

More drama comes to New York’s theatre scene next month with La Gran Scena Opera Company’s performance of “Vera… Life of a Diva.”

In the tradition of Les Ballets Trockadero du Monte Carlo, La Gran Scena Opera will perform the all-male production at the Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse November 25-29. Through song and sketch, “Vera… Life of a Diva” tells the story of the troupe’s ———————————————————————— beloved Prima Donna, Madame Vera Galupe-Borszkh (Ira Siff), from triumph to trauma and farewell to comeback. The performance reportedly rivals that of any grand opera.

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From Etcetera, 24 October, 1997. Reprinted with permission.

She’s Out There GenderF*** Gender

by Debbie Fraker

What is your gender? Okay, then, what is your biological sex? My guess is that you feel pretty certain about your answer, since most of you who are reading this magazine consider yourself lesbian or gay, you must have pretty definite idea of your sex in order to identify yourself as homosexual. But, this is me asking, so it’s probably a trick question.

Frankly, on a simple biological level, some of you would probably be surprised. Do you know, for instance, your chromosomal makeup? As to your cultural gender, how closely do you fit the American ideal of male or female? I have done a lot of reading on this subject lately, and it is a much more complicated question than you might guess. (Have you seen k.d. lang lately?) But I also just went to the Southern Comfort transgender conference held her in Atlanta earlier this month. I must admit first off that I felt like a kid in a candy store. Admittedly, I was like a kid in a candy store without cash, since my relationship kept me from doing anything but flirting. But flirt I did! So many of the women were gorgeous, and female-to-male transgender men really get me going. At the risk of appearing to idealize and stereotype a group of people, I often see the best of both genders in transgender men and women. I also find myself aching with desire for bodies that are the epitome of gender fuck. But this is also a political issue for me (I don’t suppose that surprises anyone), and I don’t want to sound like I am only interesting sexually objectifying transgender bodies. Too often I have heard people offer “support” for queer youth or people of color when, if you listen to the subtext, what they are really saying is “I want to fuck one.” Transgender politics are the issues that should be at the forefront of our movements. Feminist politics certainly have a lot to learn from a gender movement that brings us all together rather than dividing us into binary subsets. This gay and lesbian movement also should recognize gender as the issue at the core of our oppression. For years the feminists have reminded us that gender oppression is at the root of prejudice against lesbians and gay men. We do not operate in the neat little categories that our culture expects us to inhabit, particularly the categories labeled “man” and “woman.” For starters, according to our culture’s idealization of these labels, men are supposed to be sexually attracted to women and vice-versa. We come along and totally screw up that arrangement. Men are supposed to “act like men,” not nellie limp-wristed perverts who throw like girls. Women are supposed to be “feminine,” which means, of course, that bulldagger car mechanics are nothing more than a joke on womanhood. Some of you may want to remind me of lipstick lesbians and gay gym-butches. But if you think putting muscles on a gay man or make-up on a lesbian makes us more gender acceptable to mainstream straight America, you just don’t get it. But a lot of lesbians and gay men (and certainly feminists) also “don’t get” transgender politics. Is a post-operative male- to-female transsexual just a transvestite who has mutilated himself, as some still believe? Is a female-to-male transsexual a traitor to feminism? And, of course, transsexuals are not necessarily gay or lesbian, so they don’t belong in “our” movement, right? In many ways, transgender queers subvert the whole concept of sexual orientation, so maybe they just confuse the issue too much. Then again, maybe they don’t belong in “our” movement. Maybe we should politely ask them to charge to the front, leading the movement to abolish gender prejudice of all kinds. We should be learning together what the real issue is here. We should recognize that gender oppression affects us all. I bet that because you were born with your penis, you think that makes you more of a “man” than the man whose penis was constructed for him (at a very high cost, I might add). Maybe because you were born with your vagina, you think you are more of a “woman” than the women who went through years of name-calling, humiliation, and saving money to finally get her own built-in vagina. When a redneck bully drives up beside you as you casually walk down the sidewalk in midtown and shouts “faggot,” what does he mean? He just means that you aren’t “man enough” to suit his image of a “real man,” regardless of your hard-earned muscles. When a woman in the ladies’ room whispers to her friend between dabs of make-up, “She’s just a dyke,” the “just” means you’re not a real woman, even if you do wear the same brand of lipstick. When someone wanders past a feminist rally and loudly proclaims,” They all just need a good fuck,” doesn’t that mean that, straight or gay, a feminist is not the right kind of “woman”? A transsexual woman is likely to get called a faggot whether or not she ever was. She has clearly not treated her penis with the appropriate respect (any more of less than a gay man does). But, just as we are being told we don’t fit gender expectations, we turn around and say the same thing to someone else. Aren’t we all struggling against the same oppression here? Okay, so me personally, I’d like to do a little more than just “get along.” But that’s only one fantasy. Another fantasy is that lesbians, gay men, feminists, bisexuals and transgender folks all learn that our struggle is, at its heart, the same. Instead of an increasing laundry list of gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender tacked onto organization names, I could get behind a banner that proclaims Queer Pride. I don’t see that happening anytime soon. But in my other fantasy, when I find myself on my knees doggie-style submitting to some lovely gender queer pervert, I know that I am no more or less gender-acceptable than he or she is.

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AEGIS Internet News is a service of the American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc. To subscribe or

Contents

Transcommunity Merger is OFF Message from Gay Games to TransWomen — Drop Dead! President Clinton’s Speech at HRC Dinner What Clinton REALLY Said on “Meet the Press” Same Sex Marriage Precedent for Canada Call for Papers: How Queer are We Here? Conference

————————- AEGIS Press Release For immediate release 11/12/97 Transcommunity Merger is OFF

A telephone conference call for representatives of AEGIS, Renaissance Education Association, and IFGE has been cancelled due to the decision of the Renaissance Board of Directors to pull out of a study of ways in which the three organizations could work together. Called the “merger” study, representatives had been given the mandate to examine the three organizations and their services, and come up with a plan which would reduce duplication of services and help the organizations better meet the many needs of the transgender and transsexual community. The committee was empowered to make recommendations as it saw fit, up to and including the merger of any or all of the three organizations. The cancelled telphone conference call was to have been the first meeting of the committee.

The plan for the merger study came out of a June dinner in Philadelphia, at the 2nd International Congress on Sex and Gender issues,. The dinner was attended by AEGIS Board Chair Marisa Richmond, AEGIS Executive Director Dallas Denny, IFGE Executive Director Alison Laing, Renaissance Executive Director Angela Gardner, Renaissance Co-founder and past AEGIS Board Chair JoAnn Roberts. Unfortunately, the study was in trouble from the start, with at least one IFGE Board member arguing against Roberts’ involvement. Renaissance’s Board voted to pull out after hearing that IFGE Board Chair Linda Buten had written an editorial for the IFGE membership newsletter, questioning the wisdom of the study. Apparently, no one on the Renaissance Board actually saw Buten’s article.

Regarding the cancellation of the study, AEGIS’ Executive Director, Dallas Denny, said, “It’s terrible that transgender community politics, such as they are, prevented the committee members from even talking together. AEGIS had put its development plans on hold pending the committee’s report, as we felt that the recommendations of the committee would be in the best interests of the community, and we were very interested in that feedback. We were completely prepared to follow the recommendations of the committee. Now, tragically, we’ll never know what the commitee would have recommended.”

Denny continued, “The news of the cancellation was very discouraging. I can only say that in my opinion the organizations have sent a clear message to the transgender community that they are more interested in power games and self-gratification than in providing services to the people they are supposed to be serving. I’m proud of AEGIS for having the self-discipline to abide by the agreement made in Philadelphia. We never questioned the study, not at any level.. We’re still interesting in working with other organizations to help meet. the community’s many unmet needs. Hello? is anyone listening?”

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Date: Sat, 8 Nov 97 21:38:18 UT From: “Christine Burns” <C_Burns@classic.msn.com> To: UKPFC-News@mbcomms.net.au (Press for Change News list) Subject: Message from Gay Games to TransWomen — Drop Dead! The following message was brought to the UKPFC-forum list earlier this week by a contributor who was rightly incensed and appalled by the content .. and its’ implication.

I’m rebroadcasting the message to the larger UKPFC-News list, however, because I think the story requires a much wider airing .. until the stench of hypocrisy and bigotry which it contains has been blown away .. and because some may have blinked and missed it the first time.

I am sure that ordinary, decent, thoughtful gay and lesbian people would be appalled to learn that a body purporting to represent them practices apartheid in this form. FOR THAT IS WHAT IT AMOUNTS TO.

The only thing missing from the “Policy and Procedures for Gender Transitioning Participants” in the forthcoming “Gay Games” is a stipulation that transgendered contestants should have a nice bright triangle stitched on their tracksuits .. or is that to be added in a later revision ?

Contributions from any Lesbian or Gay leader in the UK who would like to offer an explanation .. perferably accompanied by an apology .. may be submitted direct to the editors of this list, at

UKPFC-News.submit@mbcomms.net.au

We are waiting.

Christine Burns Press for Change

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PLEASE CIRCULATE AND PUBLISH THIS MESSAGE WIDELY

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Return-path: <MtMInFo@aol.com Envelope-to: jhl@gael.u-net.com Delivery-date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 03:42:10 +0000 Date: Tue, 28 Oct 1997 22:11:28 -0500 (EST) From: MtMInFo@aol.com Subject: Fwd: Gay Games to TransWomen – Drop Dead! Forwarded Message: Subj: Gay Games to TransWomen – Drop Dead! Date: 97-10-28 08:10:41 EST From: riki@pipeline.com (Riki Anne Wilchins) Gay Games is officially going to require that any transwomen desiring to compete “prove” they are really, seriously women, and not just men in drag trying to crash women’s events (as if we’re all just dying to fly to Amsterdam to do so). We will have to provide therapist letters, proof of crossliving for 2 years, proof of name change, and have completed electrolysis (of course, lesbians with beards are completely welcome).

In effect, Gay Games V has completely roled back all the advances we made at Gay Games ’94 when transwomen were allowed to compete (just like everyone else) in the sex in which they live their normal daily lives, without special stigma and without having to submit paperwork and proofs.

If anyone out there lives in Colorado, the next meeting on the Gay Games policy for transwomen is in Denver. Below are the contact addresses. Also, you may want to contact Lee Sharmutt, TNYnews@aol.com, who helped us change the policy in ’94 and has been all over this. suskennedy@aol.com PeoBumJong@aol.com Janssens@gaygames.nl ===========

POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR GENDER – TRANSITIONING PARTICIPANTS These Policy and Procedures are set in place to protect and ensure the philosophies of the Gay Games as well as the Transitioning Gender participant.

These Policy and Procedures are not difficult to follow if a Gender Transitioning individual has been serious about what they are doing and are progressing in a healthy and legal direction. 1. Proof of a completed legal name change to match the desired gender role.

2. Letter from a medical physician stating that the participant has been actively involved in Hormone Treatment for a minimum of two full years without any time lapse. Letter also needs to explain current health condion.

3. Letter from a mental health professional therapist stating that the participant has been actively involved in psychotherapy for a minimum of eighteen months. Letter also needs to state that this participant had emotionally and psychologically transitioned info the desired gender role and why it would be impossible or severely detrimental for this individual to participate in their biologically born gender.

4. Proof of participant’s cross-living and employment in the desired gender role for a minimum of two years.

5. Transitioning male to female participants will need to have had all identifying male facial hair removed.

6. Those who comply with the above shall be treated equally as their gender identification implies.

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President Clinton’s Speech at HRC Dinner

November 9, 1997

On Saturday, Nov. 8, Bill Clinton became the first sitting U.S. President in history to address an audience of gays and lesbians. In his speech to the Human Rights Campaign’s annual dinner in Washington, D.C., Clinton called for passage by Congress of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and urged gays and lesbians to come out to their families, friends and co-workers so they may see that we are just like other Americans.

GLO Radio, an Internet service [AOL keyword: PNO Radio], carried the speech live. A transcript follows:

Elizabeth Birch, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign:

Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.

President Clinton:

Well, you have just made me feel the way I did when I made my very first speech as a public official, more than 20 years ago now. You know Elizabeth [Birch] just stood here and gave that magnificent speech. She actually said just about every thing that could be said. And then, you gave me this wonderful welcome which makes me reluctant to say anything. And I was sitting there thinking in the back of my mind that this reminded me of a Rotary Club banquet I spoke at years ago and I’ll tell you why. Only the punch line is the same, but you’ll have to listen to the story. I’d just taken office as attorney general almost 21 years ago now. And they asked me to speak at this Rotary Club banquet. There were 500 people there. The dinner started at 6:30. I didn’t get up to speak til a quarter to ten. Everybody that was at this banquet got introduced but for three people and they went home mad. The guy who got up to introduce me was so nervous he didn’t know what to do. And we’d been there forever and he didn’t mean it this way, but here’s what he said. He said, “You know we could have stopped here and had a very nice evening.” And we could have stopped with the applause at Elizabeth’s speech and had a very great evening.

I’m delighted to be here. I thank the members of Congress who are here. I congratulate your honorees. I know that a number of my recent appointees are here, including Virginia Apuzzo, our new assistant for management and administration. Fred Hofberg, John Berry, Jim Hormel — where’s Jim Hormel? He’s here. Jesse White. Hal Preel. Hal Preel is now the most popular person I have appointed in the Congress because the Maritime Commission broke the impasse on the Japanese ports, which destroys another stereotype here. I am so grateful for what they did and a lot of Americans are going to have a decent income because of it and I want to thank him for that.

We have a lot of people here from the White House as well. I want to thank Richard Socarides, Sean Maloney, Tom Shea, and our AIDS czar, Sandy Thurman for all of their work. And, because it’s dark here I would like to ask anyone here who works for this administration and any department in the federal government or who has an appointment in any way to please stand.

A little more than six years ago I had this crazy idea that I ought to run for President. Only my mother thought I could win. And at the time I was so obsessed with what I thought had to be done, I thought winning would take care of itself. What bothered me was that our country seemed to be drifting and divided as we moved into a new and exciting and challenging area, where we were living differently, working differently, relating to each other and the rest of the world in very different ways on the edge of a new century.

And, I sat down alone before I decided to do this and asked myself, “What is it that you want America to look like when you’re done if you win?” My vision for the 21st Century now I have said hundreds of times but I still think about it every day. I want this to be a country where every child and every person who’s responsible enough to work for it can live the American Dream. I want this country to embrace the wider world and continue to be the strongest force for peace and freedom and prosperity. And I want to see us come together across all our lines of difference into one America. That is my vision. It drives me every day. I think if we really could create a society where there is opportunity for all and responsibility for all and we believe in a community of all Americans we could truly beat every problem we have and seize every opportunity we have.

For more than two centuries now, our country has had to meet challenge after challenge after challenge. We have had to continue to lift ourselves beyond what we thought America meant. Our ideals were never meant to be frozen in stone or time. Keep in mind when we started out with Thomas Jefferson’s credo that all of us are created equal by God, what that really meant in civic, political terms was that you had to be white, you had to male n and that wasn’t enough. You had to own property, which would have left my crowd out when I was a boy.

Now, over time, we have had to redefine the words that we started with. Not because there was anything wrong with them and their universal power and strength of liberty and justice, but because we were limited in our imaginations and how we could live and what we were capable of and how we should live.

Indeed, the story of how we kept going higher and higher and higher to new and higher definitions and more meaningful definitions of equality and dignity and freedom is, in its essence, the fundamental story of our country.

Fifty years ago, President Truman stood at a new frontier in our defining struggle on civil rights. Slavery had ended a long time before, but segregation remained. Harry Truman stood before the Lincoln Memorial and said, “It is more important today than ever to insure that all Americans enjoy the rights of freedom and equality. When I say “all Americans’, I mean all Americans.”

Well, my friends, all Americans still means all Americans. We all know that it is an ideal and not perfectly real now. We all know that some of the old kinds of discrimination we have seeked to rid ourselves of by law and purge our spirits of will exist in America today. We all know that there is continuing discrimination against gays and lesbians. But we also know that if we are ever gong to build one America then all Americans, including you and those whom you represent, have got to be a part of it. To be sure, no President can grant rights. Our ideals and our history hold that they are inalienable, imbedded in our Constitution, amplified over time by our courts and legislature. I cannot grant them, but I am bound by my oath of office and the burden of history to reaffirm them. All America loses if we let prejudice and discrimination stifle the hopes or deny the potential of a single American. All America loses when any person is denied or forced out of a job because of sexual orientation. Being gay, the last time I thought about it, seemed to have nothing to do with the ability to read a balance book, fix a broken bone, or change a spark plug.

For generations the American Dream has represented a fundamental compact among our people to take responsibility and work hard. You have a right to achieve a better life for yourself and a better future for your family. Equal opportunity for all, special privileges for none. A faith shared by Americans regardless of political views. We believe, or all say we believe, that all our citizens should rise as far as their God-given talents will take them. What counts is energy and honesty and talent. No arbitrary distinctions should bar the way. So when we deny opportunity because of ancestry or religion, race or gender, disability or sexual orientation, we break the compact. It is wrong, and it should be illegal. So, once again I call on Congress to honor our most cherished principles and make the Employment Non-Discrimination Act the law of the land.

I also come here tonight to ask you for another favor. Protecting the civil rights of all Americans..

[Interrupted by a heckler yelling “Americans are dying!”]

Wait a minute. I’d have been disappointed if you hadn’t been here tonight. People with AIDS are dying. But, since I’ve become President, we’re spending ten times as much per fatality on people with AIDS as people with breast cancer or prostate cancer, and the drugs are being approved more quickly and a lot of people are living normal lives. Yes, I could be working on it.

I want to ask —

Radio announcer:

The President apparently scoring a TKO against an AIDS heckler.

President Clinton:

I thank you, but this, too, is part of what makes America great. You know, we all have our sayings and no one has to be afraid when he or she screams at the President. That’s a good thing, a good thing. And at a time when so many people feel that their voices will never be heard, that’s a good thing. What is not a good thing, however, is when people believe their free speech rights trump yours. That’s not good.

Now, I want to ask you for a favor. You want us to pass the Employment Non-discrimination Act. You know, when we do — and I believe it will pass — you know when we do, it will have to be enforced. A law on the books only works if it is also a law in the life of America. And let me say, I thank you very much for your support of my nominee for the [U.S. Attorney General’s] Office of Civil Rights Bill Lee. I thank you for that. But he too comes from a family that has known discrimination. And now he is being discriminated against, not because there is anything wrong with his qualifications, not because no one believes he is not even-tempered, but because some members of the Senate disagree with his views on affirmative action. Now, if I have to appoint a head of the Office of Civil Rights who is against affirmative action, uh, it’s going to be vacant a long time!

That office is not there to primarily advocate or promote the policies of the government when it comes to affirmative action. It’s there to enforce the existing laws against discrimination. You hope someday you’ll have one of those existing laws. We need somebody to enforce the laws, and Bill Lee should be confirmed.

I want to say just one more word. There are some people who are in this room tonight who aren’t comfortable yet with you, and won’t be comfortable with me for being here.

Audience member:

We love you Bill!

President Clinton:

Now, wait a minute. This is serious. In issue after issue involving gays and lesbians survey after survey shows that the most important determinant of people’s attitudes is whether they are aware, whether they knowingly have had family or a friendship or a work relation with a gay person. Now, I hope that we will embrace good people who are trying to overcome their fears. After all, all of us can look back in history and see what the right thing to do was. It’s quite another thing to look ahead and light the way. Most people are preoccupied with the burdens of daily living. Most of us as we grow older, whether we like it or not, are somewhat more limited in our imaginations. So I think one of the greatest things we have to do is just to increase the ability of Americans who do not yet know that gays and lesbians are their fellow Americans in every sense of the word to feel that way. I think it’s very important when I say I believe all Americans means all Americans, I see the faces of the friends of 35 years. When I say all Americans means all Americans I see the faces of the people who stood up when I asked the people who are a part of my administration to stand tonight. When I say all Americans means all Americans, I see kind, unbelievably generous, giving people back in my home state who helped my family and my friends when they were in need. It is a different story when you know what you are seeing. So I say to you tonight, should we change the law? You bet. Should we keep fighting discrimination? Absolutely. Is this hate crimes conference important? It is terribly important. But we have to broaden the imagination of America. We are redefining in practical terms the immutable ideals that have guided us from the beginning.

Again I say, we have to make sure that for every single person in our country, all Americans means all Americans. After experiencing the horrors of the Civil War and witnessing the transformations of the previous century, Walt Whitman said that our greatest strength was that we are an embracing nation. In his words, “Union holding all, infusing, absorbing, tolerating all.” Let us move forward in the spirit of that one America. Let us realize that this is a good obligation that has been imposed upon our generation. And a grand opportunity once again to lift America to a high level of unity. Once again to redefine and to strengthen and to ensure one America for a new century and a new generation of our precious children.

Thank you and God bless you.

—————

Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 22:27:04 -0800 Reply-To: Doug Case <Doug.Case@SDSU.EDU> From: Doug Case <Doug.Case@SDSU.EDU> Subject: [GLB-NEWS] What Clinton REALLY Said on “Meet the Press” To: GLB-NEWS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM

>From the White House transcript of “Meet the Press” http://library.whitehouse.gov/ThisWeek.cgi?type=p&date=2&briefing=0

Q Let me turn to a cultural issue. Tonight you will be attending a gay rights dinner, the first sitting President in the history of the country to do so. What statement are you trying to make?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, Tim, you know, I grew up in the segregated south in the ’40s and ’50s. And all my life, from the time I was a child, I was taught and I have believed that every person in this country — no matter what their differences are, in their lifestyle or their race or their religion, if they obey the law, show up for work every day or show up for school, if they’re good citizens, they ought to be treated with respect and dignity and equality. And they should be subject to no discrimination in the things that we all have to have access to, like education and a job and health care. What I’m trying to do is to continue to move that forward.

I know this is a difficult issue for a lot of Americans. I know that particularly for Americans who’ve never known anyone who was gay or lesbian personally, it’s an issue that often arouses discomfort. But I think it’s the right thing to do. I think we have to keep working until we say for everybody, the only test should be: are you a law-abiding, hard working citizen; do you do the things we require of all citizens. If you do, you should be subject to no discrimination and you ought to be part of the family of America. That’s what I believe. And if my presence there tonight advances that goal, then that’s a good thing.

Q Do you believe that homosexuality should be taught in schools as an acceptable alternative lifestyle?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I don’t think it should be advocated. I don’t think it should be part of the public school curriculum.

But, on the other hand, I don’t believe that anyone should teach school children that they should hate or discriminate against or be afraid of people who are homosexuals. That is the real issue. The real issue is the one that we’re going to take up next week at the White House with the Hate Crimes Conference. We’re going to have the first Hate Crimes Conference ever at the White House next week. And we’re going to deal with that, not only against homosexuals, but against other groups of Americans.

I don’t believe that we should be in the business of ratifying or validating or politicizing the issue. I think the real problem in America is still continuing discrimination and fear and downright misunderstanding.

Q Now, Vice President Gore caused a stir when he said that Ellen, the TV star who will be honored tonight at the dinner –he said, “millions of Americans were forced to look at sexual orientation in an open light.” Was Vice President Gore correct?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think when she did that on television, and you got to see the interplay with her family and her friends who were not homosexual, you got to see all that — I think for many Americans who themselves had never had a personal experience, never had a friend or a family member who’s a homosexual — it did give them a chance to see it in a new light. So I think he was accurate about that.

My experience in life — all I can tell you is what my experience is — and I’m not talking about as President, I’m talking about as a citizen, as a person — is that most people’s attitudes about how homosexuals should be treated really are determined more than anything else based on whether they have ever known someone who is homosexual. Now, whether most people’s attitudes about whether the lifestyle should be condoned or condemned is a function, perhaps, of their religious training. But we’re not talking about people’s religious convictions here. We’re talking about how people in the public arena, as citizens, should be treated in terms of their right to education, to jobs, to housing, and to be treated free of discrimination.

And that is the agenda that I want to further for all Americans. And that is what I think we ought to be focusing on.

————–

From: “Christine Burns” <C_Burns@classic.msn.com> To: UKPFC-News@mbcomms.net.au (Press for Change News list) Subject: Same Sex Marriage Precedent for Canada

Tuesday November 11th, 1997

Press cutting with comment from Christine Burns

—————————- SAME SEX COUPLE SET MARRIAGE PRECEDENT FOR CANADA —————————-

Canadian Press

NANAIMO — Tying the knot before a sex-change operation has allowed two West Coast women to make Canadian legal history as same-sex spouses. George — now Georgina — Scott and Linda Fraser were able to wed because Scott was legally and physically a man at the time of their marriage on June 24. Scott, a 46-year-old heavy-equipment operator, has since had surgery to complete the transition from man to woman. She plans to change her birth certificate to reflect her new legal status. She spent the past two years living as a woman and could legally marry Fraser because of her transsexual condition at the time of the ceremony. Most lesbians can have only a joining ceremony, Scott said. The Vancouver Island couple were married at a small ceremony in Vancouver, and plan on having a larger joining ceremony in January.

Fraser said the legal marriage was for both practical and political reasons. “Georgie said, ‘I want you to get my pension and insurance if anything happens to me.’ ” Fraser said there’s a chance the marriage won’t be called into legal question, which she says could set a precedent for gays and lesbians. “This could be a pivotal step in gaining recognition for gay and lesbian marriage,” she said.

Barbara Findlay, a lesbian lawyer and activist in Vancouver, agreed the marriage is unlikely to be challenged in the near future. “Probably nothing will happen when the application to change the birth certificate goes through because marital status is not indicated on the forms as far as I know. “The test will come when Scott attempts to rely on her marriage certificate to claim income tax benefits as spouses. They may be able to claim things that are available to heterosexual couples that aren’t yet available to same-sex couples,” Findlay said.

The union hasn’t been completely joyful. Scott says she had difficulty making the transition while working with an all-male crew. A crew member started “freaking out” when she first came out at work. “After that, no one asked me any questions. . . .” Her ex-wife and children haven’t responded well. Her children asked that she not contact them as they needed time to adjust. She recently gave a presentation to the Human Rights Commission asking that “gender identity” be added to the Human Rights Code. Comment by Christine Burns of Press for Change …

Although this story may be a “first” for Canada, it’s not the first time in the rest of the world that stories like this have pointed to the potential for transsexual people to help their friends in the gay and lesbian community, by thoroughly discrediting worn out and hoary old arguments about what would happen if two people of the same sex were to be married …

In London, on June 28th 1995, “Britain’s first Lesbian marriage” took place when twice-divorced Tracie-Anne Scott married her girlfriend Tina-Louise Dixon… Tracie was a transsexual woman, and her unquestionably lesbian marriage was made possible by the fact that she remains, to this day, a “man” in the eyes of UK law.

The British law which says that a transsexual woman cannot marry a man, doesn’t actually stop her from marrying another woman !

But it works the other way too ..

In several states of the US, dozens of couples have done their less dramatic bit in challenging anachronistic distinctions about socially legalised relationships, by REMAINING married to their partners AFTER a gender reassignment and legal change of sex status have turned them into legal same-sex marriages .. in a country vigorously trying to deny the same option to couples BORN with the same sort of genitals.

In other words though, whichever way you stack the legal cards, the relationships of transsexual people, before or after a change of gender role, will always create living examples of the very thing others are fighting to get for themselves !

The benefit to the LBG community in the US lies in the fact that panic measures like the “Defense of Marriage Act (DoMA)”, intended to prevent other means for same sex couples to marry, would threaten to “unmarry” all those people who stayed together through a role change .. without their consent. Voiding existing legally-contracted marriages as a result of a new statute would be an unprecedented violation of people’s rights, in a country which puts individual rights very high on the agenda, and US transgender rights campaigners continually stress the importance and benefits of recognising this anomaly, and the importance of being prepared to support those threatened by it.

This all rather neatly makes the point though that permitting transsexual people to marry heterosexually in the UK after treatment makes not one jot of difference to the status quo, as for every homosexual marriage you ENABLE by changing a married transsexual person’s legal status, there is another that you potentially ENABLE by continuing to hang on to the status quo !

Looking at it another way though, MAINTAINING the legal status of an already-married partner doesn’t make a relationship between two obvious women or men into the heterosexual one it was once perceived to be .. and insisting that a woman like Tracie is a “man” for the purposes of the law doesn’t make a lesbian partnership into a homosexual one.

Er .. well, unless you screw your eyes up very, very tight .. pull your judicial wig down over your face and stuff cotton wool in your ears.

So .. paradoxically one of the best arguments to advance against the belief that a change to legal status creates problems for marriage law, is to show that leaving things the way they are does the same thing ..

Got a headache ? For further reading on this topic see Stephen Whittle’s article “An Association For As Noble A Purpose As Any” from the “New Law Journal”, at

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/christine_burns/newlawj1.htm

IMPORTANT NOTE

Through PFC’s “Five Principles”, we make it clear that any approach to resolving the legal problems of transsexual people in the UK *must* be sympathetic both to the needs of couples who were married prior to transition, and to those who married same sex partners as a result of the status quo. Neither category should be required to divorce as a precondition for legal recognition of their “true” gender, although new marriages contracted AFTER a legally recognised change of status would, of course, have to be approached in the same way as for anybody else of that gender. The message to homophobic legislators is simple, therefore .. if you don’t want more and more homosexual marriages, the *pragmatic* thing is to bring transsexual people’s legal statuses into line with their social and sexual function. This won’t eliminate the same sex marriages that there are already, but then if we hadn’t had the Ormrod absurdity twenty eight years ago …

————–

CALL FOR PAPERS

QGPA, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Graduate and Professional Association of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Announces an Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Conference: “HOW QUEER ARE WE HERE?” INTERROGATING THE EFFICACY OF QUEER THEORY AND POLITICS APRIL 24-26, 1998 Univeristy of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Recent critical and political theory has attempted to formulate the notion of “Queer” identity as a radical response to various institutions of power and domination; critics have posited this queer identity as both a disruption of traditional subject positions as well as an opportunity for the creation of alternative, destabilized configurations of subjectivity. Increasingly, however, queer identity seems in danger of “assimilation” by the very institutions that it ostensibly challenges. Can queer theory and politics continue to offer effective resistance to these normalizing regimes of power, and if so what tactics of deployment will allow them to retain their subversive edge? Our conference will explore the current situation by posing questions including, though certainly not limited to, the following:

How–if at all–has the development of a “queer” culture problematized the earlier “gay” and “lesbian” cultures that came before it?

To what extent do the devotees of queer or other resistant sexual styles (S&M, Drag, etc.) illustrate the precepts of academic theory by recognizng their deployment of these styles as actually formative, rather than merely expressive, of their identities?

How do notions of queer identity intersect with the discourse of political action? How does queer theory “resist” or “subvert” hegemony? And can one speak of a “queer revolution?”

Have the strategies of radical organizations like Queer Nation enabled the creation of a quepractices merely reinforced the identity categories already in place?

Has the recent popularization of the “camp” aesthetic negated its subversive power to re-signify cultural products, thereby reducing camp’s resistance of the market economy to the commodified lure of “kitsch?”

Does the current trend toward sexual ambiguity in popular advertising signal the emergence of a new “queer” target audience? If so, what is the relation of queer identity to contemporary capitalism?

Has the surge of interest in “drag” performance created “queer” cabaret spaces in which variously sexed subjects can re-negotiate their own identity positions? Or do these performances simply repeat and thus replicate the common conventions of a male/female gender dichotomy?

What are the implications of genetic research for “queering” our notions of biological “sex?” Will the “encoding” of the body effected by the Human Genome Project reconfigure our definitions of gender, or further fix the criteria employed in the binary division of sex?

How will the increasing institutionalization of Queer Studies within the Academy affect its ability to challenge the dictums of power and authority? Please send a one page single-spaced abstract by December 15, 1997 to:

Thomas Haakenson Department of Cultural Studies & Comparative Literature 350 Folwell Hall, 9 Pleasant Street Southeast University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 55455

For further Information, please send inquiries to the above address, or by e-mail to:

Thomas.O.Haakenson-1@tc.umn.edu or Awesley537@aol.com End

 

Dallas Denny, M.A., Executive Director

American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc. A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation P.O. Box 33724, Decatur, GA 30033-0724 (770) 939-2128 Business (770) 939-0244 Information & Referrals (answered live Tue. & Thur. 6-9 pm Eastern) (770) 939-1770 FAX aegis@gender.org E-Mail

Our website is http://www.ren.org/aegis.html Visit the AEGIS FTP Site: ftp://ftp.mindspring.com/users/aegis/ User ID: anonymous Password: (your email address)

If you’re on AOL, try the keyword AEGIS

Subj: AEGIS Internet News 11/25/97 Date: 97-11-25 21:06:04 EST From: aegis@gender.org (Dallas Denny) To: aegis@gender.org

AEGIS Internet News is a service of The American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc.

To subscribe or unsubscribe from this service or to write a letter to the editor, send e-mail to aegisnews@gender.org.

 

THE OLYMPIAN 11-23-97 SECTION C PAGE 4

GENDER QUESTION STYMIES KENNEWICK COURT

Kennewick, WA – Corrections officials and a judge are unsure where to imprison a convicted child molester who says she’s a man trapped inside a woman’s body.

Benton County Superior Court Judge Carolyn Brown, on Friday, sentenced Chris Wheatly to 22 months in prison and recommended that she be treated at an all male facility in Monroe because it has a program for sex offenders.

But Brown admitted she was unsure what to do with Wheatley, who takes male hormones, has grown a thin goatee, and fooled her victims into thinking she is a man. But authorities say the 21-year old Pasco resident has female genitalia.

Wheatley’s gender is “debatable”, Brown said after the sentencing.

Her lawyer, “referred to Chris Wheatley as ‘he’, but (Benton County Prosecutor Andy) Miller said ‘she'” Brown noted. “I made no reference to the esexual (identity) one way or the other.”

Wheatly entered an Alford plea to third-degree child molestation in June. Prosecutors said she dated and fondled a 14-year old Richland girl who was unaware of Wheatley’s true sexual identity.

An Alford plea means Wheatley did not admit guilt, but acknowledged a jury could find her guilty based on the evidence.

In a Franklin County case earlier this year, Wheatley pleaded guilty to third-degree rape of a child. Prosecutor said Wheatley used a ‘strap-on penis impersonation device’ to fool a 15 year old girl into having sex with her several times last year.

Officials at Twin Rivers Corrections Center, the Monroe facility Brown recommended, said Friday they neve accepted someone like Wheatley.

“Someone who has not been through (a sex change) surgery is always housed in the facility corresponding to gender), and sometimes they have to be put in protective custody for their safety,” said Debbie Hunter, the prison’s correctional program manager.

Wheatley’s lawyer, Bob Thompson, doesn’t want his client to be locked up alone in an isolated cell. “That’s no good – it destroys people,” Thompson said, noting Wheatly has been kept in isolation in the Benton County jail since April.

———————

Subject: Mom Fights Transsexual for Custody Date: 97-11-21 23:18:46 EST From: AOL News

c The Associated Press

ORANGE, Calif. (AP) – A woman should get sole custody of her daughter because the child’s father was born a woman and had surgery to become a man, making the union a same-sex marriage, her lawyer argued in court Friday. “We’re contending a person is born with a certain gender, a person is born with a certain identity, and nothing done by cosmetics can change that,” attorney Larry Ross said. Kristin Vecchione, 27, is seeking an annulment from her husband, Joshua Vecchione, who was born Janine 40 years ago, and custody of their 3-year-old daughter. The judge said he would make a decision next week. Vecchione began his sex change treatments and surgery in 1976 and has lived and looked like a man since. The couple’s daughter was conceived by artificial insemination, using sperm from Vecchione’s brother. Arguing on behalf of Vecchione, Taylor Flynn of the American Civil Liberties Union said that California law does recognize the rights of transsexuals by allowing them to apply for a new birth certificate with their post-operative gender. Ross contended Vecchione never applied for a new birth certificate in California. Mrs. Vecchione insisted she did not know her husband was born a woman. Rather, she said he told her he was born with the genitalia of both sexes, which she considered a congenital defect. “He didn’t tell me that truth that he was, in fact, born a female, and I consider him a female now. It was not my choice to marry a transsexual.” Vecchione argues that he always told his wife the truth. “I explicitly explained to her that I changed my sex,” Vecchione said. “I explained in detail the surgeries I had.” Outside court, he said he is the girl’s father regardless of his chromosomes. “She’s my little girl and I will not allow her mother to take her away and not allow her to have the right to two parents.” The parents have been sharing time with their daughter during the dispute. AP-NY-11-21-97 2314EST

——————- Return-Path: <CHenry8015@aol.com> From: CHenry8015@aol.com Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 22:53:13 -0500 (EST) To: AEGIS@gender.org Subject: Fwd: At the Movies: ‘Midnight in Garden’ ——————— Forwarded message: Subj: At the Movies: ‘Midnight in Garden’ Date: 97-11-20 15:17:29 EST From: AOL News

c The Associated Press By DOLORES BARCLAY AP Arts Editor Clint Eastwood’s “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” moves as slowly as a warm Georgia day. And that’s both a curse and a blessing for this adaptation of John Berendt’s hugely popular best seller about a notorious 1981 murder in Savannah, Ga. It’s a curse because it takes the filmmaker more than 2 1/2 hours to unspool a story that, at best, has a very slim plot. It’s a blessing because Eastwood wonderfully captures the tiniest eccentricities of genteel – and bizarre – Savannah. But even with such delightful characters as the man who walks an invisible dog, the ancient society lady who carries a gun wedged in her bosom, the man who travels with his own cloud of flies buzzing around him, and the Lady Chablis, a transvestite who steals the movie, the pacing is a tad too slow. There aren’t enough curiosities to propel you along, and the film becomes too languid to hold your attention. Still, there are outstanding performances, lovely photography and an exceptional soundtrack featuring the music of Johnny Mercer, Savannah’s native son. The film opens in a cemetery, focusing on a weathered sculpture, and closes with the same shot. Much happens in the cemeteries of Savannah, especially around midnight when good magic and bad magic brew their parallel spells. We see the grave of Johnny Mercer and then we’re led to Mercer House, the restored mansion that was built in 1860 by Johnny’s great-grandfather. It is now the landmark home of Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey), one of the town’s most popular and colorful characters. Jim, a restoration specialist and antiques dealer, lives with a virtual museum of antiques, artwork and other collectibles. Each Christmas, he throws a lavish party to which everyone covets an invitation. (Actually, Jim gives two parties: One is for men only.) Town and Country magazine sends freelancer John Kelso (John Cusack) to Savannah to do a 500-word story on Jim’s famous party and Mercer House. Jim is a delightful and gracious host, providing John with a tuxedo for the night and offering him full access to his home and to his guests. John mixes and mingles and discovers that just about everyone in Savannah, regardless of social position, carries a gun. He listens, wide-eyed, to their stories and collects enough color to write a 5,000-word piece. But his assignment takes a detour when Jim shoots and kills his lover, Billy Hanson (Jude Law). Jim is arrested for murder. He pleads self-defense. The trial and its outcome occupy the remainder of the movie. John decides to do a bigger story, a book perhaps, on Savannah and the Billy Hanson murder. He cuts a deal with Jim’s lawyer, football nut Sonny Seiler (Jack Thompson): John will hunt down clues for Jim’s defense and Jim will cooperate with John for the book. John’s quest takes him to the Lady Chablis, who knew Billy and all about his drug habits and violent tendencies. The exchanges between Chablis and John are a hoot, and John learns enough about Savannah and Jim Williams’ lifestyle to fill a book. The Lady Chablis, who is a real Savannah resident and character in the book who portrays herself in the movie, provides a scene-stealer when she crashes a debutante cotillion John is attending. John also goes with Jim to see Minerva (Irma P. Hall), a voodoo priestess who conducts her business in the cemetery. Minerva’s special rites will ensure the outcome of the trial. A romantic – and boring – subplot is tossed in between John and Mandy Nichols, who lives not far from Mercer House. The romance further slows the movie and accomplishes little else, despite the engaging Alison Eastwood, Clint Eastwood’s daughter, playing Mandy. Cusack plays it straight throughout and is a joy. Spacey is marvelous as Jim. He oozes charm like melted butter on a hot, flaky biscuit, and he does more with simple business than most of today’s actors: When he punctuates his sentences with a lazy “uh-huh,” you can almost smell the mint juleps. There’s excellent support all around, especially Hall and Thompson. But as stunning as Jack N. Green’s photography is, the camera work is marred by sloppy editing between a few scenes. “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” was filmed in Savannah, and the movie truly gives the city a starring role. Eastwood directed from a screenplay by John Lee Hancock. The Warner Bros. release was produced by Eastwood and Arnold Stiefel, with Tom Rooker as co-producer. It is rated R for some violence and adult situations. Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions: G – General audiences. All ages admitted. PG – Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children. PG-13 – Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children. R – Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. NC-17 – No one under 17 admitted. AP-NY-11-20-97 1513EST

——————–

Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 20:00:36 -0500 From: glaad@glaad.org (GLAAD) Subject: GLAADALERT -11.21.97

GLAADALERT — November 21, 1997 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

Drew Carey’s Brother Dresses For Success On the November 19 episode of ABC’s popular sitcom “The Drew Carey Show,” the title character’s brother, Steve, visits after he breaks up with his fiancee and shocks Drew by cross dressing. Unsuspecting Drew hires Steve for the cosmetic section of the department store he works at, and when Drew pays him a visit he finds Steve dressed as a woman. Steve explains that he is a cross dresser and that he could not think of any other way of telling Drew. Mr. Wick, Drew’s boss, insists that Drew fire Steve. In the end, Drew comes to accept his brother and saves Steve’s job.

Earlier this year, GLAAD briefly spoke with a writer from the show regarding issues of gender, cross dressing, sexual orientation and transgender people. Overall, the episode handles the issues around cross dressing quite well, breaking down a number of myths and stereotypes. However, the episode does make one large mistake. When Drew asks Steve if he is gay and Steve responds that he is not, Drew says that it is unfortunate because lesbians and gay men are protected from job discrimination by federal law. In fact, that legislation (Employment Non-Discrimination Act or ENDA) failed to pass Congress last year, and is one of the most important legislative protections that the community is still fighting for today.

Please thank “Drew Carey” for a show that dealt with transgender issues in a progressive and fair manner, and encourage them to continue to feature Steve. Also stress that the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community is not protected from job discrimination by federal law, and that in fact hundreds lose their jobs each year simply because of their perceived sexual orientation or identity. Contact: … Jamie Tarses, Entertainment President, ABC, 2040 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90037, fax: 310.557.7679, e-mail: abcaudr@abc.com; … Bruce Helford, Executive Producer, “The Drew Carey Show,” Warner-Brothers, 4000 Warner Blvd., Building 19, 1st Floor, Burbank, CA 91522. The Lady Chablis Lights Up Eastwood’s “Midnight” Today, the Clint Eastwood-directed “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” opens in theaters across the country, and features a number of gay and transgender characters. The story centers around Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey), a gay antiques dealer, who shoots and kills his gigolo boyfriend. The Lady Chablis, a black transgender performer in Savannah, Georgia, portrays herself and has been credited by a number of reviewers as the film’s “scene stealer.”

This film, sure to be a hit, treats with sophistication gay and transgender characters who could easily have fallen prey to Hollywood oversimplification and sensationalism.

Please thank Clint Eastwood, who had almost total control over the film’s production, for translating the gay and transgender characters from this entertaining and engaging best-selling novel to the big screen. Contact: Clint Eastwood, Malpaso Productions, Warner-Brothers Studios, 4000 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91522-001.

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From: transman@netgsi.com Date: Thu, 20 Nov 1997 08:18:59 -0500 21 November 1997, Laurel, MD, USA–For Immediate Release

PRESS RELEASE: Please forward to interested parties. Please drop us a line and let us know where you forwarded it. Thank you. The American Boyz present True Spirit Conference ’98 The Best Western-Maryland Inn, Laurel, Maryland, February 20-22, 1998 Featured speakers:

YOSENIO LEWIS black Latino f2m who will be speaking on inclusion and diversity issues

SPENCER BERGSTADT f2m lawyer who will be speaking on legal and political issues The organizing committee of True Spirit Conference ’98 invites all gender variant people on the f2m spectrum, and our significant others, friends, families, and allies to come celebrate the spirit within. The three-day event will include:

*Workshops with panelists reknowned in the gender community *A Latin/Club Dance with DJ Calico Rechy *Peacock Pageant *A Film Festival *A Swim Party *Informal Caucuses *Health screening and information *Transgendered readings by authors and playwrighs (last year we had Leslie Feinberg, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Laura Antoniou, Cecilia Tan, Gary Bowen, and many others) *Another chance to network and meet new (and old) friends

Conference registration: $45 until December 31, 1997. $65 thereafter. Price includes lunch on Sunday. Hotel Registration: Call 301-776-5300 for reservations. Rates (until January 31, 1998): Single/Double: $75; Triple/Quad: $85. Price includes a complimentary lunch on Saturday to all registered guests of the hotel. To get conference rates and complimentary Saturday lunch, you must mention True Spirit Conference when registering. After 31 January, standard hotel rates apply and lunch is not included.

Registration: Download and compete this form and send it with a check or money order to: The American Boyz/True Spirit Conference 98, P O Box 1118, Elkton, MD, 21922-1118.

Mailing Name:___________________________

Name for Badge:_________________________

Mailing Address:_________________________

______________________________________

Email:_________________________________

Phone:________________________________

Sunday lunch: Regular: ______ Kosher: ______ Vegetarian: ______ Other: ____

Yes! I want to volunteer!:______

I’d like to serve on a panel:_______ Panel Suggestions:_________________________

I’d like to make a donation to the scholarship fund: (amount) ______________

Have you attended a True Spirit Conference before?: Y N

The American Boyz is an organization for gender variant people of any orientation, including but not limited to tomboys, butches, f2ms, transmen, drag kings, crossdressers, intersexuals, and those who support us, including our Signficant Others, Friends, Families, and Alliess (SOFFA). Write us at: PO Box 1118, Elkton, MD, 21922-1118 or email us at: transman@netgsi.com.

[eof]

Subj: AEGIS News Digest 12/1/97 Date: 97-12-01 11:55:44 EST From: aegis@gender.org (Dallas Denny) To: aegis@gender.org

I’d heard rumors that the SOC revision would not go before the HBIGDA membership for vote, but this would seem to confirm it.

— Dallas From: “Stephen Whittle” <S.T.Whittle@mmu.ac.uk> To: UKPFC-News@mbcomms.net.au (Press for Change News list) Date: Thu, 27 Nov 1997 16:08:24 +0100 Subject: (Fwd) HBIGDA: No Membership Vote

Date: Thu, 27 Nov 1997 08:59:35 -0600 To: TS Menace Mailing List <tsmenace@apocalypse.org> From: Joy Richards <tasha@uncle.org> Subject: HBIGDA: No Membership Vote

This is a “Must Read”. And it’s time to move _now_.

Joy

From: Becky Allison <beckster@primenet.com> Newsgroups: alt.support.srs Subject: Re: HBIGDA: No Membership Vote on New SOC Date: Wednesday, November 26, 1997 1:10 AM

In article <347a7a61.346409397@news.mindspring.com>, alawrence@mindspring.com (Anne A. Lawrence, M.D.) wrote:

> >HBIGDA Decides: NO Membership Vote on the New Standards of Care > > > >On September 13, 1997, in an unpublicized move, the Officers and Board > >of HBIGDA decided that only they, and not the membership as a whole, > >will be allowed to vote on the forthcoming revision of the Standards > >of Care. This is a major departure from past practice, one which > >changes the strategy for those of us who oppose more restrictive > >Standards. > <….> > >I believe that the best strategy now is for us to lobby the Officers > >and Board of HBIGDA in support of liberal and humane standards. In > >particular, it is important that they be asked to reject any document > >which creates a two-letter requirement for hormone therapy. > > > >Here is contact information for current HBIGDA Officers, Board > >Members, and Executive Director: > > > >(Partial list — will be updated as time permits) > > > >Richard Green, M.D., J.D. (President) > >Gender Identity Clinic > >Charing Cross Hospital > >London W6 8RF, United Kingdom > >Phone: 44-181-846-1516 > >Fax: 44-181-846-1599 > >Voice Mail: 44-181- 846-1394 > > > >Alice Webb, LCSW, Ph.D. (President-Elect) > >18333 Egret Bay Blvd., Suite 560 > >Houston, TX 77058 USA > >Phone: 281-333-2278 > >Fax: 281-333-2293 > >E-Mail: 75377.1141@compuserve.com > > > >Connie Christine Wheeler, Ph.D. (Secretary-Treasurer) > >1310 East 46th Street, Suite 12-H > >New York NY 10017 USA > >Phone: (212) 599-2254 > >Fax: (212) 599-2254 > > > >Sheila Kirk, M.D. (Board Member) > >P.O. Box 38114 > >Blawnox, PA 15238 USA > >Phone: (412) 781-1092 > >Fax: (412) 781-1096 > >E- Mail: SheilaKirk@aol.com > > > >Donald Laub, M.D. (Board Member) > >1515 El Camino Real > >Palo Alto, CA 94306 USA > >Phone: (415) 327-7163 > >Fax: (415) 327-2091 > >E-Mail: LBRSRT@aol.com > > > >Jude Patton, CMHC, CMFT (Board Member) > >1812 East Madison Street, Suite 102 > >Seattle, WA 98122 USA > >Phone: (425) 787-5094 > >Fax: (425) 787-5094 > >E-Mail: judepatton@aol.com > > > >Leah C. Schaefer, Ed.D. (Board Member) > >285 Riverside Drive, #15A > >New York NY 10025 USA > >Phone: (212) 866-1139 > >Fax: (212) 866-4500 > > > >Bean Robinson, Ph.D., Executive Director > >HBIGDA > >1300 South 2nd Street, Suite 1800 > >Minneapolis, MN 55454 USA > >Phone: (612) 625-1500 > >Fax: (612) 626-8311 > >Voice Mail: (612) 624-8078 > >E- Mail: robin009@gold.tc.umn.edu > > > The other three board members are: > > Peggy Cohen-Kettenis, Ph.D. > Dep. Child & Adolescent Psychiatry > University Hospital, University of Utrecht > 3508 GA Utrecht, the Netherlands > Tel: 31-30-508401 > Fax: 31-30-2505666 > p.t.cohenkettenis@psych.azu.nl > > Eli Coleman, Ph.D. > Director, Program in Human Sexuality > University of Minnesota > 1300 South 2nd Street > Minneapolis, MN 55454 > Tel: 612-625-1500 > Fax: 612-626-8311 > colem001@maroon.tc.umn.edu > > Joris Hage, M.D., Ph.D. > AZVU > Genderwerkgroep > P.O. Box 7057- Plastich Chirurg > 1007B Amsterdam, The Netherlands > Tel: 31-20-444-3517 > Fax: 31-20-444-0151 > j.jorishage@inter.nl.net > plastchir@azvu.nl > >I don’t think Bean Robinson has voting privileges; this leaves ten persons >voting. I think we can count on support from Alice Webb, Sheila Kirk, and >Jude Patton; and probably from Leah Schaefer and Tina Wheeler if we present >our case properly. That’s five. We will not have support from Richard >Green or Eli Coleman. I don’t know how the two from the Netherlands will >vote, but I don’t think we can count on them. That leaves a very important >vote from Don Laub, and I don’t think we should write him off as definitely >opposed. Anyone who considers Dr. Laub a friend should contact him on this matter as soon as possible. > >Incidentally I think our chances with the Board are much better than they >would have been with last year’s Board, and better than with the committee >now working on the revision. > >Becky Allison MD

Joy Richards, RSD (Registered Statistical Deviation)

—————————

Date: Wed, 26 Nov 1997 15:58:08 -0800 From: Michelle Steiner <steiner@BEST.COM> Subject: [GLB-NEWS] Fwd: Employer’s Dress Code Draws Lawsuit To: GLB-NEWS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM

Employer’s Dress Code Draws Lawsuit

..c The Associated Press

ERIE, Pa. (AP) – To read Kristine Holt’s lawsuit, it would seem like her former employer had the strictest of dress codes, prohibiting her from wearing sheer pantyhose under her slacks.

But look closer, and things get more complicated: When Holt was working for the Northwest Pennsylvania Training Partnership Consortium Inc., she was a he named Richard undergoing a sex change.

Holt, 41, filed a discrimination lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Erie earlier this month against the consortium, which administers federal job training programs.

The suit alleges the consortium made up a dress code targeting Holt, whose work wardrobe included slacks, a bra and makeup.

“There was a lot of making up the rules as they went along. I’d go to a meeting, they’d see what I was wearing and they’d say, `You can’t wear this,”’ she said.

Holt, now a third-year law student at Temple University in Philadelphia, is seeking more than $140,000 in damages.

Holt describes herself as an “ex-transsexual” because “I’ve made the transition.”

But while acknowledging that she is still receiving hormone treatments, Holt refused to say whether she has undergone a sex-change operation.

The consortium first suspended her from her job as an employment assessment specialist on Dec. 15, 1992, then fired her about a month later, citing insubordination, Holt said.

The lawsuit contends the consortium imposed a dress code that applied only to Holt and was based on “notions of stereotypical male characteristics.” It says her employers refused to address her by her legal feminine name and forced her to act and dress like a man.

Harry Rudge, executive director of the consortium, said the organization had not yet been served with the complaint. He referred questions to the consortium’s lawyer, David Hotchkiss, who declined to comment.

AP-NY-11-26-97 1749EST

—————————-

Date: Wed, 26 Nov 1997 13:41:06 -0700 To: ISNA News <news@isna.org> From: ISNA News <news@isna.org> Subject: ALL THINGS CONSIDERED CONSIDERS INTERSEX WHAT: ALL THINGS CONSIDERED CONSIDERS INTERSEX WHEN: Friday November 28, 1997 Check local NPR affiliate for broadcast frequency and time

Sources tell us that the radio program All Things Considered will run a documentary by Robin White on medicalization of intersexuality this Friday. White interviewed the mother who founded the Ambiguous Genitalia Support Network; adult intersexuals who spoke about the harm done to them by shame, secrecy, and genital surgery; pediatric endocrinologist Dr Dennis Stein; Dr. Melvin Grumbach, whose texbook chapters render him an important figure in the field of pediatric endocrinology, and Helena Smith, who battled doctors determined to surgically assign her son male and who now operates the peer support group HELP.

Check your local NPR affiliate for times. You should be able to determine a local station carrying the program by visiting All Things Considered’s web page.

Missed the broadcast? You may be able to listen to the show in RealAudio at their web site after the broadcast.

  CONTACTS

All Things Considered http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/

Cheryl Chase Intersex Society of North America http://www.isna.org

Ambiguous Genitalia Support Network PO Box 313 Clements, CA 95227

HELP (Hermaphrodite Education and Listening Post) http://users.southeast.net/~help/

——————–

Subject: Radio Talk-Show on Bisexuality From: ales@wamani.apc.org (Alejandra Sarda) Date: Sat, 29 Nov 97 13:55:49 ARG Organization: Red Wamani – APC Networks – Argentina

Escrita en el Cuerpo – Lesbian, Bisexual and Different Women’s Archives and Library

Electronic News Service

RADIO TALK-SHOW ON BISEXUALITY (Nov. 20, 1997)

“Sexualogos” is a daily talk-show hosted by a team of sexologists leaded by Dr. Roberto Gindin and Cristina Frydman, M.A. It’s a prestigious and popular program dealing with different aspects of sexuality in a plural, non- prejudiced way. This was the first time in two years that bisexuality was addressed. Special guests were Alejandra Sarda – activist and psychologist- and Mosquito Sancinetto – artist, drama teacher and female impersonator.

What the public says: (Man): I think that yes, most people are bisexual somehow. I don’t agree with that type of acts, for myself, but I understand them on others.

(Man): I would understand it in a person who is in jail, because he has not the freedom we all have, he has to manage with whatever is at hand. But most men are not bisexuals.

Mosquito: It happens many times that human beings have experiences with both sexes; some people say it and others don’t, they feel guilty, scared. So- mething that once had a revealing effect on their lifes then feels them with guilt. To me, being able to go through sexual experiences is not a burden but a learning opportunity. Nobody is a god to understand or tolerate others.

Alejandra: It’s curious how they refer to men only: women are not bisexuals, only wives and mothers; those “dirty” things are only done by men. Re.jail: all these “abnormal” behaviors always call for a reason: if you are a lesbian it’s because you were raped, if you are gay is because your mother was too dominant, if you are bisexual is because you are in jail and have to manage with the first thing you get.

(Woman): A friend of mine is like that; when she told me, I found it quite in- teresting. I think we all have somewhere deep down a curiosity towards people of our same sex. I am nobody to judge others.

Ms. Frydman explains updatings of the Kinsey scale including love, sexual attraction, fantasy and self-identification (besides behavior).

Mosquito: It was very easy for me to feel attracted by men and then it happened that women started attracting me too. Some women, not all. And at the same time I started to become more exigent regarding men too. It was all more indis- criminate before, more compulsive.

Question from a woman: When a bisexual has to choose what he wants the most, does he choose to be with someone of his same gender or the opposite? Alejandra: It depends on the person. It’s not like “I want someone of my same gen- der, let’s see what I find”. I like X person, she happens to be a woman. Ms. Frydman: Could you say it’s something like the color of the eyes? Alejandra and Mosquito: Yes, yes. Very good example. Alejandra: I always say “bisexuality” is quite an outdated term for me; “bi” means two and there are not just two genders, but many.

Dr. Flores Colombino explains the difference between sexual orientation (attraction) and identity (the gender you perceive yourself as being). He says a minority of homo or heterosexual people might go through a bisexual phase, but that does not deprive bisexuality of its status as a sexual orientation per se. He also differentiate between situational homo/bisexuality (jails, ships, etc.) and homo/bisexuality as an orientation and life choice.

Lohanna Berkins (transvestite activist): In this patriarchal society, where values are so absolute, very conflictive situations arise when you start questioning them. And you have to face violence in all its manifestations. Bisexuality, as well as transvestism, cross-dressing, and a lot of other choices, show that the diad woman-man does not exhaust all possibilities. I never say “I’m a woman”, what I do is to live out my wish to be a woman instead of making efforts to show I am one or I am not one. Alejandra: I think what you do by claiming the word “transvestite” is great because “transsexual” gives the idea of someone in transition, temporarily going from some- thing accepted like for instance being a man towards something that is also accepted like being a woman. But “transvestite” is not in transition towards anything, it’s something per se. Lohana: It’s true, when you say you did surgery society looks at you differently. They say, “oh, she is a woman, then”; they know where to place you. I’m not interested in that. Ms. Frydman: How do you feel about being with a bisexual person? Lohana: I’d love it. I learnt a lot by being an activist. Before I used to think that as a transvestite I could only love a man; today I would love any person, without asking her/his gender or sexual orientation. It was a huge work to arrive at that. My head had to change and open itself a lot, but now I feel as if seated here, all the time waiting for the next thing that would help me question what I feel is true. And welcoming it.

A man: Bisexuals are homosexuals in disguise. Alejandra: That’s a classical. Many people do not dare living according to what they are: some straights are homosexuals in disguise, some homosexuals are bisexuals in disguise … anything can be covered up if you need to. To be bisexual is to have the potential to feel attracted towards people of any gender; definition stops there, everything else is a judgement.

A man: Bisexual are people still more degenerate than homosexuals because they don’t make any choice at all. Alejandra: Do you have to make choices at this level? Anyway, we do choose because, like Mosquito said, he does not like all women or all men – nor do I. We choose: that woman, that man. Mosquito: Why do we have to choose anything else than that?

A man: According to what you are saying, bisexuality is less complicated than it seemed to me, more natural, just like what I feel towards women. Good to know it. A man: If we all would experience with different sexual behaviors, we would be de- generates. How would we raise our children, then? A woman: The subject is very new to me. Is that why I don’t understand? Mosquito: It’s great to see that people are questioning themselves. I am not a dege- nerate, none of us is. When I talk to my parents, they don’t see me as their dege- nerate child but as someone with the capacity to choose, and that’s quite different. Alejandra: Whatever humanity has learnt is because different people dared to explore. To raise a daughter or a son telling them “dare to explore” – obviously, taking care of yourself while you do it, like wearing condoms for instance- seems a great way of educating someone, to me at least. Dr. Gindin: What you are doing is dearing to question a lineal mode of thought – good/bad, black/white- and that is good. But is very hard, because we are brought up inside that mode of thought, it takes us a lot to accept the shades. Mosquito and Alejandra: It’s the same for us. Mosquito: I was scared at first, felt guilty, wanted to run away.

A woman: Those people seem very strange to me. What they are talking about only happens in the movies. Or may be they are promiscuos. Dr. Gindin: Is promiscuity a bad word for you? Why? Woman: It’s a problem caused by a very demanding genitality that can be satisfied by any means, even through mechanical devices. Ms. Frydman: What? Bisexuality? Noooo Alejandra: That’s trisexuality already (laughter) Ms. Frydman: I’m asking you, would one have a less imperative genitality if she or he had sex with the same person every hour?

Rafael Freda (gay activist): If bisexuality is the capacity to have an orgasm with a person of any gender, the same or a different one, then the amount of bisexuals in the human species must be very high. If bisexuality is the capacity to have a loving, committed and sexual relationship with any person of the same/other gender, then bisexuality is very rare. Nobody has to pass through bisexuality in order to reach homosexuality. What usually happens is that a person whose deepest desire is to have an affectionate, erotical relationship with someone of his same gender, i.e. a homosexual, due to cultural pressure lives a genitally bisexual and passing phase, in order to deal with the conflict that means for him to identify as a sexual minority’s member. Mosquito: I’m very happy with the way I am, the way I feel and above all with knowing I’m not limited. It’s good to know that even while men are my prefered choice I have the capacity to receive from a woman and give to her too. Alejandra: I’d like we all to keep thinking about allowing ourselves more and more choices, instead of shutting down or cutting up parts of our beings, to think that there are more than two choices for almost anything. Note: We have a similar program on Lesbianism we will be editing soon.

Escrita en el Cuerpo – Lesbian, Bisexual and Different Women’s Archives and Library. Avenida San Martin 2704 4to. C (1416), Buenos Aires, Argentina Phone (54 1) 581 01 79 – Fax (54 1) 382 90 95 – Email: ales@wamani.apc.org

Subj: AEGIS Internet News 12/2/97 Date: 97-12-02 11:28:49 EST From: aegis@gender.org (Dallas Denny) To: aegis@gender.org

AEGIS Internet News is a service of American Educational Gender Information Service, Inc. To subscribe or unsubscribe from this list, pleast send e-mail to aegisnews@gender.org.

In response to yesterday’s posting about HBIGDA, we received the following from Dr. Anne Lawrence:

Date: Mon, 01 Dec 1997 11:27:53 -0800 To: aegis@gender.org From: “Anne A. Lawrence, M.D.” <alawrence@mindspring.com> Subject: Re: HBIGDA: No Membership Vote on New SOC

Hi Dallas,

I see that the 12/1/97 AEGIS News Digest contains a post from Stephen Whittle, quoting a post from Joy Richards, quoting a post from Becky Allison, quoting me. (Whew!) If anyone is interested in the original:

The text of the message I received from HBIGDA Executive Director Bean Robinson, confirming that the membership will *not* be voting on the new Standards of Care, is available at my web site, <http://www.mindspring.com/~alawrence/hbigda.html>. This page also contains my analysis of the likely changes in the Standards, based on the fifth draft, and contact information for HBIGDA officers and board members.

A copy of the fifth draft of the proposed Standards is posted at <http://members.aol.com/tssource/draftsoc.html>; the text comes from a message that originally appeared on the alt.support.srs newsgroup.

Love and Sisterhood, Anne

  Study on Respectful Language

We (James Green and Dallas Denny) are doing a paper about the use of descriptive terminology in the professional literature of gender identity issues. Basically, we are interested in reforming the literature so it speaks respectfully about transsexual and transgendered persons. To do that, we must determine what transsexual and transgendered people like, and what they don’t like. We are asking community members to give us their opinions of certain terms which have been used in the literature, and some of the terms put forth by the community itself, so we can communicate the community’s opinions to the readers of our paper.

Responses to the following questionnaire can be e-mailed to TSTGMen@aol.com or aegis@gender.org, or sent via mail to AEGIS, P.O. Box 33724, Decatur, GA 30033. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the paper which will eventually come from this, be sure to indicate on your form. Survey of Language Usage

1. Do you want a copy of our final paper (if so, give your name and address or e-mail address. We consider this information personal and will use it only for distribution of the paper.

2. What is your year of birth?

3. What sex were you assigned at birth: Male Female Intersexed

4. What word or words would you preferentially to use to describe yourself (e.g., male, female, transsexual, transgenderist, crossdresser, androgyne, intersexed, new woman, new man, etc.).

5. Which of the following terms do you think best elaborates the description of you that you provided in 4 above:

androgyne crossdresser intersexed transgenderist transsexed transsexual nontransgendered/nontranssexual

6. On a scale of 1 to 5, please rate these terms below which have been used in the psychomedical literature (and/or in the community):

1 = I hate it 2 = I dislike it 3 = I’m so-so about it 4 = I like it 5 = I’m enthusiastic about it (love it)

Note: Some of these terms will of necessity not describe YOU. Please rate all terms 1-5. androgyne bi-gendered crossdresser female transsexual (to refer to someone born female who becomes a man) former transsexual (to refer to someone who has had sex reassignment surgery) FTM gender bender gender blender gender challenged gender dysphoria gender euphoria gender fuck gender gifted gender identity disorder male transsexual (to refer to someone born male who becomes a woman) MTF new woman/new man non-op nonoperative transsexual post-op postoperative transsexual pre-op preoperative transsexual sex change sex reassignment third sex tranny transgender transgenderist transie transman transsexual transsexual man (to refer to an FTM transsexual person) transsexed man (to refer to an FTM person who has completed his transition) transsexual woman (to refer to an MTF transsexual person) transsexed woman (to refer to an MTF person who has completed her transition) transpeople transwoman transvestic fetishist transvestite two-spirit

7. For someone who lives full time as a woman after SRS, which pronouns should be used? Male Female For someone who lives full time as a man after SRS, which pronouns should be used? Male Female For someone who lives full time as a woman without any surgery, which pronouns should be used? Male Female For someone who lives full time as a man without any surgery, which pronouns should be used? Male Female For someone who lives full time as a woman without hormones, which pronouns should be used? Male Female For someone who lives full time as a woman without hormones, which pronouns should be used? Male Female For someone who identifies as woman but has not begun transition, which pronouns should be used? Male Female For someone who identifies as a man but has not begun transition, which pronouns should be used? Male Female Which pronouns should be used to identify a crossdressed male crossdresser? Male Female Which pronouns should be used to identify a crossdressed female crossdresser? Male Female Which pronouns should be used to identify a noncrossdressed male crossdresser? Male Female Which pronouns should be used to identify a noncrossdressed female crossdresser? Male Female

8. How do you regard the use of quotation marks in the following sentences:

1 = I hate it 2 = I dislike it 3 = I’m so-so about it 5 = I like it 6 = I’m enthusiastic about it (love it)

Mary was happy in “her” new role as a woman.

Mario was happy in “his” new role as a man.

“Mary” was happy to take on the role of a woman.

“Mario” was happy to take on the role of a man.

Mary was pleased with her new “vagina.”

Mario enjoyed the appearance of his “penis.”

 

Thank you for participating in this study.