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Pen Points
Letters to Gay Today |
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You are a separatist organization devoted to money and power that has insulted STAR and the transgender community through your ignorance, arrogance and transphobia. This decision and letter will go out to the public throughout this country and the world. We in no way find your message to us acceptable - the message was hardly an apology. You seemed to feel that you had to tread carefully with the people of color organizations that you did write with the kind of wording that viewed them - who are our supporters - as co-equals. It seems to us that your mistrust of STAR, your excuse being that you had not heard of us, was uncalled for. People in high places such as yourselves lack trans history 101. Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries was the first political trans organization in New York City and possibly the United States. We were formed in 1971 with myself and the late Marsha P. Johnson who saw the need to stress transgender politics because of the lack of interest in the mainstream gay community in transgender rights. STAR membership feels the disrespect that you showed our organization is beyond belief. The fact that you may have faced miseducation your entire privileged lives about the existence of trans people and trans rights is no excuse. You aspire to a position of leadership in this community, and therefore you have to learn about all of the community, not just a part of it.
We are not surprised that we had to turn to public pressure to change your position, since you are after all the same organization that endorsed Al D'Amato in the New York Senate election of 1998. If you can endorse Al D'Amato, you must find the trans community and our desire for justice for Amanda to be extremely distasteful. Have you given any thought to all the lives that have been taken in the past and in the future due to the lack of your interest in the trans community. Not being able to obtain jobs, education and shelter condemns the youth in our community to prostitution, drug abuse and vulnerability to anti-trans violence. How many more must die? Maybe if we had our rights there would be fewer attacks--perhaps this logic escapes you. You say that you will assist the trans community as we search for our rights but at the same time you back up the anti-trans bigotry of "congressmen" as you deny us our place in ENDA, lobby against us behind the backs of our democratic organizations and in local ENDA bills such as the one that you supported in Maryland. That is bigotry in itself. You state that Congress is uneducated on trans issues. But such a large, prominent and wealthy organization such as yours has always had the responsibility to bring trans issues as a co-equal to sexual orientation to Congress. To us your organization is defined just by money, the money that separatists in the gay community have gained by saying they are not us and are willing to abandon us for the so-called security that they think they gain by adhering to the transphobic rules that straight society lays down for those who wish auxiliary status, the "we are just like you" crowd. It seems like you think you can buy your way in by forgetting a part of who you are You think you will be able to defend yourselves by forgetting about the street queens who started the Stonewall Riots? You are taking the entire community down a path of self-destruction by destroying our hopes and dreams first. You wend your way among shadows of hatred and guilt, not the strong, open lives that gay people are supposed to be proud of. You cannot erase gender issues from the "gay community," especially not by forgetting us and defining yourselves against us. Trans culture has always helped define gay lives For us to condone your separation of trans people from the gay community would be to condone the hatred that is the hatred that led to the death of Amanda Milan. You seem to want to leave your sisters and brothers to feed on nothing, to be the dregs that it is okay for everyone to hate and dispense with. You are killing us. The hrc is a hateful organization that will dissolve in the face of the efforts of all of the trans community to have the full lives that we deserve, not to live without employment, housing, education. It is we with our allies that will make the world that everyone would have were it not for those such as yourselves who. make a show out of justice, liberty and community. Hopefully in the future you or perhaps only some of you change your attitudes toward the trans community we may be able to work together. One of our initial plans after we received the dried-up gristle that you threw us with your endorsement was to accept it and to ask to have you sponsor a trans conference of all trans organizations in the United States to see how we could all work together. We will, of course, fight for our rights with or without you. cc: GayToday
Sylvia Rivera Responding to the Roanoke Bar Shooting Tragedy
Inspirations Art Gallery will for a time be jointlu managed by Out to Change & Healthy Maintenance, Inc, the current owners. After a transition period, it will become a project of Out to Change. The OTC Vintage Store was created by members of Roanoke7 who are selling off personal belongings to make this happen. The Gallery Social Club is meant to be a place of music & entertainment, an alternative place for those who might enjoy a place to go, free from cigarette smoke & tobacco. We'll close rather early on weekends so those of you who want to go out afterwards will still have plenty of time to get where you're going. Smoking is permitted on the front porch where you'll find a great view of Mill Mountain and the Star. We have been notified that Ted Koppel's ABC News Nightline will be here today between 1-5. Other media people could be here as well. For those who were not able to access the site via the email link, you have our apology. We haven't had time to figure out the technical stuff yet, so busy getting ready! You can go directly to our website at www.outtochange.org You might have to cut and paste the address. For those of you outside Roanoke, consider this an update on our efforts to create a beautiful place for the citizens of Roanoke to enjoy life, music, art, & culture. The center will open officially on Saturday, May 19th, timed to coinside with the start of the Roanold Edward Gay trial. We felt it was important to show this community that love overcomes evil and hate does not destroy, it can become the building block for a new future for those so tragically affected by it. This center is a place for all of us! Looking forward to your visit or the prayers of those of you who cannot be here!
Sincerely, Baptist Princess, Sister Taffy
Kindest regards Sister Taffy Rules A stroke of sheer genius. Is Sister Taffy going to get her own column on your site? There are bunches of us "homo-sexuals" who need her spiritual guidance. More like this please!!! Great job guys!
Jack Reynolds, |
GayToday's Jack Nichols with transgender activist Sylvia Rivera 
Roanoke 7 murder victim Danny Overstreet 
Sister Taffy:
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