Dear Editor:

Jamie Starr says that excluding transgendered people from the gay rights agenda is likely to “fracture our community,” and that gays who do not want to include transgender protections in the gay/lesbian employment non-discrimination act (ENDA) are the kind of people who seek acceptance for themselves while being unwilling to accept others. I disagree.

No one insisted that equal rights for non-blacks be included in black civil rights legislation. No one insisted that equal rights for gay men and lesbians be included in women’s rights legislation. But when gay men and lesbians try to get legislation passed to stop discrimination against themselves in the workplace, a transgender rights activist named Meredith Bacon attacks them for not including equal rights for transgenders in the proposed legislation. Never mind that not all transgenders are gay. Or are they? Somebody straighten me out on that point if I’m wrong.

Bacon specifically attacked the “white, rich, professional gay men” who supposedly control the Human Rights Campaign. Ah, yes, those evil rich, white gay men... their crimes are many. They have largely financed the gay rights movement. How dare they not put everyone else’s rights ahead of their own! They dare because they do not believe in double-standards. Just as other groups have not included gays in their quests for equal rights, gays are under no obligation to include non-gays in their quest for gay rights.

I have no desire to exclude transgenders from the GLBT community. But Congress –which would have to pass the gay rights legislation in question in order for it to become law – is having a hard enough time coming to terms with the idea of treating gays and lesbians as human beings worthy of equal rights. Throwing transgender rights into the mix will only delay the passage of legislation that has been delayed long enough.

Let the gay rights legislation proceed without including transgender rights. Once it is passed, another milestone will have been reached, and legislation benefiting transgenders will be more likely to pass as well.

Incidentally, those who claim that transgenders “threw the first blows and rocks at Stonewall” are wrong. Transvestites – who are not necessarily transgender; they can be drag queens or cross-dressers who have no desire to change their gender – were arrested, at which point young gay men (most of them white, and some of them soon to become rich and professional perhaps) started throwing rocks and rioting.

Columbia University has posted the historical documentation. It can be found at: www.columbia.edu/help/search.html. Type “Stonewall riots” into the “Find Web Sites” search window. Then click on “Stonewall 25: cases 1-2.”

Andrew Towne

Dear Editor:

I would like to take a moment to respond to Jeff Wilson’s letter. As a woman of paleo-transgender history going back some 28 years I can agree with his comment regarding the level of baggage in the GLBT communities. Most of the transgender and transsexual men and women are not a part of the “Rainbow Community”, they can make it on their own in the straight mainstream world. It’s only those transgenders who can’t make it in the real world who live in the GLBT-Transgender ghetto and self marginalize themselves and are still fighting for bathroom rights. I was a part of that community for some 6 years trying to get the message across that assimilation into mainstream society was the most important aspect of transgender and transsexual life, as well as the path to least resistance.

What the GLBT is good for in San Diego are those services that transfolk of low income can find for their transition. With the exception of social interaction with a few who are truly accepting the GLBT community offers nothing of any real value to any post-transition female lesbian or heterosexual. My advice to anyone who is considering transition is to do what six of the seven women I have mentored have done and stay away from the GLBT embedded TG community, the community is toxic and feeds upon itself. There is an alternative group in San Diego for support and socialization dedicated to transwoman of all stripes. Anyone interested can contact me at sue-snn173@cox.net and I will direct you to that resource.

Susan A. Robins

Dear Editor:

The recent series of letters about children in our audience prompted me to add a few thoughts on behalf of the Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego. Having worked in the performing arts all my adult life, I know that many theatres and performing groups have policies in place which do not permit children age five and under in the audience. The Gay Men’s Chorus has never adopted such a formal policy, but we have always made it clear over the years which concerts are appropriate for children, and we have even produced concerts specifically for families with children, featuring music for and about children. Families with children are an important and vibrant part of our community, and programming for them is a vital component of our mission. Next December’s concert – “Holiday ‘Toons” – features popular music and characters from well-known animated Christmas classics, and is a perfect example of our efforts to reach audiences of all ages and demographics.

At other concerts, infants and toddlers in the audience can be problematic. There will always be moments in our performances where the chorus is singing something quiet – a love song, a memorial piece, or a dramatic piece with soft intensity. These are moments for adult audiences to enjoy and savor, and one fidgety four-year-old can quickly ruin the experience for nearby concertgoers.

We have spoken to the patron whose presence with her child generated the recent flurry of letters to the editor, and members of the Gay Men’s Chorus artistic staff were seated in the audience and closely witnessed the entire exchange. Because the chorus values every patron, gay and straight, parent or not, I would simply ask our audience members to use their good judgment and to be polite to others. If you’re not sure about bringing young children, just call the chorus office before purchasing your tickets. We’re happy to provide guidance. And if your concert experience is made unpleasant by something or someone near you, we always have a house manager and a team of well-trained ushers standing by to help. We always keep a few empty seats near the rear exits just for parents with restless kids.

Sadly, the frustrated mom left our concert early, and the Gay Men’s Chorus has offered her a pair of complimentary tickets to a future concert so she can enjoy the programming we have to offer. If the two patrons who found their holiday concert experience diminished by the presence of mom’s fidgety child will also contact me, I’d be delighted to invite them to a future Gay Men’s Chorus concert as my guests.

Gary Holt