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As most transgender persons trudge from their living quarters to their work environment, we are descended upon by the majority of society's people who don't understand us. Besides not understanding, they make a choice to discriminate because our identifiable gender does not conform to the prescribed physiological maleness and femaleness in the world. We are locked and tucked away into our restrictive spaces and monitored for non-productivity. When we emerge, on occasion, we are gawked at, spied upon and shielded away from until we return to our space. We are a human zoo.
We begin, in time, to welcome our confinement
and appreciate our captors because within our space we feel safe. In reality,
should the trophy case be mink lined or the gold cage be diamond trimmed
they are personal prisons designed to break the spirit of freedom and life.
We are not a traveling transgender zoo. I do not accept restrictions and
will embattle my employers and coworkers to receive me (as is). If it is
a battle of wills and testaments they want, then they should become aware
that it is a fight that they will lose.
I emphasize that being transgendered is not
a choice, an affliction, a curse or handicap. Transgender is a condition
of life, an acceptance of self, a blessing of diversity and a strength of
character. Being able to accept one's own gender as unique is the key to
becoming whole. Perseverance in the workplace is empowerment of one's self
to either be all that you can be or being who you have always been.
As for the cases, let them be utilized to
carry rocks, stones and gems. Let the cages be occupied by inanimate objects
rather than living organisms. We are too valuable to lock up and/or lock
away. By the way, in case of emergency don’t be afraid to break the
glass or rattle the cages.
Join Us! Don’t forget!
The next meeting will be on Thursday,
November 6th! Karen and Bob will be traveling that evening,
so Charlie and Mitch will be the hosts for the evening at the usual place.
We have decided NOT to have a meal, but just to have finger food
(munchies, desserts, pop, etc.). This will make it easier on everyone, so
please bring items that can be eaten with fingers and also food that is easy
to clean up.
Call (216) 691-HELP (4357) or e-mail Karen at Kateygr@aol.com. cooks & bakers!
November 7 is the Rainbow Elephant Sale sponsored
by Cleveland area church groups to benefit The Lesbian Gay Community Center.
It is from 9:00-3:00 p.m. at the West Shore Unitarian Church on Hilliard
in Rocky River. The SSAFE program is doing the food/baked goods table and
all proceeds go to SSAFE.
We're asking for baked goods packaged for
pick up and go (dozen brownies or cookies, a cake, pumpkin bread, etc) as
well as eat n' shop goodies. You could also do pizza and spinach pie kinds
of things to go or for folks to have lunch there. Bring goodies to The Center
on Friday until 6:00 p.m., or to the church on Friday from 6-9 p.m. or to
the church by 9:30 Saturday morning. We also need folks to help at the selling
table on Saturday- 8:00-10:30, 10:30-1:00, and 1:00-3:30.
Please call The Center and tell us if you
will bake or can staff the table. 216-522-1999. THANKS!
Please support this and let The Center and
the community know that TransFamily of Cleveland supports the SSAFE
program!
Community Calendar
October
October 29th "Company" by Steven
Sondheim will be performed at The Cleveland Playhouse E. 85th St.
and Euclid 8pm. $25 and includes a special reception with the cast
following the performance. Call The Center to order tickets.
November
November 7 The Rainbow Elephant
Sale at Westshore Unitarian Church 20401 Hilliard Ave. Rocky River
9am-3pm. The rummage sale benefits The Center and various faith groups. The
Center is not accepting items for donation.
November 16 Cleveland/Hillcrest PFLAG
meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Noble Rd. Presbyterian
Church
We are still collecting "Before and After" pictures for the collage that Karen is creating. This collage will be used at speaking engagements to "put a face" on the issues of transgenderism. If you would like to contribute your face(s), please give the pictures to Karen.
SSAFE Educates
By Paul U.
SSAFE (Safe Schools Are For Everyone) made
their presentation to over fifty counselors from the Akron city school district.
Over fifty attended to learn how to support youth who may be struggling with
sexual orientation and gender identity issues. Children and adolescents are
actually protected under Title IX from harassment by other students, yet
few educators have been trained in approaching our unique concerns. Participants
were overall very pleased and open to suggestions made by the presenters.
Eryqua from TransFamily related her experiences and conveyed her lack of
safety in the classroom as onlooking teachers failed to take action. Anonymous
evaluation sheets were returned by the audience to reflect enthusiasm and
an over all rating of 4 out of 5 points possible.
The overall presentation was sponsored by
Akron PFLAG with David H., Toby H. and Eileen speaking as parents, along
with our own Karen Gross. She was the only parent addressing transgender
concerns. The student panel speakers were Eryqua, Doug S., Melissa N. and
James H. The SSAFE program presenters were Karen Gross, Nicki A., Judy M.,
Marty W., Bruce K. and Leslie S.
Got an Idea?
Submit any ideas or articles for the next
newsletter to Karen, Vanessa or Gerry at the next meeting, by calling
TransFamily Receives
The following is an excerpt from a letter
by Dan Hlad of The Lesbian/Gay Community Service Center of Greater Cleveland
to TransFamily.
The awards will be presented on Sunday,
October 25th at the Center's Annual Meeting taking place at the Lakewood
Women's Pavilion in Lakewood Park. The event starts at 3:30pm and will feature
Donna Red Wing, national field director for The Human Rights Campaign as
our keynote speaker. The event is free and open to the public, so please
feel free to bring other group members, friends and family with you to share
in your acceptance.
Our own Tim Frost will also be receiving
a Rainbow Community Award for his success in securing the right to use gender
appropriate restroom facilities at his place of employment.
Sheila Kirk, MD To Attend December Meeting
As a board certified gynecologic surgeon,
Sheila Kirk, MD is in a unique position to help her community improve their
overall medical & surgical well being.
As founder and one of the principal surgeons
of TSMC, the first full-service trans surgical & medicine center which
is located in Pittsburgh. Dr. Kirk performs GRS and related trans surgeries
as well as administers trans medical care and hormonal therapy.
Dr. Kirk is the first Trans surgeon to be
elected to the Board of the HBIGDA. In that capacity, she has co-established
a committee of Advocacy and Liaison to encourage better communication and
understanding of the healthcare needs of our community and professionals
who administer their care.
Sought after worldwide as a leading authority
on Trans surgery and medicine, Dr. Kirk lectures extensively at universities,
medical conferences and symposiums. A noted author, Dr. Kirk has written
numerous books, articles and research findings on transgender care and
management.
Dr. Kirk will be our guest on Thursday, December
3rd. Plan to attend and bring lots of questions!
Our Transgender Speakers Bureau Visits CSU
By Paul U.
On Monday, October 5th, our transgender speakers
bureau presented "Transgender 101" to students and faculty of Cleveland State
University. We defined transgender terms, explained the transition process,
and detailed the difficulties that we face with our friends and careers.
Charles Holmes of GALA families (Gay and Lesbian Alliance) hosted our visit
as part of the campus's coming out awareness and education series. We returned
on Tuesday, to share our transgender coming out stories. Several of us
articulated the courage it took to transition despite our families' and
employers' opposition. Some of us detailed the defining signs in childhood
that indicated to us that we were transgender. The FTM documentary, "You
Don't Know Dick" was shown and wrapped up our visit to CSU. Thank you to
Sue D., Rachel, Eryqua, Jackie, Kym, Lee, Joe, Joanne, Gerry, Karen and Lori
for giving your time and telling your stories!
Business Referrals Being Sought
TransFamily is currently compiling a collection
of gender-friendly services, businesses and other resources for our membership.
This book of will include medical, legal, and psychological resources that
have been endorsed by our members, families, and friends. In addition, we
want to post other businesses and resources we have dealt with on day-to-day
matters, such as stores, restaurants, garages, etc.
The book will serve as the first practical
guide for gay, lesbian, bisexual and `transgender individuals seeking community
assistance. It is further envisioned that these businesses will advertise
in our newsletter and/or possibly provide us with group support in the
communities, in which we live and work. Before any individual or business
can be listed a consent form must be obtained and recorded in our files.
The forms will be made available at our October TransFamily Meeting.
Christmas
Dinner
New Ohio PFLAG Welcomes All
Meetings of the newly formed Cleveland/Hillcrest
PFLAG were held on September 21st and October 19th. Karen and Bob Gross hosted
the first meeting, while Mitch Gross and Charlie Christian hosted the
second.
The next meeting will take place on November
16th (3rd Monday) at 7:00 PM at the Noble Road Presbyterian Church, 2780
Noble Road, Cleveland Heights. The church is between Monticello and Mayfield
at the corner of Kirkwood Road. Please use off street parking on Noble Road
across from the church. All G/L/B/T and straight folks are welcome. TransFamily
members are encouraged to attend. The GLB community needs to know!
We need your support. If you can help with
the administration of this group, such as helping with membership, publicity,
newsletter, please call Karen or Bob. at 216-691-4357.
PFLAG promotes the health and well-being
of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, their families and friends
through:
Education, to enlighten an ill informed public;
and
Advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure
equal civil rights.
PFLAG provides opportunity for dialogue about
sexual orientation and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful
of human diversity.
Apple Supports Gender Identity
[Provided anonymously by an Apple
Employee]
Apple Computer has joined the ranks of other
progressive companies by adding employment protection to their equal opportunity
statement. This policy was three years in the coming; Apple Lambda started
working for it in Sept. 1995. The following revised Apple Equal Employment
Opportunity policy was posted this week.
Apple is an equal opportunity employer,
and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion,
sex, national origin, marital status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity
characteristics or expression, disability, medical condition, U.S. Military
or veteran status in recruiting, hiring, training and promoting. All other
aspects of employment such as compensation, benefits, transfers, terminations,
layoffs, recalls, training, tuition assistance, social and recreational programs,
etc., shall continue to be administered so as to reflect the above policy.
Certain states may cover additional groups and, in those states, Apple extends
its EEO policy of non-discrimination to those groups.
It is the responsibility of every employee
to conform with this policy. This policy prohibits unlawful harassment of
any kind, including sexual harassment, and slurs or jokes based on any protected
class. Furthermore, Apple will not retaliate against any employee for filing
a complaint and will not tolerate retaliation by management employees or
co-workers.
Any employee who feels that he or she
has been treated contrary to this policy, including any harassment by company
personnel or work-related harassment by any other person, should contact
his or her supervisor, any member of the Human Resources department or the
Employee Relations office, or any line manager, up to and including the
CEO.
Any employee who is found to have violated
this policy shall be subject to disciplinary action up to and including
termination of employment.
Members
Wanted TransFamily of Cleveland was founded to provide support and education for transgendered persons, their families, friends and significant others. We hope to form an outreach group to promote awareness of transgendered persons and their issues through PFLAG and to bring awareness to our school systems, through their principals and counselors, by offering literature, speakers, consultation and support. We would like to publish a list of helpful resource people in the Cleveland area. If you have a counselor, psychologist, attorney or any other special friends, please give their information and their written permission to use their name in our resource list to Karen, Mitch or Vanessa. If you have previously given us a name, please check with Karen to see if it is still on the resource list. |
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