Narratives

I am having writer's block or I am just tired, could be a little of both. I am pondering an essay about the announcement of Chaz Bono writing a memoir about his transition... mostly because I am feeling mixed about this. Is there a need for another transperson medical transition narrative? I am sure someone is screaming "YES, it is a good educational tool!"

I am not so convinced, I just don't think we need to justify ourselves in order to put non-transpeople at ease, to make them comfortable with us. Shoot, I am doing quite enough just to be comfortable with myself, let alone the rest of the world.

I would personally like to read about trans folks lives after the "coming out and the medical transition" narrative. There must be something interesting about us after we have transitioned, like how for some of us we lose our incomes and our class standing. For others, we gain some measure of privilege, but it too can be taken away if we are outed. But that's just me...

I will ponder this some more.

Coakley for U.S. Senate, yes…

In response to last week's column by Jeff Epperly in Bay Windows newspaper


Letter to the Editor:


I think that Jeff Epperly needs a reality check when it comes to recognizing the all work Martha Coakley has done for the LGBT community as State Attorney General. First, when Martha Coakley was the Middlesex District Attorney she reached out to and built relationships with LGBT domestic violence programs like the one I was working for at the time, The Network/La Red. Standing up for survivors of same-sex domestic violence doesn’t happen nearly enough in the LGBT community, let alone with the larger criminal justice system, but that was something Martha Coakley just did.

Second, as State Attorney General, Martha Coakley came out early for transgender civil rights as the first statewide elected official to publicly supporting “An Act Relative to Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes.” In addition to supporting the transgender civil rights bill, since taking office she has sought civil rights injunctions in numerous cases involving hate crimes against LGBT victims. This included obtaining a civil rights injunction against two men who attacked a transgender teenage in a Dorchester pizza shop. Typically, transgender people, especially young people, are ignored by our criminal justice system, but this has not been the case with Martha Coakley.

Additionally, the staff in her office respond to every referral I have made regarding situations of mistreatment and discrimination against members of the transgender community. This type of action from her staff reflects Martha Coakley’s own strong commitment to the LGBT community and serving those whose voices are not always represented. I feel that Martha Coakley stands up for those who have traditionally been shut out of the system. Whether they are victims of violence, transgender teens, or same-sex couples that seek to have their relationships recognized by our federal government, she has been a strong advocate as our State Attorney General. No one will ever be Senator Kennedy, but I strongly believe that Martha Coakley will continue in the role of advocating for those who are less privileged, for all the citizens of Massachusetts, and in the best interests of the Commonwealth as our Senator in Washington DC.

This represents my own opinion and not that of any organization I work for or have worked for.

Welcome

I have been called "blunt," "intimidating," and "serious" by those that only know me through my trans activist work, but my friends would probably say that I am bit dorky, funny, and not at all like my pictures. Well I am not sure about all that, but I am definitely not a WWF wrestler. You might have thought that Brent Allbright's manager might have googled "Gunner Scott" before suggesting it has new stage name for the wrestler. Well either way he gave up that stage name and I stopped getting emails from 14 year boys wanting to know the latest wresting moves. My usual response to such emails was "I am sorry but I am not the wrestler Gunner Scott, but actually the transgender activist Gunner Scott. For more information about transgenderism please visit Gender Talk's definition page Transgenderism: Transgressing Gender Norms" 

As you might imagine, I don't think I won any new fans with these kids, but it was fun while it lasted.  Now that I have gotten the url gunnerscott.com away from the impostor it brings you to this, a blog. How often will I write? Depends on how much of my time isn't sucked by stupid people doing mean things to trans people and me having to write, call, email, or yell at them for doing it. What will I write about?

Well, I will probably mention my cats, Fred and Bert, at least every other blog post and the rest... I guess that will depend on what I am either cranky or happy about it. Anyways... maybe I will take requests about topics or maybe I will just go on about the joys of my bread maker. I figure if I could have written 304 pages for BA thesis I can get out at least a handful sentences for this blog.

If your an editor of some kind of academic journal and want to publish a thesis about the 2007 ENDA implosion, trans people being written out of gay rights history, and the work of transgender activists of today, email me about the thesis. Otherwise it lives on shelf in the Goddard College library.