Case Sensitive

Thank you for the good article [“Peace, Love, and Trans-Understanding,” Vol. 27, issue 03] and thank you to Frontiers for addressing trans-issues so directly.

I am writing because I wanted to highlight something which occurs all of the time, often by people who truly are "on our side" as it were, with regard to trans issues. Look at the fourth paragraph of the article. The author is writing about a transwoman. It is clear that the author accepts the transwoman as a transwoman, and is trying to honor her identity. Yet, the author uses male pronouns throughout the paragraph. He was born female, he is female—and he knows it almost from birth, his true identity has been placed in the wrong body.

 I point this out not to confront the author, who I believe wrote a very good article. I point it out to sort of illuminate some of the struggles that our language presents. How do we talk about a transperson prior to transition (as in the case with my partner's parents, who want to refer to her as "him" when reminiscing about childhood)? How do we let the reader who might not be savvy enough to understand what a transwoman is, know what we are talking about if we use the correct pronouns: She was born female, she is female—and she knows it almost from birth, her true identity has been placed in the wrong body. Will people unfamiliar with trans issues understand that? Also, more than language difficulties, I also write it to highlight that transphobia is pervasive, and that transpeople are hyperaware of it—in ways nontranspeople can never be. I don't mean to say that the author is transphobic. I would venture to guess the opposite. What I would like to say is that this could be experienced by a transperson as transphobic.

Again, I applaud Frontiers, and Michael Liberatore, for the article. I hope that there is room in future issues of Frontiers to continue to address these sorts of issues in-depth, as they run very deep.

Susan Forrest
via Internet

Monumental

Thank you for Karen Ocamb's insightful article on the Black Cat [“The Black Cat’s Lost History,” Vol. 27, issue 03]. Gay and lesbian history was made on the streets of L.A. 41 years ago, just as it's being made today throughout California. In celebrating our right to marry, we need to remember the proud and angry crowd that gathered in front of the Black Cat on the night of February 11, 1967. Their courageous actions paved the way for us to live openly and with dignity. This morning we submitted the application to designate the Black Cat as a city historic site. With support from authors Mark Thompson and Lillian Faderman, and the backing of Council President Eric Garcetti, we expect to win monument status within a few months time. We're dedicating the nomination to author and Silver Lake resident, Stuart Timmons. For those interested in updates on the application, drop us a line at blackcat3909@aol.com.

And thanks again, Frontiers,

Wes Joe
on behalf of the Friends of the Black Cat

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