Letters to the Editor
Reply
to a Crone
This is a reply to the crone who thinks
Transsexuals never bleed. Who thinks we aren't "real" women.
Who thinks we don't know the struggles, emotions and pain they do. A person
asked me one time why a man would get rid of his penis. I told him I have
no clue... And I have never met a Transsexual who wouldn't prefer to change
the inside, and this article explains why. I hope sharing this intimate
moment in my life enlightens those ignorant people who demand acceptance
as we do for who we truly are.
[from an Email, sent by the letter writer]
"Well, I think I sank the lowest I have felt since I started all
this. Last night I was wondering what my sisters would think of me moving
there. I called and my nephew who is a sweetie and retarded answered.
He's 24 with the maturity of a 9 yr. old.... [He] told me they did a 180-degree
turn and I am now the subject of disgust and shame. I got off the phone
after listening to him cry and say he still loved me... Then I hung up
and spent the whole night crying. They say before you start this transition,
be ready to lose everything. This morning the only thing I have left in
my life is my kids and realistically I wonder in time will I even have
them?
"I am not as down I have been in the
past, but I think I feel worse and [more] isolated than anytime I can
remember. I hope things turn around soon. I hope this starts feeling worth
it again. I still have hope, that is something only I can take away. I
need a job, one that can support me and pay child support if I can't get
custody, I need a lawyer for my divorce with no money and have to let
go of pride to ask for pro bono. I have spent my whole life doing for
others, raising 4 stepkids, how the hell did I end up so alone? I knew
this might happen. Today I will mourn, tomorrow is a new day.
April Elizabeth
Colchester
Breakthrough, Throwback
It is ironic and sad that the same issue
of OITM that features a groundbreaking case involving equal rights for
transpeople here in Vermont also includes an article about the Lesbian/Crone
community which points out one more obnoxious and offensive slap in the
face to inclusiveness for all GLBT people.
The very fact that those quoted in the article
who refused to consider transwomen as females demanded their anonymity
is cowardly... Shame on them, and shame on the greater GLBT community
for looking the other way once again rather than hold this group as responsible
for their actions as they would any heterosexual or GLBT social group
that would refuse admission to a segment of our community based on a gay
or lesbian identity.
It is especially pathetic that one source
quoted said that "(The) Crones is the only place I can go and just
be with and talk to old women, women with my experiences. [Transwomen]
say they've always felt like women, but how the hell do they know? They've
never bled or had menstrual cramps." Well, how the Hell does she
know what the feelings of another human being are? If she thinks womanhood
is defined solely by menstruation and cramps then she has a very dim view
of what a woman is.
Transwomen endure incredible prejudice in
the greater world, experience enormous physical pain to achieve their
womanhood, and face harsh financial burdens to align their bodies to their
spiritual and mental reality. It is disgraceful that any thoughtful human
being could not recognize that the choice to take the step towards gender
reassignment is a courageous one, and it is undertaken with a realization
that rejection, poverty, and loneliness may be what await one on "the
other side" of the journey. But to experience this behavior from
within our own community is appalling. If the G, L, and Bs in your masthead
believe that this type of antiquated thinking is acceptable then you might
as well take the "T" off of your paper because we are clearly
not really a part of this supposedly supportive community.
Women in general have complained for
centuries about their second class status in our society, and Lesbians
have been treated even worse within that context. How tragic that we can
now count on a segment of our own discriminated-against community to revel
in their own opportunity to practice discrimination and inflict heartbreak
on others....
Grace Noble
Colchester, VT
The Bush Holy War
We are badly in need of a new president,
so let's do it. The man is on a holy war and he is our head of state and
there is hate in the world for American arrogance. Some Americans in international
internet chat feel the need to explain that our president does not represent
us; he represents the corporate lobby. We didn’t elect him President.
The Supreme Court did.
Soon after the World Trade Center disaster,
he proclaimed we were on a "crusade" for America. In the Medieval
name of God the "crusaders" murdered, raped, and pillaged Jews,
Christians, and Muslims in their trek across Europe to the Middle East
on a quest to slay the Muslim "infidels" in the "Holy Land."
Sigmund Freud would not have quickly excused this remark as just another
harmless blunder. Parapraxis, or Freudian slippage, does not happen by
accident. It represents an unconscious wish that's come to the surface.
A holy war to save America sounds more like intended effort, a conscious
plan of his own design, rather than repressed fantasy. When a reporter
asked him once which philosopher he respected most, he said Jesus. Okay,
so does he turn the other cheek? Does he do unto others as he'd have done
to himself?
Faith, religion, and tradition are not the
problem. Extremist ideology is. Why is the slogan "God bless America"?
Why is it not "God bless the world"? Who are they to say God
is on our side?
Mr. Bush has called for a federal
constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Well if his marriage feels
threatened, he could try a marriage counselor. He'd rather the public
blame anyone else than blame him for the mess we're in. He is a born again
Christian, of the same ilk as Jerry Falwell. They have no doubt Armageddon
is upon us. We need a new president, for equality for gays, and so the
world doesn't hate Americans.
Leviticus says a man cannot lie with
a man as he does with a woman. Well that doesn't prohibit lesbian sex.
And, umm, what if all the guys did it standing up? And what if we all
got married, and from then on, our first time was only our wedding nights?
There's nothing in the Bible against that! We'd be in love just like Jonathan
and King David.
Please add www.johnkerry.com
as a link to your websites and Internet profiles. Please visit his website
and learn how to volunteer for him as an Internet advocate. Please register
to vote before the election. Please contribute to the Kerry campaign.
Please vote. We are not powerless against George W. Bush.
David Altier, M.A.
Williston
David Altier identifies as a Log Cabin Republican.
Correction:
Last issue in our article on the R.U.1.2? Community Center Dinner, we
misspelled the name of Glenn Johnson, who nominated and introduced the
award winner. We regret the error.