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Tennessee Vals Newsletter APRIL 2002
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months Vals Newsletter in its entirity as an Acrobat (.pdf) file. If
your computer already has the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed, just click
to view.
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Upcoming
Group Meetings
In This Issue:
The Queens Throne by Marisa
Richmond
marisaval@aol.com
We have a really special month in front of us. For the first time, Nashville will be the host city of a major transgender conference. The 16th Annual IFGE Convention will be held the first weekend of April right here in Tennessee’s Capitol City. We hope all who attend have a good time, and to our out-of-town visitors–Welcome to Nashville!
The following weekend, the Vals hold our annual board elections. All that we have ever done is the result of hard work and commitment by dedicated volunteers. You do not have to be a board member to contribute, but the emotional satisfaction of helping others is immense. As with every other group, we have our share of humorless grouches and whiners who prefer to complain about all sorts of things but do not wish to make any positive contributions. If you want to get involved, then there is no better time than the present.
At this time, I’d like to share you a personal story. In the years after the Civil War, many African Americans faced tremendous hurdles in advancing in Southern society. Some, like my great-grandparents, decided to take advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862 and moved to Kansas–part of a group of migrants known as Exodusters. There, they bought land in the western part of the state and established a fairly stable life. Although I did not actually grow up in Kansas, I still have dozens of relatives throughout the state.
On one trip back, I came out to my cousin Tito, who has long black hair, small black eyes and a tiny nose, who turned out to be very supportive of me. He would help me dress up in the barn, away from the prying eyes of the rest of the family. One time, we were so preoccupied, we missed the warnings about an approaching tornado. By the time we realized there was a twister nearby, the rest of the family had locked themselves in Aunt El’s storm cellar, so Tito and I had to run into the house to protect ourselves. We were battered around unmercifully for quite some time. Finally, the winds died down and we picked ourselves up to inspect the damage outside. When I opened the door, I could not believe the scene before me. I turned and said, “Tito, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.”
There before us was the most wondrous array of flowers. We staggered out of the house amazed at what we were seeing. It was then I heard some sounds in the flowers. I was startled to see slowly rising a bunch of very short people. “What is this place?” I asked, “and who are you?”
“Where do you think you are--The Dark Side of the Moon? This is Tot Town, and I am the Big Tot,” said one person who had a silky smooth skin that jiggled enticingly, and a point of bright, shiny red hair.
“Big Tot? You don’t look very big to me.” “Little Darlin’, I’m big where it counts, knowwhaddamean?” he said as he grabbed himself. “And who are you that you should drop your house down in the middle of our town right on top of the Evil Dominatrix of the East?”
“I am Marisa, and this is my cousin Tito–and what do you mean we dropped our house on the Evil Dominatrix of the East?” Big Tot pointed to some fabulous looking spike- heeled, red leather boots sticking out from under the side of the house. “Oh my! We sure didn’t mean to hurt anybody.”
“That’s alright. She wasn’t a very good Domme anyway. She had no respect for safewords or anything.”
“Oh. Well, I guess Tito and I need to get back to Kansas now. Aunt El and the rest of the family must be wondering where we’ve gone. Would any of you happen to know the way?”
“No, but in Jadeville, I’m sure the Wizard of Bras could probably help you.”
“And how do we get to Jadeville to find this Wizard of Bras?”
“Follow Gold Street.”
“Follow Gold Street?”
“What, are you hard of hearing? You want us to repeat everything?”
“Uh, no, that’s not necessary. Well, thank you very much. I guess we’d better get started.”
“Oh, before you go, if you meet the Good Dominatrix of the North, make sure you get her to show you her tricks. She has this bubble routine you would not believe. Also, we’d like to give you the dead Domme’s red leather spiked heeled boots. They are very powerful.”
“For ME?! Wow, thank you very much!!!”
“Oh, and one other thing–watch out for the Evil Dominatrix of the West. She has a mean streak that makes her sister here look positively sweet. Good luck sister!” And with that they all disappeared. Tito and I shrugged and headed off down Gold Street towards Jadeville.
A short way down the road, we came upon a fork in the road. “Look, Tito, a fork in the road!
“You were expecting maybe a spoon?,” said a voice.
“Who said that?”
“Or maybe salad tongs?” We looked around and all we saw was a tackily dressed queen standing in front of a doorway who look like crows had eaten her dress.
“Hello, my name is Marisa and this is my cousin Tito. Is this the way to Jadeville?”
“How should I know? I flunked geography in school. My teacher said I must have straw for brains.”
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. We’re just trying to find the Wizard of Bras so we can get back to Kansas.”
“Where’s Kansas?”
“Uh, never mind.”
“Say, do you mind if I tag along? I’ve got nothing better to do here.” So the three of us continued down Gold Street. As the neighborhood got a little rougher, we came upon a man wearing lots of tacky, shiny jewelry–it looked like it was made of tin. “Say, baby, I think you and I should get together tonight, knowwhaddamean?”
“Yeah, I think I do, and no thanks, I’m busy.”
“Well, I’ve got my own lubricant. Tell you what, I’ll let you rub it all over me. It’ll feel reeeel good.”
“I don’t think so. I swear, you must truly be heartless to come on like that.”
“Hey, that’s not the part that counts, knowwhaddamean?”
“Look, we need to keep moving so we can meet the Wizard of Bras.”
“I know the way. How ‘bout I take you there? You can show me a little appreciation for it later.” How could I pass that up? Besides, I figured maybe the Wizard could give this one a heart. Further down Gold Street, the neighborhood kept getting rougher until we ended up in front of one particularly seedy place–The Jungle.
“What’s in there?” I inquired. “Just a bunch of transies and chasers and queers.”
“Oh my....let’s go check it out!” We went inside to buy a round of cocktails, when one large, queen with a fake fur boa ran up to Tito screeching he should leave me and run off with her. So I bitch-slapped her, “Get away from Tito!”
Amazingly, she started crying, “What’d you have to go and do that for? I didn’t mean to upset anybody.”
“Why look at you–you’re just a big ol’ coward!”
“Yeah, that’s what they all say about me. I’m supposed to be the Queen of the Jungle, but I’m just a coward.”
“Perhaps the Wizard of Bras could help you find some courage.”
“You think so?”
“Sure, why don’t you join us?”
And so she did. Finally, the neighborhood started looking a little better when we came upon another club, Poppy’s. Feeling very tired, I just had to go in for a refresher when I noticed an odd scent in the room.
“What is that intoxicating fragrance?” I asked the bartender. “Opium.” All I knew is that it made me feel real sedate. The others had to grab me and drag me out of there so we could continue on our journey. Shortly thereafter, we finally reached the gates of Jadeville. We knocked on the green door which was opened by a man wearing all green.
“We’re here to see the Wizard. We’re trying to get back to Kansas.”
“Yeah, that’s what they all say. He’ll see you right after happy hour. Come on in.”
Finally, late in the day after the nice people of Jadeville bought us several rounds, we were informed it was time to see the Wizard. We were escorted into a huge throne room. Above the throne, a large head surrounded by fire mysteriously appeared. “I am the great and powerful Wizard of Bras. Who are you?”
“I am Marisa, the slightly inebriated. We have come to ask your help in getting back to Kansas.”
“I can do as you ask, but first you must do me a service. You must bring me the Golden Tiara of the Evil Dominatrix of the West.”
“What?! But no Queen would ever voluntarily give up her crown. I might have....to kill her to do that!”
“Hey, how you get it is your business. Now GO!”
As we turned, we noticed the Cowardly Queen had already run over the doorman on her way out. Once again, we set out, this time headed further west in search of Evil Dominatrix of the West. We proceeded to come upon another rough looking neighborhood when, suddenly, a big limo pulled up. Out jumped a dozen buff people in leather straps, cackling like monkeys. They grabbed me and Tito and threw us in the back seat and carried us to the Evil Dominatrix.
“Well, Little Darlin’, we meet at last! Don’t think I don’t know that you killed my sister and took her fabulous looking spike-heeled, red leather boots! You and your hairy little companion will pay for this!”
She had her slaves throw us into a dungeon. Tito is so small, however, no handcuffs can hold him, so he slipped out easily and ran away to get the others to rescue me. While the Evil Dominatrix was preoccupied, Tito and the others managed to slip back into the Dungeon unlocking my cuffs. You know, those were pretty good handcuffs. I’m gonna have to get me a pair some day....Uh, but I digress.
As we were sneaking out, she noticed the empty handcuffs and started screeching at her slaves to find us. We ran around the building looking for a way out when we found ourselves cornered. The Evil Dominatrix cackled with delight as she approached me.
“First, I will torture all your friends, and then, you!”
In a panic, I reached for a glass and threw it in her face. She began flopping on the floor, “You wretched creature, look what you’ve done! I’ve lost my contacts!”
While she was flailing away blindly, I grabbed the Golden Tiara off her head and we pushed through her startled slaves and ran back to Jadeville.
When we reached the throne room, I presented to Golden Tiara to the Wizard.
“Very good. Come back tomorrow and we can talk further.”
“Tomorrow!? But you promised you would send us back to Kansas today!”
“You have no right to talk to me that way, I am the Great and powerful Wizard of Bras!”
As this was happening, Tito noticed a door ajar on the side of the room. He opened it to reveal a small man in a dress speaking into a console. “Pay no attention to that man over there! The Wizard of Bras has spoken!”
Opening the closet door fully, I asked “who are you?”
“My dear, I am the Great and Powerful Wizard of Bras.”
“But, you look like....Frederick of Hollywod.”
“You were expecting, maybe, Harry Potter?”
“But why are you hiding in the closet, pretending to be something you’re not?”
“Where I came from originally, people like me were not accepted.”
“Well, it’s time you came out of that closet. There’s a whole wonderful world out there of support groups, conventions, nightclubs and good friends. You don’t have to live a lie anymore.”
“Really? You don’t know how much it means to me to hear that. What can I do to repay you?”
“Well, you could you meet your promises.”
“And that I shall!”
With that he turned to a chest of drawers. Out of one he pulled a classy looking bra and handed it to our Straw for Brains friend. “This is my Smart Bra. Wear this at all times honey and all your friends will think you’re a genius.” He then turned back and, out of another drawer, pulled out a red, heart shaped bra. “Give this to a lady friend and she’ll think you‘re just the most romantic thing around.”
“I know what to do with this!” said the man with the tin jewelry. He then pulled out of another drawer an incredible looking, cone-shaped bra. “I call this my Madonna Bra. Wear this in public and everyone will say you’re the most courageous Queen in the neighborhood.”
“But what about me? I know you don’t have a Kansas Bra in one of those drawers. You’ve never made anything flat in your whole life!” He put his arm around me and said, “My, what big–,” I slapped his hand. “Wrong story, buster!”
“Would you believe that I have a magic transporter ring which I found in a cave? Come back to my room and I’ll show it to you.”
“Nope.”
“Well, would you believe I have a molecular transporter–right next to my hot tub?”
“Nah....”
“How about I used to live in Nebraska. One day, while flying in my hot air balloon, a storm came up and blew me here. I bet we could use my balloon to take me back to Nebraska and you two back to Kansas.”
He prepared the balloon for us as we got ready to return to Kansas. At the appointed hour, I looked around and realized Tito was nowhere to be found. Finally, I found him snuggling in a corner with a tall, cute red-haired guy.
“Why Tito, you never told me you were gay! No wonder you’ve been so supportive of me all these years.”
In all the hubbub, nobody had noticed the balloon moorings had come loose and the Wizard rose and floated away. I just hope he made it back to Nebraska safely. If he came down in Colorado, he might have been trampled by Buffaloes. I cried out, “Now we’re stuck here. I’ll never get back to Kansas.”
Across the way, I heard a voice say, “If only you’d listened to the Big Tot.” It came from a veil of bubbles.
“Why, you must be the Good Dominatrix of the North.”
“You were expecting, maybe, Lili St. Cyr?”
“Well, no. But what did you mean?”
“Big Tot told you those fabulous looking spike-heeled, red leather boots were very powerful. All you ever had to do is stomp your heels three times, and men in loincloths would have come running up to carry you anywhere your heart desires.”
“Now you tell me!” So as I looked around, I said, “You know, this place may not be The Dark Side of the Moon, but it sure beats the heck out of Kansas. I’m staying.”
I don’t know if an adventure like this has ever happened to any of you, but if you lock yourself in a cellar and refuse to look at life Over the Rainbow, you deny yourself a potential New World of friends and support.
A
Blonde, Brunette AND Redhead
byJulie
Phillips FabulBabe@aol.com
Remembering Milton Berle
Almost fifty years before RuPaul ordered us to “work it” in her “Supermodel” video, a less sexy and far more outrageous drag queen was cavorting across television screens. Since the debut of his groundbreaking variety series in 1948 and for the remainder of his career, Milton Berle has been synonymous with drag.
Uncle Milty, television’s first real superstar,
made it to the ripe old age of 93. Along the way, he developed a reputation
for dressing in what’s often referred to as “booger drag.“
The idea is to be so hideously unfeminine as to be funny; that he achieved
in excess.
When his Texaco Star Theater hit the airwaves on the brand new gadget called television, he caused a major sensation. So much so that in 1949 Milty was on the covers of both Time AND Newsweek simultaneously. (I’m happy to report that he was dressed as Carmen Miranda on Newsweek.)
Uncle Milty’s credited with making television a “must buy”
item in it’s early years. There was so much excitement over his
outrageousness that people actually bought TV sets just to get a load of
what he might do or wear next. It wasn’t every day that proper people
around the country had the chance to see a 40-year-old-man with hairy legs
and blacked-out teeth dancing in a gown. (Remember, I said “proper
people.”)
Keep in mind that he wasn’t in drag in every sketch, or every show for that matter. However, that’s what stuck in people’s minds and became sort of a self-fulfilling reputation. As the years went by, his fans began expecting him to show up in a dress. If it might get a laugh, he was glad to do it.
I wonder
if his goofy crossdressing perhaps in some odd way inspired others during
those closeted “Happy Days” to explore their femininity? Maybe
so. It would be safe to say, however, that Milty made it acceptable for men
to be women if it was solely and obviously for comic purposes. Even today
in smaller towns across the country, local clubs and charities hold their
annual “Womanless Beauty Pageants”. Seeing your town’s mayor
or police chief cavorting around in an ill-fitting evening gown or dressed
as a pot-bellied Madonna is apparently still a crowd-pleaser. (If you’re
like me, you always wonder about the one contestant in the pageant—and
there is always one—who looks just a little too attractive and seems
just a little to comfortable in heels. Hmmm. Do I smell a sister?)
Milton Berle’s dress-wearing shenanigans can hardly be called legitimate crossdressing. But his fondness for doing drag, combined with and his sharp-tongued, smart-assed, over-the-top style make him the Grand Dame of Divas, the mother of every drag queen working today.
When you go out this weekend and see a drag show hosted by some sharp-tongued, smart-assed, over-the-top queen, think of Milton Berle. I would imagine he’d like that.
For added fun, go to www.laugh.com and dress Milty.
My Closet by Leslie Louise DuPaix lldupaix@hotmail.com
I think this may be my second-anniversary column. I am late again this month getting this column off to Julie. I have two columns already beyond the rough-draft stage and am reluctant to send them off. It was easy when I first started writing this column. I would over-write and over-intellectualize so as to keep a safe distance between the core-me and my issues. (Not that I don’t still do that, but I just don’t seem to do it as easily.)
I have been working at growth and healing and progress, and that may well be what I have. With all of this movement comes a whole new set of perspectives and priorities and the ability to feel and sense and be vulnerable. Years of paranoia (often justified, I might add) tell me that it is also a time to exercise caution, so I will let the two columns simmer a while longer.
The new found ability to sense and feel, which was not very common when the defenses were up and needed, is not always pleasant. That is the nice thing about being “sick,” you are well protected; the downside is that you are not living. The “sick” refers to the reaction to the core issue, whatever it may be, not necessarily the core issue that may in fact be very positive. A wonderful quote attributed by Joseph Campbell to Nietzsche goes: “Be careful lest in casting out the devils you cast out the best thing that is in you.” (Campbell, J., and Moyers, Bill. The Power of Myth. N.Y.: Doubleday, 1988, p 89).
I would add that casting out devils is never an easy task, and the side effects can be very significant if it was not a devil at all. A “sick” response by society triggers an equally faulted response by the patient, and that triggers a whole series of less-than-best after effects for all concerned. Recovering the cast out devil is difficult work as well.
I am still living in the Bardo, or as others have said, a parenthesis. I am not really depressed, but I am certainly “smoothed out.” I don’t feel “centered.” I don’t feel real interested in a lot of things that I thought I was, and I am questioning things that have been important in the past. Sort of an audit of what I need to keep and what I need to pitch, and where will I put the stuff that I keep. Sort of cleaning out the closet before spring.
This self-centered “funk” I find myself in right now is not a new experience at all, and I suspect that it is not unknown to the rest of you. There is an opportunity in the parenthesis to be embraced.
The closet cleaning is a chance to detach from the world as I have allowed it to form. Lack of attachment to earthly things is part of spiritual growth. Mother Teresa says, “If you must live in the street, LIVE in the street. But don’t become attached to living in the street. If you must live in a palace, LIVE in a palace, but don’t become attached to living in a palace.”
So I find myself reassessing my attachments. Knowing that if I can make room in my closets (physical, mental and spiritual) the space will be filled by something better. Everyone from Suze Orman to Mother Teresa and Joan Borrysenko say so.
Left
of Center by Pamela DeGroff
Pamela Writes the IRS
Dear Sir or Madame (...or whatever you people call yourselves...),
I have never written a protest letter to a government agency before, so you might want to bear with me on this. First of all, I guess calling this a "protest" letter might be a bit strong. I mean, after all, I'm just inquiring as to why we can't take a certain deduction.
By "we", I mean my alter ego and myself. I know I'll need to explain that. This is PAMELA DeGroff who is contacting you, not the male version of DeGroff who filled out the tax form. You see, I'm a cross dresser. I'm part of the Transgendered community. If you don't understand what I'm talking about, let me know, and I'll send some pamphlets or something. Anyway, it's not like I'm schizophrenic (did I spell that right?) or anything like that. I mean, I don't hear voices that tell me to suck Jell-O up my nose and marry a goat. (At least not for a few weeks now, what with the new medication...) I am simply trying to explain that I exist as a person and that I deserve to be a tax deduction for MR. DeGroff.
When you think about it, I'm the one who's doing all the work. Those conventions that we went to were as PAMELA, not as the male self. Oh sure, the male self got to write about them, and had article and photos published. The male self was the one who did the driving and got to take the deductions for everything we did that was deductible. But I hardly think that's fair. He'd have absolutely no reason to go to a transgender convention if it wasn't for me.
But, do we get to deduct all the clothing, make-up, and other sundry feminine supplies it takes to keep PAMELA going? No, you won't let us do that. I suppose we could claim that I'm a drag entertainer, but that would be lying, especially since the male self really doesn't care for drag show in the first place, and we don't buy the type of clothes those girls wear, anyhow. Besides, I know, I know, lying on a tax form is illegal. So, I guess the honest people just have to take it on the chin again, huh?
See, that's why Pamela either needs to be declared a tax deduction like a spouse or a "child living with you during the tax year." Granted, we hardly get paid to do what we do in the Transgender community, but that's not why we do it. But, we do have expenses. So therefore, doesn't it make sense, since Pamela not only generates a little income, and a lot of expense, to just go ahead and make her another DeGroff personal deduction? I'm even willing to apply for my own Social Security number, if that would help.
Here's another point to consider. You know you have that item in the tax instruction book about being able to take a deduction for any part of your home you use to generate income, such as a home office? Well, how about closet space? Pam's stuff takes up more closet space than MR. DeGroff’s stuff, by a long shot. Pam's also starting to take over the dresser. And let's not go into the category of shoes; they're everywhere. (All right, so I have a hobby...)
There's also the medicine cabinet with all the make-up and skin care stuff. Not only does all of that take up space, but it should qualify for deduction status since, well, the good stuff's expensive. (You can't honestly think Pam will use K-Mart specials, can you? I mean, she has to look her best when she goes out to help generate some of this income...)
Also, what about the increased use of electricity? We use more in the DeGroff household with Pamela around. Think about it: make-up mirror with the really good light bulbs; hair dryer; hot rollers; curling iron...I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. Once again, this is all in an effort to help generate a very small portion of our overall income, but do we get to take any of the added expense as a deduction? Well, of course YOU, dear Tax Person, know the answer to that.
Let me point out something else. I've already talked about all the devices Pam uses on her hair that we can't take as a deduction. Let me ask you this: what about hair care itself? Unlike a lot of people, Pamela doesn't wear a wig. Therefore, to keep long hair looking nice, there is some expense involved. We make sure Pam goes to the stylist regularly (She gets it trimmed every third consecutive, odd-numbered year.) That's expensive, not to mention all the really good hair care products. And, can I take you into my confidence here? Can we take Rogaine as a medical expense? I mean, a girl's just got to avoid that receding hairline problem.
Now, dear Tax Person (Sir or Madame), I hope you don't think this is getting to be a shopping list of nit-picky complaints. You'll notice I haven't mentioned anything about nail care of the expense of jewelry. Why bother? I'm trying to give you some credit for intelligence. You obviously must know how expensive it can be to maintain another person in a household. So all I'm really asking is this: next year, can you change the tax forms to include a category in the personal deductions portion to mention, along with "yourself", and "spouse", something along the lines of "Transgendered presence living with you during this tax year"? It would help out so many of us, and I think it would make for interesting reading for all those agents who must be terribly bored by now, dealing with the same old forms, year after year.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Hugs, kisses, sincere fondling,
Pamela DeGroff
news, media mentions, etc...
If It'll Get Me in a Wedding Gown...
The bride wore a black tuxedo and sported a fake moustache; the groom was resplendent in a white wedding dress and accompanying veil.
The bridesmaid - a man - stole the show in a tangerine-colored frock with matching parasol.
Tommy Chen, 28 and gay, married a lesbian friend to try to claim Hong Kong housing benefits available only to heterosexual couples.
Minutes after he and Yeo Wai-wai, 25, were declared man and wife they announced they had no intention to live together but wanted to be eligible for housing benefits in one of the world's most expensive cities.
They also kissed and exchanged rings with their same-sex lovers who had been witnesses to the wedding.
Mr. Chen
and his partner Ken Cheung, 27, rented wedding gowns and piled on make-up
and wigs for the ceremony in the normally restrained atmosphere of the register
office. Mr. Cheung now plans to marry Yeo Wai-wai's partner, a 25-year-old
woman who gave her name only as "TVB", to claim the same benefits.
Though homosexuality is legal in Hong Kong, only couples of opposite sexes are eligible for subsidised rental housing.
"We are two pairs of same-sex couples in love," Yeo Wai-wai said outside the register office, with a black moustache painted on her face.
"Unfortunately, Hong Kong society does not give us equal opportunities and rights."
After the ceremony, the newly-weds went to apply for public housing.
If they and their partners are successful, each same-sex couple would live together in a subsidized apartment, in violation of the public housing rental agreement.
The Home Affairs Bureau said in a statement that its policy on public housing "reflects the consensus of the community regarding monogamous marriage".
Daniel Wong, a lawyer who specializes in marriage law, said that sham marriages carried the risk of prosecution for "undertaking false oaths", but that homosexual couples in Hong Kong had few other options.
"The present system doesn't allow them rights that already exist overseas because we still hold the view that we are a traditional Chinese society," he said.
Source: BBC News 03/25/02
Tell Me a Story: GLBT History in TN
Full Court Press, an imprint of Write Together Publishing, has announced plans for the release of a new book entitled "Pride And Progress: A History of GLBT Tennessee". Scheduled for a November 1, 2002 publication date, the work will contain a comprehensive, state wide history of the community.
This project is more than just another history book, however. Backers of the project hope to "...capture for posterity Tennessee's history from a GLBT perspective; strengthen the sense of community; promote statewide and grass roots support; and to increase public awareness of the mission and services of Equality Tennessee, the Rainbow Community Center, and other partner organizations."
Topics covered in the book will range from legal issues, medical concerns, the political process, businesses, spirituality/religion, as well as social issues such as the coming out process, stereotypes, and education.
The Transgender community in Tennessee will be well documented with it's own section, as well as one devoted to Drag and Female Impersonation.
If you have a topic suggestion, want to be a partnering organization, know someone who should be interviewed, or have a question or comment, please feel free to contact any of the following for further information. Mikhail Brown, Joyce Arnold at the Rainbow Center, or Rhonda White at rhondawhite@juno.com
Guilty Plea in FL Silicone Injection Death
Transvestite Cory Williams, one of three suspects in the death of a Miami woman who died in March after industrial-strength silicone was injected into her body, was sentenced to four years of probation on Thursday.
I
n exchange for the probationary period, Williams,
27, will have to “truthfully” testify in pending trials against
two other men charged in the same case -- Mark D. Hawkins, 36, and Donnie
Hendrix, 32.
If Williams reneges on the testimony, he could be brought back before the judge and be sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. He earlier pleaded guilty to a reduced count of manslaughter/culpable negligence as part of the plea deal.
Williams, of Miramar, was originally charged with manslaughter, third-degree murder and practicing medicine without a license in the death of Vera Lawrence, 52. Lawrence died of a silicone embolism in a hospital after getting 36 injections of silicone into her hips and buttocks at Williams' apartment.
Police think the three operated an underground network delivering the silicone injections to a mainly transsexual clientele in South Florida. Lawrence was not a transsexual.
source: by Terri Somers South Florida Sun-Sentinel 03/07/02
What's a Guy Supposed to Do When He's Gotta Go?
Charges have been dropped against a transsexual man who was arrested after being found in a men’s public toilet.
Dean Spade, a female-to-male transsexual, was arrested in the male toilet at Grand Central Station in New York on 2 February, along with two friends.
Spade was held in custody for 23 hours. He told RainbowNetwork: “There was no legal basis for my arrest. It is not illegal for me to use the men’s room, even if my gender is legally `female`, in New York.”
He added: “I was arrested as part of the all-too-common New York Police Department practice of harassing and falsely arresting transgender, transsexual, and gender non-normative people.”
All charges against Spade and his companions were dismissed.
Spade said: “The judge made sure we were up first, even before our lawyer had a chance to arrive and represent us, possibly because he wanted to get rid of our yellow-uniformed crowd as soon as possible. Our giant fake yellow flowers might have signaled ‘trouble’ to him; who knows. It was over so fast we never got to wear our signs made out of sticker paper that read ‘NYPD: Stop Harassing Trannies,’ ‘23 Hours In Jail For Being Trans,’ ‘There Is No Wrong Bathroom’ and the like.”
The group are considering bringing a civil suit against the police for false arrest.
Source: www.rainbownetwork.com 03/07/02
For 31 years activists have lobbied the legislators to pass the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act, which would outlaw antigay discrimination in housing, employment, and other areas. The bill got a huge boost in January when Gov. George Pataki, a Republican, endorsed it in his State of the State speech. And after passing the assembly in January, the bill is expected to go before a favorable senate by June. But now transgender organizations are waging a vocal campaign to amend the legislation to include protections against discrimination based on gender identity.
The tussle in New York reflects a familiar tension that is often present between gay and transgender political groups. Gay politicos insist that excluding gender language from proposed laws is political realism. But gender groups counter that it’s hypocritical to wave the banner of civil rights while purposely excluding some of the community’s most vulnerable members.
Adding gender language to SONDA at this point “would cripple the ability to garner enough votes” to pass it, said Joe Grabarz, executive director of Empire State Pride Agenda, the gay group that has led the fight for the bill. Grabarz added that the transgender groups “have done virtually no education of politicians on their issues” and that a “last-minute, ill-prepared attempt” to amend the bill would achieve only one thing: SONDA’s defeat.
But Pauline Park, of the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy, said that too often “gay groups are tempted to throw the trannies overboard in the name of political expediency.” She added that many lawmakers often mistakenly believe the term sexual orientation includes transgendered people in its definition.
Even if securing transgender rights were more difficult than winning gay and lesbian rights alone, Park said, including protection for transgendered people should be based on a bedrock philosophy of equality: “It’s a question of commitment to the principle of equal rights and not leaving anyone behind.”
Source: by Mubarak Dahir The Advocate 03/19/02
UPDATE: KS Supreme
Court Rules on TS Wife
The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday
ruled that transsexual J'Noel Gardiner is a man under Kansas law and thus
not entitled to share in the estate of her late husband, Marshall Gardiner
of Leavenworth.
The 38-page ruling was a victory for Marshall Gardiner's son, Joe Gardiner, who contested J'Noel Gardiner's claim to half of his father's $2.5 million estate.
In its unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court said that while J'Noel Gardiner had "traveled a long and difficult road" that involved sex-change surgery, she remained a man for purposes of marriage.
"The Legislature has declared that the public policy of this state is to recognize only the traditional marriage between 'two parties of the opposite sex,' and all other marriages are against public policy and void," Justice Donald L. Allegrucci wrote.
"We cannot ignore what the Legislature has declared to be the public policy of this state. Our responsibility is to interpret (the law) and not rewrite it. That is for the Legislature to do, if it so desires."
Marshall Gardiner was a widower and former stock broker. He met J'Noel Ball, an assistant professor of finance at Park University, in 1998. He was 85; she was 40. They were married in September of that year.
He died in August 1999 and did not leave a will. When someone doesn't leave a will, under Kansas law the spouse gets half the estate and the heirs get half.
Joe Gardiner was Marshall Gardiner's only child.
In a recent interview, J'Noel Gardiner said that before the marriage, she told Gardiner that she once had been a man. She said he shrugged, "looked into my eyes and told me he loved me."
Across the nation, conservative and liberal groups watched the case closely. Interest is keen because the implications of "In the Matter of The Estate of Marshall G. Gardiner" are not just legal, they're primordial: What is a man? What is a woman? What is a marriage?
Some people on both sides of the political spectrum believed the case might have been a step toward the legalization of same-sex marriages, which are not recognized anywhere in the United States.
Vermont recognizes same-sex civil unions, which give couples benefits similar to those that come with marriage.
The Gardiner case has drawn national media attention. The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and magazines published articles about the court proceedings.
Bill Duncan, director of Catholic University of America's Marriage Law Project in Washington, D.C., said the issue of gender will come up again because cases are popping up across the nation.
"We have a mission to reaffirm the legal definition of marriage as a man and a woman," Duncan said. "But we haven't thought that much about what makes a man a man and a woman a woman."...
The state Supreme Court's ruling overturned a May decision by a three-judge panel of the Kansas Court of Appeals. The appellate court had held that there was more to gender than "simply what the individual's chromosomes were or were not at the time of birth."
The appellate court had ordered the case back to Leavenworth County District Court, where in 2000 a probate judge had ruled in favor of Joe Gardiner, 54. The appellate court directed the district court to consider several factors when deciding a person's sex. Those criteria included gender rearing, sexual identity and sex-change surgery.
The Supreme Court rejected those criteria, focusing instead on the letter of the law.
The Supreme Court opinion included definitions of "male" and "female" according to a 1970 Webster's dictionary. The definitions hinge on men's and women's ability to reproduce. The Supreme Court's reliance on those definitions drew either satisfaction or ire from legal experts, depending their viewpoints.
"There are many people who can't produce babies," said Anne Coughlin, a University of Virginia law professor. "Women in Kansas who have had hysterectomies or who are post-menopausal are going to be flipped out that they're not considered a woman. And a man who can't produce sperm isn't a man? Unbelievable."
Coughlin said the institution of marriage, according to Kansas law, seems to exist for reproductive function rather than other common reasons, such as companionship and financial security.
On the other hand, Lynn Wardle, a Brigham Young University law professor, applauded the court for allowing the legislature, as representatives of the people, to decide whether transsexuals can marry a person of their original sex.
Marriage, Wardle said, "is the core unit of social organization. When marriage becomes confused and unclear, as it has in our society, people suffer."
While rebuffing J'Noel Gardiner's main arguments, the Supreme Court went out of its way to say that it was not dismissing her claim lightly.
The ruling noted that J'Noel Gardiner had undergone electrolysis, thermolysis, tracheal shave, hormone injections and extensive counseling, in addition to sex-change surgery in 1994.
"Unfortunately, after all that, J'Noel remains a transsexual and a male for the purposes of marriage," Allegrucci wrote. "We are not blind to the stress and pain experienced by one who is born a male but perceives oneself as female. We recognize that there are people who do not fit neatly into the commonly recognized category of male or female, and to many life becomes an ordeal.
"However, the validity of J'Noel's marriage to Marshall is a question of public policy to be addressed by the Legislature and not by this court."
Source: by Anne Lamoy and Stacy Downs Kansas City Star 03/26/02