What happened?

I am a liberal in Bryan-College Station. I am also a male-to-female transsexual, a lesbian, white and a child of conservative parents. I recently turned 35, and it made me pause and consider, "What happened to the world I grew up in?"

I grew up instilled with values of creativity, compassion, justice and a premium in doing what is noble. Yet, the times we live in and our community do not seem to reflect those precepts.

Jesus said, "And what you do unto the least of these, you do unto me." However, we continually forget that our value as a community is based upon how we treat our own.

As a community we say that we are pro-life, yet we do not value the lives of our neighbors. We do not trust them to make their own decisions, to measure their own values, in terms of reproduction.

We as a community voted in recent history to ban civil unions between members of the same sex. In doing so we tread upon the dignities of some of our own to properly be there for those they love during emergency, at death and just in living out life.

We as a community depend upon a backbone of non-white labor. Yet, when push comes to shove, we prevent that base from accessing basic resources we hold.

I am disappointed that the values I was brought up with are not reflected in a community that prides itself as being a great place to rear children.

I am concerned about our future as a people unless we learn to work together whatever labels we address ourselves with.

And I guess that this birthday, my gift was one of reality sinking in as I look at the world around me.

Katy Dawn Stewart,
College Station

Some definitions

Just a note to my fellow Bryan-College Station residents about some terminology on Sharli'e Domi-nique's (Arpollo Vicks) case.

Tom Edwards (Eagle, Sept. 13) from Naples, Fla. stated: "I read about the arrest of the transvestite at Reed Arena. This is easy to fix, and the arrest is appropriate. Arpollo Vicks isn't transgendered. He still has the functioning male equipment which is in full view in a public shower."

His use of vocabulary in this regard is incorrect. A transvestite is an archaic medical term which has gained popular culture notoriety, but refers to a man who dresses in women's clothes for fetishistic reasons.

A transsexual is an individual whose sexual identity - who he or she knows he or she is inside - does not match the biological sex they were born as.

Such individuals may or may not use a variety of methods to correct the mismatch they find between body and mind. This is inclusive of hormone use, surgery, etc., but not "required" to "be" a "transsexual."

From my understanding, Dominique has received hormone shots and sees herself as a woman. If Edwards insists on categorizing people, she is a transsexual and not a transvestite.

The transgender community is a coalition of persons whose gender identity - what sex they portray to the world - may be at odds with the sex they were born as. This is a problematic term in that it has become a "catchall" for people who are transsexual, intersexed, drag queens, drag kings, two-spirit or just gender variant.

It is now the year 2005, and we are still stuck using a didactic language that is polarized and ill-meets the reality of diversity in gender and sex that we have seen in our society and in other cultures throughout time.

Katy Stewart,
Bryan

http://www.theeagle.com/stories/091505/opinions_20050915048.php

Inclusive church

Last Wednesday, the United Church of Christ launched an ad campaign for its churches across the nation. Of the media outlets it approached, two were NBC and CBS. Despite the fact that this ad focuses on the church denomination’s acceptance of all people, no matter where they are on their individual journeys with God, and despite the fact that the ad will be running on ABC Family, FOX, AMC, BET, Discovery, Hallmark, the History Channel and many more cable broadcast stations, CBS and NBC refused to run it.

The God Is Still Speaking Web site, a UCC initiative, jumped in hits from 3,400 to 38,500 visitors after the news of the two networks’ decision was announced. Comments include:

• “Thank you for running this important message of inclusivity. I am also writing CBS and NBC in protest.”



• “Blessings on your historic church for continuing to lead the struggle against demeaning others.”



• “Wow, a Christian organization that actually practices tolerance and acceptance.”

The congregation of one of the local UCC churches — Friends Congregational Church — has helped me push through from the darkness in my life toward something greater. UCC’s focus on doing the work of God by impacting the Brazos Valley community through one act of love at a time has inspired and comforted me.

View the commercial at http://www.stillspeaking.com and read about the issue. If you feel moved, send a fax to CBS and NBC.

Katy Dawn Stewart
Bryan



http://www.theeagle.com/opinions/letterstoeditor/Dec2004/120704letterstoeditor.php

Support Equality

The U.S. lesbian and gay population spends approximately $1.4 billion each day. For one year, this total is $500 billion. The University of Georgia’s Selig Center at the Terry College of Business a comparison of annual spending by different minority breaks down to:

• Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered — $500 billion.


• African American — $688 billion.


• Hispanic — $653 billion.


• Asian American — $344 billion.


• Native American — $45 billion.

However, despite this fiscal contribution to our great economy, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Americans still do not possess basic civil rights granted to heterosexual peers. As a result, Oct. 8 has been designated by Boycott for Equality (www.boycottforequality.org) as a “walkout” during which gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals and their allies are encouraged to:

• Not purchase anything.


• Not work. Do not generate payroll taxes, income taxes or add to the economy.


• Not use cell phones. Dropping out of the communication network is a way to measure the impact of your presence.


• Speak open and frankly with friends and neighbors about the inequalities faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons.


• Reflect about the numerous contributions of our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community

We wish to applaud the efforts of Boycott For Equality and to encourage Brazos Valley residents to take action in ways appropriate for them as individuals. Further, we desire to express our gratitude to the many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons in our military and in our community tirelessly working to better the world around them.

Katy Dawn Stewart, Robin Griffiths and Cassandra A Roegner + 11 other signatures



http://www.theeagle.com/opinions/letterstoeditor/oct2004/100304letterstoeditor.php

Become supportive

The Bryan/College Station Chapter of PFLAG — Parents, Friends, and Families of Lesbians and Gays — of which I am honored to be co-chair, promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through support, education and advocacy.

I feel a certain sense of pride for our members when they listen to visitors with open minds — no matter their own political leanings. More than a year ago, we approached both Bryan and College Station school boards to offer assistance in the education of teachers, counselors and staff on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues. Board members listened with respect, but gave the impression that “gay issues” were not relevant.

This is despite stories we hear on a regular basis in our meetings. Let us look at a few facts from the Lesbian and Gay Rights Lobby’s Coalition to End Discrimination in Education packet at www.lgrl.org:

• 97 percent of students in public high schools report regularly hearing homophobic remarks from peers.


• The typical high school student hears anti-gay slurs 25.5 times a day. Teachers who hear these slurs fail to respond 97 percent of the time.


• In a 14-city study of gay, lesbian and bisexual youth, 80 percent reported verbal abuse, 44 percent reported threats of attack, 33 percent reported having objects thrown at them and 30 percent reported being chased or followed.

On Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Friends Congregational Church, the Bryan/College Station Chapter of PFLAG, BV QueSt, and The GLBT Professional Network will co-sponsor a coalition building workshop for all people in our community who would like to see an end to discrimination in Brazos Valley education.

For more information, contact katydstewart@hotmail.com or 979-571-6190.

Katy Stewart,
Bryan

Lessons on Living

MSN recently called 2003 “The Year of the Gay” due to recent advances in equal rights. In retrospect, I would like to address some issues.

There is no “homosexual agenda.”

Those who happen to love members of the same sex do not advocate for any “special privileges” — just the same rights that all citizens in this country are guaranteed.

What was it? Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness or something like that?

How should you react when you find out when someone is gay? Here are a few tips:

• It is not a disease, so don’t worry, you cannot catch it. Continue your same social behaviors: shake hands, hug, etc.

Do what is normal for you and that person.

• If a friend comes out to you, recognize that this process takes great inner strength and enormous amounts of courage. Embrace the opportunity that your friend is sharing.

Most important, listen to your friend.

• If you are flirted with, it does not mean you are gay or that someone thinks you are gay.



• Sometimes comments like “you have such beautiful eyes” really are just compliments.



• Consider why you might be flirted with.
  
  
  Obviously, this person finds you attractive in some way to be bold enough to try such a technique.
  
  
  How would you feel if someone of the opposite sex or one of your straight friends had made the same remark? This is no different.

Life is short. You have to make what friends you can. So, why not greet everyone warmly and take care of whatever issues you have in yourself?

Leave another’s issues of whom they love with to themselves.

Katy Dawn Stewart,
Bryan

Only Guilty of Love

Back in July, President Bush commented to news reporters, “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, and I think we ought to codify that one way or another.” What has ensued from those comments is a federal amendment being proposed to deny rights given some but not others.

"Gay marriage” is being fought in the political and civil arenas to provide the same protections, rights and, yes, obligations to couples who happen to be of the same sex as exist for couples of the opposite sex. It has been argued that these same rights can be obtained through court document. This is true, but the costs and time involved are high. However, for $30, any straight couple can walk into a Texas courthouse and “get hitched” a few days later — benefiting immediately from more than 1,000 perks through one document.

What is being asked for is the basic decency to be treated fairly. We are calling for civil marriage, the legal binding of two persons into a contract, not sacramented marriage in the eyes of the church. I respect, even defend, the right to believe in one’s own beliefs in regard to religious, sanctified marriage. If a discussion on the “sanctity of marriage” were what is desired at this time though, then we as a society would have to seriously look at some issues such as domestic violence, education, minimum wage laws, health care and the protection of the “family unit” in many ways.

It has been found that according to Census bureau statistics 99.6 percent of the counties in the United States have same-sex households. We are a people guilty of one thing: love. We are a people who can vote together in ways that will change the face of this nation.

Katy Dawn Stewart,
Bryan