Heels up on the Desk
Editor’s notes by Meredith Newton

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Making An Income From Your TG Web Site
by Katie Glover

Do you have a transgender related web site? If so, perhaps you'd like to join our new transgender ad network and put your site to work.

Here's the idea. It's a bit like Google AdSense but run by transgender people for transgender people. Essentially, sisters doing it for themselves!

For more than six months now, I've been working on this project, getting the software sorted out and making sure that everything is in place and working right. Now we are in the process of taking on TG partners to populate the network and so far it's proving to be very popular. This may be because many other networks do not cater properly for transgender advertisers or TG site owners (they know who they are).

Anyway, the idea is that, as a TG site owner, you sign up for an account with us and then log in and create some 'ad units'. It's easy to do and takes just seconds. Paste a small piece of code prominently into as many of your web pages as possible and then sit back. Then, whenever any of your site visitors click on an advert you will earn some money. It's as simple as that.

You can exclude any ads you don't want appearing on your site (like competitive businesses for example) and you can decide whether or not to display adult ads. Comprehensive statistics are available 24/7 via your account. Obviously the more traffic you have coming through your site, the more income you'll make from your ads.

Unlike other programs, the site the visitor clicks thru to opens in a new window or tab so they continue to stay on your site and you don't lose them.

Try it now. It cost nothing, takes just moments to sign up and you could be making a regular income in no time. Just go here to join us now...

http://www.gsadnet.com/ppc-publisher-login.php

And if you have products or services you'd like to put in front of the transgender community, please think about advertising them across our network too. There's more on that here...

http://www.gsadnet.com/ppc-user-login.php

The Changing Status of the Transgendered in America
by Meredith Newton

The following is the proposal of a paper I will be presenting in San Francisco this September.

The status and image of the transgendered in society has undergone tremendous change over the past few years alone. As a member of the transgendered (TG) community, I found it a refreshing change for films such as TransAmerica and Beautiful Boxer to portray TG persons as they really are, and that is a person who wants to live his/her own life as peacefully as the next.

Society has mostly ignored the rights of the transgendered as they are often perceived as freaks. Within the past few years, the acknowledgment of TG people has made remarkable strides. Psychiatry and psychology organizations have started to declassify transgenderism as a mental disorder. More importantly, TG persons have been making great strides in terms of their legal rights. They have been allowed to change their personal and legal identifications to the gender to which they subscribe, even if they have not had sex reassignment surgery. Amanda Simpson is the first openly TG person to serve in the federal government, appointed to the Commerce Department by President Barack Obama.

Melissa Sue Robinson ran for political office and in Michigan was instrumental in obtaining rights for TG people. The U.S Tax Court recently ruled in favor of Rhiannon O’Bannabhain that her transitional costs were tax deductible. Some insurance companies are beginning to cover the costs of sex reassignment, from hormone replacement therapy to sex reassignment surgery.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of TG people in the current political and legal climate. While many strides were made, many roadblocks remain. This paper will take a closer look at the problems the TG community has encountered in the past, the current victories, and what else needs to be accomplished. From a liberal standpoint the answer is obvious, and that is we have the right to exist. To the more conservative, the “freak” status remains. TG rights have become as important as those of the gay community, just not as pronounced. This paper will examine those previously ignored rights accorded to others.

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A TG University
by Meredith Newton

Red Trannies. A special day for the TG community. Both pieces seemed to spark a bit of debate. Let’s see what this one does!

There are special colleges and universities out there. Some are religious based and geared towards a particular faith. Wheaton College, in Wheaton, Illinois, is a Baptist school and requires its students and faculty to prescribe to an article of faith. Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. is especially meant for the hearing impaired. Many schools in the U.S. are referred to as “historically Black colleges.” Some schools are gender specific.

Why not establish a college that caters to the TG community?

Think about it for a moment. While its doors are open to all, and will be fully accredited, why not have our own institution of higher learning?

As I said, it would be fully accredited and have a full slate of majors. Of course there would be a Gender Studies major, as many major schools do offer such courses. There could also be a program whereby those who wish to transition can start to follow the Standards of Care (SOC) while attending, as qualified medical professionals will be on staff.

The school could also offer special days, such as a “holiday” celebrating the birth of Christine Jorgensen’s, or a day of remembrance for our comrades who paid the ultimate price for the sin of being different. Just imagine what it would be like there when Pride Day hits!

Life on this campus would be one of acceptance. However, should the dormitories be segregated? For instance, should the CDs have their own building, the MTF TS's theirs, etc.? An active recruitment for FTM TS's would be proper. As for TA's, well, I’ll leave that one alone. We get enough predators on our site, let alone what might happen on a college campus.

I won’t even get into what the Athletic Department would do! How would the school even field a football team? It has possibilities.

Again, this school would be open to all (depending upon their academic qualifications, of course), but, as with the schools mentioned above, why not have a little safe harbor of our own?

NO I DO NOT WANT TO BE DEAN!!!! My place is in the classroom.

Let’s think about it.

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Pride Day/Sparkle: What does it mean to you?
by Meredith Newton

Chicago Pride 2010 - Photo by Jami Bantry

Just recently in the U.S. was Pride Day. In the UK it was Sparkle. We are sending this message out to everyone who attended these events, or wishes they could. Recently the Tribune showcased an article about a special day for the TG community, including possibly a parade. This seemed to cause a bit of controversy!

Pride Day, for the unenlightened, is a special day for the GLBT community to come out in the open and stand together strong. Across the U.S. there are parades, special events, parties, more parties, and so on! In the UK Sparkle is a major event for the TG community.

We here at the Tribune would like to hear from all of you, regardless of your involvement with the GLBT community.

What exactly does Pride Day/Sparkle mean to you? Why is it important? Is it a way for you to stand up to mainstream society and be proud? Is it a way to finally express who you are? Is it a way for you to connect with other segments of the GLBT community? Is it a chance to attend one heck of a big party? Or is it all of these reasons?

The Tribune has asked for beat reporters before. Now we really want to hear your thoughts on this subject:

What exactly does Pride Day/Sparkle mean to you? Did you attend? What happened there? Do you have piccies?

Please contact Meredith Newton at oakman_7@hotmail.com. Mere is willing to interview you over the phone if writing is not your thing!

What does all of this mean to you? Now is the time to speak up!

Culture, Counterculture, or Subculture?
by Josephine Brissette

With Pride Day and Sparkle behind us and still several other TG events to come, I couldn’t help but wonder about a few things. I know we hate to use labels, but Mere addresses some terms in her classes that made me think about a few things. The terms? Culture, counterculture, and subculture.

So where are we, those of us who are in the GLBT community? I guess some of the usual definitions are in order. Culture is usually described as the traits of a group that includes beliefs, customs and traditions. Counterculture is mostly said to be a group that wants to undermine the mainstream. As Mere mentioned, this is sometimes misleading as people who were/are considered counterculture are just merely leading their own lives and feel they are doing nothing wrong. Some people are out to shake things up, I know that. Some do it by accident.

A subculture is a specific group of people, and not necessarily a counterculture. Lawyers, jazz musicians, whatever, could all be called a subculture. What I don’t like is that the word “sub” could also mean “inferior,” but I know that in this case it wouldn’t be so. Well, except for the lawyers, perhaps.

Where do we fit in as the GLBT community? Many people definitely consider us to be counterculture, but lately we have been gaining some ground. TG people are now being allowed to deduct their transitioning expenses on their taxes, they have been able to change their birth certificates, and so on. After all, TG people just want to live their lives. Does that make TG people counterculture?

The GLBT community is definitely a subculture. We are our own little unique group, even if we were to get full mainstream acceptance. We all come together on Pride Day. Are we rubbing it in people’s faces? I don’t think so. I don’t see any reason why we can’t have our own parade. If a group of dyslexic left handed elephant-suit wearing people wanted to march, well, so be it, as long as traffic isn’t too tied up.

Society will always have its labels, like it or not. What bothers me a lot is that counterculture is often portrayed as negative, and that is unfair. When we look back at the history of the world, it is those who were counterculture who helped the world move forward.

Right now I want to think we are counterculture. Just think what we can accomplish.

Bikers, Skirts, Horses and Heels
by Meredith Newton

I was going away for the night. My kid was finishing up a week at horse camp and it was my responsibility to drive her home. While the place was less than two hours away, I figured to make a little trip out of it. I would stay in a motel close to the ranch and take a day to myself.

I was leaving right after teaching a morning class. I had the oil changed in my car, then made my way out to Nowhere, Illinois. The ride was pleasant enough, even if I did pass more cornfields than I thought was possible to align a highway (with the exception of the trip from Chicago to St. Louis). “Don’t wear your heels in the car,” Josie warned me.

“Since when did I ever wear heels while driving?,” I replied.

“Remember that time we ran out of champagne when having a dinner party and you decided to drive to the liquor store? Your heel got caught in the accelerator pedal.”

That’s true. I also remembering running three red lights, two stop signs, and hydroplaning over a small pool of water, drenching a group of people waiting for a bus. If it wasn’t for a sudden leg cramp that forced my leg up, I might have eventually wound up in Lake Michigan.

I stayed in one of those low budget motels. I must admit the room was rather nice. After freshening up I decided to hit the local liquor store for a bottle of wine to compliment the evening. After all, it isn’t everyday that one has a motel room that overlooks a barren interstate highway and soybean field.

I was wearing a long purple skirt that had a pretty floral pattern. I also had on my heels, and was making my way to the car. There in the lobby was a motorcycle gang buying up everything in the vending machines. True to form, they bothered nobody, just preferring to go about their business. I saw the fleet of Harleys parked in the lot. I could never ride one of those without killing myself. Just as I was looking at their bikes, one of them said, “Hey, cutie, do you know this area well?”

I shook my head. “Not really. It’s been about twenty-five years since I was last here.”

“Thanks, Miss. I was just wondering where the local liquor store was at.”

I knew where it was, having passed it on the way to the motel. “It’s just south of here, about a mile. I was just heading there myself.”

“In those heels?,” the biker replied. “You’ll get them caught in the accelerator pedal. If you know where it’s at, I’ll give you a ride over there since we’re both headed that way.” Figuring that there was no harm in this, I agreed.

Have you any idea how difficult it can be to get on a motorcycle in a long skirt? I’ve seen plenty of biker chicks do it in miniskirts (always something to stop traffic). I jumped on the back, held on to the back, and the biker drove us out into traffic.

Have you any idea what riding on the back of a motorcycle can do to a long flowing skirt? The wind promptly blew the skirt up straight over my head. What then happened was my heel got caught in some part of the bike. So there I was, riding on the back of a Harley owned by a motorcycle gang leader, my skirt hiked over my head and my leg desperately trying to free itself from some part of a moving machine.

We pulled into the parking lot where I could put my skirt back down. There in the lot was a group of people applauding me. “We love Victoria’s Secret!,” was the common cheer (well, at least I had something on underneath). The biker saw my predicament and freed my heel. “I forgot to tell you not to put your foot on that thing,” pointing to something I never saw before, would never see again nor have any idea what its purpose would be.

After making our purchases, the biker wondered about the ride back. “Put your heels here, tuck your skirt up, and hold on!” Hold on I did! Word must have gotten out about my initial ride as the street was lined with people hoping for an encore. Even the cop cars blew their horns.

Walking through the motel lobby to a storm of applause, I politely bowed, blew the crowd a kiss, and promptly went up to my room to die a slow death of embarrassment.

“When are you going to learn?,” Josie asked.

Probably never!