Introduction
The genie is out of the bottle. In fact in the last thirty years many genies have left the bottle.
Some are tall and slim, others are short, and to be polite, not slim. Many
are young, many are middle aged, and many are less than in their prime. Some
are black, some are white, and some are Native American, Oriental, or mixed ethnicity.
They come from all walks of life and there are no demographics for where the next genie will appear from. They are the male to female transgenders, and they are here as a force to be reckoned with.
The civil rights and womens movements of the
fifties and sixties have empowered those who see themselves, or believe themselves to be other than what they were born as,
to step up to the plate and take a swing at a home run, which in their case is their life.
They are no longer tied down by stereotypes of sex, class, ethnicity, or financial bondage. They drive cars, shop at malls, have their hair and nails done, and work in all aspects of business. While some are at the bottom of the economic and educational ladder, others are at
the top, owning and running large, multi corporate empires. They are teachers,
bankers, librarians, secretaries, police officers, firewomen, and all the other occupations that keep the day-to-day world
running.
It is also interesting to note that although
many hold aspirations to become fully physical females in all aspects of that form, others are content with some or no cosmetic
surgery or medication. They pass you by on the street, the subway, and the airport
as any other woman who is trying to get through her day the best way she can. You
may see her and admire her legs, her hair, her shoes, or you may wonder what ever was she thinking when she dressed that morning. You may think she's not a woman or you may not care.
You will probably never know for sure, but that is her secret that she keeps close to her heart. In the end you are neither better nor worse off for knowing or suspecting.
This book is a collection of articles written about those genies that have escaped.
In some places they are less than female but more than male. In other
places they are more than either. There have been laws passed against them, for
them, and about them, but the same laws were once passed about African-Americans, women, gays, and children. For better or for worse they are among us and the bottle will never again hold them. They have seen the outside world and they want to stay there. This
is our story.
Here are the contributors:
Charles Byrd is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at the College of Health
and Human Performance at the University of Florida.
He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Florida, his Master's degree in psychology from
the University of Florida, and his doctoral
degree from the University of Florida
in Counseling Psychology. Charles' research interests include health psychology, specifically psychological variables associated
with adherence to medical regimens, and the application of mental health to the economically disadvantaged and those with
severe and persistent mental illnesses.
Ms Bob Davis is the secretary of the board of director of the International Museum of Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgender History. Her columns on transgender history appear in
the quarterly Lady Like Magazine, the monthly
Transgender Community News, and the on-line Transgender Forum. Her writing credits include "The History and Significance of Female
Mimics Magazine 1963-1979" which was first published in The Newsletter of the National
Transgender Library and Archive. This article was presented at 2nd
International Congress on Crossdressing, Sex and Gender in Philadelphia. She is a member of Transgender San Francisco, FTM International, Renaissance Transgender
Association and International Foundation for Gender Education. As Bob Davis she
is a full time instructor in the Music Department of San Francisco City College and teaches in the Theatre Arts Department
of San Francisco State University. Bob is included in Who’ Who Among
America's Teachers, 5th edition, 1998 and 6th edition, 2000.
Dallas Denny is a writer and transgender activist who lives in tiny Pine Lake, GA, the world's smallest community with a transgender-inclusive
nondiscrimination ordinance.
Lauren Gustafson has been an active member in various transgender groups in Florida since she began her transition in 1996. She has spoken at several seminars
and workshops, doing her best to educate people about transgender issues on a grass-roots level. A multimedia designer
by profession, Lauren received her Bachelors degree in Telecommunication from the University
of Florida. It was there that Jennifer Sager and she met and began their
close friendship.
Ms. Nangeroni is an outspoken transgender community activist, writer, musician, and media producer
and host on issues of gender. After transitioning from living as a man in early 1993, she became a lead voice in the emerging
Transgender movement, serving a stint as executive director for the International Foundation for Gender Education. Nancy is widely known for her active community support and commitment
to collaborative activism. She produces and hosts the leading radio talk show about gender and transgender issues called "GenderTalk"
which airs weekly on WMBR-FM in Cambridge, MA, and worldwide via the Web at www.gendertalk.com. An MIT graduate, Nancy
works as a consulting computer telecommunications design engineer (Ninja Design), where her world-class designs have repeatedly
helped her client businesses succeed where others have failed.
Nicole Pool is a librarian for the Dallas Public Library System. Before transition
she worked as an academic librarian at several universities in Oklahoma.
She earned a Master's degree in 16th Century English Literature in 1987 and a Master's degree in Library Science
in 1989. Both degrees were earned at the University of
Oklahoma. She does review work for Lambda Book Report, and has
published in the fields of literary criticism and library science. She is a self-identified trans dyke.
Jennifer Sager is an associate staff member/therapist at the University of Florida Counseling Center.
She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida,
and her master's degree from the University of Oklahoma. Currently, she is completing her doctoral degree from Pennsylvania State University.
Jennifer's research interests include multiple identities, specifically the intersection of race, sex, and sexual orientation.
She has provided several training workshops for counselors and psychologists on Counseling Transgendered Individuals. Jennifer
is the author of the University of Florida Counseling Center's brochure on Understanding Transgender. She is currently co-authoring
a book in the area of multiculturalism.
Paula Sophia Schonauer, (her byline is Paula Sophia), is thirty-eight
years old, a parent of two children, one boy (13 years old) and one girl (six years old). She is a Gulf War veteran, a police
officer (12 years on the Oklahoma City Police Department), an ordained Episcopal deacon (1999), and a columnist for the Gayly
Oklahoman (Divinity and Diversity, Reflections on Faith), as well as a post-op male to female transsexual (surgery in Bangkok, Thailand
in November 2002). Paula is a poet in Oklahoma City's Wayward
Poets review at Galileos on the Paseo. Recently she won a spot on Oklahoma's slam poetry
team and will be competing at the national event in St. Louis, MO from Aug 4 through Aug 7, 2004. She is also an activist dedicated to raising public awareness
of transgender people. Recently she was profiled by People Magazine (it will hit the stands in late May early June 2004) as
well as several local publications.
Marla Roberson has been a librarian since 1997 and is interested in the diversity of cultural experiences.
She feels that by reading and exploring a wide variety of information, the world will be more tolerant of differences.
Gypsey Teague is the Director of the Langston University Oklahoma City Campus Library and an Adjunct
Professor of Business at that campus. She holds graduate degrees in Business
Administration, Library Science, Landscape Architecture, and Regional and City Planning.
Her previous works are the American Library Association Stonewall Award Nominated novel The Life and Deaths of Carter
Falls, and Two’s Company, Three You Die!, both revolving around a male to female transgender. In addition to teaching Professor Teague is the Area Chair in Gender for the Southwest/Texas Popular Culture
Association, and many of the articles in this book are from her presentations. |
