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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1995)
1. 1999 T 11 A rouse Mixed signals? Local activists charge the Unitarian-Universalist Association and its Beacon Press with transphobia Your T Do you live or work in Washington County? We’re here for you!! by Inga Sorensen association’s alleged history of disseminating argaret Deirdre O ’Hartigan says transphobic literature. it’s time for the Unitarian-Uni O’Hartigan says she wants Beacon Press to versalist Association to live up to discontinue publishing “one-sided and deroga its reputation of valuing the inher tory” accounts of transsexuals and wants Unitarian ent dignity of all human beings. churches “They claim to believe that, but if you look at to cease selling “anti-transsexual works.” (Many Unitarian churches, including the First how transsexuals have been treated over the years, Unitarian Church, sell Beacon Press titles on their it just isn’t so,” says O ’Hartigan, a 42-year-old premises.) legal secretary and transsexual rights activist from “[O’Hartigan] has been heard,” says Susannah Portland. Crolius, First Unitarian Church’s summer minis During a 9:30 am service at Portland’s First ter, who did not witness the July 23 demonstration. Unitarian Church on July 23, O ’Hartigan and an “Apparently many of our congregation members other activist, Rachel Koteles, distributed flyers to went up to Ms. O’Hartigan after the service and church members denouncing what O’Hartigan expressed their interest in learning more. We’ve describes as “ 17 years of anti-transsexual literature invited her to speak at one of our Sunday forums [a produced by the U n itarian-U niversalist service open to members and nonmembers who Association’s Beacon Press.” wish to address concerns related to social issues]. The flyers quoted passages from Beacon Press We’ve also sent a copy of publications characterizing Margaret’s flyer and letter transsexuals as “eunuchs,” to Beacon Press so they are “necrophiliacs,” aware of her concerns.” “ F rankensteinian,” and According to Crolius, “rapists.” The Unitarian- First Unitarian Church’s Universalist Association, congregation has grown which has about 200,000 dramatically due in large members nationwide, owns part to its response to Bal the Boston-based Beacon lot Measure 9. During that Press. To bolster her claims, divisive campaign in 1991 - O’Hartigan cited the writ 92, a large ribbon was ings of Beacon Press au wrapped around the build thors Mary Daly, Janice ing declaring itself a hate- Raymond and Walter Will free zone. With an esti iams. mated 1,300 members, “Janice Raymond wrote First Unitarian Church has a book called The Trans become one of the largest sexual Empire, which de Unitarian congregations in monized transsexuals and the country. said that ‘the problem of “We are very liberal. transsexualism would best | We’ve worked hard on be be serviced by morally man half of gays and lesbians,” dating it out of existence,’ Margaret Deirdre O 'Hartigan says Crolius. “We held a and says that ‘all transsexu service the morning of Portland’s Gay Pride cel als rape women’s bodies by reducing the real ebration and I specifically welcomed gays and female form to an artifact.’ It’s outrageous,” says lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people in O’Hartigan. my opening remarks.” Beacon Press published the work in 1979, and Crolius, however, says O’ Hartigan’s request to it is no longer in print. Daly’s Gyn/Ecology, which address the local board of trustees directly was was published a year earlier, was reissued in 1990. turned down because “the board is a policy making According to O ’Hartigan, Daly describes trans board, not a sounding board for everyone’s politi sexuals as “ F ran k en stein ian ,” and says cal agenda.” transsexualism is an “example of male surgical “I can understand why Ms. O’Hartigan and siring which invades the female world with substi others may be upset by The Transsexual Empire. tutes.” Furthermore, O ’Hartigan says Williams’ Though I haven’t read it myself, I’ve heard about The Spirit and the Flesh, which was published by it,” says the Rev. Meg Riley, director of the na Beacon Press in 1988, describes the transsexual tional Unitarian-Universalist Association’s Office experience as “bodily mutilation.” o f Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay C oncerns. O ’Hartigan adds that she is very concerned “[O’Hartigan] has a right to be angry, but I want about the pending Beacon Press release of Leslie people to know that we returned the rights to the Feinberg’s Transgender Warriors. Feinberg, who author in 1983 and the book is no longer in print. As reportedly pondered changing her sex during the for Mary Daly, I believe she’s made an important mid-’70s but decided against it, is the author of contribution to theology. But the fact is, Daly is Stone Butch Blues, a 1993 novel which O’Hartigan very radical and very anti-male. Anything she describes as “unrelenting in its portrayal of chang views as being non-female—including transsexu ing sex as an endless procession of unmitigated als— may incite her wrath.” humiliation, degradation and oppression.” She adds: “I want people to know that we are “Feinberg is no friend of transgendered people,” taking this very seriously. We are pulling together she says. “It’s absurd that Beacon Press and the a curriculum for our congregations that will help Unitarian-Universalist Association would point to them educate themselves about transsexual issues her Transgender Warriors as a way to counter and challenge transphobia. W e’ve invited charges that they’re anti-transsexual.” [O’Hartigan] to review materials and make sug In a letter sent to First Unitarian Church’s board gestions about materials we should include. I mean, of trustees, O’Hartigan, who is not a church mem it was only a couple of years ago that we included ber, said the July action was a “last resort” after ‘bisexual’ in our office’s name. Change takes time, failed efforts urging Unitarian ministers, national but we are working on it.” Unitarian-Universalist Association officials and Beacon Press representatives to renounce the M Senses The Washington County Health Department offers daily HIV testing and counseling, by appointment and walk-in, in two convenient locations: 12550 SW 2nd Beaverton 155 North 1st Hillsboro ECCENTIAL tsJ lotions&oils 3638 SE Hawthorne, 97214 9 236-7976 710 NW 23rd Avenue, 97210 9 248-9748 Other services include STD exams and treatment and a Wellness Program for individuals who are HIV positive. Call 648-8851 for an appointment RIGHT TO PRIVACY PAC... invites you to the 1995... LUCILLE H A R T D IN N E R S a t u r d a y , O c t o b e r 14, 1995 Featuring STA N D IN G ON COM M ON GROUND Comic at the Oregon Convention Center Keynote Address E veryon e is w e lc o m e ! For more information, call the RTP office at 228-5825. 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