Trans Quiz
It’s not the kind – or the list – that I would give at the end of my Transgender Lives course, but we do read several of the authors mentioned.
So take the Trans Quiz & find out how many famous trans people you can name.
I got 29/30. You?
SRLP Turns 10!
Help the Sylvia Rivera Law Project celebrate its 10th anniversary by making a donation.
They do cool work.
The guy in the middle is the inimitable Dean Spade, btw.
University of Victoria Trans Archive
How cool is this? University of Victoria has an archive of transgender materials – from Reed Erickson, Ari Kane, Virginia Prince, and other people who collected significant trans history.
From the Archivists:
The Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria holds the world’s largest collection of archival material related to modern transgender activism and research.
The University of Victoria is committed to preserving the history of pioneering activists, community leaders, and researchers working for the betterment of transgender people. Our collection began in 2007 with the generous donation by Ms. Rikki Swin of the entire contents of the extensive Rikki Swin Institute. Included were almost 500 transgender newsletters; papers and memorabilia of Virginia Prince, one of the founders of transgender activism; twenty years of history of Fantasia Fair, the longest-running TG convention (37 years and counting); key documents from activist Ariadne Kane; and papers from the founders of the International Foundation for Gender Education. Other major holdings include the personal papers of transgender pioneer, philanthropist, and activist Reed Erickson, founder of the Erickson Educational Foundation; legal documents from the Kimberly Nixon vs. Vancouver Rape Relief case; records of Vancouver transsexual support organization the Zenith Foundation; and more.
We would like your support in building our collections and making them more easily accessible to people throughout the world. If you have material that you think might be suitable for the transgender archives, or if you would like to support our work through a financial donation, please contact Academic Director Dr. Aaron Devor (ahdevor@uvic.ca) or University Archivist Lara Wilson (ljwilson@uvic.ca).
The Transgender Archives at the University of Victoria are open to the public, faculty, students, and scholars. For more information about the collections, and about supporting the Transgender Archives at UVic , please visit: http://transgenderarchives.uvic.ca/
And yes, I’ve already offered them one of those (manuscript) copies of My Husband Betty I found when we were moving this past summer.
Trans United for Obama: Next National Call 10/19
The campaign is in full gear now, and we are excited to invite all of our Trans United for Obama supporters to our next national call.
The call will take place on October 19th at 3:30 PM EST, and our featured speakers are Dr. Marci Bowers (an innovator and pioneer in surgery), Mayor Cory Booker (the renowned and outspoken mayor of Newark, NJ), and Kylar Broadus (one of the fourteen trans delegates who went to the DNC this year).
To join the call, visit this link. Once you register, you’ll get an email with all the information you’ll need to call in. Then send this email to others you know!
Here are the details:
What: National Trans United for Obama call with Mayor Cory Booker, Dr. Marci Bowers, Delegate Kylar Broadus and YOU!
When: Friday, October 19th at 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Who Should Join: Transgender people and allies interested in helping to re-elect the President. This is an organizing call closed to bloggers and press. Continue reading “Trans United for Obama: Next National Call 10/19”
Voting While Trans
If there is any trans person local to me, in Appleton, who wants an advocate at their polling place, email me. I’d be happy to help. Otherwise, get more info at www.votingwhiletrans.org.
On Dominant Narratives and Why Trans People Lie
This is a really fascinating article written by a trans person and sent to me by one too, and it echoes a lot of the thought and sentiment of the MHB Boards over the years.
But it’s true that, before I said it, I carefully mined my personal history for examples of how I was never really a girl. And when I presented my decision to transition to my friends and family, it was with the “always knew” narrative well rehearsed. In that, I’m like almost every other trans* person I’ve ever talked to about the coming out process.Why is “I always knew” the common narrative? Why do so many of us tell some version of that story even if it isn’t true?
and this:
Which brings me to a question I want to leave with you: Why are we, as transgender people, challenged by others to prove that we really are who we say we are? Why do we feel this reflexive need to prove our genders beyond a shadow of a doubt? Because when we find ourselves backed into the “I always knew” corner, we end up doing the same thing we did all those years we were trying to fit the gender we were assigned at birth: repressing an essential part of ourselves for fear it will betray us.
But of course I will add, as a cis ally, that hey, trans people: forgive yourself for wanting stuff to not suck sometimes and so doing what needs to be done to get your transition to happen. Honestly, it’s the rest of us who are inconsistent assholes for not just being cool with it.
But either way, Zach McCallum: well done.
Being Emily
A friend just wrote:
Just wanted to give you a heads-up about a cool work of trans fiction with lots of stuff from a partner’s perspective. It’s the best queer young adult read I’ve seen since Julie Peters’ Keeping You A Secret
Anyway, it’s Rachel Gold’s Being Emily
I haven’t read it yet personally, but I thought I’d pass the good word on. My thanks to Natasha for the tip.
Happy Birthday to Mara Keisling
Join to wish Mara Keisling, the executive director of NCTE, a happy 53rd birthday!
Bring Trans in the US Military
Trans people, as some people may know, were not included in DADT and so are also not free to serve now that it has been revoked. Trans people usually can’t serve because in order to get treatment for transsexualism, trans people often have to be diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder, which is a mental health issue, and which disables someone from serving.
Basically, Klinger was right, except everyone knew he wasn’t a real crossdresser; he just didn’t want to be in the war. Most crossdressers who serve do so while deep in the closet, just as many gay and lesbian service members did in the past. Even crossdressing is still grounds for discharge.