Monday, November 19, 2007
Scotland: 'To cross-dress in Glasgow is about as close to a death wish as you can get'
EWAN MORRISON
18 November 2007
IT MAY just be the falling leaves and darkening skies, but something seems to have got very grey and grim in our neighbourhood. We're missing something, some local colour. I realised yesterday what it was - it was Des. Where the hell has he/she gone?
I say he/she because Des is/was our local transvestite (I named her Des because it stands for Derek and Desdemona). Des is, of course, not her real name, but neither was the one she used at the job centre. And that's how I know Des, because we used to sign on together.
As Des always sat across from me and we sometimes had to wait up to 20 minutes before signing on, I was handed a once in a lifetime opportunity to stare at a transvestite, and try to work out her techniques of transformation.
Now, when I say transvestite, I'm not talking RuPaul here. No, Des stood at over six foot tall, with shoulders that could carry beer kegs and ankles the width of my thighs. The image she had picked was less 'screaming queen' and more 'homely' - a wise move for a man with middle-aged spread. No hobbling along in six-inch pink stilettos, Des had flat court shoes. And the hair was not a wig, but homegrown. I couldn't help but marvel at the months of patient waiting it must have taken, literally growing into her new identity. The skirt wasn't slutty, but ankle-length in generic granny pattern. As for breasts, the question of their non-existence had been avoided with the use of a large Chanel scarf. Make-up: yes, of course there was the Polyfilla foundation to hide the stubble, as is the burden of every ladyman. But as for lipstick and eyeliner, she had learned the art of understatement, something trannies are not renowned for, nor Glasgow women for that matter. . . .
18 November 2007
IT MAY just be the falling leaves and darkening skies, but something seems to have got very grey and grim in our neighbourhood. We're missing something, some local colour. I realised yesterday what it was - it was Des. Where the hell has he/she gone?
I say he/she because Des is/was our local transvestite (I named her Des because it stands for Derek and Desdemona). Des is, of course, not her real name, but neither was the one she used at the job centre. And that's how I know Des, because we used to sign on together.
As Des always sat across from me and we sometimes had to wait up to 20 minutes before signing on, I was handed a once in a lifetime opportunity to stare at a transvestite, and try to work out her techniques of transformation.
Now, when I say transvestite, I'm not talking RuPaul here. No, Des stood at over six foot tall, with shoulders that could carry beer kegs and ankles the width of my thighs. The image she had picked was less 'screaming queen' and more 'homely' - a wise move for a man with middle-aged spread. No hobbling along in six-inch pink stilettos, Des had flat court shoes. And the hair was not a wig, but homegrown. I couldn't help but marvel at the months of patient waiting it must have taken, literally growing into her new identity. The skirt wasn't slutty, but ankle-length in generic granny pattern. As for breasts, the question of their non-existence had been avoided with the use of a large Chanel scarf. Make-up: yes, of course there was the Polyfilla foundation to hide the stubble, as is the burden of every ladyman. But as for lipstick and eyeliner, she had learned the art of understatement, something trannies are not renowned for, nor Glasgow women for that matter. . . .
Canada: Transgendered residence in the works at York
by Allendria Brunjes
November 17, 2007
York University is looking to add gender-neutral residences to accommodate transgendered people as a pilot project, beefing up its already trans-friendly atmosphere.
York will hopefully have the residences in place by September 2008, said Michael Gilbert, a professor at the university and chair of the SexGen York Committee.
“It is right now going through only approval stages,” he said.
The plan is to convert a six-person suite in the Calumet College residence into a gender-neutral space for those who may not feel comfortable in communal washrooms or showers.
He said this may not be an issue for everyone who is transgendered, but the university wants this space to be available.
“We want to accommodate people who do care. It’s also a question of comfort and privacy,” he said.
Lynette Dubois, external co-ordinator of the Transgendered, Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay Association at York, said this is a great development for York, which is one of the few schools that has gender-neutral washrooms and has eliminated the “gender” box on a number of its forms.
“It touches on a fact that [...] gender is no longer a pink and blue issue,” she said. “The university, by acknowledging that, makes it a safer, more harmonious space.”
She said there were some complaints, but they were regarding money.
“Since there’s always X amount of money and space, people always ask, ‘Why should we do this for a small percentage of people?’” she said.
She added this is not about a small group of people, but about the university as a whole, and how it treats sexual minorities.
“There have been accommodations we have made for students who are challenged in one way or another, who need support with movement or hearing or eyesight,” Gilbert said.
Gwendolyn Dea Dunsmuir, a fourth-year transgendered psychology student at York, said she thinks the university has been doing a good job at welcoming those who are transgendered. She said the gender-neutral residence is a good idea that will help students feel more comfortable with themselves.
Dunsmuir, who came out a year and a half ago, said because she lives near the campus, she does not live in residence.
“If I were in a situation where I had to live in residence, [the gender-neutral residence] would be a better way to do it,” she said.
“It might have helped me come out a few years earlier.”
Dubois, who is also a transgendered student, said she came out before she started university.
She is currently working with three other institutions to make them more GLBT-friendly places.
“York University is very proactive,” she said. “Not all universities are made up that way.”
Dubois said the number of people coming out as transgendered is going up, and the institution needed to recognize this.
But Gilbert said the project may not remain in place if the numbers are not there.
“I think it will [be filled]; it depends a lot on the information that gets out, and how it’s promoted,” he said.
“This is a trial program for September, but it’s not yet written in stone.”
Dunsmuir said the gender-neutral living spaces are a good thing for students and should stick around.
“They’re definitely a positive thing that will help young trans people,” she said.
“It gives them a safe place to go at the end of the day.” . . .
November 17, 2007
York University is looking to add gender-neutral residences to accommodate transgendered people as a pilot project, beefing up its already trans-friendly atmosphere.
York will hopefully have the residences in place by September 2008, said Michael Gilbert, a professor at the university and chair of the SexGen York Committee.
“It is right now going through only approval stages,” he said.
The plan is to convert a six-person suite in the Calumet College residence into a gender-neutral space for those who may not feel comfortable in communal washrooms or showers.
He said this may not be an issue for everyone who is transgendered, but the university wants this space to be available.
“We want to accommodate people who do care. It’s also a question of comfort and privacy,” he said.
Lynette Dubois, external co-ordinator of the Transgendered, Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay Association at York, said this is a great development for York, which is one of the few schools that has gender-neutral washrooms and has eliminated the “gender” box on a number of its forms.
“It touches on a fact that [...] gender is no longer a pink and blue issue,” she said. “The university, by acknowledging that, makes it a safer, more harmonious space.”
She said there were some complaints, but they were regarding money.
“Since there’s always X amount of money and space, people always ask, ‘Why should we do this for a small percentage of people?’” she said.
She added this is not about a small group of people, but about the university as a whole, and how it treats sexual minorities.
“There have been accommodations we have made for students who are challenged in one way or another, who need support with movement or hearing or eyesight,” Gilbert said.
Gwendolyn Dea Dunsmuir, a fourth-year transgendered psychology student at York, said she thinks the university has been doing a good job at welcoming those who are transgendered. She said the gender-neutral residence is a good idea that will help students feel more comfortable with themselves.
Dunsmuir, who came out a year and a half ago, said because she lives near the campus, she does not live in residence.
“If I were in a situation where I had to live in residence, [the gender-neutral residence] would be a better way to do it,” she said.
“It might have helped me come out a few years earlier.”
Dubois, who is also a transgendered student, said she came out before she started university.
She is currently working with three other institutions to make them more GLBT-friendly places.
“York University is very proactive,” she said. “Not all universities are made up that way.”
Dubois said the number of people coming out as transgendered is going up, and the institution needed to recognize this.
But Gilbert said the project may not remain in place if the numbers are not there.
“I think it will [be filled]; it depends a lot on the information that gets out, and how it’s promoted,” he said.
“This is a trial program for September, but it’s not yet written in stone.”
Dunsmuir said the gender-neutral living spaces are a good thing for students and should stick around.
“They’re definitely a positive thing that will help young trans people,” she said.
“It gives them a safe place to go at the end of the day.” . . .
Strength in the face of adversity
Camille Hopkins
By Jane Kwiatkowski
11/18/07
Nearly three years ago Camille Hopkins traveled to Montreal for sex reassignment surgery, a critical step on the road to becoming a woman.
At age 57, Hopkins, a city employee, has become a leader in the effort to educate people about gender variance. Hopkins will be the first to admit her life has not been easy.
PT: Where do you find your strength?
CH: In the company of my friends, in music and in solitude. My level of activism is so intense at times that I need to step into those quiet moments. I might immerse myself in a book.
PT: Do you retain the same personality traits you had as a man?
CH: Certainly. It’s just that my essence has been repackaged. Outgoing. Sense of adventure. Sometimes a bit too serious. I believe the world will get better. I have to have that belief because when I talk to those kids in college classes, I’m planting seeds that years from now they can gather when they’re in positions of influence.
PT: Does anything about the woman who has emerged surprise you?
CH: Yes. I used to be somewhat fearless, but now there is a fear that as I walk in the world of women, I am susceptible to sexual assault, rape, people taking advantage of me in other realms where they would not have before. I have gone car shopping and salespeople talked to me like I was some kind of an idiot. They think I’m interested in the size of the glove compartment when I might be interested in the cubic displacement of the engine. Same thing with electronics. PT: Is dating tough?
CH: Yes. In some cases I’m upfront about who I am. In my case I’m so out, I find it difficult to be anonymous. Sometimes, I think people date me because they are curious. The majority of trans women find it difficult to find a guy who feels comfortable. I’m a little fearful that I’m going to experience a lot of loneliness, at least if I stay here in Buffalo. PT: Is Buffalo trans-friendly?
CH: Buffalo is a wonderful place. People are friendly, but it still has this Midwest mentality that tends to embrace conservative values, and individuals like us tend to push the cultural boundaries of what it is to be men and women. PT: Describe your style.
CH: Jeans, sweaters, comfortable shoes. It’s anything but drag queenie, which some people expect. I wear clothes that any ordinary woman might. There’s no transgender line of clothes.
PT: Does it take you longer to get dressed?
CH: Well, I have to shave parts of my body I haven’t before. And shoes? Oh my goodness. Heels are definitely a challenge. Frankly, I don’t mind the shoes because I’ve been told I have really good legs. I guess I like being complimented on my looks. Sometimes I’m not pleased with what I see in the mirror, but I’ll go with it. I’m not going to obsess about it. PT: You seem very comfortable.
CH: As you learn to feel more comfortable in your skin, you have more interaction with the world. I am lucky I have this ability to move among men and women, and not be stared at as a freak or be called a name that’s not complimentary. I’ve had to develop a thick skin. Some people tell me what I have done earned me a place in hell.
PT: What has this whole experience taught you about yourself ?
CH: I’m a much stronger person than I ever imagined. I never thought I would be able to find the strength to do this. I knew since I was 7 years old that I was not like other boys, despite the apparatus I was carrying around. It took decades to understand I could do this. Nowadays, there are role models out there. I can be a role model to some kid who’s struggling with an internal identity issue. PT: What do you do for fun?
CH: I like theater. Buffalo has a great theater scene. I go to as many concerts as I can, sometime in bars like Nietzsche’s. I saw Ani DiFranco there when she was just a teen.
PT: Do you feel like a natural woman?
CH: It’s become second nature. I just go about my business and I don’t have to think about what I’m doing. It’s like the training wheels are off. If we don’t live our lives for ourselves then what is the point?
Remember Those Who Have Fallen
The author
By Christian Taylor, 16th November, 2007
Nakia Ladelle Baker died in January in Tennessee as a result of blunt force trauma to the head. Keittirat Longnawa was beaten by nine youths in Thailand, who then slit her throat. In March, Moira Donaire was stabbed five times by a street vendor in Chile. The body of Michelle Carrasco was discovered in a pit in Chile, her face unrecognisable. Ruby Rodriguez was found naked and strangled to death in the street in San Francisco. Erica Keel was repeatedly run over by a car in Pennsylvania. Bret T. Turner died from multiple stab wounds in Wisconsin. Victoria Arellano was refused HIV related medications in California. Oscar Mosqueda from Florida was shot. Maribelle Reyes from Texas was turned away from HIV treatment centres because she was transgender. In July an unidentified cross dressing male was found dead with gunshot wounds to the chest and lower back.
The roll call of transgender people who have been killed in the last twelve months is a harrowing one.
Australia has had its share of transgender violence over the years as well. In Northern Queensland, Ronald Brown, a sixteen year old cross-dresser was viciously stabbed and left to die. Gordon Tuckey was murdered in Sydney, Joanne Lillycrapp, who identified as a cross-dresser, was murdered in South Australia by two people she had stopped to help while the death of Adel Bailey remains unsolved.
For the last nine years in dozens of cities around the world, November 20 has become a sobering reminder of the violence and danger that still exists in today’s world for transgender people. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is now in its ninth year, and it’s a day to remember those who have been killed as a result of anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.
It all started back on November 28th, 1998 when the murder of Rita Hesler sparked the Remembering Our Dead web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil the following year. While her murder still remains unsolved, it was the catalyst for creating the day, which is not only a day of honouring those who have fallen, but also a day for shining a spotlight on a chilling underbelly of society that’s rarely otherwise discussed.
Jade Starr (pictured), lead singer of the rock band Dreadcircus, is one transgender woman who is taking part in memorial events that are happening around the country. “Sadly with transgender people the mainstream media will cover us about as much as someone jumping off a bridge. It just gets hidden and not discussed.”
Jade’s had her fair share of violent incidences since becoming a transgender woman. “One morning in Sydney I was on my way to work and I was surrounded by a group of ethnic boys. One of them ran up from behind and punched me in the back of the head. I went down, more in shock, but the most insulting thing was that one of them kicked me and another one poured a bottle of chocolate milk over me while they all danced around chanting “freak, freak, freak”. Then they ran off.” Jade says that the humiliation only continued when she got to the police station and had to make a report. “The cops were kind of laughing at me ‘cos I stunk like rotten milk, and then I had to catch a bus home with my hair all matted. It was dreadful, but in the scheme of things I’m pretty lucky, I haven’t been threatened with my life yet. I don’t go to clubs because I just want to avoid that whole thing.”. . .
There’s Something About “Deception”
November 19, 2007
Julia Serano
Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 20th will be the 9th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, which memorializes those who are killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Trans people are often targeted for violence because their gender presentation, appearance and/or anatomy falls outside the norms of what is considered acceptable for a woman or man. A large percentage of trans people who are killed are prostitutes, and their murders often go unreported or underreported due to the public presumption that those engaged in sex work are not deserving of attention or somehow had it coming to them.
Some trans people are killed as the result of being denied medical services specifically because of their trans status, for example, Tyra Hunter, a transsexual woman who died in 1995 after being in a car accident. EMTs who arrived on the scene stopped providing her with medical care—and instead laughed and made slurs at her—upon discovering that she had male genitals.
Much of the violence that is directed at trans people is predicated on the myth of deception. For example, straight men who become attracted to trans women sometimes erupt into homophobic/transphobic rage and violence upon discovering that the woman in question was born male. Perhaps the most well known of such cases is that of Gwen Araujo, who was bludgeoned to death by a four men, two of whom she had been sexually intimate with. Despite the fact that the men plotted her murder a week in advance, defense lawyers insisted that the murder was merely manslaughter because the defendants were victims of Gwen’s “sexual deceit.”
In the spirit of “deception,” Fox as been airing the British reality series "There's Something About Miriam" all this past weekend (and one of these airings actually falls on Transgender Day of Remembrance). For those who unfamiliar with the show, it follows a group of bachelors who try to court a young attractive woman. The catch is that in the very last episode, she comes out to them as transsexual. The original 2004 UK broadcast of the show was delayed for several months because the bachelors threatened to sue the show’s producers, alleging that they had been victims of defamation, personal injury, and conspiracy to commit “sexual assault”—this last charge apparently stems from the fact that several of them had kissed and hugged Miriam. The affair was eventually settled out of court, with each man coming away with a reported $100,000.
Few attempts to blame the victim are more blatant than when trans people are accused of “sexual deceit” or “sexual assault” simply because other people have chosen to express their attraction toward us. In reality, it is they who are guilty of cissexual/cisgender assumption (when one presumes that every person they meet is nontrans by default). Trans people simply exist, we are everywhere, and the rest of the world has to start recognizing and accepting that. Programs like "There's Something About Miriam" not only reinforce the stereotype that trans people’s birth sex is “real” and our identified/lived sex is “fake,” but they perpetuate the myth of deception and thus enable violence against us. . . .
Julia Serano
Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 20th will be the 9th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, which memorializes those who are killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Trans people are often targeted for violence because their gender presentation, appearance and/or anatomy falls outside the norms of what is considered acceptable for a woman or man. A large percentage of trans people who are killed are prostitutes, and their murders often go unreported or underreported due to the public presumption that those engaged in sex work are not deserving of attention or somehow had it coming to them.
Some trans people are killed as the result of being denied medical services specifically because of their trans status, for example, Tyra Hunter, a transsexual woman who died in 1995 after being in a car accident. EMTs who arrived on the scene stopped providing her with medical care—and instead laughed and made slurs at her—upon discovering that she had male genitals.
Much of the violence that is directed at trans people is predicated on the myth of deception. For example, straight men who become attracted to trans women sometimes erupt into homophobic/transphobic rage and violence upon discovering that the woman in question was born male. Perhaps the most well known of such cases is that of Gwen Araujo, who was bludgeoned to death by a four men, two of whom she had been sexually intimate with. Despite the fact that the men plotted her murder a week in advance, defense lawyers insisted that the murder was merely manslaughter because the defendants were victims of Gwen’s “sexual deceit.”
In the spirit of “deception,” Fox as been airing the British reality series "There's Something About Miriam" all this past weekend (and one of these airings actually falls on Transgender Day of Remembrance). For those who unfamiliar with the show, it follows a group of bachelors who try to court a young attractive woman. The catch is that in the very last episode, she comes out to them as transsexual. The original 2004 UK broadcast of the show was delayed for several months because the bachelors threatened to sue the show’s producers, alleging that they had been victims of defamation, personal injury, and conspiracy to commit “sexual assault”—this last charge apparently stems from the fact that several of them had kissed and hugged Miriam. The affair was eventually settled out of court, with each man coming away with a reported $100,000.
Few attempts to blame the victim are more blatant than when trans people are accused of “sexual deceit” or “sexual assault” simply because other people have chosen to express their attraction toward us. In reality, it is they who are guilty of cissexual/cisgender assumption (when one presumes that every person they meet is nontrans by default). Trans people simply exist, we are everywhere, and the rest of the world has to start recognizing and accepting that. Programs like "There's Something About Miriam" not only reinforce the stereotype that trans people’s birth sex is “real” and our identified/lived sex is “fake,” but they perpetuate the myth of deception and thus enable violence against us. . . .
Respect isn't only for those who conform to the norm
11/19/07
TO THE EDITOR:
While riding the bus into campus from Carrboro on Tuesday, I was embarrassed and dismayed by the behavior of my fellow passengers - UNC students included - towards a transgender woman who shared the bus with us.
As the woman engaged in a loud telephone conversation, many bus riders exchanged smug glances and chuckled - laughing directly at her gender expression and the situation she was describing over the phone.
When she reached her stop and disembarked, the bus driver began to loudly crack jokes at her expense and the entire bus erupted in laughter.
I was appalled by the behavior of the driver and the other passengers and struck with the realization that everyone seemed to take a moment to "pat themselves on the back" for their own gender conformity.
Individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer regularly face discrimination, stigma, and prejudice; gender-based hate crimes and violence are common.
When communities normalize stigma and discrimination against transgender folks, as happened on the bus this week, it reinforces the message that being "out" as LGBTQ is dangerous and that our communities are hostile and unwelcoming.
I encourage the UNC community to learn more about trans folk by attending the documentary screening of "Southern Comfort," hosted by the Health Sciences LGBTQ Alliance tomorrow.
I also ask that the members of our community examine their own values and prejudices and be sensitive to all classmates and community members.
All of us deserve respect, regardless of gender expression or identity.
Lauren Dunnington
School of Public Health
Health Sciences LGBTQ Alliance
TO THE EDITOR:
While riding the bus into campus from Carrboro on Tuesday, I was embarrassed and dismayed by the behavior of my fellow passengers - UNC students included - towards a transgender woman who shared the bus with us.
As the woman engaged in a loud telephone conversation, many bus riders exchanged smug glances and chuckled - laughing directly at her gender expression and the situation she was describing over the phone.
When she reached her stop and disembarked, the bus driver began to loudly crack jokes at her expense and the entire bus erupted in laughter.
I was appalled by the behavior of the driver and the other passengers and struck with the realization that everyone seemed to take a moment to "pat themselves on the back" for their own gender conformity.
Individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer regularly face discrimination, stigma, and prejudice; gender-based hate crimes and violence are common.
When communities normalize stigma and discrimination against transgender folks, as happened on the bus this week, it reinforces the message that being "out" as LGBTQ is dangerous and that our communities are hostile and unwelcoming.
I encourage the UNC community to learn more about trans folk by attending the documentary screening of "Southern Comfort," hosted by the Health Sciences LGBTQ Alliance tomorrow.
I also ask that the members of our community examine their own values and prejudices and be sensitive to all classmates and community members.
All of us deserve respect, regardless of gender expression or identity.
Lauren Dunnington
School of Public Health
Health Sciences LGBTQ Alliance
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