No Gender At All Part Two

For those of you who have visited Cyrsti's Condo for awhile, you will know the respect I have for Sherri Lynne who is a transitioning transgender therapist who actually works with trans patients.
Her latest post actually revolves around her visit to the recent Southern Comfort Conference. As I read on though, the post actually went into a portion of the subject in my End of Men topic:

" I heard the attitude shared that many younger people at the conference philosophically don't like the idea of having a gender identity at all. They identify as gender queer or other similar labels and they would deny everyone their own right to a gender identity as male or female in a society of their own design. I find it interesting that they would segregate themselves and impose a societal code that denies others of their own gender identity. You see this theme in much of feminist academic writing and in the presentations these individuals give at workshops. They want to impose the use of new language in the use of pronouns that deny the existence of gender identity. Ironically, these folks seem to be a small proportion of those in the gender community. I can never see myself identifying as anything than "female" or "woman" and would feel oppressed by a society that denies me my own identity, much as these individuals feel oppressed by a society that expects them to have a gender identity of either male or female. I find that rather ironic that they would choose to subject others to the same oppression they seek to be freed from."

Read more from Sherri Lynne here!

We Got Mail!

"Hi Tech Condo In Box"

I decided to bunch together several excellent comments I recently received.

"Bearmountaineer" responded to the To be Or not to Be post on Stealth question in the transgender community:

"Maybe it makes sense NOT to be noticed when we don't want to be noticed, and TO BE noticed when we want to be noticed, as when we want to support others. But we might consider presenting a stealthy image, and breaking it on purpose to show people that we are "normal", but a small slice of the population...."

I can only say I wish I had thought of this answer myself! Thanks!!!!

Alice checked in a commented on the Atlanta Cotillion :  Cyrsti, as per my earlier comment, Atlanta will also welcome the Southern Comfort Conference this month. Both events can be viewed on Flickr as many of the men in attendance love to share their images when dressed so well to the nines.

Thanks Alice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A portion of my Stuff post concerned the uproar over Mandi's appearance on the Anderson Cooper Show. One of my most respected long term reader and contributor here in Cyrsti's Condo, Sherri Lynne commented:

" Hey GF, I'm curious too as to why the Anderson Cooper piece has sent heads spinning and all the knashing of teeth. What happened to the "We Are One" here? This poor woman appears to me to be suffering from some kind of serious mental illness from what I have read about the interview based on the statements the woman herself made. Some members of our community have serious mental illnesses. Should their voices be stifled? Are they not allowed to be visable, or are we only going to let our "poster girls" have a public forum? We have to face the fact that some of us are going to have serious mental health problems, no more or no less in proportion to the general population. If this piece is exploitive in any fashion, not saying it is or it isn't as I haven't afforded myself to see the interview, my opinion that it would be based on her mental illness, but on the other hand, why should seriously mentally ill peoplew not be allowed to tell their story? In the early 1970's the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill was ordered by federal mandate and the people deemed should be segregated and shut away from having a life of freedom were given more access to having as normal a life as their illness permits and living in the least restrictive manner possible. As with any poorly planned federal legistation, there were some very negative consequences for these individuals along with the very positive results of this court mandate. So, you make your choices and you pay your dues. This woman has not been deemed mentally incompetent, or she would be in the hospital. She has just as much right as anyone else to speak in a public forum whether we like it or not. That is the real issue at hand, not whether she makes the trans community look bad."

If you don't know, Sherri Lynne is a real live transgender therapist. Both trans woman and therapist!
I also received another comment from a person who has met Mandi several times and felt perhaps the platform she used did not work well for her. He thought that regardless of what anyone thinks of the validity of her claim, she has the right to comment on it.

In no order of importance I also received this comment from Brianna Austin concerning my video post The Best of Brini Maxwell :
" I met Brini at my first Night of a Thousand Gowns, in 2002 http://www.briannaaustin.com/index.php/gallery/events/thousand-gowns-2002/fab-formal-197"

Cool! I don't get out much (maybe quantity not quality?) and I am star struck when I get a comment from someone like Brianna who does!

Finally, Liz commented on my Transgender Dating post: "It was very moving and touched me!"
Thanks!

Thanks soooo much to all of you who cared enough to comment!

Returning to Door Number 3

A couple days ago I posted an article loosely based on the concept of a transgender umbrella called "Behind Door Number 3". I directed all the heavy lifting on this topic to Sherri Lynne.
In the meantime, fellow reader Cerise Richards did some heavy lifting of her own on the topic.
Here's an excerpt:
"Good Morning and Happy Father's day to all TGs who have fathered children. You have produced sperm, inseminated a female who gave you a child (ren) and that makes you a biological male. But I have "Gender on My Mind" today, since Sherri has questioned whether TSs are part of the Transgender Spectrum of Humanity or are they beyond, a result of an "unknown genetic defect" (HBS). Considering we are all human and come with infinite variations of our DNA so that we are all unique. Not even identical twins have identical DNA. We must first appreciate our diversity. Do you know that there are over 300 different mutations of the InterSex condition, Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome and they are all WOMEN in body and spirit, but not female?

For more of her thoughts please go here.

I will add the same message I sent Cerise concerning Sherri Lynne.
Since Sherri is a professional in our field, I consider any feedback I am fortunate enough to receive from her similar to free legal advice.
I'm sure she is the first to expect not everyone agrees with her and I certainly would be the last person to speak for her!

Peers As Gender Police

If she will allow me to refer to her as sort of our resident therapist, Sherri Lynne has a new post on her blog. The article references our peers as gender police. Here's an excerpt:

"Interestingly, the most negative people about the realities of our lives both as individuals and in varying collectives include the extreme Right and the Extreme Left.

For one group, our very existence on the earth is anathema. For the other group, our very right to a unified gender identity is sacrilege. I find both extremes both nullifying simultaneously."

 

You can read the entire article here!

The one addition I would love to see is Sherry address is the extreme rift in the transgender or transsexual community about who we are. (She did say a little about it but anything in depth from her is great!)
In fact I just had an old friend tell me he thought there was some sort of a "sisterhood" in our community and I told him I'm not so sure.
Allow me to bring up the number of "sisters" who reject me quickly because I'm not sexually promiscuous or the ones who have said I'm just another old guy starting hormones or the ones who are sure I can't pee in the woman's room because I haven't forked out the thousands of dollars for the privilege.
Just where are the gender police?
Everywhere. It's life.