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Update: Life in WI

Before I came to Wisconsin, the most common use of the word “packer” in my life was for these little dudes. Not so much anymore. Even the local gay bar is showing the game tonight. I find myself more cautious around the subject of football than of Christianity.

I have not seen any live music that wasn’t jazz, classical, or world music. No punk, no alt, & definitely no pscyhobilly.

I find myself talking about the envelope of warm air I can create around my head & face with the clever use of a large hat & my coat’s hood. I have actually thought, “Oh, 15’s not so bad” when getting dressed to walk to my office.

For the first time in my life, when people find out my name is Kramer, they assume I’m German — not that I’m Jewish. Similarly, this is the first year I was not wished a Happy Chanukah.

After speaking with a woman from Chicago visiting this past week I realized I have not had a conversation with a woman in dreds and/or mudcloth since I moved here.

I have considered invitations to go snowshoeing (but haven’t yet).

I found out that ducks eat fish. Who knew? I thought they ate bread/grasses & assumed they were vegetarians.

I’m sure there will be more, but it really is a pleasure to discover that life really isn’t the same elsewhere, despite mass commercialism, cable, & the internet.

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Counted as Trans

Nepal has created a ‘transgender’ category for their census. And before the traditional transsexual people get upset, no one is required to identify as trans, and the category was added in response to LGBT rights legislation (which passed in 2008).

It’s more than the US managed, that’s for sure.

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RIP: Sonia Burgess

After the UK press made an absolute mockery of a transgender person’s death, The Guardian publishes a eulogy to the person who was known first as David Burgess and who had previously been known as Sonia for some of the time, and who had only recently become Sonia Burgess all of the time.

“Sonia’s defining characteristic was her kindness,” says Tara. “It shone out of her. She had time for everybody and an absolute absence of snobbery and condescension. Sonia would interact equally comfortably and fluently with everyone without changing gear. I was devastated when Sonia died. I didn’t sleep for days. The sheer suddenness and finality of it was what was so awful. I miss her terribly.”

On 17 November, a funeral service for Sonia Burgess was held at St Martin-in-the-Fields, an impressive, grey-stone, porticoed church that overlooks Trafalgar Square. The church was filled with around 600 people from diverse backgrounds – lawyers, university contemporaries, former asylum seekers, members of the transgender community and countless others who, in some way, had had their lives touched by the person they knew as either David or Sonia. His three children stood up to deliver a eulogy about the father they had known, slipping easily between female and male pronouns as they talked. It was, everyone agreed, a moving tribute to an exceptional person.

I am, as others will be, uncomfortable with referring to Sonia as David and with “he” pronouns, but since Sonia did have a significant public life as David – as a well-known and accomplished immigration lawyer – I can understand The Guardian’s decision so that those who didn’t know her could read about the remarkable person she was.

Sonia, thank you for the beauty and grace you brought to being publicly transgender. Love and condolences to the communities that are mourning her personally. Feel free to leave comments or memories.

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Two Tune Tuesday: Pink

A student mentioned her in my feminist theory class – as an example of a cool feminist woman in the media – so here she is, first hit & most recent. I’ve always loved that she flaunts her lack of dainty, and how can you not someone who came up with “too school for cool”? Count me in: wrong in all the right ways, indeed.

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On AZ

I’m letting Bill Hicks speak for me on this one:

Like, I was over in England. You ever been to England, anyone, been to England? No one has handguns in England, not even the cops. True or false? True. Now-in England last year, they had fourteen deaths from handguns. FFFFFourteen. Now-the United States, and I think you know how we feel about handguns-woooo, I’m getting a warm tingly feeling just saying the ******* word, to be honest with you. I swear to you, I am hard. Twenty-three thousand deaths from handguns. Now let’s go through those numbers again, because they’re a little baffling at first glance. England, where no one has guns, fffffffourteen deaths. United States, and I think you know how we feel about guns-woooo, I’m getting a stiffy-twenty-three thousand deaths from handguns. But there’s no connection, and you’d be a fool and a Communist to make one. There’s no connection between having a gun and shooting someone with it, and not having a gun and not shooting someone. There have been studies made and there is no connection at all there. Yes. That’s absolute proof. You know, fourteen deaths from handguns. Probably American tourists, too.

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NYC: Katz @ CUNY Grad Center on Hide/Seek 1/12

On Wednesday, January 12th, Jonanthan D. Katz, author of Hide/Seek, will be speaking about the recent Smithsonian exhibit.

Where & When:
The Graduate Center, 365 5th Ave, Rm 9204
6pm-8pm

Jonathan D. Katz and the Omission and Censorship of Queer Art

Despite 30 years of scholarship from him and other experts, Katz says that most major institutions gloss over gay and lesbian sexuality in their collections – which is why Hide/Seek is such an important show. “Punishing the one institution that broke the blacklist will enable all the other institutions to sit on their hands,” says Katz. “My goal in doing the show was not simply to do the show, but also to make it safe for other institutions to do the show. We have been falsifying art history for decades.”

Here’s an interview with Katz, where he talks about the decision by the Smithsonian to pull the exhibit, & about the artists who have pulled their art and/or funding in response.

Exhibit Link

From the Smithsonian Newsdesk

I’d go if I were in NYC, that’s for damn sure.

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It Gets Better (Music Video edition)

It’s a singalong!

One day you’ll look back and you won’t give a fuck
When you’re swimming through your pussy vault like Scrooge Fucking Mcduck
And when you’re snatching your first grammy super glammy lookin slick
It wont be much time till they get in line for a chance to suck your dick

All the lyrics here, but those are my favorite: I’m pretty sure pussy and Scrooge McDuck have never appeared in a song lyric together before.