[Adrian]

Erika,
I accept that you may not associate with the label “Transgender”
It is not a requirement of this site that you do – provided that you associate with being gender diverse.

However just because one person labels you incorrectly, does not give you the right to cause offense to others.

I’m moving all the posts that are potentially an issue to the Sin Bin as they do not add any value to the original thread:
http://forum.tgr.net.au/cms/forum/F157/5453-453

[Adrian]

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To call someone transgender is the same as calling someone a nigger. It is inappropriate and it is not a diagnosis.

Ok – this is getting unacceptably personal. I’m loath to personally call on the site ACP in my defence….but having already been told that to simplify the needs of nursing I should stick to the rule that “a male is a person with a penis and a woman is a person with a vulva”…to now be told that associating with being transgender is inappropriate…that is too much for me to let pass.

This web site, if one hasn’t noticed, is Transgender Radio. This is not an intentional insult to all the members.
I consider myself to be transgendered along with numerous other ‘labels’ that each on their own inadequately describe the joy of my gender identity. I find it offensive when one member of the community draws lines that makes me in some way less valid. The fact that many, including myself, can accept themselves for who they are without surgery should be applauded not deprecated. The choice on how to reconcile your gender identity in your life is a personal one that should always be respected. It is not something to be ranked and rated by others.

On the basis that I find this post offensive to my chosen gender expression I have marked Erika’s last post as POOR – as a reflection of my personal hurt and not as a moderator on behalf of others.

Transgender is just as valid a diagnosis now as is GID… neither are in the current DSM. Both are valid descriptions of how you personally see your condition. One day the doctors and nurses will catch up with our understanding of the diversity and richness of who we are.

If we return to the context of this thread – it was about someone on a documentary describing that a diagnosis led to a decision to have genital surgery. If on the TV the person described her diagnosis as being transgender – maybe that was a way of simplifying things so the public can understand (always a good thing). We will remain divided it seems over whether it was appropriate to associate the diagnosis with a specific need to have surgery… but so be it… we are a very diverse community!

[Adrian]

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Cate’s “transgender diagnosis” reinforces the misperception that being transgender is a medical/psychological problem

The diagnosis of “being transgender” and its associated passport to “transition“ are increasingly looking like relicts from the last century, relics with a rapidly approaching use-by date. They reflect a time when the preferred way of helping those who exhibited discomfort with the sex society had assigned them was to assist them “to the other side”.

The way it has too often been presented, the “diagnosis” and the “cure” are binary – you are or you are not. Small wonder that those who seek medical or surgical intervention treasure a “positive result” in the same way one would passing a professional qualification. The treasure is so compelling that many will privately admit to “guillding the lilly” when it comes to convincing a doctor to give them access to the treatments they want. There is plenty of advice available on the things you need to say to get past the DCM hurdle. This isn’t something new. As far back as 1987 Sandy Stone wrote referring to the then only textbook on transexualism by Harry Benjamin:

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It took a surprisingly long time–several years–for the researchers to realize that the reason the candidates’ behavioral profiles matched Benjamin’s so well was that the candidates, too, had read Benjamin’s book, which was passed from hand to hand within the transsexual community, and they were only too happy to provide the behavior that led to acceptance for surgery.

I think we can say the same thing now about the current diagnosis guidelines – I can’t think of any other instance where people knowingly lie to medical professionals to engineer a desired outcome. No wonder Lisa (who is superbly qualified to comment in this area) wrote recently in these forums:

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Remember that GID is not an easy diagnosis to make. There is no simple blood test to give the correct answer.

Now, to avoid being misconstrued, I am not claiming that all the participants in this treatment pathway are dishonest, nor would I suggest that the narrow treatment endpoints are inappropriate for everyone. But I do think that the number of people who genuinely 100% fit the diagnosis and will derive maximum benefit from the treatment offered is statistically low.

The rich diversity of gender identities reported in the 2011 TgR Survey makes it unlikely that a “Transgender Diagnosis” is an appropriate qualification for the majority.
So when someone repeatedly asserts that their “diagnosis” created the imperative for selecting the most extreme form of transitioning “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”. We are becoming increasingly aware of the wide range of “ transitions” we can embrace to celebrate the “normality” of our inner gender. So falling back on a poorly defined diagnosis as indicating or justifying one particular journey makes little sense – it seems to be driven by the need for self-justification of our choices.
The more I think about the straight-jacket imposed by pathologising our natural condition the more I take the opposite view from Kristyana when she wrote

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diagnosis is a tool for the application of appropriate care

I suggest that in fact the diagnosis in so many cases leads to inappropriate, or at the very least, suboptimal care.
I agree that “No one should be afraid to have a problem diagnosed” – but gender diversity isn’t a problem – it is a life enriching experience based on normal natural variation.

We should all reject diagnosis as an essential first step towards normalisation and acceptance in society. And in this context I agree that Cate McGregor’s interview may have sent some dated messages to the general public.

But all publicity is good! And on balance I think we can live with some mixed messages going out.

[Adrian]

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Transformal, irrespective of the year is a joy to behold. In a lifetime of doubts, guilt, shame, challenges around being trans, Transformal shines like a beacon, beckoning all and sundry to gather at one place……

I know I said I wasn’t looking for further expressions of gratitude or support… but what you wrote Liz was so beautiful, profound, and heart felt I can only say “thank you”. I can’t think of any better publicity for what we are trying to achieve each year in Katoomba.

To those who are looking at this thread thinking the pricing of TransFormal is an issue but not wanting to swim against the sentiment expressed so far, please email me privately. I want to hear every voice.

[Adrian]

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another of the proposals for 2014 raises a question.

There are lots of questions about 2014 – but sorting out the detail is 6 months off. Signing, or not signing the contract is a task for this month.
Needless to say after such a positive feedback I would try to keep a lot of things the same, but on the other hand keep exploring new combinations to keep the concept fresh and interesting.

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Another question comes to mind regarding the ticket costs:
How much extra, per ticket, would it be to have a specific room booked for use for Formal portraits?

$0 – we have had one for the last couple of years as the pictures on the CD attest to.

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Now with those advance booking offers coming from the venue, how do we dissuade members from booking up to over a year and a quarter in advance?

I have no problem with advance bookings per se – but rather with the implicit assumptions about it happening!
By block booking all the cheaper rooms on the contract I do force those wanting to advance book the upgrade to more expensive rooms).

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there is little value for the town in having any overall local interest.

Statistically there must be a significant transgender population in the Blue Mountains – but let’s move on and assume that they won’t attend events on their home turf.

[Adrian]

June 2013 – eight people ignored the torrential rain and safely made it to our monthly meetup in Glebe. A big welcome to Carol joining us for the first time.
Hard to get us all in the picture – so there are two official photos this month!

[Adrian]

May 2013

[Adrian]

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Does this change also affect the What is new in the forums section of TgR?Jenifur Charne

No. Just the lists on the right hand side of the front page.

[Adrian]

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I’ve just remembered something else, on my computer at least, the ‘button’ on the new posts list does not work. Until I noticed (quite some time ago) the possibility to ‘go to forums’ in the ‘who’s online’ panel, I assumed the ‘new posts’ were all there was.

I think I found why the button only worked in some browsers.

It certainly works for me in IE now.

So click on the button next to the words “What is new in the forums” – and it should show just that.

[Adrian]

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I know what Chloe said and it seems she was right, I posted a fresh reply on the subject in question and it did not appear on the new posts list.

Actually I’m right – you cannot rely on the front page list to have any particular post in it. And why should you as there are alternative ways to get all the new posts…

But I can’t see any valid reason that the front page should alert you to your own posts. After all if you forgot you posted you have bigger things to worry about than an algorithm in TgR!!!

So I’ve tweaked the algorithm tonight – and now you will never see your own posts in the front page section.

[Adrian]

I won’t duplicate here what i said about the front page algorithms in response to Chloe’s recent suggestions:
http://forum.tgr.net.au/cms/forum/F145/5359-359
But it is worth noting that the front page selections will always mean that somebody potentially doesn’t see a new post. As Chloe said
“In my case > homepage> forums> new posts since last viewing. That way I never miss anything. “

I will add that the current algorithms do not highlight posts but rather the threads where new posts have occurred. If multiple posts occur in one thread then only one reference occurs on the front page. So relying on the list to find all new posts is not a good idea.

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the next morning it has been pushed off the list by half a dozen Transformal posts

Pointing to a specific posting topic as being the culprit does highlight the impossibility of designing a system to please everyone.
The assertion that a valuable post “has been pushed off the list by half a dozen Transformal posts” is hard to credit – as that would require 6 separate threads to be active at the same time. If it did happen it would be an isolated event that would indicate a lot of other members were sharing their excitement about what is a unique event.

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“I think Transformal has grown into a large entity all of it’s own now anyway”.

Think again. Elsewhere there have been complaints on how hard it is to motivate the community to take action – well that translates effectively into trying to sell tickets. Transformal does have its own web site (because it isn’t a TgR exclusive event). But it is a boutique event that would rapidly collapse if denied the opportunity to engage TgR members through the forums.

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This in no way means that I am against Transformal

Are you sure?
There is only one way to find out. Support these events and then I suspect you will find the TransFormal posts in the forums relevant and exciting and not a distraction. Give it a go!

[Adrian]

Thank you to everyone who has shared their feedback on TransFormal 2013 so far.

Currently there is a 50% response rate which is lower than past years, but does allow some conclusions to be drawn. Of course, it could be that all those who haven’t replied had constructive critisism to offer. But such is the uncertainty of running “exit polls”.

In summary:
90% rated their TransFormal experience as Excellent (up from 74% last year).
97% rated the Carrington Hotel as Excellent (up from 75% last year).

Looking at the formal itself:
The food at the Saturday formal was rated as Excellent or Good by 87% (unchanged from last year)
The band was rated as Good or Excellent by everyone who responded (up from 73% last year).
And the Burlesque dancer was considered Good or Excellent by 90% (there was no entertainment last year).

The Wine and Cheese tasting on Friday was a popular addition to the program with all respondents rating it Excellent or Good. And the Supper Reception on Friday night rated as Excellent (64%) or Good (36%) (up from 36% & 53% last year).

The serious thread on Saturday morning was well received. All the respondents who attended the T,Q&A session rated it as Excellent (72%) or Good (28%).

Of course there is plenty of other valuable feedback in the responses. And more (late) feedback is always welcome.

But is gratifying to see that most comments indicate 2013 was as good for others as it felt to me at the time. It seems we may have refined the event to be close to the “sweet spot”. Now all we need to do is make it financially viable and lock in the weather then we are on to a winner!

[Adrian]

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I wonder what this means for the Marriage Act.

That’s why I wouldn’t rule out a high court appeal!

[Adrian]

The inaugural T Q&A was held on the 18th May 2013.

Approximately 30 people congregated in the Library to explore the tricky side of being Transgender.

On the panel were:

Peter, Jennie, Surjay, Caroline, and Anya

The questions considered by the panel were:

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“We often talk about the Transgender Community – but does it exist? What does the panel think are the things that unite us as a group, and what things divide us?”

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“Does the panel consider the trangendered state to be a personal strength or weakness, and why.”

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“Can the panel suggest different ways of thinking about gender that could help people find the “space” where they belong”

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“What does the panel think are effective things that each of us individually could do to promote greater community acceptance of transgendered people”

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“What factors can help relationships survive (and even thrive) when one partner is gender diverse?”

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“How does the panel suggest we should talk to children about gender diversity”

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“If the government passed a bill to give equality of rights to trangenders, how would this affect the acceptance of transgender people in society?”

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“Is gender diversity a disease that requires medical treatment? And how does this decision affect the availability of hormones and surgical procedures?”

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“What does the panel consider are the three most important issues facing gender diverse people?

In their answers to the final question, the panel members suggested issues such as:

[ul]- Language

– Finding a positive, self-accepting space

– Building a broad base of support in the community

– Addressing the needs of aged care

– Acceptance, Awareness and Assistance

– Affordable medical care

– Requirement for surgery to officially change gender

– Social isolation and associated mental health issues

– Marginailisation – social and economic

– Physical health care

– Self medication[/ul]

On behalf of everyone who attended I want to thank the panel members for providing such an informative and thought provoking start to TransFormal Saturday.

[Adrian]

A sample of the things people have said about TransFormal 2013….

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a totally positive experience.

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Just gets better every year.

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the workshops were a lot of fun to join into

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i had the best time in my life

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The atmosphere engendered closeness and sharing.

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The weekend has been so invaluable to me, and I am sure I will always remember this as a tremendously important step (or leap) on my journey.

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The Carrington is just magnificent and the staff are exceptional.

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I went with my partner and I had an absolutely fabulous time.

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The band were amazing

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The atmosphere of the whole weekend, so positive, supportive and friendly.

There are also plenty of positive suggestions for how the event could be improved.

But I need more responses to make a call on the future direction of the event. If you attended and haven’t completed the survey please do it NOW!!!

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it will always be remembered as it was such a life changing event for me.