From: idx009@cck.coventry.ac.uk (the Crisco Kid)
Subject: Re: Guardian Norwich article
Organization: Eris's Restaurant
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 17:31:58 GMT

In article <18317@acorn.co.uk> osmith@acorn.co.uk (Owen Smith) writes:
>I've just read the Guardian's article on Norwich. I thought it was quite a
>good article actually, reasonably balanced in outlook. The fairly long
>coverage of the transsexuals in women's space argument in the final plenary
>was interesting. At first I was amused that it said none of the cross
>dressers contributed anything - I contributed something and I'm a cross
>dresser. The writer made the assumption that all cross dressers would be a)
>dressed and b) spottable. So we have cross-dressing invisibility here. If
>you don't cross dress or you're very good at it, people don't realise what
>you are :-). Then I got annoyed about the gratuitously long list of things
>the cross-dressers were wearing. Surely it was irrelevent to mention
>stockings, heels, skirts, wigs, falsies etc. I would have thought the term
>cross-dresser was more than sufficient. I then got annoyed about the fact
>that the writer said nobody from the transsexualtiy workshop said anything
>as requested by the person running the workshop. I said something, and I
>stated that I had been at the workshop. But I suppose we all get touchy
>about the slightest mis-representation of ourselves and I have to admit that
>I didn't say very much and what I did say was not paticularly helpfull.

Yeh.  That section was the only bit that really galled.  May I quote?

	The problem was the tiny group of men to women transsexuals,
	joining in the workshops by day, and bringing their sleeping
	bags at night.
	Another woman stood up, her voice breaking.  "I hate saying
	this, I don't think I should be saying this - but whatever
	my intellect says, my gut feeling was that it wasn't a safe
	space, it was very unsafe."
	None of the three cross-dressers at the closing session,
	sitting at the side in wigs, make-up, falsies, skirts and
	jumpers, tights and shoes with heels, contributed anything.
	Kate, who describes herself as a lesbian, but refuses to
	state whether she is also a man to woman transsexual,
	"because it's still not safe to come out as a transsexual",
	conducted a workshop on bisexual transsexuality, and spent
	some time trying to persuade any of those who attended it to
	report to the conference.
	Eventually, she addressed the issue herself...

The things that "ouch"ed me (and please note that I didn't attend
the final plenary due to admin stuff) were 1) The mention of cross-
dressers, implying that they would necessarily have anything to say
on the issue of M->F TSfolk in women's space; 2) The almost (to me)
"shock, horror" detailing of the dress of the cross-dressers - I mean,
"shoes with heels"?  My goodness, it's the End of Civilisation as We
Know It! and 3) the phrase "joining in... by day, and bringing their
sleeping bags by night".  What the fuck *else* were they to do if
they were using the communal crashspace?  Why mention it at all?

Also (small personal gripe here) I don't think it was quite fair to
describe my relationship with Justin as "equally monogamous" in
comparison with Dave and Di's.  We're only monogamous insofar as
we've yet to look with intent outside our relationship; we have a
"monogamy of circumstance" rather than a "monogamy of agreement",
which is what I believe Dave and Di have.

>On the plus side I think it's good that the article covered this issue. I
>think the fact that we are tackling what are obviously very tricky and
>emotive issues sheds a good light on us.

Yes, yes, agreed!  a 97.5% good article, and if it doesn't get people
getting in touch with the phoneline, Bifrost, and the Partners' and
Parents' Support Line in droves, I'll eat my virtual hat.

>PS. I wonder if people will stop Dave Berry on the streets of Cambridge and
>say "Hey look everybody! It's Dr. Pervert!" :-) :-)

Ah, but he's a ways to go before he can match Arnold Zwicky's "That's
*Distinguished Professor* Pervert to you!" :)

		mad, bad, and really quite astoundingly nice
		Kay
-- 
6'2", dark short hair, blue eyes, bisexual and horny as ....
Kay Dekker, Dept of Industrial Design, Coventry University, Coventry UK
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