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.)

If Issue #49 was dedicated to Christine Jorgensen, and Issue #50 was dedicated to Stephen Whittle, then this issue must surely be the issue for Elizabeth Riley. All too often we neglect the people close to us and honour only the poppies so tall that we see them from afar. I have been working with Elizabeth at the Gender Centre for something like two years now and admire her energy, intelligence and integrity. I don't always agree with her, but then I doubt if I agree with anyone one hundred percent of the time. Her dedication to the cause of the transgendered community is, however, beyond argument and I feel it is an appropriate time for me to say so.

Why now, you may ask? I hoped you would.

In my editorial for Issue #50 I noted the forthcoming A.D.B.-sponsored program at Parliament House on "The Neglected Communities" and mentioned that "our own Elizabeth Riley" would be talking on transgender and transsexual issues. As I have said above, all the speakers were informed, articulate, even compelling, but Elizabeth Riley was the speaker whom I found most moving. She framed her paper, which appears in this issue in place of her regular column, within the context of the many, many transgenders who are deprived, not only of a living, but of life, who, for no fault of their own, are beaten, killed, raped or denied life-saving medical services. Elizabeth punctuated her talk with the names of some of the known victims, and their names appeared on a screen behind her as she named them. I have edited the speech where necessary to take it out of the context of a verbally delivered address (if I were to continue the list you would be here till midnight) but apart from that you are receiving the text as if you had been fortunate enough to be with us on the night.

Elizabeth has also been co-operating with S.B.S. in the production of a documentary called "Mum's the Word" to be presented on April 1 at 8:00pm. I tried hard to get this issue out early so that you would know about the S.B.S. broadcast but, alas, time ran out. The March 22 issue of New Idea has an article entitled "My Dad Became My Mum" which outlines Elizabeth's story and publicises the S.B.S. documentary. The cover banner "Sex-Change Shock: Dad Became My Mum" is irritating, but the text of the article by Rachael Lloyd is sympathetic and sensible and I have received permission to reprint it. The cover picture and image on page ten also originated with New Idea and I thank them for their permission to use these also.

And now an apology for the lateness of Issue #50. I was wholly absorbed in January by the need to make progress on my Anti-Transgender Violence Report and all else fell by the wayside. And then I became sick, with recurrent headaches triggered by any attempt to use the computer. Sorry! I will strive to do better in future. I'm only a poor weak woman.

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.