Category: Letters

March 1, 2006

Fenway Community Health would like to thank all of the community members and clients who took time to come to our two open forum town hall meetings and update everyone on some of the Transgender Health initiatives we are undertaking.

Probably one of the most suffering "groups" with-in the transgendered community, or at least belonging to the transgender community, is the elderly TG's. Just my opinion folks!

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #104, Winter 2004.
Closet is just too kind a word for solitary confinement, being buried alive and running from the truth. Oh, yeah, the cell is nicely appointed, as much as I could make it, but it still has those damn bars, forged from fear and hardened by loneliness. You wake up one day and the hellacious marriage is finally over, the kids are grown and moving on with their lives. You just turned 56 years old and realize you?ve never done much for yourself all these years. Your account is seriously in danger of being overdrawn.

What?s a girl do with such a serious case of the down-home blues? Why, she goes on a bodacious shopping spree, right? A liberating exercise after having been oppressed for countless years in that department. A veritable kid in ye olde candy shoppe! But even that began to grow old after a while. You know the feeling, all dressed up, but nowhere to go. Or so I thought at the time. Little did I know. But don?t kid yourself: breaking out is a learning process in and of itself.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #104, Winter 2004.

by Deborah Greenway

We are in Salt Lake City, Utah, one of the more conservative cities in America. Not only that, but the powers that be here can be somewhat intrusive, as well?yet our transgender group, Engendered Species, has thrived here, probably because of our uniqueness rather than in spite of it. In the past, I?ve seen many who, in their aloneness in a culture that promotes obedient, sheep-like behavior, have convinced themselves that their lives as transgendered were worse than worthless. I?ve also seen some who grew to the place where all of God?s creation had value, and the immense worth of a justly motivated individual in the world is hard to contain.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #105, Spring 2004.

My partner is a transgendered person (FTM) and we are both readers of Transgender Tapestry. We have noticed that there are not many articles on or about FTMs. There is really no specific magazine and very few books on this topic. We have been to drag king conferences, which are helpful and supportive, but to my partner this is part of his identity and not just entertainment. The support groups available in our area are primarily for MTFs and even though they say they welcome FTMs, there are none in attendance. My partner could attend one of their meetings but doesn?t feel they can fully identify with his issues.

Could you please make a connection with someone in the FTM community who would be willing to write one or two articles for each edition of Tapestry? Knowing there would always be something on this topic would help to validate that FTMs really do exist.
?Joanne L and my partner SP

Tapestry is committed to equity in content by and about FTMs and their significant others. Since I became editor in 1990, we?ve published every FTM-themed article we?ve received?and I expect the previous editors did also. Ten years ago, Jason Cromwell was kind enough to edit a special FTM issue of Chrysalis, a magazine I edited at the time. It took him a full year to beg, bribe, wheedle, and cajole enough FTM-specific content to fill 60 pages. It?s not that there?s a lack of FTMs, but there certainly is a scarcity of FTMs who write. Those we know who do write tend to be overcommitted and unavailable and we wouldn?t presume to further burden them?although we would be joyous to hear from them. Yes, this is a hint, Jamison Green! Perhaps someone who reads this will be inspired to write for Tapestry. Perhaps you will?Ed.


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