Transexual Menace - 1994 Gay Games
Jan. 5th, 2024 08:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amado1This is from Riki Wilchin's "Read My Lips." Apparently in the 1994 Gay Games, trans women were restricted from playing under their preferred gender unless they produced a variety of letters stating they'd undergone 18 months of psychiatric treatment, 18 months of hormone therapy, and also that it would cause them distress or physical detriment to compete as male. The Transexual Menace fought back, and this was their statement to the board:
Pursuant to our conversations last week, the following contains: a) our objections to the current requirements for transexual/transgender participation in the Gay Games; b) our suggestion for its replacement if a statement on transsexual/transgender participation is absolutely necessary; and (c) our goals in our continuing actions against the Games restrictive and offensive policies.
A. Our objections to the current requirements:
1. They were arrived at without knowledge, participation, or consent of transgender/transexual people, and are subsequently being imposed upon us by nontransexuals.
2. Gay Games does not currently screen other participants for height, weight, or strength requirements.
3. Although a statistical percentage of nontransexual women are chromosomally XY, Gay Games does not currently screen for this.
4. Although a statistical percentage of nontransexual women have elevated levels of testosterone, Gay Games does not currently screen for this.
5. The requirements are unduly restrictive and, among all the diverse groups competing in the Games, succeed in uniquely stigmatizing transgender/transexual people.
6. They place an undue burden upon us to violate the privacy of our relationships with our physicians and therapists.
7. The requirement that we must provide a letter from our personal therapist (we all have them, of course) explaining why it would be "impossible or detrimental" to compete in our birth sex, is so breathtakingly transphobic and offensive as to beggar description. How would Gay Games like it if an Olympic athlete wanted to compete as openly gay, and the U.S. Olympic Committee required a letter from their personal therapist (you all have them, of course) explaining why it would be "impossible or detrimental" for them to compete as straight?
8. It is not your or anyone else's business what is in our pants, how it got there, or how long it's going to be there. Nor is it our business what's in yours, although we are confident it's thoroughly delightful. If, on the other hand, Gay Games would care to institute a universal panty check of all participants, I will personally volunteer to check all women seeking to enter the Games. (It's dirty work, but somebody's got to do it).
9. The requirements, euphemestically referring to an undefined class called "transitioning individuals" are being applied across the board to all transgendered and transsexual persons seeking registration. This includes those of us who are pre-operative, those of us who are post-transition, and those of us who are anywhere from two-to-fourteen years post-operative.
10. Relief or appeal from the requirements is done by soliciting an undefined class of individuals that, I am fairly confident, contains not a single transexual or transgendered person among them. (Didn't any of you see the Anita Hill hearings? You know: dignified African-American woman, panel composed entirely of straight white males sitting in judgment on her experience...that sort of thing.)
11. The current requirements being imposed upon us are demeaning in their inception, invasive in their application, and arbitrary in their scope.
12. They suck.
B. Our suggestion for replacement of the current requirements, if a statement of some kind is necessary (which we believe is not the case).
"Transgendered and transsexual individuals are welcome to compete in the Gay Games, and are encouraged to do so in the sex role in which they live their normal daily lives."
C. Our goals in continuing actions against the Gay Games policies:
1. Removal of ALL current requirements relating to our participation in the Gay Games.
2. Public announcement of the requirements removal, press releases stating the same sent to all periodicals and media sources with which Gay Games regularly deals, and further good-faith efforts to alert transgendered and transexual persons who were discouraged and/or prevented from registering in the past.
3. Extension of the deadline for registration to an additional thirty days after the public announcement and press releases. This is to allow sufficient time for transgendered and transexual persons, who were discouraged and/or prevented from signing up, to register for the Games.
4. Reprinting the current Gay Games registration pamphlet, or, failing that, a notice of policy change inserted into all copies from this date forth.
5. Sensitivity training for individuals working at Gay Games by transexual/transgendered persons. This includes training for those who, in the past, have continually referred to clearly-identified transexual women seeking registration as sir, mister, and he.
6. Pursuant to the sensitivity training, the hiring of at least two transexual/transgendered persons to work at Gay Games until their completion.
7. A meeting between the Gay Games board and the transexual/transgender community to: a) air our grievances; b) open lines of communication (so you need never again go in search of the mythical nontransexual "expert in transexuality": you can feel entirely comfortable talking to us about us); c) prevent further occurrences and/or friction; and (d) underline the historical and continuing contributions by transexual and transgendered people to the queer community and struggle.
Until our goals have been met in full, we will continue our public protests, education, and actions against the Games policies up to, and including, the Games themselves. We do this more in a spirit of regret than antagonism. In spite of the Games demonstrated indifference to our contributions to the queer community, we are aware of the enormous effort, talent, and desire which has gone into the Games.
Nonetheless, we are not prepared to be doormats for anyone, nor to be marginalized in any way, nor to have our concerns or participation sacrificed for any one else's comfort. In other words: We're here. We're queerer. Get used to it. See you at the Games. Inside, or if need be, outside.
Yours in queerness,
Riki Wilchins
The Transexual Menace
Pursuant to our conversations last week, the following contains: a) our objections to the current requirements for transexual/transgender participation in the Gay Games; b) our suggestion for its replacement if a statement on transsexual/transgender participation is absolutely necessary; and (c) our goals in our continuing actions against the Games restrictive and offensive policies.
A. Our objections to the current requirements:
1. They were arrived at without knowledge, participation, or consent of transgender/transexual people, and are subsequently being imposed upon us by nontransexuals.
2. Gay Games does not currently screen other participants for height, weight, or strength requirements.
3. Although a statistical percentage of nontransexual women are chromosomally XY, Gay Games does not currently screen for this.
4. Although a statistical percentage of nontransexual women have elevated levels of testosterone, Gay Games does not currently screen for this.
5. The requirements are unduly restrictive and, among all the diverse groups competing in the Games, succeed in uniquely stigmatizing transgender/transexual people.
6. They place an undue burden upon us to violate the privacy of our relationships with our physicians and therapists.
7. The requirement that we must provide a letter from our personal therapist (we all have them, of course) explaining why it would be "impossible or detrimental" to compete in our birth sex, is so breathtakingly transphobic and offensive as to beggar description. How would Gay Games like it if an Olympic athlete wanted to compete as openly gay, and the U.S. Olympic Committee required a letter from their personal therapist (you all have them, of course) explaining why it would be "impossible or detrimental" for them to compete as straight?
8. It is not your or anyone else's business what is in our pants, how it got there, or how long it's going to be there. Nor is it our business what's in yours, although we are confident it's thoroughly delightful. If, on the other hand, Gay Games would care to institute a universal panty check of all participants, I will personally volunteer to check all women seeking to enter the Games. (It's dirty work, but somebody's got to do it).
9. The requirements, euphemestically referring to an undefined class called "transitioning individuals" are being applied across the board to all transgendered and transsexual persons seeking registration. This includes those of us who are pre-operative, those of us who are post-transition, and those of us who are anywhere from two-to-fourteen years post-operative.
10. Relief or appeal from the requirements is done by soliciting an undefined class of individuals that, I am fairly confident, contains not a single transexual or transgendered person among them. (Didn't any of you see the Anita Hill hearings? You know: dignified African-American woman, panel composed entirely of straight white males sitting in judgment on her experience...that sort of thing.)
11. The current requirements being imposed upon us are demeaning in their inception, invasive in their application, and arbitrary in their scope.
12. They suck.
B. Our suggestion for replacement of the current requirements, if a statement of some kind is necessary (which we believe is not the case).
"Transgendered and transsexual individuals are welcome to compete in the Gay Games, and are encouraged to do so in the sex role in which they live their normal daily lives."
C. Our goals in continuing actions against the Gay Games policies:
1. Removal of ALL current requirements relating to our participation in the Gay Games.
2. Public announcement of the requirements removal, press releases stating the same sent to all periodicals and media sources with which Gay Games regularly deals, and further good-faith efforts to alert transgendered and transexual persons who were discouraged and/or prevented from registering in the past.
3. Extension of the deadline for registration to an additional thirty days after the public announcement and press releases. This is to allow sufficient time for transgendered and transexual persons, who were discouraged and/or prevented from signing up, to register for the Games.
4. Reprinting the current Gay Games registration pamphlet, or, failing that, a notice of policy change inserted into all copies from this date forth.
5. Sensitivity training for individuals working at Gay Games by transexual/transgendered persons. This includes training for those who, in the past, have continually referred to clearly-identified transexual women seeking registration as sir, mister, and he.
6. Pursuant to the sensitivity training, the hiring of at least two transexual/transgendered persons to work at Gay Games until their completion.
7. A meeting between the Gay Games board and the transexual/transgender community to: a) air our grievances; b) open lines of communication (so you need never again go in search of the mythical nontransexual "expert in transexuality": you can feel entirely comfortable talking to us about us); c) prevent further occurrences and/or friction; and (d) underline the historical and continuing contributions by transexual and transgendered people to the queer community and struggle.
Until our goals have been met in full, we will continue our public protests, education, and actions against the Games policies up to, and including, the Games themselves. We do this more in a spirit of regret than antagonism. In spite of the Games demonstrated indifference to our contributions to the queer community, we are aware of the enormous effort, talent, and desire which has gone into the Games.
Nonetheless, we are not prepared to be doormats for anyone, nor to be marginalized in any way, nor to have our concerns or participation sacrificed for any one else's comfort. In other words: We're here. We're queerer. Get used to it. See you at the Games. Inside, or if need be, outside.
Yours in queerness,
Riki Wilchins
The Transexual Menace
