Editorial

by Katherine Cummings

(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.)

My thanks to those who contacted me to tell me what they thought of Issue 41 of Polare. Most of the comments were favourable but even the negative ones were useful and may have their effect on future issues.

There were, however, far fewer responses than I had expected and hoped, and almost no comments on new features such as the book review. I will include a book review in this issue but without feedback from you, the readers, I can't tell whether you find the new features to your liking or not ... or whether you couldn't care less one way or the other.

I was disappointed that few readers responded to my call for contributions. I can write a certain amount of new material and I can pull stories off the Internet and look for bits and pieces in other publications but it would be better if there were more points of view than mine being reflected in Polare.

Many of you who responded to the questionnaire said you would like to write or illustrate for the magazine. You can, and I hope you will. All I ask is that, if possible, you send your contribution on a computer disk (P.C., not Mac) or email it to me, as I prefer not to have to re-keyboard material unnecessarily. If you do not have access to a computer or the Internet, then, of course, I will accept type written or even handwritten material.

The Book Review in this issue is by Beatrice Faust, a leading Australian Feminist. It deals with Deidre McCloskey's autobiographical piece, Crossing, which was published in 1999 and was praised by many reviewers. The New Your Times called it an "outstanding book of the year". I came across Ms Faust's review in the Economic Record for March, 2001 when I was searching electronic journals for other reasons than transgender. I thought the review was worth reprinting in Polare and obtained permission from Ms Faust. You will find the text on page 18. You may not agree with all the points made by Ms Faust, but it is salutary sometimes to see ourselves as others see us. I have certainly been made to think about the relationship between physical appearance and femininity.

Deidre is a distinguished American scholar in the field of economic history and, to my mind, provides more thoughtful analysis of her (and our) situation than do most transgender autobiographies (including my own).

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.