Archive for May, 2005
Tuesday, May 31st, 2005
Az over at Robots, Dream Lyrics and Desire [1] raises some great and fascinating questions in this post [2] about how trans is trans enough. In addition to mentioning my ordinary man project, which comes with some constructive criticisms, the comments exchange with az has been thought-provoking.
Az is a great theoretician and as an australian brings different perspectives to conversations about embodying gender, class, race and other topics of concern to me.
What I am struck by is how much richer my perspectives have become since az commented on my blog back a few weeks, which then sent me in search of az's blog.
I am also struck by how decisions I have made about what I will discuss on my blog are interpreted by others. (You'll have to read az's full post to see what I mean...)
[1] http://theorybitch.blogspot.com/
[2] http://theorybitch.blogspot.com/2005_05_01_theorybitch_archive.html#111742471574109534
Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
Friday, May 27th, 2005
The ever wonderful people of American Friends Service Committee's [1] lgbt Rights and Recognition have written an exemplary document (Download AFSC_document.pdf [2]) on how to obtain workplace insurance coverage for transgender people.
They have also included AFSC's Employee Benefit Plan that includes transgender coverage (Download afsc_employee_benefit_plan.pdf [3] ).
To AFSC I say thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Please download and distribute far and wide.
[1] http://www.afsc.org/lgbt/default.htm
[2] http://jaysennett.typepad.com/jay_sennetts_blog/files/AFSC_document.pdf
[3] http://jaysennett.typepad.com/jay_sennetts_blog/files/afsc_employee_benefit_plan.pdf
Posted in Healthcare Insurance, Religion | 2 Comments »
Friday, May 27th, 2005
Yesterday, I got a very polite response from an evangelical Christian posting that the "Bible is reasonably clear that homosexuality is wrong." After four years as a religion major and over three years in seminary, I can assure you that the 20th century English translations are also fairly clear that wearing poly-cotton blends are punishable by death, and slavery and extramarital sex are fine. (Adultery, taking another man's wife, is not; but taking an unmarried concubine is just fine. Actually, taking hundreds of them is fine.)
I would be glad to point you towards Biblical scholarship that would argue a different point of view, but I will not debate this topic myself. For me the debate is over. We are beloved children created in the very image of God, not just good, but in the IMAGE of God, God's self!!!! There is not more debate about our rightness, our wrongness, our intrinsic moral value, our purity or holiness. We are God's children! End of debate.
If you want to come to my church, I will sit down with you for communion, I will work side by side with you in our three night a week hot meal program for the homeless, I will share a shovel on landscaping the senior residences, I will do Bible Study with you. But I will not debate my existence nor my right to exist.
Thanks for reading and responding.
(BY the way, have you heard of Evangelicals Reconciled? It's a group of evangelical Christians who have done their homework and are not anti-homosexual. There are plenary inspirationalists (conservative scholars who believe that each Greek or Hebrew word of the bible was inspired directly by God) who do not hold the beliefs you do. It is worth you doing some research.)
Posted in Queer, Religion, Truth | 3 Comments »
Thursday, May 26th, 2005
Or at least one of the hardest things.....
My regional minister, a person for whom I have immense respect, has a mantra he preaches all the time. He says, there is room for everyone at God's table. (we have a great deal of glbt vs. anti glbt sentiment in the region)
It is hard for me to live this out. How can i sit at the same table where "they" sit...where "they" don't believe I have the right to be ordained, to serve, even to have simple private rights like marriage?
"Their" language causes suffering and death. "Their" language causes massive spiritual violence towards the people I Love. It would be easier to sit at the table with a mass murderer...
But what am I saying?
When I moved to Denver, the first funeral I performed was for a young lesbian who committed suicide. Her Pentecostal pastor father told her it would be better if she had been a murderer because at least she could be saved from that. Suddenly my words aren't too far away from his...
Be the change I want to see in the world. Love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me. Sit at a table that is big enough for all people, even those who would deny me my seat. Deep breath. Hard Spiritual Practice. The right choice.
Ona
Posted in Queer, Religion, Truth | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, May 25th, 2005
on May 1st, I stood with over 700 other people of faith, queer and allies, in front of Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs, CO. This was a rally/protest/celebration/action put on by SoulForce, Inc.
Soulforce is a national, interfaith group dedicated to freedom from political and spiritual oppression for GLBT people. It follows the teachings of Gandi and MLK Jr., in using "relentless, nonviolent resistance" to "take the truth in love" to those who spread lies and misunderstandings in their campaigns of fear and hatred.
Dr. James Dobson, as the founder of Focus on the Family, is one of the largest voices of spiritual violence against queers in this country. He calls us, literally, monsters, out to destroy America and the American family. Hello? Anybody home?
The sad but predictable thing was that Dr. Dobson was, imagine this, out of state when Soulforce came to visit. Yes, he had over a year's warning to come up with a very good reason to be gone. This was no minor event.
Posted in Queer, Religion, Truth | 6 Comments »
Wednesday, May 25th, 2005
"Building a better you is the first step to building a better America." (Zig Ziglar)Who knew that transsexuality and state-making are bedmates? Do you think Zig can be the next spokesman for transsexual and transgender rights? After all, we are building better Americans, right?
Posted in Man | 3 Comments »
Monday, May 23rd, 2005
A good friend poses the following questions to those of you reading this blog:regarding your discussion of bodies, etc... i have been going out with someone i don't find physically attractive. She is a large woman, largerthan i am and i'm not small at all. I love her personality and who she is, but the body thing gets in my way. it frustrates me because i have personally gone through the EXACT SAME THING with other women and here i find myself feeling it with her.
How do we unlearn years of social conditioning? Is it totally social conditioning or is some of it personal preference? Is personal preference social conditioning? aacckk, how can i feel the same things that others feel about me....i know how much I have to offer that is not related to my physical body, despite my size and disabilities. ugh. i'm open to suggestions!Feedback? Suggestions???
Posted in Truth | 3 Comments »
Friday, May 20th, 2005
I am one of those people that finds it easier to be Queer in a sometimes hostile Christian environment than being Christian in most Queer environments. This is not due to a wishy-washy faith or embarassment about my beliefs, but rather the fact that Christianity has been used to do massive spiritual violence against my community.
If you look carefully, it's not the agnostics or athiests in this country doing the Queer-bashing, it is, for the vast majority of the time, Christians. While there are other world religions who find homosexuality (etc) incompatible with thier teachings, American Christianity has it down to a nasty and political science.
Even here on Jay's blog, I feel the need to name my brand of faith, to separate myself from James Dobson, et al. I feel the need, again, to explain that my experience of Jesus of Nazareth is one of radical inclusive love. Perhaps I've internalized the negative voices of some Christians too much, or perhaps being paranoid doesn't mean someone isn't necessarily out to get you. Maybe I do need to define a bit what I believe for the beginning of this blog conversation...
To be as brief as possible, Liberation theology comes out of Latin America and basically states that God is on the side of the Oppressed. If you look through all the texts Christians call their Bible, you will see that God stands in alignment with the marginalized, the oppressed, the widow and orphan, the refugee, women, Samaritans, Lepers and anyone else who is ostracized by their society. I find it interesting that Jesus' words of accusation were for the religious leadership of his day, not for the people they called "sinner". I wonder who he would call a serpent today....
I will talk more about my activism, Christian, Queer and Disability, later. For now, I will leave you with my conviction that all of us are beloved children created in the image of a Creator God who delights in our Queerness and calls us to a revolutionary view of Creation and Relationships!
Posted in Anti Assclownery | 6 Comments »
Friday, May 20th, 2005
[1]
I met micheal more than nine years ago, at one of the first FORGE meetings. He, probably better than I, is most familiar with all the transitions I've gone through over the last several years!____________________________________
michael munson is an emotionally intense, transgressively gendered, passionate, social agitator who strives for inclusion and harmony by focusing on our human similarities and strengths. He is lovingly committed to his partner, Loree Cook-Daniels, and their 11 year old son, Kai. He founded FORGE -- a national educational, social support, and advocacy organization -- ten years ago. Learn more about FORGE at www.forge-forward.org or reach michael directly at tgwarrior@forge-forward.org [2].
What is the most marked characteristic of masculinity that surprised you?I'm not sure what surprised me, since I entered more fully into my own masculinity highly informed and aware of social and cultural issues, assumptions, and conditions associated with masculinity.
[1] http://jaysennett.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/qlife_pix1.jpg
[2] http://jaysennett.commailto:tgwarrior@forge-forward.org
Posted in Man | Comments Off
Thursday, May 19th, 2005
Ona Marae has agreed to join me in blogging heaven. Her initial blogs will focus on the revolutionary nature of Jesus, Christianity and that mythical creature: the queer Christian. I was a religion major in college and wrote my honors thesis on the nature of a just war in Karl Barth's ethics. Ona and I have chatted about religion and spirituality for about nine years now. She is inspired and inspiring and has fought for herself and her religion.
She writes:My cat and I live and love in Denver. I am a 40 year old feminist lesbian with a disability. I am white, a farmgirl gone urban, overeducated but living on a disability income. I am a writer and glbt/disability rights activist. I am a Christian also and combine the activism closely with my spirituality. I also have worked part time at a battered women's shelter for 8 years. I was a monthly writer for LIC (Lesbians in Colorado) Magazine and now write for Spinster Wisdom. I have published poetry in glbt magazines and books and am looking for that first breakthrough with a short story!
Posted in Religion, Weblogs, Writing | Comments Off
Wednesday, May 18th, 2005
John Hawkes, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Wisconsin-Madison, has created a wonderful blog [1] about paleoanthropology, genetics and evolution.
The content to noise ratio is low. His explanations can be understood by the lay person.
Why do I care about any of this stuff?
The science and technology worlds are abuzz right now. Discussions about genetic engineering [2], human evolution [3] and regenerative medicine [4] can be found all over the blogosphere.
Pundits [5] and whack-jobs abound. What I have found almost exclusively true is that pundits and whack-jobs alike make sweeping [6] references to how sex, among other things, will be changed by parents at birth - by manipulating genes - without discussing transsexuals (Cyborg Democracy [7] is a notable exception). Some also claim that robotics will become part of human biology, without referencing how robotics are used by people with disabilities everyday (Cyborg Democracy [7] is, not unexpectedly, remiss).
They live in the future without acknowledging the past or the present. Yes, parents may manipulate the genes of their child - changing an XY to an XX - but then what happens if the fetus is bathed in a sea of androgenizing [9] hormones? Evidence [10] suggests the parents may get a girl wanting to become a boy.
Why should any of us care about these issues?
Because we transsexuals have much to say about the coping systems thrown up by society around science and technology's gift to us, hormones and advances in plastic surgery.
If science and technology is a bus, and ethics is the driver, then our society is not capable of controlling the bus. Our frameworks for making difficult, ambiguous ethical decisions lags far, far behind our scientific achievements. Abortion is one example. Our society fights over a definition of when life begins. Is it at the moment of conception? Three months? Nine months? Five years?
Transsexualism is another. What is gender? Genes? Hormones? The brain? Physical and mental impairments are a third. What is quality of life? How do we determine it? How do we define sanity?
Science has forced us to make arbitrary decisions. We continue to draw lines in the sand. The decisions and discussions that go into determining where to place the stick are ones we transsexuals, among others, must participate in and fight to be heard. (The appalling dismissal [11] of activists with disabilities as non-experts in the Terry Schiavo case suggest we have our work cut out for us.)
Otherwise we are left with policymakers in Washington who make the following legal determinations about gender (in the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act [12] of 2005):
WOMAN- The term `woman' means a female human being who is capable of becoming pregnant, whether or not she has reached the age of majority.
I'm scared. Are you?
Fortunately people like John Hawkes provide a balanced approach to these complex questions. On the topic of transhumans or post-humans, Hawkes has much to say here. [13]
He concludes with his own prediction for our collective human future.
A prediction for the future: our genomes increasingly confirm the maxim that every person is a work of art.
Indeed. Which is why we must begin these conversations, no matter how rudimentary our understanding of science, no matter how much we don't get it, no matter how frightening the future of humans may seem.
We bring too much to the table to opt out.
[1] http://johnhawks.net/weblog/
[2] http://www.geneforum.org/
[3] http://www.corante.com/loom/
[4] http://anti-ageing.us/blogger.html
[5] http://www.futurepundit.com/
[6] http://www.morethanhuman.org/
[7] http://cyborgdemocracy.net/blogger.html
[8] http://cyborgdemocracy.net/blogger.html
[9] http://e.hormone.tulane.edu/edc.html
[10] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375421629/qid=1116425568/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i4_xgl14/002-5447606-0412006?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
[11] http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/
[12] http://musingsonlifelawandgender.typepad.com/life_law_gender/politics/index.html
[13] http://johnhawks.net/weblog/reviews/future/msnbc_human_evolution_crossroads_2005.html
Posted in A Bespoke Body, Features | Comments Off
Tuesday, May 17th, 2005
I've been reading Unitarian Universalist blogs of late. Shawn Anthony is a new blogging pal. In a post yesterday [1], he delighted me with his "Open Memo to Corporate Moralists."
For years I have been unhappy with the lgbt activist tool that argues for our emancipation because we are "born the way we are." When we accept this tool as the only productive avenue for achieving our civil rights, we also accept the notion we are inherently wrong. After all, no one willing chooses to be gay or lesbian or bisexual or trans.
Why can't our loving and gendering be a personal choice? We do not know how to address accusations that we are making personal lifestyle choices. And here is where Shawn's post blows my mind.
[1] http://www.progressiveink.com/index.php/2005/05/14/open-memo-to-corporate-moralists/
Posted in Religion | Comments Off
Monday, May 16th, 2005
Crawford Kilian's post at Writing Fiction [1] just leapt out at me this morning. He responded at length to a newbie writer's questions about language, publishing and the necessity of obtaining an advanced degree. "Embarking on a writing career is like investing in your retirement. You are sending your future self a gift, and you can't expect to start spending the proceeds right now."
[1] http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/fiction/
Posted in Writing | 2 Comments »
Friday, May 13th, 2005
[1]
Wil Dunham was born and raised in the Midwest and has been living outside D.C. for the past three years.
"I'm moving on to Richmond, Virginia for a bit, then out to travel for a year or so to work on a book project. I'm 47 (until this fall), and am almost 2 years into my transition and pre-operative due to financial constraints and lack of insurance. Surgery will be self-funded, unless I hit the lottery.
I've been self-employed off and on as a handyman and have worked at a good number of other occupations. My love, my passion is photography.
I'm about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime...living a free rambling life and working as an artist. I have 3 series of cards due to come out shortly. I've been accepted into a national juried show for next year, and I have several artistic photo projects in the planning stage. I'll spend the next year or so travelling the U.S. and Canada, interviewing and photographing queers for a book about being 'Everyday Queer'.
It's my hope that by showing the commonality of the human condition across race, gender, class and orientation, it may serve to move us forward on the road to equal citizenship." See Wil's work [2].
What is the most marked characteristic of masculinity that surprised you?
The changes to my face...my head looks square and I look like another version of the me I've known all these years.
What is the quality you most like in being a man?
Finally being taken seriously.
What do you most value being a man?
The inner peace I've found and the extended life expectancy.
What is a characteristic of masculinity that appalls/disgusts etc?
My own masculinity? I'm fine with it. The masculinity of others? The posturing and machismo. It's so unnecessary.
What is it that you most dislike about being a man?
Realizing that I can be accused of a myriad of things that never occurred to me before.
What is it that you most like about being a man?
Again, the inner peace and finally having recognition of my skills and abilities. (Even though they were the same pre-transition.)
What are three things you want to share with nontrans (natal) men about what you've learned as a man about being a man?
Women are not the adversary.
Kindness, compassion, and tenderness are not your enemy, nor are they a sign of weakness.
We are not the center of the universe
What advice would you give to a man just starting hormones?
Nothing is instant. Relax and enjoy the ride. Even if it seems a little scary or weird in your head...chances are it's been the same for others. Look to your trans brothers for advice and just the sense of not being alone.
What is your motto?
Life is too brief not to live your dreams.
Boxers, briefs or commando?
Depends on where i'm at and what i'm doing.
[1] http://jaysennett.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/485goofball.jpg
[2] http://www.wildun.com/
Posted in Political Art, Self-Organizing Men | 3 Comments »
Thursday, May 12th, 2005
Once again, Blue, over at The Gimp Parade [1] rocks my world. I love Blue's writing. She is my latest intellectual crush, or, should I say my intellecutality is most definitely poly!
In a short, incisive piece on Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, Blue writes:
Well, actually, the villain isn't disabled so much as "crippled." Crippled. Crippled. Did I mention he is crippled? Well, Brown does. Over and over and over as Mr. Crippled Secret Villain limps around and other characters comment on the fact that he is crippled. This is to make sure that the densest reader understands that twisted on the outside means twisted on the inside. Why is he a villain? Because he's crippled and that can drive a person to be not nice.It turns out that Mr. Limpy also has a henchman who is albino. Physically different means evil, remember. As so often happens, disability is used as metaphor for something else and not left to exist as a natural part of a character on it's own.
Her description of the evil nature of crippled people as depicted in Brown's work (and other works in popular culture) resonates with me as a transsexual. Silence of the Lambs. Dressed to Kill.
[1] http://thegimpparade.blogspot.com/
Posted in Political Art | 4 Comments »
