Chase Cameron
Hamilton, ON Canada

(Personally I use “they”, but zie is fine too. To answer the comment about it being “very hard to manufacture changes” in natural language, on the contrary, that happens all the time, by conscious activism or otherwise. Language change happens slowly, but that’s no reason to be dismissive of it.)

About wearing “stereotypical” female clothes: why on earth not? To me, at least, being bi-gender implies not being limited in how you can express yourself based on gender — and that includes not being restricted from things just because they might be viewed as stereotypical. For instance, I always wear female clothes, but that doesn’t stop me from being part-male (as well as female) in other respects.

The answer to Fred’s question (first comment above) is unclear because for Australia has no formal same-sex marriage or civil union law — see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recognition_of_same-sex_unions_in_Australia . For New South Wales in particular, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_New_South_Wales#Recognition_of_same-sex_relationships . (Since Norrie has a gender recognition certificate with “female” on it, that’s presumably sufficient for hir to marry someone legally recognized as male, though.)

Incidentally, Norrie’s website is at http://webspace.webring.com/people/uu/um_191/ultra4.html

Also, the Australian the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was forced to drop its policy prohibiting transgender people from obtaining a passport in their lived-sex to travel abroad for gender re-assignment surgery, changing the words from ‘transgender’ to ‘sex and gender diverse’, see: Apology forces trans law change 08 November 2009

This reminds me of the First Peoples’ (of Western Canada, at least) concept of ‘two-spiritedness.’ Imagine the possibility to simply be… wholly, authentically and unconditionally who we are; to be human. Seems simple, but is so complicated.

Of course, this is not to say that ‘spiritedness’ need be limited to two spirits, or that it have any specific spirits at all. We may have been socialized to categorize and organize, but it is not necessarily comfortable for everyone. Nor should it have to be. While we may never agree on what it means to be human, each person deserves and is entitled to their own valid and valuable perspective; we all have the right to respect, dignity and recognition, to our own experience of humanness. Maybe idealistic, but then wouldn’t such an aim be worthwhile? I dream of a world free from oppression, and full of story.

I applaud Norrie’s courage to be, and also Australia’s baby step towards recognition.

Indeed, as Rainer Maria Rilke so eloquently wrote, “once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side by side can grow, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky.”

As to Kirsty: I find your rather sneering tone problematic. Would you then dress people? Tell them what they can and can’t wear?

If we’re talking clothes I wear make-up, flat soled shoes, suits, shirts and ties. Would that make me ‘Masculine’ or ‘Feminine?’ You say you view these definitions as problematic but at the same time jump to a definition of how one person dresses.

I was referring to “official” terms of identification, not derogatory ones, you haggard old dyke.

Well indeed Kristy, those terms have problems all of their own. To push all of human behaviour into a one dimensional spectrum between masculine and feminine is very narrowing. I feel such terms have to be used carefully, it’s dangerous to assume because somebody does one thing often labelled feminine that they’re likely to do other things often labelled feminine or likely to not do other things labelled masculine. I think the worst thing though is to conflate feminine with female and masculine with male, that is to reinforce traditional gender stereotypes.

“But with the way Norrie was dressed, it looks like Norrie was using the stereotype of a gender opposite of what Norrie grew up with.”

Maybe, but zie could be doing that for any number of reasons. It may be some kind of statement, or it may just be that those are the clothes Norrie feels comfortable in for any number of reasons. We’d have to ask Norrie to know!

“Then again, that picture I see is just one picture. Maybe Norrie dresses up differently everyday. It’s clear Norrie was attending some event, so Norrie was in the mood to use that particular outfit.”

Very true.

Also, define “butch” in terms of fashion. Regarding my likes and dislikes in fashion, I am most certainly still not a butch but still fully a woman.

Then again, that picture I see is just one picture. Maybe Norrie dresses up differently everyday. It’s clear Norrie was attending some event, so Norrie was in the mood to use that particular outfit.

And, I am not rushing into stereotypes. I would rather get rid of them.

I’m a neutrois and I tend to dress pretty butch, that doesn’t mean I am presenting ‘as a man’, just as someone who likes more masculine clothes.

To be honest, the real issue seems to be that for some transexuals, being gender free would be liberating, whilst for others it would be a threat. Speaking personally, i have grown up and lived most of my life with a male body, and an inner spirit that is as close to female as one can be in such a situation.

Now i am living far more in tune with how I am and, from a societal point of view, that entails my being more female. However, i wasn’t male – or exactly female – before. And i am not sure i will feel exactly female after. We will see. Despite all of the above, i know i will be me – and as my transition progresses, increasingly happy to be so.

Personally, therefore, i can identify with norrie’s choice…whilst accepting it is not for all.

The solution, therefore, seems to be something around self-determination. Those who are trans and identify with a specific gender should be recognised as such. Those who are trans and identify as gender-free should equally be respected.

In either case, the principle is the same: no imposition of gender roles from external pressure.

jane
xx