Good luck, CJ. I'm sure you'll have a great turn-out and the presentation will be top-notch. We'll patiently wait for the recap.
Enlightening my colleagues--formally!
Moderators: KimberlyS, CathyAnn
-
Kyra
- Miss Ruby Goddess
- Posts: 1161
- Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2004 11:04 pm
- Location: Fort Fun, CO
- Contact:
The way I see it, if I posted it here, virtually anyone in the world can read it. Use at will, girlfriend.
Good luck, CJ. I'm sure you'll have a great turn-out and the presentation will be top-notch. We'll patiently wait for the recap.
Good luck, CJ. I'm sure you'll have a great turn-out and the presentation will be top-notch. We'll patiently wait for the recap.
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. - Leonardo DaVinci
-
Elizabeth
- Miss Ruby Goddess
- Posts: 1878
- Joined: Mon May 03, 2004 3:02 am
-
DanteCarrie (FTM)
- Miss Platinum Goddess
- Posts: 299
- Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2009 5:31 pm
- Location: Liverpool
very cool idea.
I must say I'm so glad that you are making it light hearted and with your own humour. best thing for minorities is we must learn to have a sense of humour because when become touchy and PC we don't realise we are becoming a huge pain in the arse its a fine line between being treated as you deserve and being annoying so i like your stance on it very much.
I would hope you make it very clear the BIG different between cross dressers, transvestites and transgendered and transexuals. I hate it when people think cas i wear men's shirts and male stuff that i must want a sex change or to be called a man.
Also i hope you also shed light on FTM CDs and trans people as well as MTF as the world is always so much more aware of the latter.
Let me know how it goes mate
I must say I'm so glad that you are making it light hearted and with your own humour. best thing for minorities is we must learn to have a sense of humour because when become touchy and PC we don't realise we are becoming a huge pain in the arse its a fine line between being treated as you deserve and being annoying so i like your stance on it very much.
I would hope you make it very clear the BIG different between cross dressers, transvestites and transgendered and transexuals. I hate it when people think cas i wear men's shirts and male stuff that i must want a sex change or to be called a man.
Also i hope you also shed light on FTM CDs and trans people as well as MTF as the world is always so much more aware of the latter.
Let me know how it goes mate
-
SharonRose
- Miss Platinum Goddess
- Posts: 287
- Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2003 10:37 pm
- Location: Northern Virginia
- Contact:
-
Susan
- Permanently Banned
- Posts: 1439
- Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2006 5:58 am
- Location: Liverpool, UK
- Contact:
-
Leeza
- Miss Ruby Goddess
- Posts: 1745
- Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2008 4:46 pm
- Location: McCook, Nebraska
- Contact:
-
PhylissH
- Miss Platinum Goddess
- Posts: 339
- Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2009 12:35 pm
- Location: TX
Formal intro
Hi CJ,
Good luck, I am sure you will do just fine. Will you be CJ for the presentation.
I have been to a couple of Presentaion for t the ransgendered at a local college, in an attempt to educate some of the students studying Human Behavior.
Looking forward to hearing about it
Good luck, I am sure you will do just fine. Will you be CJ for the presentation.
I have been to a couple of Presentaion for t the ransgendered at a local college, in an attempt to educate some of the students studying Human Behavior.
Looking forward to hearing about it
" I would rather die while I am living than live when I am dead"
Texas CD, Best of both worlds,
Hugs Phyliss
Texas CD, Best of both worlds,
Hugs Phyliss
-
Davita
- Miss Ruby Goddess
- Posts: 1613
- Joined: Sat Jan 23, 2010 11:42 am
- Location: Baltimore/Annapolis Metro area
The one thing I tend to emphasize is that, sex, gender and sexual preference are each their own gray scale. Physical sex has male, female, and variations of inter-sexed. Gender has ever imaginable flavor of our transgender community including transsexuals, crossdressers etc. And sexual preference -- males loving males, girls loving girls, anyone loving socks, etc. Just because you have a boy body and like boys doesn't necessarily mean you're gay because it could be your gender expressing a sexual preference. Anyway, you get the drift.
Good luck.
Good luck.
{squeezes}
Davita
Davita
-
CJ
- Miss Diamond Goddess
- Posts: 3562
- Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2003 11:12 pm
- Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Hi all,
Well, it went fine. I managed to rein it all in in just under 45 minutes, my allotted time slot for yesterday's monthly meeting. Most of the staff was present (just over thirty colleagues) and all seemed to enjoy it. Quite a few came to see me afterwards to offer thanks and/or congratulations. My boss even stood up and came over to hug me.
As it turns out, I didn't use any material from this forum as I haven't been on here as frequently over the past few weeks and months. What I did, though, was scour YouTube for a few clips of testimonials, vlogs, documentary excerpts, and the like, collating it all into a short (15-minute) video in which I tried to let both the humour and the pain of gender variance shine through. From experience, I know it's notoriously difficult to hold my colleagues' attention during these monthly meetings. We're all aching to let loose with each other, get this meeting over with, and go for a happy hour drink or two.
Aside from the (expected and required) laughter at certain moments in the film, I had their full attention for half an hour--a victory in itself. They all respectfully held their tongues. Here's a little breakdown of my presentation:
I showed them the film. Then I spoke, telling them I wanted to concentrate on three main areas: 1. Definitions of transgender terms, 2. Non-binary models of human gender and sexuality (along the three axes of birth sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation) and, 3. The current cultural and political contexts of transgender individuals and communities. I sprinkled the presentation with anecdotes and choice nuggets of personal experience.
Above all, I wanted my listeners to walk away with the understanding that, first, being transgendered is not something we choose to be; second, much of the pain and suffering that comes from being trans comes as a result of social intolerance; third, those of us who are "differently-gendered" (or who are lucky enough to count the latter amongst their friends, colleagues, and family members) ought to seize this as a golden opportunity to celebrate human diversity (sexual or otherwise); and, finally, there is a great need, in all fields--cultural, political, scientific, religious--to rethink and reevaluate stances on matters of human gender and sexuality.
I do believe much of that message got through. To be fair, I also believe I was partly preaching to the choir, as my colleagues are generally a tolerant, open-minded bunch of folks. Still, much of what I said was news to some.
I had to switch from French to English and back again on occasion, just because some concepts don't translate well. A good example is the distinction, in English, between a transvestite, a crossdresser, and a drag queen. The French word, "travesti," encompasses all three and its "semantic bent" must be gleaned from its context. I told them that, although both I (as "Christina") and the locally-famous drag queen, Mado, are both considered "travesti" (in French), our inner gender experience may be miles apart. And a "transvestite," well, that's a word you'll find as part of a mental illness definition in the DSM. It's not who I consider myself to be. I'm a crossdresser and damn proud of it, too!
All in all, a satisfying presentation. Some of my colleagues expressed disappointment at not having had the chance to meet "Christina" in the flesh. I told them that our boss nixed the idea in order to avoid unfortunate encounters with a client, who may potentially choose to drop in at that time.
Here's a list of material I handed out at the beginning of the presentation:
-- A comparative chart of binary and alternative non-binary models of human gender and sexuality
-- A non-exhaustive list of trans terms definitions (fetishist, drag queen/king, transvestite/crossdresser, transsexual, transgender, genderqueer, intersexed)
-- Notable transpersons throughout mythology and history, and across cultures
-- A list of TG-themed films where the main issue IS gender identity, i.e., where trans behaviours and situations aren't merely comedic plot devices
-- A personal article written by a lesbian feminist on how cisgenderism is a tributary of transphobia
-- A comparison between definitions of gender variance disgnostics in the DSM-IV and the upcoming DSM-V
-- A list of local trans resources (such as they are
)
-- An updated and slightly modified copy of the Wikipedia article on "Transgender"
-- A copy of the currently circulating Coalition Trans Québec's online petition seeking to strike down the province's backwards Civil Status policies and regulations regarding trans identities.
All this to say that, I had fun, I think the presentation was fruitful, and I'd do it in a second elsewhere if asked. And I learned something in the process, too; namely, that, next month, private Member Bill C-389--officially, "An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code [gender identity and gender expression]--is (finally!) going through its third reading in the House and, if adopted, would enshrine transgender anti-discrimination provisions in the country's laws. (This, under a conservative government! Yes, I'm a bit surprised.)
Hopefully, uh, this, too, shall pass.
Love,
CJ
Well, it went fine. I managed to rein it all in in just under 45 minutes, my allotted time slot for yesterday's monthly meeting. Most of the staff was present (just over thirty colleagues) and all seemed to enjoy it. Quite a few came to see me afterwards to offer thanks and/or congratulations. My boss even stood up and came over to hug me.
As it turns out, I didn't use any material from this forum as I haven't been on here as frequently over the past few weeks and months. What I did, though, was scour YouTube for a few clips of testimonials, vlogs, documentary excerpts, and the like, collating it all into a short (15-minute) video in which I tried to let both the humour and the pain of gender variance shine through. From experience, I know it's notoriously difficult to hold my colleagues' attention during these monthly meetings. We're all aching to let loose with each other, get this meeting over with, and go for a happy hour drink or two.
Aside from the (expected and required) laughter at certain moments in the film, I had their full attention for half an hour--a victory in itself. They all respectfully held their tongues. Here's a little breakdown of my presentation:
I showed them the film. Then I spoke, telling them I wanted to concentrate on three main areas: 1. Definitions of transgender terms, 2. Non-binary models of human gender and sexuality (along the three axes of birth sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation) and, 3. The current cultural and political contexts of transgender individuals and communities. I sprinkled the presentation with anecdotes and choice nuggets of personal experience.
Above all, I wanted my listeners to walk away with the understanding that, first, being transgendered is not something we choose to be; second, much of the pain and suffering that comes from being trans comes as a result of social intolerance; third, those of us who are "differently-gendered" (or who are lucky enough to count the latter amongst their friends, colleagues, and family members) ought to seize this as a golden opportunity to celebrate human diversity (sexual or otherwise); and, finally, there is a great need, in all fields--cultural, political, scientific, religious--to rethink and reevaluate stances on matters of human gender and sexuality.
I do believe much of that message got through. To be fair, I also believe I was partly preaching to the choir, as my colleagues are generally a tolerant, open-minded bunch of folks. Still, much of what I said was news to some.
I had to switch from French to English and back again on occasion, just because some concepts don't translate well. A good example is the distinction, in English, between a transvestite, a crossdresser, and a drag queen. The French word, "travesti," encompasses all three and its "semantic bent" must be gleaned from its context. I told them that, although both I (as "Christina") and the locally-famous drag queen, Mado, are both considered "travesti" (in French), our inner gender experience may be miles apart. And a "transvestite," well, that's a word you'll find as part of a mental illness definition in the DSM. It's not who I consider myself to be. I'm a crossdresser and damn proud of it, too!
All in all, a satisfying presentation. Some of my colleagues expressed disappointment at not having had the chance to meet "Christina" in the flesh. I told them that our boss nixed the idea in order to avoid unfortunate encounters with a client, who may potentially choose to drop in at that time.
Here's a list of material I handed out at the beginning of the presentation:
-- A comparative chart of binary and alternative non-binary models of human gender and sexuality
-- A non-exhaustive list of trans terms definitions (fetishist, drag queen/king, transvestite/crossdresser, transsexual, transgender, genderqueer, intersexed)
-- Notable transpersons throughout mythology and history, and across cultures
-- A list of TG-themed films where the main issue IS gender identity, i.e., where trans behaviours and situations aren't merely comedic plot devices
-- A personal article written by a lesbian feminist on how cisgenderism is a tributary of transphobia
-- A comparison between definitions of gender variance disgnostics in the DSM-IV and the upcoming DSM-V
-- A list of local trans resources (such as they are
)-- An updated and slightly modified copy of the Wikipedia article on "Transgender"
-- A copy of the currently circulating Coalition Trans Québec's online petition seeking to strike down the province's backwards Civil Status policies and regulations regarding trans identities.
All this to say that, I had fun, I think the presentation was fruitful, and I'd do it in a second elsewhere if asked. And I learned something in the process, too; namely, that, next month, private Member Bill C-389--officially, "An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code [gender identity and gender expression]--is (finally!) going through its third reading in the House and, if adopted, would enshrine transgender anti-discrimination provisions in the country's laws. (This, under a conservative government! Yes, I'm a bit surprised.)
Hopefully, uh, this, too, shall pass.
Love,
CJ
