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.)

In the last edition of Polare an article appeared by John Anderson which discussed Felicity Huffman's role in the film "Trans-America". I was fortunate to see the film twice in the space of three days in February. I had booked tickets as part of the Mardi Gras Film Festival to see the one and only scheduled performance of the film prior to its official release in March.

However, I received an invitation to attend an even more exclusive premiere at the Dendy in Newtown which was screened two days earlier than the Mardi Gras premiere. The film had been selected for viewing as part of a film course run through Sydney University and conducted by Andrew Urban, a well known film critic and presenter on the Fox Network.

There are about 140 course participants enrolled, and they view a number of films but don't know what films will be included and only discover the evening's selection after they are seated and the film is ready to roll.

As part of the evening a special guest is invited to speak about the film and field questions after the screening. In most cases the special guest will have some direct connection to the production of the film but in my case I was invited because of the film's subject matter.

When the film was announced there was an exclamation of approval from the audience which reflected the tone for the rest of the evening. The film provides an honest and sympathetic look at the issues confronting its main character, Bree, a transgender woman in the last few days prior to her sex reassignment surgery.

Many of the film's themes dealt with issues familiar to us, such as satisfying the medical requirements for S.R.S., family issues, passing or being read and so on. Equally significantly, though, the film focuses on the complexities of the old and new relationships that Bree becomes embroiled in during her drive across America with a son of whose existence she has only just become aware.

Apart from the obvious and frequent "transgender moments" that appear in the film you could almost be tempted to forget that Bree is transgender as you watch the relationship issues unfold.

I won't reveal any more of the plot but the characters are beautifully portrayed and the script and storyline provides them with a wonderful vehicle for humour and pathos.

The session following the film lasted for an hour and the questions asked by course participants were intelligent and insightful. This was an uplifting experience for everyone involved.

Watching the film two days later, and with the benefit of a previous screening and a G.L.B.T. Mardi Gras audience was a delight. The theatre was packed and the audience response was fantastic. This community really knows how to have a good time and the reactions to the comedy and pathos of the characters and the story were perceptive and uninhibited.

This is a positive, feel-good film, which is not often the case for our community, and if you haven't had a chance to see it I heartily recommend that you do.

Accreditation

I have reported in previous editions of Polare details of the accreditation process that the Gender Centre has been engaged in over recent months. I won't repeat the details but I am pleased to be able to report that the process is now complete and we are awaiting the final report and recommendations from Q.M.S. I thank all the people who played a role in generating our responses to the standards and I would report that, while the process encouraged us to make a number of changes to aspects of service delivery, overall I believe the centre performed extremely well.

Changes to Polare production.

In recent editions we have reported our concerns that, with rising postage and printing costs, the cost of Polare has increasingly exceeded its budget. After looking at all available options we have arrived at what we hope will be a viable solution. In effect this has involved the significant upgrading of our Xerox printer / copier which is supplied to us on a pay-as-you-print basis. The copier offers the latest technology which will enable us to bring the printing and compilation of Polare in house. In terms of cost this will save several thousand dollars over the course of the year and return Polare into budget.

This edition of Polare is the first to be printed in this fashion and you may notice some differences in its overall presentation. Trial runs have shown the print quality to be excellent and indeed superior to previous editions. What we no longer have is the capacity to print in colour so the content will be in black and white. We will still have the cover printed externally to enable front and back cover colour printing. We may also have a slightly less "neatness of finish" in the folding and compacting of the magazine but we expect this to be minor in nature and the content will remain as lively and vibrant as ever. The main difficulty, which we are yet to face but if you are reading this now we will have overcome, is the time involved in printing 1600 plus copies of the magazine. This will take many hours and we hope to be able to do overnight runs while the centre is closed to avoid loss of capacity for other users of the printer / copier during working hours. Fingers crossed on this one.

And finally

There have been a number of staff changes over recent months and I am pleased to report that all the "new" staff members have settled into their roles very well and we look forward to providing sound and positive across the board services to all members of the community. Please don't hesitate to contact any of the workers at the centre if you need assistance with which we can help.

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.