SPEAK
You make us proud
To the E ditor :
I am glad that I made a trip to Portland in
time to get my own copy of the Jan. 16 issue.
On the cover you featured three men in uni
form, and 1 am proud to say that I know two of
them personally.
Andy Mangels has been an amazing role
model for many. His visibility and energy have
done much for pride and for being “out.” His
appearances at comic book shows prove to
everyone who sees him that gay does not equal
depraved, debauched or disgusting, as many
would have the public think. In sharing his
creative and artistic side, and in encouraging
others’ interests and creativity, he displays an
energy that many envy. And to have Don
[Hood] there to support and encourage him is
a big plus. Thank you, Andy, Don and Just
Out, for making us proud and giving us such
good examples.
K elvin J ohnson
McMinnville
A piece off work
To the E ditor :
Margaret Deirdre O’Hartigan’s letter to the
editor [Just Out, Jan. 16, 1998] was a piece of
work. Her accusations of Renée LaChance’s
lack of journalistic integrity and the carefully
worded suggestion that perhaps LaChance was
a bigot reminds me of the letter she wrote to
Suzanne Pharr comparing her to a Nazi, and
her hateful “no ones right except me” stance
in her self-published manifesto.
I understand the single-minded commit
ment of those who are going about the busi
ness of liberation. What I don’t understand,
and what pisses me off, is O’Hartigan’s position
of “if you don’t agree with me then you suck.”
An attitude short on wisdom and political
effectiveness.
1’11 bet many queers first read about trans
issues, including GID, in the pages of Just Out.
The articles are certainly not the be-all or end-
all of the complexities concerning trans peo
ple, but they are certainly a start. And for this,
LaChance should be applauded not accused of
being a bigot. O’Hartigan does nothing to fur
ther anyone’s understanding of these issues,
she simply criticizes and harasses.
If you want to further your understanding of
gender issues, here are some books that opened
my mind (for the record, O’Hartigan thinks all
of these authors suck): Homophobia: A Weapon
of Sexism (1997 edition) by Suzanne Pharr,
Transgender Warriors by Leslie Feinberg, any
thing and everything by Kate Bomstein, Read
My Lips by Riki Anne Wilchins, and Body
Alchemy by Loren Cameron.
J ack
Portland
Don’t mess with GID
To the E ditor :
I read with interest the interview of
Daphne Scholinski [Just Out, “Gender
Hostage,” Dec. 19, 1997]. The real issue in
Scholinski’s case is not the use of GID against
gay and lesbian youth, the real issue is abuse by
mental health care professionals.
Mary Ann Stover’s review shows the real
problem: “For nearly four years, mental health
professionals focused on the superficial....”
The abuse that Scholinski experienced was
■ News Up? Question? C
FSTTl
not because there is a GID diagnosis in the
DSM IV, but rather because there are bad
mental health care providers out there. Stover
writes, “By neglecting to look beyond appear
ances, these health care professionals
missed...her mother’s depression, her father’s
physical violence...and sexual abuse.”
Nevertheless, anyone who comes to the
conclusion that because some mental health
care providers are negligent GID must be
removed as a diagnosis has reached a spurious
conclusion.
Transsexuals need the GID diagnosis in
order to get the medical help they need and in
order, in this state, to be protected from
employment discrimination.
For those who want to see the real reason
that groups are calling for the removal of GID,
it might be helpful to read the most transpho
bic piece of literature ever published, The
Transsexual Empire by Janice G. Raymond,
which was recently reissued [in 1994]. In that
book Raymond calls for nothing less than the
total exclusion of all transsexuals from the les
bian community and the cessation of surgical
treatment of transsexuals.
J o A nna E. M c N amara
Lake Oswego
Thanks and blessings
To the E ditor :
I’m not needed for my weekly two-hour
shift with Marguerite Brodie, because she’s
gone.
We were only acquaintances before she
decided to let herself die, but we knew each
other for years. I always liked her, and admired
her work as an activist, but I chose not to get
closer because it took so long to understand
her and I didn’t want to take the time. I didn’t
want to look at my fear of being disabled, my
fear of feeling any more left out than I do. I was
afraid I’d say the wrong things to her.
A friend mentioned that Marguerite was
choosing to die this summer and would appre
ciate support. I kept meaning to call. After Just
Out’s tribute to her, I stopped putting it off and
got connected.
So for the last month I got to sit with
Marguerite once a week. We talked a little at
first, but mostly she slept. I got to see what she
put on her walls, what books were on her
shelves, what was on her refrigerator, and saw
that I would have liked to be friends with this
woman. I’m glad I stepped forward at all, but I
struggle with my guilt for only coming forward
in the drama of crisis and not going the day to
day. I missed out. And she probably could have
used one more person dealing with their stuff
and being a friend and ally.
She was very generous to let me be a part of
her support team during such an intimate
time. Sitting with her as she slept, I did get to
be with what kept me away all these years—
my fear, shame and guilt.
I realize it’s not over: It’s easy to zoom by
other chronically sick and differently abled
friends. But Marguerite gently taught me that
it’s worth taking a look at my fears and slowing
down.
Thank you for running the tribute.
Abundant thanks and blessings to the wonder
ful community of women who provided round-
the-clock support for Marguerite during the
past half year. And thank you, Marguerite.
G race S ilvia
Portland
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