You may remember the controversy in Largo Florida about a city manager who decided to transition from Steve to Susan on the job. As a result she lost her job and hasn't much been in the news lately so what has happened to Susan? The St. Petersburg Times just ran a story about her and it is a bit sad and heartening at the same time. Plus Susan has managed to generate new controversy, this time within the transgender community itself.
The upshot is that she is still looking for a job and lots of her former friends have shunned her. Yup, you sure learn who your friends are when you decide to transition-that's what my transsexual friends tell me. You really really need to be very financially and with a strong network of friends to make transitioning work.
She is quoted as saying:
"People assume I'm making tons of money, traveling around speaking. But the truth is: I need help. I'm starting to approach people I know in the area, which I never thought I'd be doing."
Later in the article observes that people who have known her for 20 years won't speak to her, including some of her own family: not at all unusual for those who decide to transition.
On the plus side she appears to have won acceptance from her son. even if he still calls her Dad. That's OK.
So what's the new controversy? In the same article, Susan is quoted as saying that she's different from other transgendered people..."like I'm seeing a bunch of men in dresses." Further on she discusses ENDA-that's the proposed federal legislation to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. This last year the sponsors toyed with the idea of adding gender expression to ENDA. This was ultimately rejected.
She says:
"The biggest issue against the federal legislation is that politicians think the ladies' rooms will be invaded by guys in drag," Susan says, "instead of someone like me."
This of course has led to her being attacked as not being supportive of trans rights and the GLBT portion of the noosphere has quickly reacted, generally negatively. Representative is this quote from Becky's Blog:
"In addition, I’m more than a bit puzzled by her reaction. Susan Stanton worked in government and the political arena for almost a decade and a half at minimum. Did she really expect acclaim or acceptance of the views attributed to her in this article from members of a community as violently persecuted on as Transgender-Americans? Did she really expect support and sympathy from a community of people who have been being legally denied employment, housing, basic social services, contact with children and other loved ones, and even simple human respect for who we are and how live our lives as a matter of course throughout history in most areas of this country? If she did, then it’s clear to me that while she may understand how to live and function on a daily basis as a woman, she still doesn’t have any real understanding of what it means to be a transgender person, and particularly a transwoman, in the United States of America in 2008."
Apparently Susan has been overwhelmed with critical e-mail about the comments in the article and she has responded with a message to the TS community on her website. She writes:
"Contrary to the St. Petersburg Times article, I do not see members of the transgender community as “men wearing dresses.” However, I do feel there is a fundamental misunderstanding by the general public that being transgender is simply a matter of men wanting to “dress up as women.”"
Unfortunately, here she definitely is right about common public perception. I don't think her comments are going to mollify the transgender activists. Plus her comments do nothing to educate the public about ENDA and I am not sure the criticism she is receiving is going to help passage of a gender expression inclusive ENDA either. It's too bad Susan had gotten thrust into a role she really didn't want and maybe wasn't equipped for.
Here is a sampling of other reactions:
http://endablog.wordpress.com/2008/01/04/analysis-the-second-susans-self-tale/
http://transgroupblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/please-susan-step-out-of-spotlight.html
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/01/largo_was_right_to_fire_stanton.php
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=4057
Related posts on The force that through...
http://theforcethat.blogspot.com/2007/10/enda-controversy.html
http://theforcethat.blogspot.com/2007/05/couple-of-gender-items.html
http://theforcethat.blogspot.com/2007/04/steve-stanton-revisited.html
http://theforcethat.blogspot.com/2007/03/update-transgendered-city-manager-fired.html
http://theforcethat.blogspot.com/2007/03/get-over-it.html
6 comments:
I am supportive of course of the cause for which Susan Stanton has been persecuted. I do however find it odd, and disappointing to hear someone such as her, who having been a public administrator for so many years, and who can appreciate the value of words expressed in a public forum, would coose words that might be misunderstood. Frankly, it sounds more like a case of some of the trangender are more equal than others. This has long been an issue in our community.
Yes, it has been and I wonder why that is. Any thoughts?
I have had a chance to meet and talk with Susan a little over a year ago; here is a person thrust into the spotlight of a political debate. This turned her world upside down, and although very outspoken would not want to be in her shoes. I am a strong supporter of Transgendered rights and of ENDA, in the community and a very vocal voice of TG rights. One of the things she had said I totally agree with “Our time is near but not until we educate the public that we are not a group of crazed men in dresses but a group following our true calling in life.” The public still sees us as an oddity, as a group we have not received the acceptance (far from total) the Gay community has received but this took years. Educate ….. Integrate…. Legislate. Susan is just one voice that has gotten the Community into the spotlight, many more will come until we will not be seen as a threat to the crumbling moral fiber of this world.
Employment and professional acceptance for TS and TG are enormously difficult -- an aspect rarely discussed.
I had the great fortune to discover a neurologist of great skill, but she could not obtain referrals from her "brethren" in San Francisco -- not even from homophile physicians. I "discovered" her through a mutual aid society.
She relocated to interior California, and struck-out again. An excellent neurologist is no longer practicing, because of irrational prejudice -- as much among homophiles as heterophiles.
None of us like what we don't understand, which is why "coming-out" in the Sixties and Seventies was so important -- to behold the difference and discover it ain't a big deal. Whether TS/TG "coming-out" would facilitate less prejudice -- I don't know? It may not be a parallel situation.
But irrational prejudice needs the light of day shone on it and exposed for its shameless intolerance of diversity.
Gay,
I don't know that is quite the same either. We (meaning society) invest so much in gender identity, policing that imaginary line between the genders that any sort of crossing over becomes very difficult.
There are successful TG/S folks and they are documented on Lynn Conway's site: http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TSsuccesses/TSsuccesses.html
but these are the exceptions rather than the rule. I do know several successful TS's so I know it's possible under some conditions. But it's so easy to screw up.
The other thing is with the new ID requirements coming it's probably going to become difficult for someone to transition and really live as they might want.
I have managed to be successful in both the Federal Government and Aerospace industry. Yes, 30+ years of employment. How you might ask? Simple I will reply. I always represent my more obvious biological self rather than the self that I am. I carefully considered my options, made the appropriate observations and determined that making any changes would be not in my best interest or that of my immediate family of 38 years. Simple. No, not really but yes, a reasonable and rational approach to a very complex situation such as gender diversity.
As long as biological men commit crimes dressed as woman, society is always going to take the position that a biological man wearing a dress is nothing more than an external appearance change and it is subject as always to scrutiny and careful consideration.
Danielle Marie La Belle
(In the closet for good reason).
Post a Comment