Manager's Report

by Elizabeth Riley

(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.)

Anyone for tennis?

The big, big news on the sporting front is the recent decision by the International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.) to permit transsexual athletes to compete in the Olympic Games. In order to qualify a transsexual person must meet the usual range of criteria. They must be post-operative, have been on hormone therapy continuously for at least two years and have satisfied the requirements of the real life test. That of course is the easy bit. The hard bit is the additional requirement that you also have to be an extraordinarily good athlete and you have to compete in high heels. (I'm just kidding. High heels are optional). Given the lack of access to sport for most transsexuals in the past this last requirement, (not the high heels bit), will probably result in transsexual participation in the Athens Olympics being conspicuous only by its absence. Nonetheless the I.O.C. is to be commended for its decision which in the long term will secure equity for transsexuals in sports participation.

The most important outcome from this decision is the likely filtering down effect that it will have on the vast array of smaller sporting bodies. Given that the I.O.C. has influence over almost all sports and represents the pinnacle of excellence in sporting achievement it will become increasingly difficult for lesser sporting bodies, both at a national and international level, to maintain policies of exclusion in relation to transsexual competitors. To date the only sporting organisations that we are aware of in our region that have adopted progressive policies to allow for transsexual/transgender participation are Women's Golf Australia and the Sydney Women's A.F.L. and I applaud both of these organisations for the stance they have taken. Other sporting bodies have remained silent on the issue with some notable exceptions in the area of Lawn Bowls. As ludicrous as it may seem, since there cannot possibly be any gender bias in rolling a bowling ball, I have encountered some strong resistance from a couple of these clubs to transsexual participation.

Ultimately what the I.O.C.'s decision will bring into effect is what we have been campaigning for ever since sport was exempted from coverage under the transgender provisions of the N.S.W. Anti-Discrimination Act back in the mid nineteen nineties. That is the opportunity for transsexual people to participate in sporting activities at the local level where the benefits will include improved fitness, social inclusion and enjoyment of one's chosen sport/s. Importantly, it will also bring about the gradual breaking down of those barriers, generated by prejudice and ignorance, that have effectively contributed to the marginalisation of our community both in the sporting context and beyond.

"And the winner is......." "There's Something About......"

I was again surprised by the level of television interest directed towards trans stories in the week that "There's Something About Miriam" first hit the screen. In chronological order the week began with good old boy Jerry Springer's screening of "Bi-sexuals who Cheat" or some such nonsense of a title. Despite the irrelevance of the title Jerry just couldn't help himself and had to include a transsexual in the fray. The usual abominable shouting from abominable guests and abominable audience members on an abominable show with an abominable compere.

That was Monday.

On Tuesday we were treated to some "light entertainment"

(Channel 10's description) with the screening of the first riveting episode of "There's Something About Miriam". Yet another excursion into the wholesome ghettoes of reality television with six strapping young British lads vying for a cash prize of 10,000 pounds and the affections of Miriam, a gorgeous Mexican model who, unbeknownst to the lads, comes complete with a fully intact, though adeptly concealed, set of male genitalia. This we are told is the fun bit of the show. The strapping young British lads were so taken with the joke that they sued the producers and won an undisclosed out of court settlement. Unfortunately the experience must have so diminished their wits that they failed to include in their deeds of release a ban on further screenings of the show. Pity.

The really offensive aspect of this show is the premise on which it is based. I wonder whether Brandon Teena, or Gwen Araujo, or Tyra Hunter, or the hundreds of other transsexuals who have met a grisly end when their true status was revealed, would see the joke. I doubt it.

I could have been forgiven, after these two efforts from the Ten Network, if I had elected to self-impose a ban on television for the rest of the week. But on Wednesday a phone call from a client alerted me to the Oprah Winfrey Show and with all the willpower I could muster I persevered. She was interviewing Jenny Boylan, author of "She's Not There".

This was much better stuff and it was encouraging to see the subject of transsexualism being dealt with in a much more sensitive manner. Indeed Oprah was so taken with the topic that her next episode was dedicated to an extension of the same theme.

Tuning in again on Thursday I found Jenny again on the show along with three other transsexuals two M.T.F.s and one F.T.M.. The show continued in the same vein with Oprah and audience alike genuinely trying to grasp the concept of transsexualism. What was important with these shows was the obvious interest and respect that was being afforded to the guests from both Oprah and the audience.

And that, I thought, would be the end of it.

To my surprise, however, I tuned into Burke's Backyard on Friday evening. Since I never watch this show I can only assume my remote control was guided by divine providence for lo and behold yet another transgender story. This time it involved a woman called Roslyn and her partner who have one of the largest model train sets imaginable. They are also steam train enthusiasts and are members of a steam train restoration society. This was an engrossing enough story in itself but it also turned out that Roslyn is transgender and before long the topic turned to this.

To the credit of the show the matter was dealt with in reasoned and matter of fact kind of way without any attempt to sensationalise and the focus on the train stuff was left to dominate. So that was the week that was and overall it was a three to two victory for good quality coverage.

And finally ...

I was privileged to be invited to a round table meeting with a group of Federal Labor Party M.P.'s and Senators chaired by Tanya Plibersek M.P. for Sydney. The group, all female, sit on the committee for the Status of Women. The aim of the meeting was to establish a dialogue between the committee and representatives from the G.L.B.T. communities over issues of equity for same sex couples.

While the Labor Party are not prepared to support same-sex marriage they are committed to ensuring that same-sex partners enjoy all the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts in areas such as Tax Law, Superannuation and legal recognition.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to air some of the other issues confronting the transgender community and these were taken on board. Importantly the meeting was recognised as a starting point for ongoing dialogue rather that a one off affair so we can look forward to some progress occurring at the federal level over the course of time.

And the final finally.....

Since my report in the last edition of Polare I have received a reassuring letter of reply from the Victorian Health Minister, the Hon. Bronwyn Pike M.L.A. and I have every confidence in her commitment to approaching the Monash Medical Centre issue in a fair, sensible and balanced manner.

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.