Posts
If You Can't Win Honestly... Cheat
6 hours ago
04 May 2014
03 May 2014
Their Trouble With Harry
The other day, I posted a video of an interview in which Janet Mock turns the tables on Alicia Menendez. It shows how, too often, we are trivialized by those who see us only in terms of our surgeries, treatments and "the moment".
(Is it any wonder that many of us have body image issues?)
Well, obsession with the fact that we're trans--or whether or not we fit into someone's idea of what a trans person is--also leads others to be trivialized, in life and in death.
Almost nobody has heard of Annie Burkett. Although she was the victim of one of the most brutal murders committed in Australia, people heard little about her even in the days immediately after her death. Instead, the focus turned on her killer.
Or, rather, the Australian press paid attention to the fact that the killer, born in Italy and named Eugenia Falleni, lived in Australia as a man named Harry Crawford, and so became Annie Burkett's husband.
You can read more about it here.
To be fair, one reason why the gender identity of the killer was so sensationalized was that, in the 1920's, members of the Australian press--like most other people, including those in the medical professions--lacked a context for thinking about, let alone a vocabulary for describing, gender variance.
Police cited Crawford/Falleni's "deception" of living as a man as proof of an immoral character, one capable of such a horrible murder. Unfortunately, too many people today would see it the same way. They do not realize that people like Crawford don't commit crimes because they are transgendered; rather, they are trans people who happen to commit crimes. And the victim is forgotten while the victimizer is trivialized.
Crawford/ Falleni was condemned to die for the crime. But the sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment. After serving eleven years, Crawford/Falleni was released on the condition that he lived the rest of his life as a woman.
Of course, this story begs the question of the circumstances under which Ms. Burkett married Mr. Crawford. If she didn't know about his identity when she met him, she must have found out in fairly short order. And, if she knew, it begs another question: Could their marriage have been a cover for a lesbian relationship, which surely would have brought them more opprobrium than it would today.
(Is it any wonder that many of us have body image issues?)
Well, obsession with the fact that we're trans--or whether or not we fit into someone's idea of what a trans person is--also leads others to be trivialized, in life and in death.
Almost nobody has heard of Annie Burkett. Although she was the victim of one of the most brutal murders committed in Australia, people heard little about her even in the days immediately after her death. Instead, the focus turned on her killer.
Or, rather, the Australian press paid attention to the fact that the killer, born in Italy and named Eugenia Falleni, lived in Australia as a man named Harry Crawford, and so became Annie Burkett's husband.
You can read more about it here.
To be fair, one reason why the gender identity of the killer was so sensationalized was that, in the 1920's, members of the Australian press--like most other people, including those in the medical professions--lacked a context for thinking about, let alone a vocabulary for describing, gender variance.
Police cited Crawford/Falleni's "deception" of living as a man as proof of an immoral character, one capable of such a horrible murder. Unfortunately, too many people today would see it the same way. They do not realize that people like Crawford don't commit crimes because they are transgendered; rather, they are trans people who happen to commit crimes. And the victim is forgotten while the victimizer is trivialized.
Crawford/ Falleni was condemned to die for the crime. But the sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment. After serving eleven years, Crawford/Falleni was released on the condition that he lived the rest of his life as a woman.
Of course, this story begs the question of the circumstances under which Ms. Burkett married Mr. Crawford. If she didn't know about his identity when she met him, she must have found out in fairly short order. And, if she knew, it begs another question: Could their marriage have been a cover for a lesbian relationship, which surely would have brought them more opprobrium than it would today.
02 May 2014
A Little Close To Home
When I visit my parents, I usually fly into Daytona Airport. It's about a half-hour drive from their house and next to the world-famous Speedway and beach. I've been to the latter many times and have shopped in stores and eaten in restaurants along International Speedway Boulevard, by myself and with my parents and on a bicycle as well as in a car or on foot. Thankfully, I have never had any problems and, in fact, I have found most people helpful and friendly.
So it was disturbing to hear about the gender-variant person who was beaten in the Citgo station along the Boulevard. William Jackson, who was wearing a black and white dress, was jumped by a group of men half an hour after he broke up a fight between his girlfriends and another group of girls. He says he was attacked because he likes to dress as a woman.
The attack is being investigated as a possible hate crimes because the attackers used slurs while beating Jackson.
So it was disturbing to hear about the gender-variant person who was beaten in the Citgo station along the Boulevard. William Jackson, who was wearing a black and white dress, was jumped by a group of men half an hour after he broke up a fight between his girlfriends and another group of girls. He says he was attacked because he likes to dress as a woman.
The attack is being investigated as a possible hate crimes because the attackers used slurs while beating Jackson.
01 May 2014
Flipping The Script
We've all heard those questions: "Is it real?" "When did you know?" "Who do you...?"
"We", of course, means transgender, transsexual or any other gender-variant people. Some who ask those questions are pure-and-simple voyeurs, and others are just mean-spirited. But there are still others who just seem not to understand why we find such questions--which they would not want to be asked of themselves--trivializing or even demeaning.
That is why it was such a powerful moment when trans activist Janet Mock "flipped the script" on Alicia Menendez:
"We", of course, means transgender, transsexual or any other gender-variant people. Some who ask those questions are pure-and-simple voyeurs, and others are just mean-spirited. But there are still others who just seem not to understand why we find such questions--which they would not want to be asked of themselves--trivializing or even demeaning.
That is why it was such a powerful moment when trans activist Janet Mock "flipped the script" on Alicia Menendez:
30 April 2014
The Bathrooms, Again....
Another day and another...instance of hysterical reactionaries distorting reality, or simply lying, to keep a group of people from having the same rights everyone else enjoys.
This time it's happening in Maryland. There's this funny little law that expresses the utterly radical notion that transgender people should not experience discrimination in housing, education, employment or the use of public facilites on account of their gender identity expressions. It's, you know, one of those rights that cisgender heterosexual people (well, those of certain races and classes and, ahem, one gender, anyway) take for granted. It's been voted in; Governor Martin O'Malley has said he will sign this piece of legislation, which is scheduled to take effect on 1 October.
But a group of lawmakers who oppose the lawee that was signed into law last year are now looking to overturn that law. They are seeking a referendum that would put the question of repealing it on the ballot this November.
And how are they scaring, I mean appealing to, voters whose signatures they need for the referendum to make it to the ballot? You might have heard of this tactic before: They're referring to the law as "the bathroom bill", just as they did when they tried to keep it from passing.
From hearing those legislators, you'd think the law was about nothing else--or, more precisely, the "right" of "men in dresses" to enter women's bathrooms so they can harass (or even sexually assault) the women and molest young girls.
Well, the right to use the bathroom appropriate to the gender by which you're identifying and living is just one part of the law. But magnifying it wasn't enough for those elected officials: They have pandered to the crudest stereotypes (trans person as predator) and the most exaggerated, baseless fears in order to convince some people that, essentially, bigotry is good social and legislative policy.
Never mind that cross-dressers and people who are transitioning from one gender to another--or simply presenting themselves as one they weren't assigned at birth--use bathrooms for the same reasons everyone else does. And, to put it bluntly, we simply want to pee in peace, and let others do the same.
This time it's happening in Maryland. There's this funny little law that expresses the utterly radical notion that transgender people should not experience discrimination in housing, education, employment or the use of public facilites on account of their gender identity expressions. It's, you know, one of those rights that cisgender heterosexual people (well, those of certain races and classes and, ahem, one gender, anyway) take for granted. It's been voted in; Governor Martin O'Malley has said he will sign this piece of legislation, which is scheduled to take effect on 1 October.
But a group of lawmakers who oppose the lawee that was signed into law last year are now looking to overturn that law. They are seeking a referendum that would put the question of repealing it on the ballot this November.
And how are they scaring, I mean appealing to, voters whose signatures they need for the referendum to make it to the ballot? You might have heard of this tactic before: They're referring to the law as "the bathroom bill", just as they did when they tried to keep it from passing.
From hearing those legislators, you'd think the law was about nothing else--or, more precisely, the "right" of "men in dresses" to enter women's bathrooms so they can harass (or even sexually assault) the women and molest young girls.
Well, the right to use the bathroom appropriate to the gender by which you're identifying and living is just one part of the law. But magnifying it wasn't enough for those elected officials: They have pandered to the crudest stereotypes (trans person as predator) and the most exaggerated, baseless fears in order to convince some people that, essentially, bigotry is good social and legislative policy.
Never mind that cross-dressers and people who are transitioning from one gender to another--or simply presenting themselves as one they weren't assigned at birth--use bathrooms for the same reasons everyone else does. And, to put it bluntly, we simply want to pee in peace, and let others do the same.
29 April 2014
Some Of Us Are More Equal Than Others
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
If you've read George Orwell's Animal Farm, you will remember that proclamation. The pigs, who controlled the government in the world depicted in the novel, made it.
No gays are equal, but some are even less equal than others.
Of course, Orwell didn't write that in his novel. But it's a pretty fair summation of the situation LGBT people face in Europe, and the rest of the world.
This map from ILGA Europe illustrates what I mean:
The percentage shown for each country indicates the degree of equality LGBT people have with everyone else. As a region, Europe probably offers the greatest degree of equality in the world. Still, there are great variations within it and some depressing (but not surprising) realities. For example, the worst country for equality--the Russian Federation--scores 7 percent, and other countries in that region have very low ratings. On the other hand, northern and western European countries fare best, with Great Britain scoring highest at 77 percent. Belgium comes in second at 67 percent (two-thirds), while Norway, Sweden, Spain, France, Portugal and the Netherlands trail closely, all coming in at over 60 percent.
It would be interesting to see a similar map for the United States. Would it reveal any surprises in comparing the states?
If you've read George Orwell's Animal Farm, you will remember that proclamation. The pigs, who controlled the government in the world depicted in the novel, made it.
No gays are equal, but some are even less equal than others.
Of course, Orwell didn't write that in his novel. But it's a pretty fair summation of the situation LGBT people face in Europe, and the rest of the world.
This map from ILGA Europe illustrates what I mean:
 |
| Map can also be seen here. |
The percentage shown for each country indicates the degree of equality LGBT people have with everyone else. As a region, Europe probably offers the greatest degree of equality in the world. Still, there are great variations within it and some depressing (but not surprising) realities. For example, the worst country for equality--the Russian Federation--scores 7 percent, and other countries in that region have very low ratings. On the other hand, northern and western European countries fare best, with Great Britain scoring highest at 77 percent. Belgium comes in second at 67 percent (two-thirds), while Norway, Sweden, Spain, France, Portugal and the Netherlands trail closely, all coming in at over 60 percent.
It would be interesting to see a similar map for the United States. Would it reveal any surprises in comparing the states?
28 April 2014
"It's Only Words" Unless...
Maybe I don't get out enough. That could be the reason why I don't know anyone who identifies as a "she male".
I never identified that way--or as a "drag queen", "chick with a dick" or any of the other terms they use of porn websites and ads for sexual services. For that matter, I don't know anyone who describes him or her self with those terms.
And--not to seem sanctimonious--I never would identify anyone in those ways--except, maybe, drag queen, and then only if he were to so identify himself.
Point is, those terms are almost always used in derogatory ways, much as "Nigger" and "Faggot" were until recently. Now some young blacks and gay men so describe themselves, but most of them did not grow up hearing it as a slur or experiencing the discrimination and violence their forebears incurred.
So, perhaps, one day non-gender-conforming males will take on the mantels of "she male", "chick with a dick" or "drag queen"--perhaps ironically, as many young people use the "F" and "N" words. But for now, they cannot be seen as anything but derogatory, especially when they come from the likes of people who ought to know better, like RuPaul:
I never identified that way--or as a "drag queen", "chick with a dick" or any of the other terms they use of porn websites and ads for sexual services. For that matter, I don't know anyone who describes him or her self with those terms.
And--not to seem sanctimonious--I never would identify anyone in those ways--except, maybe, drag queen, and then only if he were to so identify himself.
Point is, those terms are almost always used in derogatory ways, much as "Nigger" and "Faggot" were until recently. Now some young blacks and gay men so describe themselves, but most of them did not grow up hearing it as a slur or experiencing the discrimination and violence their forebears incurred.
So, perhaps, one day non-gender-conforming males will take on the mantels of "she male", "chick with a dick" or "drag queen"--perhaps ironically, as many young people use the "F" and "N" words. But for now, they cannot be seen as anything but derogatory, especially when they come from the likes of people who ought to know better, like RuPaul:
27 April 2014
26 April 2014
Declaring His Grandson An Equal
This 80-year-old man just did something I've never done and probably never will do.
No, I'm not talking about having grandkids, although I don't, in fact, have any--and probably won't. Rather, I mean something that, honestly, I've had even less inclination to do: get a tatoo.
So why did "Grandpa Frank" get himself poked and inked? Well, the design might provide a clue: It's an equal sign--the symbol used by Marriage Equality acivists.
No, he didn't get hitched with one of his buddies. "Grandpa Frank" got the image tatooed onto his wrist as a sign of support for his grandson, who recently "came out" and had the same image etched onto his wrist.
No, I'm not talking about having grandkids, although I don't, in fact, have any--and probably won't. Rather, I mean something that, honestly, I've had even less inclination to do: get a tatoo.
So why did "Grandpa Frank" get himself poked and inked? Well, the design might provide a clue: It's an equal sign--the symbol used by Marriage Equality acivists.
No, he didn't get hitched with one of his buddies. "Grandpa Frank" got the image tatooed onto his wrist as a sign of support for his grandson, who recently "came out" and had the same image etched onto his wrist.
25 April 2014
Une Parisienne Manquee
When I came back from living in Paris, family members, friends and other people asked what I did there. A few asked what I thought about, what I felt, usually beginning or ending with, "Were you ever homesick?"
One thing I never told anybody, though, was something that occupied much of my imagination while I was there: I pictured myself as a Parisienne, a woman of style and grace as well as substance in the City of Light.
No matter how much you love a place, if it's not home, you will be homesick. Yes, I lived in Paris and even considered it my home for a time. But there were still times when I thought about the bed in which I used to sleep, a favorite jacket I left in New Jersey, my grandmother, bike rides alone and with friends (Don't get me wrong: I did some great rides in France. I just couldn't forget the ones I did before them), my mother (and her lasagna!) and other people and things.
One thing I never told anybody, though, was something that occupied much of my imagination while I was there: I pictured myself as a Parisienne, a woman of style and grace as well as substance in the City of Light.
So I felt as if I were looking at a manquee version of myself when I looked, again, at these images photographer Christer Stromholm captured in Place Blanche during the 1960's:
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24 April 2014
Off-Limits To Christians. And I'm Responsible.
I suppose that if I were a different sort of person, I'd be amused when I hear second-wave feminists (and their acolytes) making the same sorts of false, desperate claims as the LGBT-phobic Religious Right.
But such people affect my life and those of friends, allies and peers of mine. So I am not amused.
Someone who was once a really good friend but who later saw fit to disavow me--and claim that she never wanted anything to do with me in the first place-- said that I was "changing" genders so I could go to some university and get a job teaching Gender Studies (or Women's Studies) that should rightfully go to a "real"--that is to say, genetic and cisgender--woman.
.But such people affect my life and those of friends, allies and peers of mine. So I am not amused.
Someone who was once a really good friend but who later saw fit to disavow me--and claim that she never wanted anything to do with me in the first place-- said that I was "changing" genders so I could go to some university and get a job teaching Gender Studies (or Women's Studies) that should rightfully go to a "real"--that is to say, genetic and cisgender--woman.
She also asserted that I and other trans women are trying to usurp the other roles and jobs women have available to them. She never specified what those roles and jobs might be, but I don't recall trying to take any job away from any woman, or applying for one in the hope that I would displace what someone like her would deem a "real woman".
Of course, such facts will not dissuade her any more than any other relevant fact would cause American Family Association President Tim Wildmon to rethink his claim that LGBT folk are keeping good Christian people like him from making a living.
(Don't you just love it when hate groups use "family" in their names?)
According to him, the LGBT community seeks to "destroy the personal business and career (sic)" of Christians who don't support same-sex marriage and other forms of equality for LGBT people. (Of course, he doesn't think of them as "equality"; to him and his ilk, such things are "special privileges.) He cited such examples as Vermont's Wildflower Inn, which no longer hosts weddings after it was fined $30,000 for turning away a same-sex couple and Washington florist Baronnelle Stutzman, who faces a lawsuit from her state's attorney general after she refused to create the floral arrangements for a same-sex couple. He also referenced Oregon bakery Sweet Cakes By Melissa, whose owners cited their religious beliefs in their decision not to prep a cake for a gay couple's wedding.
He uses such examples, and others, to claim that seven common careers have become off-limits for Christians. They include those of the photographer, baker, florist, broadcaster, counselor, innkeeper and teacher/professor.
It sounds like "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers," from the way Wildmon tells it. All right, I confess: I am here to take over your career!"
All right, so that was a joke. To me, anyway. But not to folks like Wildmon--or that erstwhile friend of mine--who, apparently, has been teaching Gender/Women's Studies at the College of Staten Island in the City University of New York. What's really scary about that was that I teach on the premise that knowledge is power and that my budding faith is showing me that I don't have to be beaten down by this world. Yet that old friend of mine--her name is Elizabeth Pallitto--and Mr. Wildmon are painting themselves and those who listen to them as victims.
To be fair, I have to say that Wildmon's rhetoric is more reprehensible because he is, in essence, using his and his followers' privilege (which, of course, they don't see as such) as members of what is considered the mainstream in America to push members of minority groups back into the margins. In other words, he's inciting bullying. All Professor Pallitto and her ilk are guilty of, really, is that they stopped learning after they read Janice Raymond's The Transsexual Empire.
23 April 2014
A Woman Who Rode With A Koala
If you've been following this (or my other) blog for a while, you've probably noticed that I like to tell stories about myself. You've also probably noticed that I like to tell stories about other people, and times and places other than my own, especially if those stories have been untold or forgotten.
That is one reason why I've written posts about (or in which I mention) Beryl Berton, Nancy Burghart, Sue Novara, Rebecca Twigg, Jeannie Longo, Paola Pezzo and other prominent female cyclists.
And, yes, this post will be about another. But it will also touch upon a topic--a nation and culture, really--I've never mentioned: Australia. This omission does not come from any sort of bias; it has mainly to do with the fact that I've never been anywhere near the world's smallest continent or sixth-largest country, depending on how you look at it.
Nearly everything I know about it comes from reading and chance encounters with Australians in other parts of the world, including my own home town. One of the few things I know is that the Aussie population--about a tenth of that of the US, even though the two countries are roughly the same size--includes a disproportionate number of long-distance cyclists. That's not so surprising when you consider Australians' affinity for sports and outdoor activities and the fact that so much of the country is undeveloped.
One of those riders was someone named Billie Samuels. I have been trying to find some information on her, to no avail. I guess I have to look in actual book (I think I can still do that) of Australian cycling history.
I learned of her only through stumbling over the photos I've included here. Whoever she is, I want to know more because, hey, how could you not want to learn about someone who starts a ride from Sydney to Melbourne with a koala mascot on her handlebars?
(The photos in this post come from Vintage Everyday.
That is one reason why I've written posts about (or in which I mention) Beryl Berton, Nancy Burghart, Sue Novara, Rebecca Twigg, Jeannie Longo, Paola Pezzo and other prominent female cyclists.
And, yes, this post will be about another. But it will also touch upon a topic--a nation and culture, really--I've never mentioned: Australia. This omission does not come from any sort of bias; it has mainly to do with the fact that I've never been anywhere near the world's smallest continent or sixth-largest country, depending on how you look at it.
Nearly everything I know about it comes from reading and chance encounters with Australians in other parts of the world, including my own home town. One of the few things I know is that the Aussie population--about a tenth of that of the US, even though the two countries are roughly the same size--includes a disproportionate number of long-distance cyclists. That's not so surprising when you consider Australians' affinity for sports and outdoor activities and the fact that so much of the country is undeveloped.
One of those riders was someone named Billie Samuels. I have been trying to find some information on her, to no avail. I guess I have to look in actual book (I think I can still do that) of Australian cycling history.
I learned of her only through stumbling over the photos I've included here. Whoever she is, I want to know more because, hey, how could you not want to learn about someone who starts a ride from Sydney to Melbourne with a koala mascot on her handlebars?
(The photos in this post come from Vintage Everyday.
22 April 2014
How To Be A Trans Ally
I am a transwoman. And a writer. And an educator. Yet I'm still trying to figure out what to say to people who really want to know me, and other trans people as people.
This infographic has some interesting and useful ideas:
This infographic has some interesting and useful ideas:
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| From Rebloggy |
21 April 2014
Not Again: Mrs. Doubtfire
In 1992, I came out.
I'm not talking about my sexual preferences or gender identity. What I mean is that after coming about as close as I've come (until this past summer) to having a nervous breakdown, I talked for the first time about the sexual molestation I experienced as a child.
I was ready to do so; even more to the point, some people in my life were ready to hear it. And in American society, more people understood that a kid or a woman who is sexually molested or assaulted did not bring it on him- or her-self. In fact, I found a pretty fair amount of sympathy from those with whom I discussed my experience.
However, at that time I also felt the submerged bubble of my gender identity rising to the surface of the river of my life. And I popped it, at least to the degree I could.
For all that doing so cost me (emotionally, that is), I had good reasons. You see, most people still believed (and I told myself) that so-called trans women were gay men who wouldn't admit it to themselves. Someone who ended his friendship with me after I began my transition said as much.
And, to most people who were not in the "spectrum" gay and trans people cared about nothing but sex, and therefore were "asking for it" when they were raped, molested or even murdered. About two decades earlier, most men (and many women) had similar attitudes about women.
So, while not coming out about my trans identity was not a calculated decision at the time, it probably was best, at least in some ways. Even from sympathetic people, I might have gotten some really bad advice, and I probably would have ended up in the office of some therapist who still believed that a man molesting a boy was simply a result of repressed homosexuality on one or both sides. The fact that one of my molesters was a married man who, to my knowledge, never had any liaisons with adult males would not have been considered.
Even more to the point, a lot of people still saw transgenderism as nothing more than a person of one gender wearing the clothes of, and aping the behavior (actually, cariactures) of the other. This attitude accounts for the wild popularity of a movie that came out that year: Mrs. Doubtfire.
Now, I don't want to paint all people who laughed at it as transphobes. I saw it and laughed at Robin Williams' antic comedy, as I do whenever I see him in a comic role. However, most people--including many critics--actually thought the idea of a man wearing women's clothes was just plain funny or, at best, an example of "gender bending."
Even the premise too many saw as novel was ancient in the time of Greek theatre: Someone dons a disguise to win, or win back, the person he or she loves. And the idea of a man putting on a dress and makeup to get a job was treated much more skillfully in Tootsie, not to mention in Richard Wright's acerbic short story A Man Of All Work.
Still, there's no idea so cliched or simply outdated that Hollywood won't try to recycle it. That's why there's a sequel of Mrs. Doubtfire in the works, with Robin Williams reprising the lead role.
I hope he reconsiders. After all, I always thought he was thoughtful and informed when it comes to gender, sexual identity and other issues. Also, I don't think that any remake, no matter how well-done, will be as well-received as the original was. A lot of people's notions--including my own and those of people in my own life--have changed, thankfully, since then. Of course, there are still a few who will laugh at the same jokes and sight gags. Even such people probably wouldn't want to see a remake more than once, or a sequel. That can't be good for Robin Williams' career--not that it needs a boost.
I'm not talking about my sexual preferences or gender identity. What I mean is that after coming about as close as I've come (until this past summer) to having a nervous breakdown, I talked for the first time about the sexual molestation I experienced as a child.
I was ready to do so; even more to the point, some people in my life were ready to hear it. And in American society, more people understood that a kid or a woman who is sexually molested or assaulted did not bring it on him- or her-self. In fact, I found a pretty fair amount of sympathy from those with whom I discussed my experience.
However, at that time I also felt the submerged bubble of my gender identity rising to the surface of the river of my life. And I popped it, at least to the degree I could.
For all that doing so cost me (emotionally, that is), I had good reasons. You see, most people still believed (and I told myself) that so-called trans women were gay men who wouldn't admit it to themselves. Someone who ended his friendship with me after I began my transition said as much.
And, to most people who were not in the "spectrum" gay and trans people cared about nothing but sex, and therefore were "asking for it" when they were raped, molested or even murdered. About two decades earlier, most men (and many women) had similar attitudes about women.
So, while not coming out about my trans identity was not a calculated decision at the time, it probably was best, at least in some ways. Even from sympathetic people, I might have gotten some really bad advice, and I probably would have ended up in the office of some therapist who still believed that a man molesting a boy was simply a result of repressed homosexuality on one or both sides. The fact that one of my molesters was a married man who, to my knowledge, never had any liaisons with adult males would not have been considered.
Even more to the point, a lot of people still saw transgenderism as nothing more than a person of one gender wearing the clothes of, and aping the behavior (actually, cariactures) of the other. This attitude accounts for the wild popularity of a movie that came out that year: Mrs. Doubtfire.
Now, I don't want to paint all people who laughed at it as transphobes. I saw it and laughed at Robin Williams' antic comedy, as I do whenever I see him in a comic role. However, most people--including many critics--actually thought the idea of a man wearing women's clothes was just plain funny or, at best, an example of "gender bending."
Even the premise too many saw as novel was ancient in the time of Greek theatre: Someone dons a disguise to win, or win back, the person he or she loves. And the idea of a man putting on a dress and makeup to get a job was treated much more skillfully in Tootsie, not to mention in Richard Wright's acerbic short story A Man Of All Work.
Still, there's no idea so cliched or simply outdated that Hollywood won't try to recycle it. That's why there's a sequel of Mrs. Doubtfire in the works, with Robin Williams reprising the lead role.
I hope he reconsiders. After all, I always thought he was thoughtful and informed when it comes to gender, sexual identity and other issues. Also, I don't think that any remake, no matter how well-done, will be as well-received as the original was. A lot of people's notions--including my own and those of people in my own life--have changed, thankfully, since then. Of course, there are still a few who will laugh at the same jokes and sight gags. Even such people probably wouldn't want to see a remake more than once, or a sequel. That can't be good for Robin Williams' career--not that it needs a boost.
20 April 2014
19 April 2014
How To Protect Yourself In The Workplace
I have met Professor Jillian Weiss at Transgender Day of Remembrance events as well as on other occasions. She is a most interesting and engaging speaker, and the work she does for our community is invaluable.
Therefore, I urge you to go to the main chat room of her Transworkplace on Tuesday evening. There, she is hosting a chat on how to protect yourself legally.
Even if you live in one of those states (which don't include, ahem, New York) that has an all-inclusive Employment Non Discrimination Act, you need to learn what will be discussed in that chat.
Therefore, I urge you to go to the main chat room of her Transworkplace on Tuesday evening. There, she is hosting a chat on how to protect yourself legally.
Even if you live in one of those states (which don't include, ahem, New York) that has an all-inclusive Employment Non Discrimination Act, you need to learn what will be discussed in that chat.
18 April 2014
No Apple In The Eye Of Those Who Want Equal Rights
New York is all but surrounded by states with laws that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and expression. Pennsylvania doesn't even have laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation, but Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey all prohibit that as well as discrimination against transgender people.
I'm sure this surprises many of you. If it does, you probably don't live in the Empire State and are therefore unfamiliar with its landscape as well as its politics.
You see, New York is not, and has never been, a "progressive" state. We not only have conservative, even reactionary people living in the rural upstate areas; we also have them right here in New York City. The Big Apple isn't all Chelsea or Jackson Heights; we have communities of recently-arrived immigrants as well as conservative white people who have the same prejudices--some of which people rationalize with their religious beliefs.
One result is that while the State Assembly is dominated by Democrats, most who are more or less progressive, the State Senate is the province of reactionary Republicans. The result is--as we have seen in Washington--gridlock. But even when relations between the two legislative bodies, and between them and the Governor, are relatively harmonious, there is always a Sargasso Sea of tangled red tape bound by pure-and-simple inertia. (By the way, I think that's one of the reasons why New York has not legalized marijuana for medical use, while its neighbors--again, with the exception of Pennsylvania--have done so.
I'm sure this surprises many of you. If it does, you probably don't live in the Empire State and are therefore unfamiliar with its landscape as well as its politics.
You see, New York is not, and has never been, a "progressive" state. We not only have conservative, even reactionary people living in the rural upstate areas; we also have them right here in New York City. The Big Apple isn't all Chelsea or Jackson Heights; we have communities of recently-arrived immigrants as well as conservative white people who have the same prejudices--some of which people rationalize with their religious beliefs.
One result is that while the State Assembly is dominated by Democrats, most who are more or less progressive, the State Senate is the province of reactionary Republicans. The result is--as we have seen in Washington--gridlock. But even when relations between the two legislative bodies, and between them and the Governor, are relatively harmonious, there is always a Sargasso Sea of tangled red tape bound by pure-and-simple inertia. (By the way, I think that's one of the reasons why New York has not legalized marijuana for medical use, while its neighbors--again, with the exception of Pennsylvania--have done so.
17 April 2014
A Late Spring, But I'll Take It
Yesterday's ice melted; I got out for a while. Though still cold for this time of year--and windy--it was a rather lovely day.
One thing I've noticed, though, is that everything seems to be budding and blooming later than it has in other years. I'm not complaining, though, especially after seeing this tree:
or this patch near it:
One thing I've noticed, though, is that everything seems to be budding and blooming later than it has in other years. I'm not complaining, though, especially after seeing this tree:
or this patch near it:
16 April 2014
A Third Gender In India
Quite possibly the most revolutionary piece of legislation regarding gender identity and expression was passed two years ago in Argentina. In essence, it says that any Argentinian aged 18 or older can live as whichever gender he or she chooses. It also authorized doctors, surgeons and other medical professionals to provide the necessary care for those who chose not to live in the gender to which they were assigned at birth. And, for those who couldn't afford those treatments and therapies, the government would foot the bill.
Now something arguably as radical--or, perhaps even more so--has happened in India. A couple of days ago, that country's Supreme Court ruled that transgenders are a third gender. So, for starters, all official forms must allow for trans people to indicate their gender as such, just as males and females check off the boxes that correspond with their sex. It also allows transgenders to receive government benefits and partake of the social programs to which the rest of the country's citizens are entitled.
On one hand, I am pleased with this development. Although I identify as female, and would continue to do so even if I were offered the option now available in India, I do not believe that people should be bound to the gender binary if they feel it's inappropriate for the way they identify and express themselves.
On the other hand, given India's history with transgender people, this development could be troublesome. I am thinking specifically of the hijra, who are both venerated and stigmatized in the subcontinent's cultures.
Traditionally, hijras lived outside of the gender norms of Indian society and were believed to have special spiritual (and paranormal) abilities cisgenders don't have. So, they were often called upon to officiate at weddings, funerals and other ceremonies and to cast, or cast away, spells. But, even with such a status--which, for the most part, they've lost as India has become more influenced by the West--they were still very poor and begged or even engaged in sex work. To this day, people give them money simply because they don't want to take the chance that a spurned hijra will send some dark enerty their way.
Given such a history, I have to wonder whether India's new ruling might actually further stigmatize the hijra, as well as other trans people. I can't help but to think about a trans woman who was a hijra in India and was seeking asylum here. From what she told me, even though some people still believe hijras have special powers, they can be killed with little or no penalty to those who kill them. And, according to this trans woman (who will remain nameless, for obvious reasons), many men in her native country "accept" trans people insofar as they can use us sexually, or simply as lurid curiosities.
I guess time will tell what how the Indian Supreme Court's ruling will affect the lives of trans people.
Now something arguably as radical--or, perhaps even more so--has happened in India. A couple of days ago, that country's Supreme Court ruled that transgenders are a third gender. So, for starters, all official forms must allow for trans people to indicate their gender as such, just as males and females check off the boxes that correspond with their sex. It also allows transgenders to receive government benefits and partake of the social programs to which the rest of the country's citizens are entitled.
On one hand, I am pleased with this development. Although I identify as female, and would continue to do so even if I were offered the option now available in India, I do not believe that people should be bound to the gender binary if they feel it's inappropriate for the way they identify and express themselves.
On the other hand, given India's history with transgender people, this development could be troublesome. I am thinking specifically of the hijra, who are both venerated and stigmatized in the subcontinent's cultures.
Traditionally, hijras lived outside of the gender norms of Indian society and were believed to have special spiritual (and paranormal) abilities cisgenders don't have. So, they were often called upon to officiate at weddings, funerals and other ceremonies and to cast, or cast away, spells. But, even with such a status--which, for the most part, they've lost as India has become more influenced by the West--they were still very poor and begged or even engaged in sex work. To this day, people give them money simply because they don't want to take the chance that a spurned hijra will send some dark enerty their way.
Given such a history, I have to wonder whether India's new ruling might actually further stigmatize the hijra, as well as other trans people. I can't help but to think about a trans woman who was a hijra in India and was seeking asylum here. From what she told me, even though some people still believe hijras have special powers, they can be killed with little or no penalty to those who kill them. And, according to this trans woman (who will remain nameless, for obvious reasons), many men in her native country "accept" trans people insofar as they can use us sexually, or simply as lurid curiosities.
I guess time will tell what how the Indian Supreme Court's ruling will affect the lives of trans people.
15 April 2014
Harvey Milk Postage Stamp
Getting one's image on a postage stamp is, I reckon, a bit like the Nobel Prize. Whenever I hear about someone being honored with one or the other, I have one of two responses: "What were they thinking?" or
"What took them so long?"
I had the first response when Obama got the Peace Prize. (For that matter, I was even more perplexed when Henry Kissinger got it.) But I had the latter reaction today, upon finding out that the US Postal Service is issuing a stamp with Harvey Milk's image.
As many of you know, he was one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States. His career was tragically cut short--along with that of his boss, then-San Francisco Mayor George Moscone-- by Dan White, who had recently resigned from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, on which Milk served at the time White shot him.
A number of motives have been ascribed to White. The one with the most empirical evidence is that White, a former San Francisco police officer and firefighter and a Vietnam veteran, represented a conservative district on the southeastern edge of the city. Residents there were said to be resentful toward the city's growing homosexual community whom, of course, they--and probably White himself--saw embodied in Milk.
Another plausible explanation--implied in the 2008 film in which Sean Penn played Milk--is that White was a closeted homosexual who was jealous and resentful of the accomplishments and accolades that came Milk's way.
Whatever the explanation, I'm glad to see Harvey Milk so honored. Even though his political career spanned only a few years, his work gained a lot of momentum. I wish that he could have lived to see--and perhaps partake--of some of the fruit it is just starting to bear.
"What took them so long?"
I had the first response when Obama got the Peace Prize. (For that matter, I was even more perplexed when Henry Kissinger got it.) But I had the latter reaction today, upon finding out that the US Postal Service is issuing a stamp with Harvey Milk's image.
As many of you know, he was one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States. His career was tragically cut short--along with that of his boss, then-San Francisco Mayor George Moscone-- by Dan White, who had recently resigned from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, on which Milk served at the time White shot him.
A number of motives have been ascribed to White. The one with the most empirical evidence is that White, a former San Francisco police officer and firefighter and a Vietnam veteran, represented a conservative district on the southeastern edge of the city. Residents there were said to be resentful toward the city's growing homosexual community whom, of course, they--and probably White himself--saw embodied in Milk.
Another plausible explanation--implied in the 2008 film in which Sean Penn played Milk--is that White was a closeted homosexual who was jealous and resentful of the accomplishments and accolades that came Milk's way.
Whatever the explanation, I'm glad to see Harvey Milk so honored. Even though his political career spanned only a few years, his work gained a lot of momentum. I wish that he could have lived to see--and perhaps partake--of some of the fruit it is just starting to bear.
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