This week I have noticed the ongoing gap in general understanding of trans identities and politics starting to close in some ways, and perpetually continuing in others.
The first article was in Victoria's Times Colonist.
Growing up Different in BC
Including interviews with transfolks (who's pronouns they get right part of the time), doctors, some of whom actually advocate for local surgeries, and the health minister who seems to continue to believe that until trans patients waiting for surgery in BC make up a majority of his workload, they don't deserve to have the care and safety of having surgery close to home. I have written about this before and will do it again, the trauma caused by post-surgical travel is unnecessary and detrimental to patients in a very fragile physical and emotional state. Airplanes are not a healthful healing environment, and airports are not a safe space from discrimination and harassment. I am happy to see the paper in our province's capital covering this topic, but I would like to see province wide publication of this as news, and province wide response to Health Minister George Abbott. We are here, we want surgery and we want it close to home, in top notch facilities, with well trained doctors like Dr. Bowman, and we want it covered by provincial medical coverage.
Is that really too much to ask? It would be a financial savings to the province in a very short time if they quit exporting patients. It would keep the economy of SRS locally based and not dependant on inter-provincial travel which can be undue harm to patients post surgery.
And in completely other news, the mainstream public (in this case the riders of Translink in Vancouver) continue to be bombarded with transphobic media like this:
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/Entertainment/2009/01/26/8143556-sun.html
The "joke" that is transwomen working in the sex trade is an ongoing target of physical abuse and emotional harassment. This little entertainment piece, published in Vancouver's 24 hrs News Paper which is given out free on public transit continues to perpetuate this with lines including,
"the actor... failed to realize that the scantily clad sexy blonde giving him a lap dance wasn't a woman, until the stripper removed his wig"
"Kiefer was lost for words and hastily pushed the stripper off his lap..."
"Kiefer's jaw dropped and he shoved the she-male away as pals collapsed screaming. He looked angry...."
It seems that for straight men to feel "deceived" by the gender of someone that turns them on is still a rational excuse to lash out in physical and emotional abuse. I don't think so 24hrs!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
I imagine a number of blog writers may have returned to stale pages this week as a new year causes some of us to check in and resolve to absolve, re-start creating, re-new exploration and generally do something with the time spent inside, hiding from winter, almost ready to get back into the full swing of whatever our normal lives are, but are riding out the last weekend of this string of winter holidays resolved to make positive changes in our lives, or at least not get bored. I have a little bit of both, I will admit. I have been flooded with time without homework, no readings, no projects. So much down time to watch videos, smoke week, lay about, cuddle, sleep, drink hot chocolate and eat so much. It's reminded me that I have stories and visions, dreams and ideas. The time I have spent socializing this season has reminded me of those stories waiting to be recorded, drawn out, written out, layed in concrete allowing me to reflect on them and perhaps lay them to rest, or at least to a deeper understanding. I have decided to record at least one of those stories everyday, in the medium most appropriate. So far crayon illustrated narratives and pencil crayon life time lines have started to make their way on to paper. With any will and the dream of finding spare time to work on this after next week I will have a virant collection of my stories, presented in all of their unique ways.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Trans Day of Remembrance. 08.
Some say that the subconscious has a memory of dates, others say that due to a collective subconscious we feel our loved ones and our community through ourselves.
Sometimes we are overcome with feeling that doesn't seem to come from anywhere we can understand. High levels of anxiety, tears from nowhere, fear and discomfort.
All from nowhere, until you look at a calender.
That was how my day started today. I didn't realize until after the anxiety had subsided, that it is the 20th of November. Trans Day of Remembrance.
Today is the day that my community is gathering to assemble publicly to remember those of us who have been brutalized, attacked, murdered and lost in the past year. It is never a short list, and the names and stories are always a mix of disturbing, painful, heart wrenching and disgusting.
Last year I was a speaker at the TDOR event in Victoria, as I was asked to be again this year, I was with my community as we joined together to cry, scream, hold each other and feel the strength found in our collective body. This year I am in school, in a school without a TDOR event, or an organized collective body to find strength in. Making my way into school, to a crowded noisy classroom where no one has any knowledge of the gravity of the day. Perfect way to add anxiety to anxiety. I know that my community is gathering today amongst the madness of the world, the millions who have no idea what today is to me, or the thousands of others that will be gathering today. My community is gathering to remember, to honour, and to acknowledge the strength found in our collective body. Although I can not be physically in the presence of my people, I am with them. My head and my heart are with the fallen today, and with those left standing amongst the dead. I feel as if I am standing alone today, but I reach out to all of you who have stood on your own everyday. Those of us who exist invisibly, or dream to someday blend in. Those of us who live alone, the only gender diverse individual around, and to those of us who live in loving supportive communities, vibrant with diverse and powerful individuals. Today we stand together, in remembrance of those who have fallen and those who face adversity everyday. Today we stand together in resistance of continued ignorance, violence and brutalization of our community.
None of us are standing alone.
Sometimes we are overcome with feeling that doesn't seem to come from anywhere we can understand. High levels of anxiety, tears from nowhere, fear and discomfort.
All from nowhere, until you look at a calender.
That was how my day started today. I didn't realize until after the anxiety had subsided, that it is the 20th of November. Trans Day of Remembrance.
Today is the day that my community is gathering to assemble publicly to remember those of us who have been brutalized, attacked, murdered and lost in the past year. It is never a short list, and the names and stories are always a mix of disturbing, painful, heart wrenching and disgusting.
Last year I was a speaker at the TDOR event in Victoria, as I was asked to be again this year, I was with my community as we joined together to cry, scream, hold each other and feel the strength found in our collective body. This year I am in school, in a school without a TDOR event, or an organized collective body to find strength in. Making my way into school, to a crowded noisy classroom where no one has any knowledge of the gravity of the day. Perfect way to add anxiety to anxiety. I know that my community is gathering today amongst the madness of the world, the millions who have no idea what today is to me, or the thousands of others that will be gathering today. My community is gathering to remember, to honour, and to acknowledge the strength found in our collective body. Although I can not be physically in the presence of my people, I am with them. My head and my heart are with the fallen today, and with those left standing amongst the dead. I feel as if I am standing alone today, but I reach out to all of you who have stood on your own everyday. Those of us who exist invisibly, or dream to someday blend in. Those of us who live alone, the only gender diverse individual around, and to those of us who live in loving supportive communities, vibrant with diverse and powerful individuals. Today we stand together, in remembrance of those who have fallen and those who face adversity everyday. Today we stand together in resistance of continued ignorance, violence and brutalization of our community.
None of us are standing alone.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Catching up on physical time.
Early on in my transition and before I heard people say that they never felt in their bodies before they made the adjustments to make them into "their" bodies. I never related to this. Until now.
Now hear me out, I have never felt out of my body, I have always felt sort of about where I was. But a time has come to my life where I feel that I am catching up on the physical.
I used to write a lot, think, draw, research, converse. My existance and identity were built around thoughts and feelings, living from my head. These days I am finding it hard to sit down and write or think too deeply, because I want to be moving, inspecting facial hair growth, touching myself, learning all about my body and how it works. I feel like a two year old boy who can't keep his hands out of his pants because he has just realized that he has a little penis in there and wants to know what it can do. A four year old boy that won't sit still to eat his sandwich cause he'd rather race up to the top of the slide and scream all the way down just to hear what his voice can sound like. And in many ways I am that. I am a young boy, getting to know myself physically. And all the changes that have been happening in my body give a constant ability to discover something new. All of this physical time is compounded, the years as a young teen that I never masturbated, the years as a young adult where I was a lazy fucker and couldn't bare to get up for much, well not saying that my laziness has ceased, but the ways I find to fill my me time have shifted. So excuse me if I am not a deep thinking emotionally intelectual individual. I have a whole lot of physical time to catch up on, I'm probably watching the way my muscles flex in the mirror, or debating which parts of my face to shave, or touching myself, or riding as fast as I can, taking physical risks of speed, height, agility that I never would've and probably shouldn't. I'll be ok. Its just a bit of catch up.
Now hear me out, I have never felt out of my body, I have always felt sort of about where I was. But a time has come to my life where I feel that I am catching up on the physical.
I used to write a lot, think, draw, research, converse. My existance and identity were built around thoughts and feelings, living from my head. These days I am finding it hard to sit down and write or think too deeply, because I want to be moving, inspecting facial hair growth, touching myself, learning all about my body and how it works. I feel like a two year old boy who can't keep his hands out of his pants because he has just realized that he has a little penis in there and wants to know what it can do. A four year old boy that won't sit still to eat his sandwich cause he'd rather race up to the top of the slide and scream all the way down just to hear what his voice can sound like. And in many ways I am that. I am a young boy, getting to know myself physically. And all the changes that have been happening in my body give a constant ability to discover something new. All of this physical time is compounded, the years as a young teen that I never masturbated, the years as a young adult where I was a lazy fucker and couldn't bare to get up for much, well not saying that my laziness has ceased, but the ways I find to fill my me time have shifted. So excuse me if I am not a deep thinking emotionally intelectual individual. I have a whole lot of physical time to catch up on, I'm probably watching the way my muscles flex in the mirror, or debating which parts of my face to shave, or touching myself, or riding as fast as I can, taking physical risks of speed, height, agility that I never would've and probably shouldn't. I'll be ok. Its just a bit of catch up.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Public Forum Coming to Victoria
Public Forum on Sexual Reassignment Surgery (SRS)
Island Sexual Health Society is pleased to host
A Public Forum on Sexual Reassignment Surgery (SRS)
with Dr. Cameron Bowman & Alison Whelan
Friday June 13/08 at 7:00 pmLecture Room A240
Human Social Development Building
University of Victoria
Free Admission
ALL WELCOME
Monday, June 2, 2008
David Letterman is an ignorant transphobic asshole.
This is what I sent to CBS in response to this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr_kFIXL70w
I am writing to express my disgust with the transphobic comments of David Letterman's list :top10 messages on the pregnant man's answering machine.
It demonstrates ignorance to a revolting degree when such a powerful figure in media makes statements that incite hate on Mr. Beattie and transsexual and transgendered people. There are many of us out there who are discriminated against, physically endangered and tokenized in our everyday lives. Your television network, shows, writers etc have a chance to change things here and now by making transphobia an absolute unacceptable practice. I would expect that your show hold a matter of accountability when it comes to descrimination whether that be based on gender, sex, race, ethnicity, physical ability etc. Please consider the hate that you are broadcasting and the wide scale impact that it has on people - not only Mr. Beattie who has been specifically targetted, but all transsexual and transgendered people who have been made into a "freak show" by your programming. Which we are not, we are hard working people with the extra added challenge of a physical body that doesn't work to present our gender as easily as yours. Consider your priviledge and consider your impact. This is disgusting and I will not be watching your network and encouraging others to do the same until a public apology is made.
http://www.youtube.com/wat
I am writing to express my disgust with the transphobic comments of David Letterman's list :top10 messages on the pregnant man's answering machine.
It demonstrates ignorance to a revolting degree when such a powerful figure in media makes statements that incite hate on Mr. Beattie and transsexual and transgendered people. There are many of us out there who are discriminated against, physically endangered and tokenized in our everyday lives. Your television network, shows, writers etc have a chance to change things here and now by making transphobia an absolute unacceptable practice. I would expect that your show hold a matter of accountability when it comes to descrimination whether that be based on gender, sex, race, ethnicity, physical ability etc. Please consider the hate that you are broadcasting and the wide scale impact that it has on people - not only Mr. Beattie who has been specifically targetted, but all transsexual and transgendered people who have been made into a "freak show" by your programming. Which we are not, we are hard working people with the extra added challenge of a physical body that doesn't work to present our gender as easily as yours. Consider your priviledge and consider your impact. This is disgusting and I will not be watching your network and encouraging others to do the same until a public apology is made.
Long time coming
It's been a while, I know, a month, a busy month with little to no updates on here. I f ind when that expansive of a time period passes it can be hard to amass it into something tangible, but I will try to touch on the big important things.
First, Hoo-ha follow up:
On the 11th of May we had our long awaited Hoo-Ha at Swans hotel. It was a gathering that I had spent months wondering if or how it might happen. Who would come, what they might have to share, and how it may change the course of events in the trans and related queer community in Victoria. I was pleasantly surprised with an attendance of 20 people, all ranging in backgrounds from long time activists and allies, to new fresh blood stoked to make big changes in the way we support one another. We had people representing advocacy groups such as UVIC Pride, PFLAG, AVI, and private activists, many with years invested in the betterment of transpeople's status and rights. We were able to put together a timeline of various projects we had worked on over the past 20 years, and compile an up to date resource list of what's happening now. From a group for transguys, to a trans archive in its early development at UVIC, we all have a lot going on, but it was clear to many of us that the lack of sense of unified community was a problem. The fact that there are still people who don't know of the resources that exist or how to access them is a problem, and the fact that many of us live this life alone, often with no sense of how many of us there are in this life together is a problem, both of them with visible solutions. Obviously these being big things can be very overwhelming. The ideas of how to organize a disconnected and often invisible community can be more than a small group in an afternoon could ever begin to handle, but we're taking the first baby steps of a community coming together. I'm sure that this afternoon will not be the last gathering of this group, and our friends, allies and others waiting in the wings, we're going places.
I however, have gone other places altogether. I have made the big move to Vancouver. I have started a new position in the field of AIDS prevention outreach work with youth, and am moving into a house this week with a number of straight men. I have never lived with straight men, with the exception of my own father and I really have no idea what to expect. I am also undergoing this move in a method I never would've considered doing. I am stealth, out as queer, but completely quiet thus far about my gender and my past. I have only met one of the boys so far, and intend to meet the rest of them and feel it out before I decide to maintain the stealth mission of passing in my own home, or out myself as a non-op transman to men who I assume have never questioned their gender, sexuality or considered gender and sexuality politics. I will for sure be following this progression online, as it is an exploration in my transitioned gender which I have yet to experience. I also am really looking forward to integrating myself in a broader queer community here in Vancouver, being that it is a larger place, and there are more queers of all genders, we'll see where it takes me.
First, Hoo-ha follow up:
On the 11th of May we had our long awaited Hoo-Ha at Swans hotel. It was a gathering that I had spent months wondering if or how it might happen. Who would come, what they might have to share, and how it may change the course of events in the trans and related queer community in Victoria. I was pleasantly surprised with an attendance of 20 people, all ranging in backgrounds from long time activists and allies, to new fresh blood stoked to make big changes in the way we support one another. We had people representing advocacy groups such as UVIC Pride, PFLAG, AVI, and private activists, many with years invested in the betterment of transpeople's status and rights. We were able to put together a timeline of various projects we had worked on over the past 20 years, and compile an up to date resource list of what's happening now. From a group for transguys, to a trans archive in its early development at UVIC, we all have a lot going on, but it was clear to many of us that the lack of sense of unified community was a problem. The fact that there are still people who don't know of the resources that exist or how to access them is a problem, and the fact that many of us live this life alone, often with no sense of how many of us there are in this life together is a problem, both of them with visible solutions. Obviously these being big things can be very overwhelming. The ideas of how to organize a disconnected and often invisible community can be more than a small group in an afternoon could ever begin to handle, but we're taking the first baby steps of a community coming together. I'm sure that this afternoon will not be the last gathering of this group, and our friends, allies and others waiting in the wings, we're going places.
I however, have gone other places altogether. I have made the big move to Vancouver. I have started a new position in the field of AIDS prevention outreach work with youth, and am moving into a house this week with a number of straight men. I have never lived with straight men, with the exception of my own father and I really have no idea what to expect. I am also undergoing this move in a method I never would've considered doing. I am stealth, out as queer, but completely quiet thus far about my gender and my past. I have only met one of the boys so far, and intend to meet the rest of them and feel it out before I decide to maintain the stealth mission of passing in my own home, or out myself as a non-op transman to men who I assume have never questioned their gender, sexuality or considered gender and sexuality politics. I will for sure be following this progression online, as it is an exploration in my transitioned gender which I have yet to experience. I also am really looking forward to integrating myself in a broader queer community here in Vancouver, being that it is a larger place, and there are more queers of all genders, we'll see where it takes me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)