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Via Gender Advocacy Internet News(GAIN), http://www.gender.org
High-profile sex change could signal social change under way in China
According to the article, Jin has found acceptance in Beijing "in a way unthinkable just a few years ago." According to the article, the chinese have used the new wealth and expanded personal freedoms that come with the cultural and political reforms to discard the "decades of socialist morality." The story discusses at length many of the social and sexual attitude changes taking place in Chinese society, and asserts that "Jin's story is testament to the change," adding that such a procedure would have been "unthinkable" during the reign of Mao Zedong. "I could have been punished and put in jail," said Jin, who was born in Shenyang, a city in northeast China. The story reports that since she was six years old she was aware of her transsexual status. "Before, Jin said, "people had no choice. Now they have many choices." |
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A March 1 GLAADLINES press release. Visit the GLAAD web site at http://www.glaad.org
Pentium III Released Amidst Controversy On Friday, February 26, the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), in conjunction with a number of other Internet civil liberties group, called for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to stop the distribution of the Intel Corporation's new Pentium III processor. The CDT cited concerns about technology included in the chip which transmits a unique serial number, enabling potential tracking of users online. The Pentium III was released on Sunday, February 28. According to a CDT release, Intel has stated that the new technology is intended to be used for security purposes, and not for tracking, but the CDT pointed to the potentially dangerous applications of the technology in addition to the intended ones. "From the start, GLAAD, too, has been concerned with issues of online privacy as they pertain to members of our community. Many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people - and especially in rural areas - do not have adequate support systems around them. The Internet tells them they are not alone, and provides vital resources to many who feel isolated and alienated, without threatening their safety by jeopardizing their anonymity," said GLAAD Interactive Media Director Loren Javier. "While GLAAD has not issued its own call to the FTC, we are still concerned about the implications of the Pentium III technology, and will continue to be vigilant in our monitoring of the issue." . . .For more information, contact Loren Javier at (415) 861-2244 or by e-mail at: javier@glaad.org. |
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From Carrie Davis, CarefulGrl@aol.com
What transpired at the "Trans-Safety & Violence Town Meeting" on March 4 in NYC: At 7 PM on March 4th, 1999, The Gender Identity Project (GIP) and the Public Policy Department of the Lesbian & Gay Community Services Center (the Center - www.gaycenter.org) sponsored a Town Meeting regarding safety issues for people of transgender experience. This important event was free and open to all who have an interest in the horrific situation that the transgender community encounters in daily life and on the street. A group of speakers lead by Rosalyne Blumenstein, Tracy Caranannte, Victoria Cruz, Carrie Davis, Imani Henry and Stacey Meadow joined the community in a speak out and discussion of this deteriorating situation. The evening was an outstanding success. The auditorium was "standing room only" and filled with 100 to 120 transgender identified brothers & sisters and our partners, lovers, boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, politicians, reporters, social workers and other allies, many of whom added their voices to ours. Members of our community were given an opportunity to tell their stories in a safe environment by participating in a speak out, moderated by Carmen Vasquez, the Director of the Public Policy Department of the Center. Openly gay State Senator Tom Duane, and openly lesbian City Councilmembers Chris Quinn and Margarita Lopez, along with officials from the NYC Police Department, the AVP, GOAL, GenderPAC (www.gpac.org), NYAGRA (www.nyagra.org), MGN and other organizations listened and added their voices to those expressed by the other speakers. It was everyone's hope that the evening marked the beginning of a useful dialogue between city officials and community leaders that will ultimately enhance everyone's quality of life. . . .For assistance, or additional Information, contact the Gender Identity Project tel.: (212) 620-7310, web: www.gaycenter.org or e-mail: carrie@gaycenter.org |
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A release from Youth Guardian Services. The event website is at http://www.youth-guard.org/dayofsilence
On The Eve of Audible Silence The list of participating high school and universities grows every week. Organizers from hundreds of schools across the country are working fervently to confirm speakers, information tables, and support spaces to carry out the Day of Silence on April 7, 1999. Youth organizing the Day of Silence will create a visible, "audible" silence to protest the oppression forced upon lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Instead of speaking, participants will wear stickers and pass out cards calling for an end to the silence of LGBT people. Organizers will also offer educational tools and dialogue devoted to ending the silence by organizing post-event forums and breaks. Participation in the event has grown exponentially from a single campus in 1996 into an international effort in 1999. Every school will carry out the Day of Silence in a unique way. At the University of Iowa, organizers have scheduled a shout-out in downtown Iowa City, where students will shout, bang pans, ring bells, and do whatever they can to make noise for an entire minute. The shout out will be followed by an open-mic session where people will be express to talk about their thoughts and experiences. According to Kit Murray, President of the University of Iowa Feminist Union, activities such as these will "give people the opportunity to continue to fight homophobia in their everyday lives and to have the resources available for people to educate themselves and others." In Tulsa, OK, the events surrounding and supporting the Day of Silence span not a single day, but a week. High school organizers in the area are organizing around the theme "unity through diversity," holding panels on queers of color and biphobia. Tulsa organizer Emily Sisemore, a junior in high school and national high school coordinator of the Project, also plans to hold follow-up sessions to seriously address rifts in the LGBT community. Sisemore hopes the session will discuss "what can be done within our community to increase awareness and break down prejudice." The Day of Silence has garnered the endorsements of national organizations such as Advocates for Youth, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Youth Guardian Services, And Justice for All, COLAGE, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Mel White, Founder of Soulforce, Inc., Student Environmental Action Coalition, and the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitian Community Churches. Local organizations endorsing and participating include Boston Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth, the Bay Area Gay Straight Alliance Network, Queer and Active, and the SAFETeen Project. . . .If you or your school are interested in participating or learning more about the Project, please contact Jessie Gilliam, Co-Chair, at jmg8r@virginia.edu or Chloe Palenchar, Co-Chair, at cpalenchar@hotmail.com. Also, please refer to our homepage at http://www.youth-guard.org/dayofsilence for information on organizing the Project and a complete list of participating schools. |
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From our drama desk.
A "major pelvic event" is how the surgeon describes the sex-change operation he will perform on the leading character in a terrific play that recently ended its 12 performance New York off-Broadway run. (For some background, see this GenderNotice.) Making Faces, written by Christine Howey, is the story of the emotional life of Peter/Rebecca from birth to middle-age, told in a series of vignettes and monologues that are often touching and always very witty. Set in comfortable Ohio, it presents the multi-faceted and frequently baffling feelings that come from having to play a life-long part cast in the wrong gender role.
The play was produced by Ms. Howey's daughter, Noelle Howey, and directed by Jim Sterner. |
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Page prepared by Beth Lewis
A December 27, 1998 story with the above title by Benjamin Kang Lim in the Japan Times opens by introducing readers to Jin Xing, a former colonel in a People's Liberation Army dance troupe, and who underwent sex reassignment surgery three years ago. According to the article, Jin "makes no secret of her past, but admits that dating can be a problem."
Although Lenny Pinna (credited by Ms. Howey as dramaturg and collaborator) gives a superb solo performance, it seems almost a misnomer to call it a one-person show. Aside from Peter/Rebecca and the surgeon, we hear from Peter's mother, wife, and daughter, co-workers and bosses, neighbors and friends, an outraged date, and many more. (A recurring character is the drag queen who advises Peter -- at one point urging him to just do it and skip the cross-dressing support groups, where he's likely to end up "talking about deer hunting with a guy in a flowered jumper.") Through all the dialogues -- and even a crowd scene! -- Mr. Pinna's precise acting always lets the audience know who's who.