Topic: People

by Gordene O. MacKenzie
and Nancy R. Nangeroni

(from Tapestry 098)

In the second half of the last decade, the board of directors the Boston-based Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) decided to look closely at the emerging arena of gender and transgenderism, in hopes of incorporating some of the perspectives emerging from that movement into their work. As a group of attorneys litigating key cases in hopes of setting far-reaching precedents in defense of LGBT persons, the GLAD board made it their mission to advocate on behalf of those who had been denied justice because of their gender.

Four years ago, they offered a job to a trans-identified attorney from Chicago who had been helping transpeople with legal concerns in her spare time. That attorney was Jennifer Levi. Since that time, Jennifer has been involved in?and won?a number of high-visibility court cases in the New England area, establishing far-reaching precedents on matters dear to the transgender heart. She was the primary drafter of Rhode Island?s transgender-inclusive non-discrimination law. She has been instrumental in winning favorable rulings for transpeople in employment, health care, lending, public accommodations, and education. Her arguments produced a legal victory in the Brockton, MA case where a biologically male transgendered student won the right to attend school wearing ?girl?s? clothing. She is working to ensure transpeople are included under federal sex discrimination law. We spoke with Jennifer about gender case law, and about her own gender identity and beliefs.

Sylvia Rivera

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #098, Summer 2002

Obituary by Bebe Scarpinato and Rusty Moore
Photography by Mariette Pathy Allen

Sylvia Rivera, Stonewall riot veteran and life- long activist for transgendered people, died during the dawn hours of February 19, 2002 at New York?s St. Vincent?s Hospital, of complications from cancer of the liver. She was fifty years old.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #98, Summer 2002.

Shannon Minter, the Legal Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, took time out of his busy day to interview Lisa Mottet, the Legislative Lawyer for the brand new Transgender Civil Rights Project, which she created with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Shannon and Lisa first met in early 1999 in Washington, D.C. Although Shannon didn?t know it at the time, Lisa immediately identified Shannon as someone from whom she could learn a lot. Three years later, Lisa consults regularly with Shannon about language of proposed bills and ordinances and developments in litigation. She works with him on a variety of collaborative projects relating to transgender civil rights issues.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #097, Spring 2002.

Christine-Jane Wilson?s TV-themed cartoons have appeared for years in crossdressing magazines in the U.S. and U.K., and in the pages of this publication as well. Christine was good enough to send us the following and a sampling of cartoons, some of which she drew up especially for us?Ed.


I don?t know at what age I started to crossdress, but it was before my 10th birthday, years before I became sexually aware (we were slow starters then). Later, crossdressing became a big turn-on. I had a couple of slips my mother had discarded and a pair of silky French knickers with a button-waist fastening. I would play in them when I was alone in the house, and often wore them to bed.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #097, Spring 2002.
DISCLOSURE


?Janet, this is Cassandra; Cassandra, This is Janet?
by Steph

In the spring of 1993, at a Chi meeting in Chicago, I met a special person; her name was Janet. All my life, I had known her masculine side. That?s because I had known her only as Dan, my older brother. Until that moment, Dan had known me only as Steve, hir younger brother.