Saturday, November 24, 2007
Different strokes
She’s had the courage to acknowledge her alternate sexuality, accept it and finally declare it to one and all. Arup Chanda meets Rose, who was Ramesh Venkatesan a year ago, and is today all set to be the first transgender host of a television talk show in the country
“Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, you gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I’ll give it to someone special.”
— George Michael
THIS Christmas, Rose will give her heart to someone special. Last Christmas, she had given it to a man, who gave it away the very next year.
Come December, as Ramesh Venkatesan, aka Rose, signs off a Tamil television talk show saying “Ippadikku Rose” (Yours Rose), he - who has now turned into a she - will be the first transgender to host a chat show in the country.
SITTING PRETTY: Rose will host the show in traditional finery
Her “someone special” will be the Tamil population not only in India but also abroad, particularly in North America, Europe and South-East Asia.
The Tamil talk show will initially focus on homosexuality and alternate sexuality, phobias and mania and later on socio-economic issues and politics.
With her long hair tied in a bun and wearing a printed capri and a striped top, 28-year-old Rose said, “I will be the first transgender anchor in India and after the announcement by Star Vijay, which will produce my programme, many are treating me like a star.”
At five feet eight inches and with an athletic figure, Rose can be the envy of any item girl in Bollywood. Wearing red nail polish and her eyes laced with a black eyeliner, as Rose rides into a petrol station, the attendants address her as “Madam” without realising she is a transgender.
“I was born a boy in a conservative Chettiar business family on May 6, 1979, with one sister and two brothers. From the age of five I would wear my sister’s clothes and play with her dolls. When I went to school, the boys would tease me because of my feminine behaviour but I remained quiet,” she recollects.
Made fun of and abused verbally by male friends in school, she withdrew into her shell and concentrated more on studies. This paid dividends and she ranked in the top 10 in Ramakrishna Mission School and went on to obtain a degree in mechanical engineering in Chennai.
“Deep inside I always knew I was different but I did not dare reveal my real identity. I could not disclose I felt like a woman because I was scared my parents would throw me out of home and I would miss out on my education. After graduating as an engineer, I wrote the GRE and scored a very high percentile, which enabled me to go to the US in 2001 on a scholarship.
“While I was doing my MS in bio-medical engineering at Louisiana Tech University, I gradually started dressing like a woman but strictly only in private. Contrary to popular belief, Americans are hypocrites and do not accept alternate sexuality so easily. There have been incidents of violence against people of the third gender, so I never dared to come out in the open in the US,” Rose narrates.
Her mother broke down and her father was scandalised and shocked when Rose informed them over telephone from the US of being a transgender. They immediately consulted a psychiatrist who said that being a “young boy in a different culture and environment, he was confused and it was just a passing phase”.
THE WORLD IS HER TARGET: Rose is looking forward to her chat show, which will be launched next month
After getting a master’s degree, she returned to India but did not take up job as a professional engineer. She instead worked as an American accent trainer with a call centre in Chennai
“I gave up the job after a year and went to London since I had a work visa. I knew that because of my new identity — with which I had decided to come out in open — I would not get a proper job in India. So I decided to be a web developer for foreign clients as I had also studied web designing. I managed to get some foreign clients while in London and now work as a web developer from home without my clients knowing about my alternate sexuality,” said Rose, explaining how she attained economic independence.
It wasn’t easy for Rose to take the final decision about her sexuality. “At times I treated this phenomenon as an illness. There are clearly defined roles for men and women in society. I cried and asked myself why God had done this to me. I wondered what was in store for me? But finally, I decided to take the plunge,” she said.
Early this year Rose won a transgender beauty contest in Chennai and after that, around six months ago, she approached Star Vijay with the idea of hosting a television talk show as a transgender. Star Vijay approved the proposal and decided to produce it. . . .
Transgender Politician Faces Fraud Lawsuit
RIVERDALE, Ga., Nov. 22 (AP) — Four years after she won a City Council seat, making her what is believed to be Georgia’s first transgender politician, Michelle Bruce is battling a lawsuit by an unsuccessful opponent who claims she misled voters by running as a woman.
Ms. Bruce, a tall woman with shoulder-length graying hair, said she has always identified herself as transgender.
“I’ve always been Michelle,” she said. “If someone has a problem with that, I can’t help them. It’s a personal issue.”
Ms. Bruce, 46, who runs an auto repossession business, began her political campaign in 2003. Running unopposed, she landed one of four Council seats and promised to attract more jobs and residents to Riverdale, a town of 12,000 about 12 miles south of Atlanta, lined with rundown strip malls and used car shops.
Three rivals ran against her in the Nov. 6 election. She captured 312 votes, not enough to avoid a Dec. 4 runoff against the second-place finisher, Wayne Hall, who earned 202 votes.
The third-place finisher, Georgia Fuller, who collected 171 votes, filed a lawsuit claiming election fraud.
The complaint, identifying Ms. Bruce as “Michael Bruce,” says she misled voters by identifying herself as female. It asks a judge to rule the November election results invalid and order another general election.
Ms. Fuller did not return calls seeking comment, but her lawyer said voters in Riverdale tended to favor female candidates, particularly if they were incumbents.
“It gives her an unfair advantage,” said the lawyer, Michael King. “It’s not just sour grapes. The people need to know whether the election is fair.”
The suit is unlikely to be settled before the Dec. 4 runoff, but Ms. Bruce sees it as an effort to alienate her from voters.
“They’re just distracting the voters from the issues,” she said. “Everybody in my district knows me. Everyone in Riverdale knows me.”
City Attorney Deana Johnson said Ms. Bruce’s identity was no mystery to her constituents.
“She has served as councilperson for four years as Michelle Bruce,” Ms. Johnson said. “It sounds like a case of politics.”
Ms. Bruce will not say if she had surgery to change her gender, saying it is a personal matter.
She deflected most questions about her personal life, instead addressing her hopes for Riverdale, a town she said was in search of an identity.
“People want a candidate that will listen to them, protect them, save them money and be there for them,” Ms. Bruce said. “And I always will be.” . . .
WHY THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY hates the Human Rights Campaign
BY MONICA ROBERTS
Why does the transgender community hate the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)? It’s a question I get frequently asked in GLBT settings. Considering the recent GLBT family feud erupting over ENDA, it’s an appropriate one to ask as well.
Before I get started trying to shed light on it, I need to point out in the name of journalistic integrity that I was the Lobby Chair for the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC) from 1999-2002.
The roots of the animosity start after Stonewall. In an effort to appear more ‘mainstream’ to the straight community, Jim Fouratt and friends bounced Sylvia Rivera and other transpeople out of New York’s GLF (Gay Liberation Front). Jim Fouratt’s anti-transgender comments culminating in a 2000 one at a Stonewall observance in which he called transpeople ‘misguided gay men who’d undergone surgical mutilations’ also added insult to the injury.
In a pattern that persists to the present day, The GLF had protections for transpeople removed from a proposed 1971 New York GLBT rights anti-discrimination bill under the pretext that it wouldn’t pass with such ‘extreme’ language.
Ironically the bill failed anyway and the New York City GLB-only rights bill wouldn’t pass until 1986. Transgender inclusion was fought at that tome by Tom Stoddard, who would later head Lambda Legal. Transgender people didn’t get added in the New York City bill until after Sylvia Rivera’s death in 2002.
In 1979 Janice Raymond poured more gasoline on the fire with her virulently anti-transgender book The Transsexual Empire.
Raymond also took it a step further in 1981 and penned a quasi-scientific looking report that was responsible for not only ending federal and state aid for indigent transpeople, but led to the insurance company prohibitions on gender reassignment related claims. Germaine Greer’s anti-transgender writing combined with Raymond’s led to involuntary outing and harassment of transwomen in lesbian community settings. It also sowed the seeds for the anti-transgender attitudes in the lesbian community that persisted through the late 90’s.
So what does this have to do with HRC since it didn’t get founded until 1980?
The problem is that the senior gay leadership is still influenced by the Fouratt-Raymond-Greer negative attitudes towards transpeople. That sentiment is concentrated disproportionately in California and the Northeast Corridor. The early gay and lesbian leadership also sprang up from those areas as well.
The transgender community around the late 80’s renewed its organizing efforts to fight for its rights. The early leadership was also concentrated in the Northeast Corridor and California as well and regarded the gay community as natural allies.
One thing they didn’t take into account was how deeply entrenched the anti-transgender attitudes and doctrines were amongst gay and lesbian leaders. Barney Frank (D-MA) is a prominent example of it. They still persisted in holding the view that transgender people were ‘crazy queens’ who would cost them their rights. Gay leaders were still trying to use the 70’s assimilationist strategy to counter the Religious Right campaign against gay civil rights fueled by fear of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
In the 90’s the transgender leadership became more national in scope and more diverse by the end of the decade. In addition to the founding core leadership from California and the Northeast corridor, transleaders emerged in Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois. The emergence of leaders from what was derisively called ‘flyover country’ by the peeps from Cali and the Northeast Corridor changed the dynamics of the transgender rights movement. . . .
Mich. Governor Guards Transgender Rights
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Jennifer Granholm has issued an order that bars discrimination against state workers based on their "gender identity or expression," which protects the rights of those who behave, dress or identify as members of the opposite sex.
The order, which Granholm signed Wednesday, adds gender identity to a list of other prohibited grounds for discrimination that includes religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, height, weight, marital status, politics, disability or genetic information.
"State employment practices and procedures that encourage nondiscriminatory and equal employment practices provide desirable models for the private sector and local governments," says the resolution.
The Triangle Foundation, a Michigan-based group advocating rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, praised Granholm's action.
"Coming out as transgender is a career-ender. Transgendered people lose their jobs all the time," foundation policy director Sean Kosofsky told the Detroit Free Press.
James Muffet, president of Citizens for Traditional Values, expressed doubt about the seriousness of sexual identity discrimination in state government. He said Granholm more likely was making a political gesture toward gay rights groups that backed her 2006 re-election bid.
Show Girls Doc: An Interview with Jeremy Stanford and Maria Roman
by Lawrence Ferber
In Trantasia (Smocko Productions/TLA Releasing), a film-festival hit that arrived on DVD October 30, male-to-female transsexuals compete in the first-ever Worldís Most Beautiful Transsexual Pageant in Las Vegas.
While beauty isnít always on displayósome less-than-pretty drama arises among the girlsódirector Jeremy Stanford digs beneath the superficial by profiling the lives of six of the contestants, visiting their homes and frequently accepting families (maybe the 21st Century finally is arriving).
One of those contestants was Maria Roman, a Puerto Rico-born, Los Angeles-based transsexual activist who was doing HIV prevention outreach and working as the trans program manager at LAís BIENESTAR when she first heard about the pageant and documentary.
I spoke with Roman and Stanford by phone about making the doc, getting clocked on the strip, and who deserved to win.
Jeremy, was this always conceived as a documentary? I understand it was pitched as a possible reality series as well, correct?
Jeremy Stanford: We were open to options. We initially tried to get some backing, and had some interest in the time as a possible reality series. But at its heart, it was always a documentary.
Maria, you decided to join the pageant so that you might become part of the documentary, and represent and talk about trans issues. What did you think of the competition once arrived?
Maria Roman: The women there really meant business. They had been competing for years in pageants, and were there to win. I couldnít believe it. I was a novice. To be honest, I was never into the competition. My main goal was to be part of the doc. That was really what drove me through the project.
JS: Mariaís commitment to the community is impressive.
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JS: They were a little wild, and what surprised me maybe was the dissention [it caused] among the girls. Certainly, thatís an issue that exists in the community in generalóhow they want to be seen in public, and how they see themselves. It led to an interesting moment when Marie is upset, and wants to leave the pageant, because that was a bad representation of the community.
MR: What happened was, a girl grabbed one of my boobs, and I was horrified. It was a little interesting to have all these people looking at us. As it is, weíre all walking targets. I was afraid of what was going to happen. Essentially, we were exposing ourselves for everyone to look at us. Talk about carrying a flag proud!
When did the onlookers on the strip realize there was something special about theses ladies?
JS: I think the word spread rather quickly. Itís called "getting clocked," what these girls call it when they get called out. Some got clocked sooner than others.
Was there even more offscreen drama? Was it like 1968ís The Queen?
JS: We would have loved to have a little more drama! There was some stuff that went on. The great thing about the Maria moment was, we actually take the moment where she walks away from the group, and get her reaction in an interview. But in general, what amazed us as filmmakers, and the girls, was a supportive sense of sisterhood that pervaded the pageant. Certainly, they were professional, but they realized this was a moment for them as a community, so that sense of sisterhoodóthere were no catfights or wig pulling. It was more about sharing this moment, and enjoying the recognition for them and their community.
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MR: I think sheís a great human being. Sheís definitely in touch with herself, and loving to the rest of the community. She treated us beautifully, and many of us have to look at her as a pioneer. I consider her someone to look up to who succeeded in an age when everything was tabooóand she survived that huge scandal.
What are the biggest issues for transsexual women today?
MR: Being able to go on with daily things like get a job, pay rent, and have a stable home. For many of us, the moment we turn trans, we face discrimination in the workplace and housing. None of us as children say, ëI want to be hustling to make 10 dollars or a hundred dollars.í Many doors are shut in our face. I was victim of a hate crime last March. You can Google it. I was in a show in Miami, and I was drugged by a group of men, and I was arrested for disturbing the peace.
What did you learn about transsexuals and trans issues while making the documentary, Jeremy?
JS: The one preconception I had going to Las Vegas was the stereotypical story of the little girl trapped in the little boyís body. But they all had such different reasons for doing what they do. For [contestant] Tiara, it was a way to escape the projects, a survival mechanism. As she says, thereís always a way out, and this was her way out. She had a very rough life and childhood, seeing someone gunned down in her apartment building. And for some girls like her, who are young, effeminate gay boys, becoming a female impersonator and transsexual was a way to basically turn a liability into a positive. It was empowering. Whereas she might have always been ridiculed [as a boy], when she appeared as a woman at the club, that was a huge asset, and she received all this praise. Each had such different stories. . . .
