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.)

What interesting times we live in! Papal funerals, royal weddings, Papal weddings, royal funerals. Such pompous circumstance! Makes you glad to be alive (as opposed I to being dead or married). I have been told I mustn't use the headline "Ding! Dong! the Pope is Dead", so of course I won't. The last thing I would want is to offend anyone or be seen as a stirrer. But I have reprinted, with permission, an article by the most Reverend Bruce J. Simpson, an archbishop in the Benedictine order of St John the Beloved in the United States, on the topic of the legacy of Pope John Paul the Second. It should be remembered that the Benedictines have maintained a level of detachment and independence from the Vatican virtually from their inception, and one of the reactionary policies of the recently departed Pontiff was to try and impose his authority on them from outside their order. I think the Archbishop provides a reasoned assessment of the achievements and failures of the deceased Pope. Sadly, from the G.L.B.T.I. point of view there is much to regret.

Talking of G.L.B.T.I., I note that there are now American action groups labeling themselves G.L.B.T.A, for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and Allies. It seems a pity to have lost sight of the I for intersex but it is a very welcome development to have people with no direct involvement in G.L.B. or T offering themselves as allies. And maybe there are also G.L.B.T.I.A. groups I just haven't come across.

This issue features one of our interstate transgender activists, Julie Peters, who appears on the cover and has a piece on self-esteem starting on page 19. Julie is Victorian (although currently working in Tasmania) and has been appearing in public forums for quite a few years. Like a number of us, she has stood for Parliament for the Australian Democrats, but unlike us she has now stood five times and is currently the Vice President of the Victorian Branch of the Democrats. She has also appeared at many conferences, symposiums and workshops and has her own web page where she has placed a number of her thoughtful (and very amusing) talks and papers.

And she sings. As a person who was gay before transition and lesbian after transition she claims she is the only member of the Gay and Lesbian Choir with the right to belong, since she is, in fact, gay and lesbian. If the other choir members want to continue to sing with her, says Julie, they should rename it the Gay or Lesbian Choir. Add to her activism, wit and brilliant writing style the fact that she is drop-dead gor-jus and you will see why she gets to be on the cover of this issue.

By strange co-incidence, when I was looking up Julie Peters for added information for the cover story, I came across Julie Ann Peters, an American award-winning author of children's books. Her latest book, Luna, which has been nominated for the National Book Award, tells the story of a transgendered teenager just prior to transition. Julie Ann Peters is an out lesbian and her published books include Far From Xanadu, Keeping You A Secret (Stonewall Honor Book) and Define Normal. I have reviewed Luna on page 9.

In the last issue of Polare we paid tribute to Stephen Whittle and Christine Burns who were awarded the O.B.E. and M.B.E. respectively in Britain's New Year Honours for their services to the transgender community. We were recently honoured by Stephen's presence in Australia at the Macquarie University Body Modification Conference II. Few people have been as active and accomplished as much as Stephen, who is a Law Professor at Manchester University. We hope he will continue to work for the tg community for years to come and look forward to seeing him when next he visits. Susan Stryker, the noted American activist, also spoke at the conference.

There is a piece by Lynne Johnson, President of the Seahorse Society, on the topic of cross-dressing. It appeared in the March issue of Seahorse Magazine and I asked Lynne for permission to reprint it. It starts on page 15.

I would like to foreshadow possible changes in Polare, in the hope of hearing your opinion. The letter pages are there for your input and we don't get enough of it. Because of increasing costs and a decreasing budget, it may not be possible to continue Polare in its present format. We may have to reduce the number of issues a year from six to four, reduce the number of pages from forty to thirty-six or thirty-two or restrict circulation in some way yet to be determined. Not only is production of Polare a considerable expense but postage costs also rise as the mailing list continues to grow. The one measure we do not wish to take is that of imposing a subscription for Polare. This would penalise those most in need of the magazine and reduce its effectiveness. Please, let us know what you think of these possible changes.

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.