Happy New Year 5769!

Shana Tova (year good => good year)! Or as my friend Chris says, Shannen Doherty!

‘Tis the Jewish high holiydays, the Days of Awe (and Aww).

I had a lovely time last night, this morning and afternoon at Congregation Am Tikva's Erev Rosh Hashanah, Rosh Hashanah and Tashlich services and am looking forward to attending the rest of CAT's hi hol services (CAT is the GLBT synagogue of Boston, and my shul).

I'm giving the dvar (sermon) at CAT’s Kol Nidre service (erev Yom Kippur) next Wednesday, October 8th!

May you and yours spend this time in ways that are meaningful to you.

I’m working on Smaht Cahds at Hahvad

(“I pahked my cah in Hahvad Yahd” (I parked my car in Harvard Yard) is an old joke – about the Boston accent, how difficult it is to drive and park – especially in Harvard Square, and how it’s impossible to drive into Harvard University.)

Transgender work is still my life’s work; yet alas, there still doesn’t seem to be funding for me to do it. And I don’t think I’m ready to start my own business (consulting and/or art), even part-time.

So I’ve been job searching for a paid job. As usual, it’s been a ‘long strange trip’. But I have become an employee of Spherion, the agency that provides temps (temporary employees) to Harvard University. I’ve long wanted to become an employee of Harvard (how much more so since I started temping), and Spherion is the way.

During the second half of August and first half of September, I worked for the Smart Card ID Project, Yard Operations, and on making the freshmen (freshpeople?) student ID cards. I also worked for my longtime GLBT colleague Robyn Ochs (bisexual leader) in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. The Project and ‘Yard Ops’ were so pleased with me that they each offered me a three-month gig.

I chose to join the Project team. Harvard has been upgrading their plastic ID cards to “smart cards” (like the MBTA Charlie Card). Since January, they’ve replaced 12,000 cards. Between today and the end of November or so, we’ll be replacing the other 50,000 – 60,000.

I’ve done some unofficial and informal GLBT (especially T, of course; and interfaith) education with my fellow temps, Harvard employees and others; that and the rest of my queer experience here has been excellent. One of my favorite moments was when I walked by the entrance to the Harvard College Women’s Center and saw their chalkboard: “ALL GENDERS Are Welcome at the Harvard College Women’s Center”. I went in and told them why I appreciated it, and they appreciated that.

Coming Soon – My 2008 Work

“That’s a very noble story.”

"Noble?”

"Stories can be whimsical, or frightening, or melancholy, or many other things. But noble stories are the ones that can most affect our lives. May I have your permission to tell others this story?”

“Sure. It’s no secret.”

“But stories are an essential part of every person’s being. I would never share one without permission.”

Eudana and Ensign Harry Kim
Star Trek : Voyager
Season 1, Episode 10 – “Prime Factors”
March 8, 1989

I want to summarize my work during 2008 here, but am still writing it up and deciding how to present it. I probably won’t be able to do create and post an entry for each workday -- for one thing, there's too much backlog. I may create a Word document that’s a summary and update this entry with that link (a link to the document in my Google Docs).

My Friend Annette the Awesome

My friend Annette sent me a email forward today about great question and answer quotes from Hollywood Squares (television game show) episodes of decades ago. It included this:

Peter Marshall, Hollywood Squares Quizmaster: “You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?”

Don Knotts: “That’s what's been keeping me awake.”

Thanks muchly, A!

Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality

The Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality (ICTE) was founded last summer by Richard M. Juang (Masachusetts Lesbian & Gay Bar Association), Keshet (myself included), Dr. Alex Coleman, and a few others. The other current members are Rev. Michael Cooper (Metropolitan Community Church / Boston), Sean Delmore (United Methodist Church), Rev. Christopher Fike (Christ Church / Somerville, Episcopal), Orly Jacobovits (Keshet Senior Organizer & Community Educator) and Elyssa Cohen (Keshet Community Organizer), Rev. Cameron Partridge (St. Luke’s & St. Margaret’s, Episcopal), Robyn Robbins (MCC/B, ICTE webmistress).

We are transgender and allied people and organizations working for transgender inclusion in faith communities. Our primary goal is to help pass the bill formerly known as House Bill 1722, An Act Relative To Gender-Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes – it came close to passing during the legislative session that ended July 1st, and will be refiled with a new number and perhaps name early next year. ICTE increases and mobilizes faith-based support for the bill, much like similar organizations did for the legalization of same-sex marriage.

One of ICTE’s projects is our declaration of faith-based support for the bill. To see a PDF of ICTE’s declaration with its current signatories, click here. To sign, click here (you can also sign by email, phone, fax, or hard mail). To apply for membership, work with us otherwise, or for more information: InterfaithCoalition@GMail.com / 617.524.9227 (Keshet office).

THANK YOU to “my” signatories (those who signed primarily because I asked them to):

Angel(a) Buonopane
Michael Burggren
S. Glass
Christopher Hannon
Louise Kittredge*
Mary Madsen
Zev Michelson
Suzanne Morrison
Jessica Solomon

Your signature helped and will continue to, and you won’t have to resign. If you haven’t signed, I’ll be asking you to. If you’re not asked, it’s because we only need Massachusetts voters.

*Mrs. K also left the best comment: “Transgendered people are a smaller minority than gay and lesbian people, and are therefore more likely to be seen as “strange” and somehow unworthy of protection. That is why they must be protected by law.” There aren’t actually fewer trans people than gay/lesbian/bisexual people – and there’s a great deal of (perhaps even complete) overlap between the identities -- but there do seem to be fewer of us because even fewer of us are visible.