Transgender Activist

Interview on KKUP radio Receiving "MTF of Year" award

Author Kate Bornstein once called me a media slut. Though she was laughing when she said it, there is more than a smidgen of truth to it. I do love attention, however I also think it's important to educate people about gender issues and about the challenges that transsexuals face. I started out speaking on gender panels in front of college students and professional audiences. After seeing a few programs where we were not well represented - I remember a T-woman on a national show who told the hostile audience "you're just jealous because we look better than real women" - I decided that I could do a better job of it and began accepting slots on TV and radio talk shows. Considering that I overcame great adversity and held a professional job, I felt my story as good as any to put in front of the public. As San Francisco is a hotbed of transgender activism, I threw myself into the thick of it, adding my voice to ours at City Hall meetings, sitting on a task force, participating in peaceful marches and protests, and writing articles and letters to editors on transsexual and transgender topics. A word about the contested "T" word: transgender. While I do not identify as a transgender person, especially since my surgery, I do recognize that "transgender" is an established political label that covers the entire gender spectrum, from crossdressers to post-op TSs. While we have many differences, I believe that we all face similar fear, hatred and discrimination. I believe we would be wise to work through our differences and unite to address our common challenges. Just my two cents. One area where I most passionately placed my activism was my former band Glamazon. Given the male-dominated and macho nature of Rock, I sought to be an example of a transsexual who dared to venture into that boy's club, and to use my visibility as a soapbox. In 2001 the Los Angeles County Transgender Task Force presented me with a "MTF of the Year" award for my work in Glamazon. In my heart I accepted it for all of my efforts on behalf of the TS/TG community. As a TS woman who is grateful for her position today, I want to continue to put a human face on transsexualism.