Ruby Corado on being gender queer in the nation's capital, Interview
by Sean Bugg 03/30/2006
When
Ruby Corado arrived in the Washington area as an immigrant from
El Salvador, she was a teenager. She was also male.
"What
marked the point when I decided I needed to leave was when I saw
that my life was in danger for political and sexual orientation
reasons," says Corado of her journey to the U.S.
A
self-described "very, very feminine" youngster, the then-teenage
Corado slowly entered the D.C. gay scene, discovering a new world
in the glitter and glamour of drag. And over the years, what may
have started as drag revealed itself to be a part of everyday life.
Since
that realization, Corado -- she chose to use the maternal family
name in honor of her mother, who died of cancer -- has launched
herself into the world of GLBT activism. Most significantly, she
was part of the Coalition to Clarify the D.C. Human Rights Act,
a group of activists who successfully mobilized to change D.C. Human
Rights Act to include protections for gender identity or expression.
The law took effect this March.
In a city that's seen horrific violence against transgender people,
including a string of murders over the past few years, this legislative
change is both a practical and political victory. And with the involvement
of a broad range of transgender activists and gay and lesbian supporters,
it has helped solidify the sometimes uncertain positioning of transgender
issues within the GLBT acronym.
"This
is a great victory for transgender people in D.C.," she says.
"Not because discrimination is going to magically stop, but
because we've shown that when transgender people and our allies
come together we can improve things, for ourselves and our communities."
For
the 35-year-old Corado, it's also a personal victory, marking another
step in a journey that escaped persecution in one land only to help
defeat it in another.
METRO
WEEKLY: Did you realize you were different as a child?
RUBY
CORADO: I don't want to stereotype all gay people, but I do think
that if we look within ourselves, most gay people carry some level
of specialness. It can be constituted as being either "too
butch" or "too feminine." I got in touch with a huge
chunk of my feminine side as early on as 4- or 5-years-old. I remember
we used to play circus in my house with the neighbor kids, and I
wanted to be the ballerina. I didn't want to be the master of the
circus, I wanted to be the dancer.
MW:
How do you identify?
CORADO:
I identify as Ruby, the person. But I have learned to modify myself
to fit into what the movement really labels me, which is transgender.
I'm perfectly happy with that. Even when I wasn't really out, I
was more feminine. Then when I was out I was super feminine -- I
used to call it ''super gay,'' and for many years that's really
how I identified myself. Right now, based on the changes that I
made to my body, I certainly identify as a transsexual. I don't
want to [have] the debate of whether I'm gay, because I work and
I live and I breathe LGBT, so sometimes I go back and forth. But
if I'm sitting with my friends -- most of them are gay -- I don't
feel any less than they are and they don't feel any more than I
am.
MW:
You were very involved with the local drag scene.
CORADO:
That all started around 1993 in the club scene, which I was very
much a part of. A group of us would perform and do the pageants
and the shows -- it really felt very good. Around 1995, I won a
pageant. I felt like I had just won the presidency. [Laughs.] I
took the title and I used it to promote HIV prevention. I started
talking about violence [against the community]. I took it very seriously.
When I was on stage I was Miss Ruby Bracamontes, but I wanted to
take it a little further. I didn't want to just keep it in the club
-- I wanted to parade my crown during the day. And it really empowered
me to speak about the things that were happening in the community.
MW:
When did you decide to transition to living as a woman?
CORADO:
Physically, in the early '90s. It depends on how you define it.
Sometimes I had to be butch and straight-acting, but it really didn't
work because no matter how straight-acting I tried to be, I still
had the hand mannerisms and the way of talking that was very unique.
But around 1995, I realized that when I was leaving the clubs on
Friday and Saturday nights, when I came into the daylight, I didn't
want to go back to being the other person.
MW:
How did the people around you react?
CORADO:
I started educating people prior to the body changes. Even when
I had a beard, I already had identified myself as who I was -- I
was Ruby. So when I had made the change it wasn't really about having
them accept me, because they already had. It was about celebrating.
MW:
How about your family's reaction?
CORADO:
I have been very lucky, because I have a really good family. For
many, many years I really tried to pull away from them because I
didn't want to hurt them. Knowing that I was gay, it was already
a little tough on them. But overall, my mom, in particular, she
was very accepting. And my sisters have been my biggest supporters.
They have been really good.
MW:
What led you to get involved with the coalition to change D.C.'s
Human Rights Act?
CORADO:
In the '90s, my friends and I would go to a party or a club on Saturday
and we'd have so much fun. It would be 4 a.m. and we wanted to still
be in drag and living in the moment we were having. And then people
on the street would start calling us names. That's really how it
all started. I realized that there were many of us who were very
feminine -- what we call ''gender queer'' now -- and we had some
special needs.
Also,
for myself, I realized that with all of the changes I was going
through, I was feeling fabulous. I was really living the life I
wanted to live and feeling great and so proud of myself and on top
of the world. And then I get on the bus and get called ''faggot.''
And that's when I realized that the person I was becoming really
had fewer opportunities, had many more barriers than when I looked
not so feminine. I actually lost my job.
I
was finding that things were a lot tougher. This beautiful, wonderful,
amazing person that I was becoming was not supposed to be out in
public. And because I was bringing it out in public, people were
very cruel. I would apply for jobs and they'd look at me funny from
the moment I walked in the door. Really, when I was living as a
gay person I had some benefits, because even when I was super gay,
the moment I looked butch, that's where it all stopped. But once
I was becoming this gorgeous person, there was no turning back.
I cannot be butch anymore. I am who I am. And that's how I got involved
as an activist.
In
2004, a group of 40 of us decided we wanted to take it a little
further. We realized that the protections for transgender people,
gender-queer people who do not conform to the normal male/female
[roles] did not have many clear protections. We hoped that by changing
legislation, particularly the city's Human Rights Act, that the
episodes that we all had lived through -- applying for a job or
an apartment and not getting it -- would be clearly stated as not
okay. The coalition is really a big group of very dedicated people
who wanted to see change.
The
majority of people in the coalition are transgender -- people who
are beginning in the process, people who have been living their
lives as transgender individuals for many years, and well-known
transgender activists. But there are a lot of people who really
sympathize with the gender queer or the queer transgender movement.
The coalition is primarily a group of transgenders, but with a lot
of support from the community.
Corado
MW: What was the biggest hurdle in getting it through the Council,
from your perspective as an activist?
CORADO:
The biggest thing was that we needed to believe in it and ourselves.
There was no question that the needs of transgender people are huge,
and we really wanted to believe that this would be something that
would offer some tools to fight discrimination, to open opportunities
for transgender people. So we had to put it out there in the community,
making sure that everybody understood what the current situation
was for transgender people. It was convincing a lot of people and
organizations to sign on to the whole idea, to get community support
for what we were doing.
Once
the bill was introduced, to our surprise the entire Council signed
on to it. That was something very pleasant, because for people like
myself who work with transgender people and gender queer people,
what we sometimes encounter with government is not pleasant. Then
all of a sudden the City Council unanimously signs on to the bill.
It was comforting because it showed that they knew that this was
very important to the whole community.
MW:
When you look at the Human Rights Act as now amended, what's the
best thing you expect to happen?
CORADO:
For many years in this city, transgender people have had really
bad experiences, beginning with the violence that we've suffered.
D.C. is one of the five worst cities for transgender people in the
whole country. And being out there every day trying to survive and
then trying to integrate into a society that doesn't have clear
protections for transgender and gender queer people, having this
[law] is like a big gift because sometimes in order to fight a war
you need to have ammunition.
It
feels like we have a tool to educate people, a tool to educate ourselves
about what our rights are. It's very frustrating for a community
activist that every day we encounter the needs of transgender and
gender queer people, and sometimes there are very few things that
we're able to do. If we have a kid who is transgender or gender
queer who doesn't have a job, a place to live or medical care --
sometimes we just don't have many things that we can give them.
So this legislation making it clear that it is not okay to discriminate,
we have something we can begin to use as a tool in educating people.
MW:
You mentioned the difficulties the transgender community has faced
in D.C. over the past few years, particularly violence. Why do transgender
people face such problems?
CORADO:
Unfortunately, in big cities like D.C., we have transgender people
who are so out and so proud, that some people feel that it's not
okay, that we are not supposed to be happy. And, unfortunately,
it translates into violence. In the last decade there have been
a lot of transgender people killed, not to even mention the transgender
people who have been beaten up. There's not a month that goes by
that you don't hear about somebody getting beaten up in Columbia
Heights, Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill, you name it. They aren't getting
beat up for being straight-acting. They're getting beat up for being
too feminine, for being too butch.
MW:
Would you feel comfortable if you had to call for emergency medical
service in D.C.?
CORADO:
Ever since the 1995 case of Tyra Hunter [a transgender woman who
died from injuries in a car wreck after a paramedic refused to provide
treatment when discovering Hunter's male genitalia], it really has
stuck in a lot of peoples' minds. There's a lot of transphobia,
so sometimes you think twice about it before calling the police
department, because all of a sudden the crime you called about is
not the first thing they see, it's your gender identity. Do we feel
that everything is perfect? No. Have we made changes? Yes, there
have been changes. Having clear laws that tell people who come in
contact with transgender and gender queer people that it is not
okay to discriminate, puts a little question mark in their heads.
Last
summer, when it was really hot, I had a heat attack and I couldn't
breathe. I really tried for about two hours to get better by myself
-- lying down, drinking water, putting ice on. Then, even though
I felt like I was dying, I really had to think twice about calling
911. And very sadly, before the ambulance came, I was thinking I
was dying and I was trying to fix my hair. Why did I have to do
that? Because in my mind I'm thinking if they're putting a transsexual
person in the ambulance I have to hide my genitals. I have to hide
who I am because my life depends on those two people. That shouldn't
have to happen. If someone goes to a club in drag and the ceiling
falls on their head, should they have to worry about taking their
wig off before they can get care? That's really not okay.
We
are very lucky that we have, for instance, the police department's
[Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit], which has done tremendous work reaching
out to transgender and gender queer people. However, other things
are not so good. You have people committing crimes against transgender
people, killing them, and the crimes are not resolved.
But
we have grown as a community where we have learned from our peers,
from community leaders, from transgender leaders. The new generation
is more aware of what is not okay: It is not okay to be called a
faggot, it is not okay to be called a weirdo or a psycho. And we're
getting involved. So things have changed because we have the opportunity
to go to City Council meetings and talk about these horror stories
so they can try to help us. People are more aware because transgender
and gender queer people are coming out very young and they are all
up in your face.
MW:
What about the ongoing controversy about including transgender issues
with gay and lesbian issues?
CORADO:
Sometimes, when people try to exclude us, it really feels a little
hurtful. It's like when you are a child and you grow up at home:
That's your family, that's your community. And then all of a sudden
life evolves and we are no longer just in drag, we're not just being
femme or butch. We're taking it a little further because it feels
better, because it really is who we are.
And
then you have people saying, ''Oh, honey, you don't belong here.''
Or questioning whether transgender people fit into the whole LGBT
[community]. It feels a little funny. It feels a little, how can
I say, hard? Because when we're walking down the street, who gets
called the big faggot? I get it. I sometimes feel like I take a
lot more shit, but it's okay because I know who I am. So sometimes
when I see in the gay community people questioning whether we should
even be here? It's like, honey, do you remember when we were getting
drunk together? The only thing that has changed about me is my bust
size -- and maybe a little in the hips -- but I'm still the same
person.
That's
the message that the coalition wanted to put out to the whole community.
This piece of legislation was pushed by transgender people uniting,
but the whole LGBT community needs to take ownership. Because when
you have your siblings out there who cannot get a job, cannot get
an apartment, who get kicked out of clubs, out of restaurants, out
of movie theaters, this really affects us all. When I get called
a faggot, it's not different from when you get called a faggot.
It is not okay. If you wanted to parade down 14th Street, and just
be yourself having a fabulous gay old day, and people discriminate
against you, this law protects you. We all need to take ownership
of this because it is something that belongs to all of us.
N.
Ireland to track anti-transgender attacks
by Gay.com U.K.
Attacks
on transgender people will be counted among possible hate crimes
for the first time in Northern Ireland from today, as police attempt
to tackle violence in the province. Officers will now record anti-transgender
attacks to create a stronger appreciation of how bad violence is
against transgender people. The system will follow similar recording
systems in place for homophobic, racist and sectarian attacks.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland says it hopes the new system
will help it tackle the problem of violence in the province more
effectively. Gay rights groups have welcomed the move, saying reporting
of homophobic attacks has encouraged more victims to come forward.
"Transphobia is something that is very, very real and experienced
by transgender people on a daily basis," said David McCartney
of the Rainbow Project, an LGBT activist group. "It can be
only minor verbal abuse, but it can have serious long-term implications
for the health and welfare of the individual concerned."
"There are also many more serious incidents, and it is extremely
important that these are recorded," McCartney said. However,
the DUP political party has slammed the proposals, with one party
figure telling the Belfast Telegraph that it is "political
correctness gone mad." "One way of ensuring that people
think they are different is to record the crimes against them individually,"
said outgoing DUP Policing Board member Sammy Wilson.
Anti-gay attacks have increased in the region, according to figures
released by the police force. There were 187 attacks between April
2005 and January 2006, an increase of 29 over the same period last
year.
Mixed
Oscar results for gay, transgender themes
Monday, March 6, 2006
LOS
ANGELES, California (AP) -- Even before the first gleaming Oscar
was presented, Hollywood's biggest night was already a milestone
for the gay, lesbian and transgender community. Three films --
"Brokeback Mountain," "Capote" and "Transamerica"
-- dealt with gay or transgender characters, drawing critical
acclaim and a combined 15 Oscar nominations. But a sweep wasn't
in the cards for those films.
"Brokeback," with a leading eight nominations, did win
Oscars for best director, adapted screenplay and original score.
"Capote," which had five nods going into the awards,
earned the best-actor honor. "Transamerica" was shut
out, despite great reviews for lead actress Felicity Huffman.
Gay advocates said the number of Oscars earned by those movies
wasn't as important as their impact on Hollywood and America.
"The films lead to conversations, and conversations lead
to greater awareness, a level of comfort with gay and lesbian
Americans," said Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Others weren't surprised
that the gay-themed films found mixed success at the Oscars.
"I think America sent a message to those in the industry
that this isn't something that they're interested in, and hopefully
this was something that weighed heavily on them as they voted
for these pictures," said Alan Chambers, president of Orlando,
Florida-based Exodus International, a Christian organization that
promotes "freedom from homosexuality." Chambers acknowledged,
however, that Hollywood will likely keep pushing the envelope
with more films dealing with gay themes.
All the attention -- and even the jokes -- that "Brokeback"
and the other films generated helped gay cinema, said Jennifer
Morris, co-director of the San Francisco International Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual & Transgendered Film Festival, which is marking
its 30th year in 2006. "That's the best thing about these
films, especially with 'Transamerica' and 'Brokeback Mountain,"'
Morris said. "This really was a groundbreaking year."
City
Council votes to extend gay, transgender protection
Wed,
Mar. 15, 2006
Associated Press
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/14106309.htm
CINCINNATI - City Council voted on Wednesday to extend protection
against discrimination to homosexuals and transgender people,
the city's first action to provide such protection since the repeal
of Cincinnati's ban on gay-rights laws.
The ban on gay-rights laws that was repealed in 2004 was the only
such ban in the nation. It had forced elimination of homosexuals
from the city's human rights ordinance. By an 8-1 vote, council
amended the current human rights ordinance to extend protection
against discrimination to homosexuals and to transgender people
in jobs and housing. The city's human rights ordinance protects
people from that type of discrimination based on race, gender,
age, color, religion, disability status, marital status or ethnic,
national or Appalachian regional origin. The change to that ordinance,
effective next month, adds "sexual orientation or transgendered
status" to those protected categories.
"By passing this ordinance, we are saying as a city that
discrimination of any kind against anyone will not be tolerated,"
Councilwoman Laketa Cole said earlier. A vast majority of people
speaking at a hearing Tuesday of council's Law and Public Safety
Committee favored the measure. Councilman Chris Monzel cast the
lone "no" vote. He said that was because of his separate
proposal to rewrite the human rights ordinance to ban discrimination
against any individual.
Democrats favor transgender discrimination ban
By Keith Ervin
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Seattle
Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002878791_gender21m.html
The Democratic majority on the Metropolitan King County Council
appears ready to adopt an ordinance that would prohibit discrimination
against transgender people. Supporters say they want to send a message
that Washington's most populous county opposes an initiative and
a referendum proposed by Tim Eyman to overturn a new state law protecting
sexual minorities. County law already bans discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation. So if state voters repeal the gay-rights
law recently approved by the state Legislature, the proposed county
ordinance would protect the rights of gays, lesbians and transgender
people in employment, housing and public accommodations.
Several transgender people and other supporters of the ordinance
spoke at a council hearing Monday. A second hearing will be held
next Monday, with a vote likely the same day. "I know first-hand
the prejudices and discrimination, and I've seen it happen time
and time again with people I know," John Otto, a female-to-male
transsexual, told the council. All five Democrats on the County
Council are co-sponsoring the ordinance, which was first proposed
in 2004 by County Executive Ron Sims. All four Republicans voted
last week against sending it to the full council with a recommendation
of passage.
Reagan Dunn, R-Bellevue, said Monday he opposes the measure because
it would expand the role of government and put a strain on small
businesses, opening the door for more lawsuits. "I don't think
we should be heavily involved in the minutiae of the way businesses
are operating," he said.
Dow Constantine, D-Seattle, said it's time to act. "It is important
for us here in King County to make a statement of support for the
sexual-minority community and for those legislators who were brave
enough, after these three long decades [of failed state gay-rights
bills], to stand up and vote to protect civil rights," he said.
Christine Landon, chairwoman of the King County Civil Rights Commission,
said Monday the civil-rights proposal "will provide one more
demonstration that the people of Washington state have nothing to
fear from equality and basic decency." The Rev. Craig Darling,
a pastor of Seattle First Baptist Church, said he was ashamed some
churches opposed laws banning discrimination. Jesus "didn't
have even one word to say about omosexuality," Darling said,
but "affirmed gender minorities" with his statement in
Matthew 19:12 that "there are eunuchs who are born that way
from their mother's womb."
GMC
inquiry into gender change expert
David
Batty
Tuesday January 20, 2004
The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1126835,00.html
The
UK's best known expert in transsexualism is being investigated by
the General Medical Council after claims he repeatedly put his patients'
health at risk, the Guardian has learned. Consultant psychiatrist
Russell Reid, a specialist in gender identity disorders (GID), allegedly
breached standards of care by prescribing patients with sex-changing
hormones and referring them for genital surgery without adequately
assessing them.
Twelve
cases in which Dr Reid, a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrist's
committee on gender identity disorder, allegedly broke the guidelines
"to the detriment of the patients concerned" have been
submitted to the GMC. It is alleged some people later regretted
changing sex. The
complaint was filed by three of the UK's most senior psychiatrists
in GID, who work at the Charing Cross hospital's gender identity
clinic in west London: Donald Montgomery, James Barratt, and Richard
Green, another member of the college's committee.
Together
with Stuart Lorimer, a senior registrar at the clinic, they allege
Dr Reid has repeatedly breached guidelines set by the Harry Benjamin
International Gender Dysphoria Association, based in Minneapolis.
The
guidelines lay down "flexible directions" for the treatment
of people with GID, which are not legally binding and may be modified
to suit individual patients. The standards are "generally supported"
by the college, though it does not formally recognise them. The
psychiatrists claim Dr Reid has not adhered to the guidelines' minimum
eligibility requirements for the prescription of hormones and referrals
for genital surgery. The guidance states patients should have been
living in their desired gender role for at least three months before
prescribed hormones, or had at least three months of psychotherapy.
Patients should also undergo a minimum of 12 months hormone therapy
and live in their desired gender role for the same period before
referral for gender change surgery.
Dr
Barratt said: "I felt that Dr Reid seemed more often than not
to prescribe hormones to patients in a manner contrary to published
guidelines. "He seemed too rapidly to refer patients for gender
reassignment surgery, sometimes seemingly without the appropriate
second opinions which would be required by the guidelines. "Some
of the patients would seem to have been inappropriately referred,
and some to have later been unhappy with what had happened."
But
some of Dr Reid's patients have defended him. Daphne Neal, an NHS
nurse treated by him, said he had prescribed her with hormones earlier
than the guidelines advise, but stressed she believed this was the
best course of action. She
said: "It is fair to say Dr Reid prescribed me hormones earlier
than the Harry Benjamin guidelines recommend, I was in fact prescribed
hormones on my first visit.
"I
felt that this was appropriate in my case. If I had not been prescribed
hormones at that time I may have been forced to look for other sources,
something I don't really agree with, as the consequences can be
dire."
The
guidelines state that it can be acceptable to provide drugs to patients
earlier "as an alternative to black market or unsupervised
hormone use".
A
GMC spokeswoman confirmed Dr Reid is under investigation.
He
is due to appear today before the GMC's interim orders committee,
which could suspend him or restrict the work he can perform. These
hearings are held when the council wishes to consider whether patients,
the public or the doctor under investigation would be put at risk
if they continue practising prior to a full investigation. Regardless
of the hearing's outcome, Dr Reid will then appear before the preliminary
practice committee on January 26-27. This will decide whether there
should be a full inquiry by the professional conduct committee,
which has the power to strike a doctor off the medical register.
There is disagreement among psychiatrists and the transsexual community
over the period patients should spend living as their desired sex
prior to treatment. But Brian Ferguson, another member of the royal
college committee, said in his view hormones should only be administered
to a patient after "at least two or three" appointments.
Dr Ferguson, a consultant psychiatrist at the Nottingham Gender
Clinic, said many psychiatrists would consider it "reasonable"
for patients to live in their desired gender role for two years
before surgery. He said he had seen a number of people who changed
their minds quite late in this period.
News
of the investigation has been greeted with dismay by many in the
5,000-strong transsexual community. Several support groups have
launched a website backing Dr Reid.
Some
fear the GMC inquiry could bolster opposition to the gender recognition
bill, which is currently before parliament. The bill would allow
transsexuals to gain the rights of their acquired gender. But it
has been opposed in the Lords. A
spokeswoman for the Medical Defence Union, which is representing
Dr Reid, said he did not wish to comment on the investigation at
this stage.
Comment:
Dr Reid is through the first hearing without any substance having
been found to the allegations. He still has a further hearing and
any letters of support from any of you would be welcome. I enclose
a letter sent from this website to his defence team.
John Kingston,
Medical Defence Union,
230 Blackfriars Road,
London SE1 8PJ
31 January 2004
Dear Mr Kingston,
Re: Dr Russell Reid
I write with regard to recent allegations made against
Dr Reid and on behalf of many thousands of readers of www.crissywild.com
the best known transgender resources reference library in the World.
Dr
Reid has assisted a plethora of trans people over the years in dealing
with gender dysphoria. It is no secret that the GID psychiatric
team at Charing Cross Hospital has a difference of opinion in their
methodology and approach to that of Dr Reid and it is clear that
the complaint is founded upon this difference rather than on any
factual evidence of any professional impropriety conducted by Dr
Reid. Neither is it true to state that the methodology adopted by
the Charing Cross Hospital GID unit is necessarily correct.
Many
people write to us to ask for advice and to explain the mental anguish
they are suffering as a result of Gender Dysphoria and untreated
this condition can lead to severe depression and in a few cases
even suicide. Dr Reid has offered professional treatment lifelines
to those who simply cannot wait years on the NHS or who for other
confidential and personal reasons wish to undertake a private route
in gender reassignment.
The
Harry Benjamin standards are simply guidelines and I am not aware
of any case where hormones or referral to SRS has been inappropriately
recommended by Dr Reid. I also speak from personal experience of
having been a patient of both Dr Reid and the Charing Cross GID
unit. I would also comment that Dr Reid’s approach and diagnosis
is considerably more sensitive towards his patients than that adopted
by the Charing Cross GID unit.
Crissywild.com
therefore unequivocally supports Dr Reid and takes this opportunity
of thanking him for his work and very high degree of professionalism
in the field of transsexualism.
Sincerely,
Crissy Wild
NU
investigating whether professor got consent from transsexuals
November
18, 2003 — Northwestern University officials will form a committee
to investigate accusations that a professor who wrote a book on
transsexuals didn't get permission to include his research subjects
in the work.
J. Michael Bailey's latest book is called "The Man Who Would
Be Queen: The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism."
It includes stories from several transsexuals. A
Northwestern spokesman says an investigative committee will be formed
to look into the allegations, which could violate university ethics
guidelines if true.
Bailey
didn't return telephone messages left at his office today seeking
comment. Critics
say his work is based on outdated research and presents a skewed
perspective of the transsexual community that is popular with religious
and political conservatives.
(Copyright
2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Kiss
me Kate..or is it Keith
By
LYNDSEY WEATHERALL at The Sun
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2003520274,00.html
A
TRANSSEXUAL has been banned from singing Kiss Me Kate in a women’s
chorus — because her voice is too deep. Hannah Lane, 37, had
the op which made her a woman three years ago. But now the local
dramatic and operatic society have refused to let her perform with
the other women. Hannah, of St Anne’s, Lancs, said: “I
am devastated. They are treating me as a man when I am a woman.
“I
use the ladies’ changing rooms and the ladies’ toilets.
I admit I have got a bass baritone voice but there are men and women
in the chorus. “It would be hard for members of the audience
to distinguish which voice was from where.”
Society
secretary Peter Taylor said: “We’ve been as accommodating
as possible. We are the only society she has been accepted by.
“She
can’t sing with the sopranos because her voice is too deep.
She has gone over the top. She is using us to highlight her own
agenda and it’s just not fair.”
Transsexual's
partner 'snapped' at abuse
EMILY
DENNIS
http://www.edp24.co.uk/content/News/story.asp?datetime=18+Oct+2003+07%3A00&tbrand=EDPOnline&tCategory=NEWS&category=News&brand=EDPOnline&itemid=NOED17+Oct+2003+20%3A00%3A16%3A740
October 18, 2003 07:00
They
were just like any other happy couple looking forward to mingling
with friends at a party in a quiet Norfolk village. But
although James Norman and Samantha Malone hoped to blend in with
fellow revellers, the pair stood out of the crowd in more ways than
one. With a figure most models would be envious of, Miss Malone,
a striking 6ft 4ins post-operative transexual, towered over other
guests at a barbecue. But despite being used to attracting attention,
Miss Malone was not prepared for the stream of insults about her
sexuality from fellow partygoer, David Glenville. And the barrage
proved too much for her partner, who "snapped" and hit
Mr Glenville across the face with a glass bottle - leaving him in
hospital with a fractured cheekbone and a bruised eye.
Last
night Norman, 33, spoke of his relief after he was spared prison
at Norwich Crown Court after admitting assault causing actual bodily
harm. The
court was told Norman "snapped in a split second misjudgement"
after Mr Glenville repeatedly said of Miss Malone "it looks
like a bloke, it dresses like a bloke, and therefore it is a bloke,"
Prosecuting,
Stephen Ridley , said that when Mr Glenville continued to make the
remarks Norman, of Holls Lane, Norwich, hit him across the face
with a bottle he was holding. The court heard Norman had gone to
the barbecue at a friend's house in Martham with Miss Malone, on
June 21.
They
were joined by a number of other guests including Mr Glenville and
his wife Polly, of Blenheim Avenue , Martham. But
Mr Ridley said that while at the barbecue - which lasted more than
seven hours - Mr Glenville continually taunted the pair about Miss
Malone's sexuality, upsetting her so much that she decided to go
home, leaving Norman behind.
"But further comments continued to be made," said Mr Ridley.
"Norman had a bottle in his hand. He rose out of his seat and
used the bottle to strike Mr Glanville in the face."
Norman
was then restrained by other guests and thrown out of the party.
The court heard Norman, an electrical retail store manager, was
a man of previous good character. Michael Clare , defending, said:
"The victim simply would not shut up about aspects of his (Norman's)
partner's sexuality. "The victim was going on and on about
it. He seemed obsessed about it… The victim seemed to think
there was something amusing about the circumstances in a grotesquely
insulting way. "It eventually wore Norman down and he snapped
in a split second misjudgement and swung at him with a bottle."
He said Norman was not a violent man and was thoroughly ashamed
about what had happened.
Giving
him 120 hours community punishment and ordering him to pay £500
costs, recorder Christopher Chandler , said: "A weapon in the
form of a bottle was used and the injuries were severe. An offence
such as this would usually carry a considerable prison sentence,
but that is not going to happen. "I am pleased there has been
no attempt to use provocation as an excuse for your behaviour. It
is important that when this type of behaviour occurs one walks away
from it and that is what you should have done."
Norman and Miss Malone left court holding hands and said they were
relieved the ordeal was over. Miss
Malone, who was wearing a short denim mini-skirt, said she underwent
surgery "several years ago" and this was the first time
something like this had happened. "It
was really hurtful," she said. "He just started on me
and would not give up. He was just being obnoxious. I thought James
and I were going to split up over this at one point, but we have
been together for about 14 months and are closer than ever now."
Norman
added: "I was worried I might go to prison. I am just pleased
it is all over."
An
Officer who's no longer a gentleman
Western
Daily Press 11:00 - 18 September 2003
http://www.thisisbristol.com/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=127638&command=displayContent&sourceNode=127637&contentPK=7089839
The first army officer to have a sex change was mocked by a whole
platoon of soldiers who turned up at a parade dressed as women,
an employment tribunal heard yesterday. Her commanding officer dismissed
the alleged organised humiliation as simply "horseplay"
and playful rivalry between platoons. But
Joanne Wingate from Frome, Somerset, claims this was one of the
incidents of sexual discrimination against her by the Ministry of
Defence because of her transsexuality. Miss
Wingate, a former Warrant Officer class two, was leading the parade
in Germany just months before the operation in 1998.
Yesterday
her former boss Lieutenent-Colonel Richard Thorpe told the tribunal
in Bristol: "I thought it was horseplay. Friendly banter."
He explained there was always friendly rivalry between Miss Wingate's
regiment and the "slightly less able" Recovery Platoon,
which recovered military vehicles. He said that the applicant had
said to him: "Don't worry sir, it's sorted," and so he
took no further action. Lt-Col Thorpe maintained that he had no
idea Miss Wingate - then Sergeant Major Joe Rushton - was a transsexual
and thought the soldier was receiving psychiatric help for anger
management. The hearing was told Joanne joined 6 Battalion with
the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 1981.
The
42-year-old had served in Northern Ireland and Bosnia and been married
four times before he announced his intention to change from Joe
to Joanne. News
of the incident spread quickly and there were red faces in the army
when the sex change operation hit national newspaper front pages.
After the operation, Miss Wingate believed she was sidelined into
a job without career prospects and was insulted by army bosses who
continued to refer to her as man. She
claims that she was passed over for promotion, while the army made
her job "as difficult as it could" for her. In
her witness statement, Miss Wingate said: "Prior to any of
this happening my career profile was slowly but surely increasing.
"I
thought if I continued under similar circumstances I would have
had fair chance of promotion. The army found it very difficult to
deal with the issue of transsexuality."
The
blond former soldier, who wore black trousers and a pinstriped white
shirt at the tribunal, said she was "made to feel different
and outcast" by army bosses. She has also been troubled by
depression which she blames on her treatment in the army. Miss Wingate
finally left in March this year with Long Service and Good Conduct
medals. But her former commanding officer yesterday said that her
disciplinary record was not as exemplary as she maintained. Lt-Col
Thorpe said he issued her with two warnings in the course of 18
months. He
was particularly concerned over an incident that took place in Bosnia,
when the applicant used offensive language against two female junior
chefs caught holding an illicit party. He said: "I couldn't
believe I had a warrant officer of 15 years' experience behaving
in this manner to a civilian, and I had to discipline him for this."
Miss
Wingate who is claiming sexual discrimination, also claims she was
sexually harassed and suffered derogatory remarks and unfair treatment.
She also said the MoD failed to offer her suitable psychiatric support
while she was dealing with her transsexuality and the operation.
Her barrister, Rajeev Thacker during cross-examination accused the
army of squeezing her out because "it is easier to move her
out of a prejudicial and discriminatory environment than it is to
deal with that environment." But
another witness, Colonel Peter McCarthy, Manning and Career Management
Division Commanding Officer, said that the army had taken big strides
to overcome traditional prejudices. However
he conceded that with 100,000 members there will still be those
who "misunderstand" certain situations.
The
Equal Opportunities Commission, which is supporting Miss Wingate's
case, says transsexuals have legal protection against discrimination
at work. A
statement said her case "raises important issues about the
way in which transsexual people are treated within their employment.
The case continues An
error in yesterday's paper said the MoD had said discrimination
was acceptable in the armed forces. It should have read discrimination
was not acceptable. We are happy to put the record straight
The
transsexual in the next cubicle
When
investment analyst Mark Stumpp became Maggie Stumpp, her employers,
clients and co-workers all shared in the experience
By ADAM GELLER Associated Press 05/25/2003
 NEWARK,
N.J. -- By June, people in the Quantitative Management department
were trading whispers across the rows of cubicles. What's wrong
with Mark Stumpp? Why had he dropped so much weight so quickly?
Was he sick? Nobody knew. One day after lunch, Stumpp handed a small,
framed snapshot to Jim Scott, his friend and co-manager in the department
for 14 years. "Do you know who that is?" Stumpp asked.
Scott glanced at the picture of a tall woman with blond bangs and
shook his head. He never seen her. "That's the person you're
going to be working with a year from now," Stumpp said. Puzzled,
Scott looked at the photo again, then back at Stumpp. The lady in
the photograph, Stumpp aid, is going to be me. Prudential's QM department
manages billions of dollars of other people's money. It's a business
that relies on a nurtured image of solidity, on the value implicit
in longtime relationships. And so, as word of Stumpp's intensely
private decision spread through Prudential's Newark headquarters,
people realized this wasn't going to be about just him. It was going
to be about them, too.
Gender
identity
Stumpp was uncomfortable in Mark's body as far back as memories
reach. Deep inside, at the nexus of body and mind, something felt
terribly wrong. "A malaise of the soul," Stumpp said.
It is called gender dysphoria, a condition characterized by intense
feelings of being the wrong gender. No one knows for sure what causes
it. Since the 1960s, thousands of people have quietly undergone
hormone treatment and surgery to change gender. Most dropped out
of their previous lives, resurfacing somewhere else with new identities.
Today, "more and more people are recognizing that this is not
something that they have to be ashamed of," said Eli Coleman,
director of the Program in Human Sexuality at the University of
Minnesota.
So
perhaps it was just a matter of time before it happened at Prudential,
a company with 61,000 people on its payroll. But in 22 years at
Prudential, the last half working on personnel issues, Ron Andrews,
a vice president of human resources, "had never encountered
a more difficult issue." "What was difficult about this,"
he said, "is I didn't know anything." Stumpp, 51, had
a reputation as one of the office's "class clowns." He
dropped jokes into the middle of meetings, walked around the office
without shoes, wore jeans when everyone else wore a suit. But
he was an acknowledged expert in the serious business of making
money grow, and his department, a group of about 35 people, manages
$32 billion on behalf of client pension funds and other investors.
"My business is about trust," Stumpp said, and he knew
trust would not be enhanced when people saw him "turn into
a girl."
A
long journey
So
for years, Stumpp postponed gender reassignment surgery. But in
1999, after seeing a therapist, he started taking estrogen and undergoing
electrolysis - all part of a still-reversible journey into what
it might be like to be a woman. It was two years before his co-workers
began to notice he was changing - and to worry. The hormones were
reshaping his body. Enlarged breasts could be hidden in loose-fitting
shirts, but there was no way to disguise the disappearance of muscle.
In the summer of 2001, the few executives at Prudential who knew
what was going on realized that the problem wasn't that Stumpp was
changing his gender. It was that he was coming back to work afterward.
It was one thing to figure out how the QM department would go on
without Mark. It was quite another to figure out how to continue
with someone named Maggie in his place.
A
delicate situation
Someone was going to have to explain this delicate situation in
Prudential's executive offices, to the company's clients, to the
marketing and sales representatives who vouched for Stumpp's research.
Bringing it all together was Andrews' job. Throughout
the summer and into the fall, Andrews worked his way down a list
of people who needed to know, figuring out not just who they would
tell in turn, but how they would do it. He, company lawyers and
sales managers drew up a list of 30 clients who relied on Stumpp's
research and investment strategies. They
decided that a Prudential customer relationship manager would contact
each one to explain who would soon be handling their money. And
then Andrews and his group wrote a script - not word for word, but
an extended outline with "key communication points." "We
wanted our clients and our customers not to hear this from some
sort of grapevine," Andrews said. "We wanted to make sure
they heard it from us." In
the QM department, though, Stumpp's story was still known only to
Scott and another employee, Stacie Mintz. So, after Stumpp left
on an unexplained medical leave in January, 2002, Scott called the
homes of everyone in the department. "I
need to talk to you about Mark," began each conversation.Next
morning, in the parking garage, Mintz ran into the a co-worker she
thought most likely to have a problem with the new Stumpp. "Isn't
that amazing about Mark?" Mintz said, and then held her breath
for the answer. "Well,
if it makes her happy, it makes her happy," the worker replied.
A few days later, on Jan. 8, a memo arrived in the e-mail box of
everyone in the department.
"From:
M. Stumpp" "Subject:
Me." The
note poked fun at the situation, but also appealed for understanding.
And it emphasized that returning to work was something Stumpp had
a legal right to do. "This
will be new ground for all of us," Stumpp wrote. "However,
if September 11 taught us anything, it was that life is far too
precious and short. Each of us must strive to be at peace with urselves."
She signed the note "Margaret."
Bumpy
re-entry
The note leapfrogged around the company, and soon employees started
e-mailing back. Many, including some top executives, expressed support.
A few of the women offered to help Stumpp pick out clothes. Some
took more convincing. In the weeks before Stumpp's scheduled return
date - Monday, Feb. 4 - Mintz said it felt like there was a line
of co-workers at her door, mostly concerned about how to act when
Mark walked in as Margaret. Stumpp,
recuperating at home, offered to return at first in men's clothes
if it would make people more comfortable. No,
his fellow workers replied, if you're Maggie, then come back as
Maggie. We're as ready as we'll ever be. Maggie
Stumpp made it to the fourth floor before nearly everyone else that
first morning back. Her co-workers walked in and there she was,
joking about the joy of being thin, of having to wear pantyhose,
of how hard it had been to find shoes in her size. "It
was awkward, but ... it was kind of a relief to have it all out
in the open, and to have all the questions about what she was going
to look like answered," Mintz said. It
was a beginning. One of the first trials came a few weeks after
Stumpp's return, when they took a call from a longtime client, a
labor union whose members' reputations did not gibe with her heels
and pantyhose. The
union officials asked to meet Stumpp to reevaluate her suitability
to continue managing their business. The department braced to lose
the account. They met over dinner at a steakhouse. The first few
hours were spent discussing the stock market and the economy, smoothed
over by a couple of drinks. Gradually, the men's doubts appeared
to ease. "You
know, you really don't look so bad," one leaned over to tell
Stumpp. She chalked it up as a compliment. Prudential kept the account.
Inside
Prudential, however, there were still some tensions. To ease the
uncertainties of some female colleagues, Andrews set aside a small
bathroom for her for six months. After that she could use the women's
room. Six
months and a day after Stumpp returned, a female employee protested
Stumpp's presence in the adjoining stall of the women's room. "Grow
up!" Andrews told her. While the company did not expect all
its employees to accept Stumpp personally, they would be expected
to do so professionally. There
are still moments when Stumpp feels the stares, imagines that every
woman at Prudential is rating her performance. There are inevitable
stumbles and awkward moments. "The
hardest thing is the pronouns," Scott said. "It just drives
me crazy. Earlier
this year, Mintz was digging around for an article that Jim Scott,
Mark Stumpp and a colleague wrote in 1999 for an industry magazine.
When she found it, she did a double-take. At Scott's discrete request,
the article had been newly credited to Margaret Stumpp. Stumpp
isn't pretending such changes will erase the past. She's not denying
a life as Mark, but she is eager to move on as Maggie.
There
are times now when the phone in her office rings and the voice asks
to speak to Mark. And depending on the nature of the call and her
mood, she relishes a certain answer.
"Oh,
him," Maggie Stumpp said. "We got rid of him a long time
ago." At
the age of 51, Mark Stumpp ended years of gender dysphoria by having
gender reassignment surgery and emerging as a woman.
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