My Story

by Kate Mytanwy

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

As Keith Walker, many years ago he formed the Hastings Cycling club in Port Macquarie, became inaugural Secretary of a long running Mental Health Community Consultative Committee based on the N.S.W. Mid-North Coast, wrote a successful submission for a one year long N.S.W. Dept of Health Healthy Community's Physical Activity for Mental Health project based in Coffs Harbour, and established the long running email discussion list, Physical Activity for Mental Health.

A cyclist for many years, he co-assisted in the development of the Bicycle Federation of Australia (B.F.A.)'s strategic plan and is currently working with B.F.A. members on the National Strategy.

In late 1997 he rode solo from Coffs Harbour to Taree for suicide prevention publicity. The account of this ride was published in "Australian Cyclist". Later, as part of N.S.W. Mental Health Week celebrations, he organised the well supported "Bike for Mental Health" Coffs Harbour family ride and a number of other events with a physical activity message.

Keith had been a mental health nurse and educator; has two certificates in nursing, a degree in social welfare, and masters units in education and social policy.

But Keith has now become, very legally, Kate. She has the reasonably rare psychiatric problem gender identity disorder. Under the care of a Professor of Medicine and team of other specialists in Newcastle she is undergoing the very slow process of Gender Reassignment.

The process, the only one that has been shown scientifically to overcome this disorder, is designed so as to "change the body to fit the mind".

Kate knows full well what it is like to undergo significant stress and loss. Four years ago she lost her youngest brother to suicide. Last year, her father did the same thing. She identified both bodies at the same morgue. Her brother had been dead for ten days before his decomposed body was found. She herself is prone to episodes of depression.

Undertaking daily exercise through cycling or walking helps maintain sanity and, gets rid of excessive stress. For her, physical activity is not only good for the body, but "good for the soul". Cycling is her life blood and her salvation.

At almost fifty years of age, Kate hopes to ride, sometime in July or August, from Coffs Harbour to Kakadu National Park or Darwin. She will do this to publicize the advantages of physical exercise for mental health purposes and the prevention of depression.

She also hopes that the effort will go a long way to dispel the myths about the disorder she has.

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.