Well, my mind expanding Sweetie, this drop the bomb topic has been running around my already busy brain for days. I'm very happy to see people expressing themselves and shedding their experiences. (Stacy, welcome home honey, I've often wondered how you were doing.)
A Transgendered Woman Is
A Transgendered Woman Is
A Transgendered Woman!
A transgendered woman is not a man!
A transgendered woman is not a woman!
(Repeat chorus)
Bobby Miller and I are friends. I love him as a human being and as an artist. I want to live long enough to celebrate his 80th birthday. Whichever and however he chooses to define himself now or at any other time won't change any of that. Whew!
(I only ask that if he decides to purge his wardrobe he purge my way!)
My only little, and last comment on this subject is that, (God I hope I'm not becoming the Bella Abzug of the Boards!) with due respect to everyone involved in this topic, I feel that reclaiming manhood as valid as it is, really doesn't relate to the matter at hand which is "creating a less predujiced community." On some level it seperates us.
Mightn't I say that (gender variant) persons who identify as gay men, or just plain effiminate (gay) men for that matter, have unfortunately been politicized as being seperate from the tg community (prehaps for their own shame-based social-psychological reasons). It would be important for these men to know that they need the protections of pending gender variant civil rights legislative acts more than a passable transsexual does because they will be discriminated on the basis of how they are perceived by the sick hate mongers who want us all dead! HELLO!!!
Just look at what's going on with SONDA to see the rift in gay and lesbian rights vs TG rights. (Do some research--I've written about this stuff adinfititum in this Forum!)
Jade, I couldn't believe that the last time I saw you, your comment about tg activists was "they never get anything done." This was after Mayor Blumberg had recently signed legislation which protects the entire spectrum of gender variants in NYC from discrimination! This was accomplished by a long difficult effort by transgendered women and men who worked through NYAGRA and the NYTGCoalition!
While I love and appreciate personal stories about our experiences (not that anyone could or should take these away) I worry that this becomes psycho-babble on some level unless we know the issues that face our community today, and are willing to do some work to make our freedoms a reality. Work means contributing some of our time to do tasks like showing up (creating larger numbers) to make politicians take notice so they will support our inclusion in SONDA (Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act that the G&L community has not had the decency to include us in!!) While we have some protections in the city thanks to the hard work of the tg activist community--SONDA would make tg discrimination against the law--statewide!!
It bugs me endlessly that during the entire effort to get the City Bill (Intro 24) passed, demonstrations and trips to Albany (to get us on that freedom train to which we have been denied) I only saw one person from the drag performance community show up!!!
I stand corrected--a few others did but only when it involved high visibility events. (Appearing for photo ops for fame and glamour, and shedding a tear at Sylvia's funeral don't cut it!!!)
Some of our own Motherboard folks did come to a few meetings, etc and thank you Helin, Minerva, Goddess Diana, Sabrina and Curtis. Forgive me if I forgot anyone.
The Radical Faeries, at least on an organizational level should be commended as gay identified gender variant men for lending their support, as did the Motherboards, and many other mostly activist and union organizations but still, that kind of name lending alone is insufficient. Hell, we have the Catholic Church to fight, the recent scandals will surely hold up SONDA with or without trans-inclusion since they are villifying the LGBT community again!.
Maybe we need a georgous poster person to attract more participation--it probably wouldn't hurt--but some ofus still have to do the footwork--that's where we fall short. This kind of participation could create a closer community!!
I work in a Restaurant as some of you might know on weekends. The girls employed there are some of the most flambouyant Drag Queens you'll ever see, gorgy TG's (some on hormones with tits as big as watermelons), some post-op transsexuals and gender situatons that happily defy definition. We all get along like sisters--in fact we all love each other. It don't matter squat about anyone's genital arrangement, sexual orientation or who you think your husband is -- we're all "Queens." If anyone ever fucked with any one of my girls (OK I'm the Mother) they'd better stay clear of me and I know everyone else feels the same way, 'cause as someone posted earlier in this topic "we're in the same boat"!! There's no "I'm more transgendered than thou" 'tude here.
Are there any clubs or parties where we could socialize in an atmosphere of sisterhood and fun? Sadly not to my knowledge. We tend to be in seperate groups-different shades of gender variant usually don't bother to mix.
One example of cooperation that I can think of was the NYAGRA benefit at Cheez Whiz. We raised money for advocacy and enjoyed an atmophere of warmth and merry. Some of the Faeries attended and made contributions. A few drag performers showed up and donated their talents and there was transsexual activitst entertainment on stage as well!
Can't we have more of this??? Can't we all feel comfortable under the same roof?? Isn't this the issue really??
So I've said my peace and anyone who doesn't like it can Kish Mir Tuccas in Macy's window! Don't even, cause I'm not coming back to this topic anytime soon.
Rose
...a little progress to cheer about...
The Heritage of Pride (HOP) Board who organize the G & L Pride Parade have elected to change the name to the LGBT Pride Parade on their stationary and all official advertising-- We can march a little prouder this year!!
It felt really good to be on a small NYTGCoalition committee headed by Melissa Sklarz, which made this happen-
I recommend tg advocacy participation- it has it's rewards!
--BTW..if you see me in the supermarket and I'm in my old grubby boy rags, showing stubble and my nails look like shit---I'm still Rose, in fact I'm Miss Rose to you! You know who you are!!
[This message was edited by Rose Royalle on 06-05-02 at 08:10 AM.]