I am surprised that none of you picked up on this as I see it as quite important.
Yesterday I noticed in the news that Exodus International, James Dobson's once highly publicised effor to cure Gays had decided to pull out of anti Gay conventions. The reason being that someone had figured out that this sort of rhetoric was causing suicides. I don't know if there are any law suits pending but I do know the sort of language that the Dobson bunch used.
I was involved in a full scale range war with Dobson for years over all that, and even invoked "The Blood Of Christ" against them, something that evangelicals take quite seriously. I stood before one of his people at a big religious convention and dared him to call me a liar when I told him that my problem was involuntary. I was loud, obnoxious and disobedient to him in front of at least 100 people.
I am hoping that we have the bastards on the run, what with all the gay suicides, and this kid from Umich finally speaking out, it seems that public opinion is turning against the religious zealots. When something like this happens, I hope that T folk have enough sense to shirt tale on the back of all of it.
Much peace
Gwendolyn
Comments
I don't know
anything about this 'Exodus International' and or James Dobson. Being from the 'old continent', we don't get much news about religious warfare against the miscreants and deviants to the 'holy book' across the pond. From reading just a little bit in wikipedia about this organization I gather they are -indeed- obnoxious religious zealots that struggle to cure the incurable; trying to quell their own fears and misconception, and internally divided.
So 'Hurray!' if they pull out from anti Gay anythings. May they live a short lived life as that organization.
But! I hope that T folk do NOT jump on that bandwagon. Contrary to popular belief, I don't think we 'T folk' should be lumped with the gay and lesbian scene any more than that we do so on the basis of our own sexuality. And even then we should encourage to discriminate between our individuality and sexuality, to educate others there IS a big difference. By coat tailing the LGB agenda we're NOT doing ourselves a favour, other than that we let others fight our struggle. In stead we strengthen the belief that being T is the same as G.
I know there's is L and B too, in the acronym, but to the general populace it just all means G. Gay!
What's the first thing asked by someone not educated about these things, when some arbitrary cross-dresser decides to come out of the closet? 'So, do you like men?'
WE know the difference, but apparently 'they' don't. And if we don't start to bring more clarity in this, emphasizing the difference, de-obfuscate the LGB T conception, we not only do ourselves no favours, but also many a young -and old- confused and troubled mind will fail to compute properly, and prolong their misery.
[ironymode] Indeed, we should incur their 'new' misery of being T folk [/ironymode]
I'm happy with what LGB has ever reached, and maybe even done to advocate T-awareness, but I strongly believe it's in T folks best interest to encourage discriminating between the factions.
Jo-Anne
The Shifty Sands Of The Mental Health Racket
If I put myself a hundred years ahead, I can imagine a world where one sees activity suited clothing. If one is a Lineman, a corset and heels won't do it. But if one is selling real estate, a nice corset, short skirt, and heels could be just the ticket. It would be a world where one's gender or size would not matter; though by then hopefully everyone would be close to a BMI of 25 for health reasons. Yes, this means that a 6'4" guy would be in the range of 200lbs.
Hopefully there would be no more T folk, because it would not matter one iota what anyone wore. Nor would it matter who got poked where with what? Gay or Lesbian would have no more social significance than Whole or Wheat flower.
Many Mental Health predators see T folk as being delusional but in truth others see us as damaged and compromised because of the brutal rejections we suffer. I too agree that it is the rejection. I would also have been quite happy to live out my life in skirts, in a world like that, having never messed with my plumbing.
Perhaps social mores would be almost puritanistic in some areas, for example, who got to have kids, and how they were treated, and what the consequences were for doing drugs and other things harmful to parenting skills or the genetics of children. Perhaps people would finally realize, as tought by much increased scientific knowlege, that there is a time and place for certain mind altering substances, and child rearing years, for both male and female is not IT!
Gwendolyn
Umm. Are we discussing
things here, or are we merely venting opinions on issues close to what we hold dear?
Not to be rude, it could be my poor grasp of the language, but I can't quite see the gist of your response in light of my initial comment.
However. When I see some hundred years from now, or maybe even two, there would still be men and women. And, provided we don't go curing birth-defects(?) as we now understand them to be, like transsexual and/or homosexual, IF we could find the cause of it to begin with, I gather there would still be transsexuals and/or homosexuals.
I sure hope society will by then have accepted these differences and be accepting that this is not a threat nor a disease. I don't understand your reasoning about that there would be no more T folk because of what one is wearing and the acceptance or not thereof.
I mean I am transsexual, therefore T folk, but that's not because of what I am wearing. Also I am quite happy that I have let them 'mess with my plumbing' because now it's much more close to what I feel it should have been like to begin with. It´s not nearly close enough, but well hey, wishing alone didn't work, or praying. Nor did a trip to Lourdes, and the nano-bots are just evolving.
Where I live, most people who sell real estate, they would show up in a nice corset, heels and a short skirt would reaaaallly be the height of gossip around here. Because here it's mostly men that handle real-estate. Men did wear skirts, aeons ago, but they -mostly- dropped them, ( oh how horrible, the pun.. * sorry :) * ) well, they favour trousers now. And I can well understand that. I don't particularly like skirts, I prefer trousers, and I don't wholly get the lore of wearing skirts, just for the heck of it.
Only when you'd want to stand out. It's nice for when you go out clubbing or something, and you want to dress up a little, you can go with a nice skirt or a dress, to draw some attention to you. Make them notice your legs or figure, show off a little, for him, or her. Proud and about, something like that.
Trousers are more comfortable, more utilitarian. Maybe a little drab. Wearing skirts, other than by ingrained pattern like 50-ish housewives, is telling the world: Look! I like my life, I'm happy. Look at me. And that I can understand.
The trouble today is, when you're born male, and you want to do something like that, society makes the wrong assumptions. They think 'Oh, look. He's wearing a dress, he must be gay'
And that's so sad. It would be so nice if the gay stigma could be removed from men wearing dresses. But it's not going to happen soon, if ever. And I don't believe LGB mixing with T will help differentiate things more easy.
Jo-Anne
Um sorry, I do my own thinking.
Sorry if I did not address the issues you thought important. I am post op by a few years, so I am part of the um club, but I do not see what is going on now as and END. Maybe having a Vagina would be more fun if it actually worked, and if men were interested in me. I don't mean the boozy set who are apt to puke on my carpet, but real, quality men who would be interested in making a real life. Were I 30 years younger, I would dearly love to be held down and made to squeal with delight with the idea of producing a baby, and raising her.
Perhaps it is just my cynicisim showing through, but "FOR ME" getting a vagie has been a big fucking lie. The cost in loss of family and other things was exhorbant at the least. I do understand that others do not feel that way and I am entitled to my opinion.
My point is that it should make no difference what so ever what we wear because I think if that were so, it would remove a lot of T folk from a very painful situation.
As to your defense of pants, wear the fucking things if you want to, I hate them. I don't have to conform to anyone's idea of what to wear.
Gwendolyn
Don't be sorry
there is no need. Hooray for the um club, though the membership is highly overrated.
Yes, it is your cynicism showing through, but then again that doesn't make it untrue. I don't contest your opinion, and sympathize with your plight. Not that it will do you any good, but I can't help you with it other than express myself like this and offer an electronic hug. Yeah, I know it's corny.
I agree on your point. Then again, I guess lots of the 'fun' of it, is that it's so inherently different.
Jo-Anne
Thank you for not reacting to my impertenance.
I'm just a bit more OFF than usual today, Sorry.
Gwendolyn
GLBT
A friend said the 'T' should be excluded as it is nothing to do with sexuality. Yup,see the point, and agree with itas it is intended. He also said that the GLB part should become 'GGG', for 'Gay, Gay as well, and Greedy'
Similar Concerns
Back around 1913 certain members of the International Brotherhood of Ironmongers, Pastry Chefs and Circus Clowns felt that the organization should be dissolved, arguing that it was a ridiculous gerrymander of trades that had little in common. But luckily wiser heads prevailed (recognizing that while their jobs were so dissimilar the problems they faced in the workplace and the discrimination they faced in society were very similar), resulting in safer working conditions and a better quality of life in general for all the members of the IBIPCCC. Although mime bashing is still a terrible problem in some places...
~~honk honk, Laika
What borders on pure insanity?
Canada and Mexico.
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Links
If anyone's interested in the story mentioned in passing above, about the UMich student, here are some links. It's worth reading, unless you'd prefer not to get riled up.
http://blogout.justout.com/?p=22765
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-mi-anti-gayblog-at...
http://wildcat.arizona.edu/perspectives/there-s-a-fine-line-...
The whole story, summarized in a segment from Anderson Cooper's show, AC360:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vczh_RMh4Mw
Gwen!
Allah be praised, not joking. I'm so proud of and impressed by you. I certainly don't have the guts to get in front of any gay haters. Thanks very much for sticking up for us. James Dobson makes me sick, but I really haven't done much about it except to donate to LGBT organizations.
Right On Gal!
Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee
Ready for work, 1992.
Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee