GenderLife Forum: The Information Exchange

There are some trans-people's stories that I think would be worthy and interesting for television coverage, but Susan Stanton is not one of them. in an earlier post, I described at least one person, Lynn Conway, who I think would make a great documentary subject, because the story of her long life is quite exemplary, and includes extraordinary scientific accomplish, as well as an enviable personal life.

There are plenty of us who use our posts to be complimentary and positive most often, and when it is appropriate. However Susan Stanton has made a large group of people permanently angry at her, and that is going to show within mention of her anywhere among the knowing trans-population for a very long time.

As I also wrote in an earlier post, the "education" reasoning for presenting such documentaries just has not panned out in the light history, since the general American populace has been watching these sorts of documentaries for at least four decades, without any discernible positive impact on the average person's level of empathy or understanding.

I wonder how many people , actually watched it? I didn't. Most people who see, that is what's on, wouldn't watch it anyway. I don't see Susan Stanton that interesting to the general public.

Supposely, people say that their are a lot of shows about us out there. But I keep running in to people who do not have a clue about TS's.

The only people really interested in that type of show, are from the transgender community, an maybe some curious main stream people.

when it comes to media exposure, beggars can't be choosers. She's by no means perfect, but at the end of the day, she's one of us, and the media is all over her. Perhaps the best thing to come out of it is to show just how insane that it is that you can lose your job by coming out. There ARE people out there who will see this and be sympathetic to the injustice. To me, that's a start.

I do not know what you're basing your opinion that people's opinions are not changing over time. Everything changes, and it's up to those of us who attract media attention to use it to the advantage of all.

I for one am not begging. That is one documentary that could have gladly been left in the editing room without ever seeing the airwaves.

There are other forms of media and other people much better suited to providing a public view of trans-people. As I noted above, a good candidate would be someone like Lynn Conway, who is worth looking up for anyone who isn't familiar with her. Another person worthy of a documentary solely about her would be Andrea James, who nearly singlehandedly put FFS into the mainstream of surgical treatment for trans-women, and has done countless other remarkable things over the past fifteen years or so, like creating a DVD set to help teach trans-women how to speak properly, which is no easy task, but one that Andrea James has mastered in exemplary fashion as well. To me, she is someone whose tangible accomplishments demonstrate a concern not only for herself, but for the well-being of the entire trans-population, making her a truly interesting subject for a documentary. In addition, in this digital era, Andrea James has also demonstrated that nobody needs to "beg" for media exposure, as Andrea has shown by creating a lot of her own media, such has her recent short film "transproofed".

If you're not in the eyes of the media, your cultural significance is irrelevant. You don't exist.

Those who are out there, they do. And I bet they pay a price for that.

I'm ok as a private person. Could be conviction or cowardice, who cares. At this point all I want to be is a good citizen and a good influence on the people around me.

Which is impossible to know, of course. At best, I can think I make them a bit happier when I'm around. I may be wrong, of course.

Otherwise, since I lack the courage or the narcissism to make myself relevant as a "voice of the TS" or whatever, my public opinions are about as important as those of a gnat.

Which suits me fine. I only care about the opinions of those who know me as a person, in person.

I have not as yet watched the CNN documentary but just had a conversation with friends who were in contact with Susan before being outed by one of our very own. My friends run GenderSanity.com and were contacted by both Susan and someone within the city govt. According to Janis they had worked out a plan both with Susan and the city and were preparing to go down to Florida to participate in their education of issues they all faced with Susan's transition. Before that could happen she was outed to the press by someone within the T community.Not sure if this was brought out in the CNN piece. Susan was ill prepared for what was about to take place and from Janis' point of view the notoriety she was thrust into was not what she wanted to happen. Sorry to say I did not follow her story during the ENDA incident but considering the short duration of her being outed and her being appointed an unwilling spokesperson for the T community I tend to cut her a little slack for her lack of knowledge. We all grow a little each day after coming to terms and not many can say they are totally prepared with all the right answers or terminology. Granted my view may change after seeing the piece this evening with a group of friends at Michele and Janis place.

As to whether these type of programs, documentaries are beneficial to educate others on our struggles I can say they were very instrumental to my wife,family and friends understanding the journey I was about travel.As usual YMMV.

A close friend taped it so I will see it soon on DVD. I have a few things to say to critics but I have not yet seen the CNN segment.

The first thing I would like to say is that Susan is an educated professional who is currently a city manager in Florida. If you think that is of no significance then try going for it. Let me know if you succeed.

Second, Susan made some people mad but she didn't choose to be thrust into the public view and freely admits she was not schooled in all the sensitivities of our "community". Sheesh, if somebody stuck a national mic in front of my face I would piss off far more than she did. How many would you (generic you) upset?

Now here's a news flash for you.....I'll be glad to relay any negative comments to Susan in person. There is a condition though. Send me your criticisms along with your life history, phone number and curriculum vitae so that Susan will have some idea the substance behind the critics. I believe in a level playing field and if you (generic you) can't walk the walk then to be impolite "stuff it". I believe Susan's transition and the national focus has been a good thing even as she made a few missteps. Christine Jorgensen, Renae Richards, Lynn Conway and many others heightened public awareness in the midst of controversy and the hatred of huge numbers of very prejudiced people. Guess what, in a few short years Susan will be just as famous and respected while you (generic you) and I languish in obscurity. Strange how that works.

"Beggars can't be choosers" is not meant for literal use. It means, we don't often have a chance to be heard. Just so you know...

In other words, the price of your stealthy tranquility is that others shall represent you.

In all likelihood, Susan Stanton will languish in the same obscurity that surrounds ninety-nine percent of all people who are publicly outed and trounced through the media for a while. The list of trans-women who have had fifteen minutes of "fame" followed by decades of relative obscurity is long and often not well traveled. Even a virtual stroll through amazon.com reveals countless trans-biographies that are probably read mostly by other trans-women, but whose authors otherwise exist in relative obscurity, despite having even published the stories of portions of their lives.

Without a thread like this one, how often do even names like:

Wendy Carlos

Caroline Cossey

and hundreds more come to mind?

Some actually seem to seek out anonymity and obscurity after a period of major exposure, like Canary Conn from the 1970s, who has long since disappeared, apparently changed her name before digital court records began to make it ridiculously simple to uncover name changes, hasn't been heard from by the general trans-population in eons, and whose name pops up
mostly from time to time, for the very reason that she has been personally invisible for quite a long time.

As others have written in this thread, the price most such people have paid for public exposure has often been an expensive one too. For example, a visit to the web site of Wendy Carlos includes a visit to a page wherein Carlos expresses enormous anger about peoples' inability to let go of her medical past, and even veiled references to continued death threats over the course of thirty or so years.

Another example of how quickly exposure fades would be this site's own founder, Calpernia Addams, who was the subject of high public scrutiny a decade ago, including a cable movie, and an A&E documentary about she and her murdered boyfriend, but if you check her imdb.com listing today, she hasn't been involved in many cinema projects other than personal projects created together by she and Andrea James. Most of all, despite all that transpired a decade ago, it seems doubtful that the average person understands the significance of Addams and her murdered boyfriend with regard to the military DADT policy, and why it also should not apply.

By comparison, anonymity and privacy may be some of the best protection someone can hope for in contrast to the constant onslaught of negativity that those in the public sometimes cope with. I for one, value the benefits and limitations of private life immensely!