PHOTO: transgender FTM female-to-male Buck Angel featured in an article by Michael Lavers, "LGBT Without the T, As transgenders push for respect, a rift grows with traditional gay leadership," Village Voice "Queer Issue" insert, June 18-24, 2008, p. 12, 14, 19 published online as "Buck Angel, A Man With a Pussy: LGB Without the T". See previous post Transgender FTM female-to-male Buck Angel (7/3/08)
I was reminded of the above article when I read the Oregon State University student newspaper opinion column by Irene Drage, "Speak against transphobia," Barometer, posted November 18, 2012. She says, "You don't have to be queer to stand up for what you know is right; you just have to know what's wrong. In response to the question, "How can allies help to end discrimination?" on the OSU Pride Center's page, one of the answers is "They can interrupt gay jokes and derogatory comments." It's short, it's to the point, and it is absolutely correct." Also, Nov. 20 was the Transgender Day of Remembrance.
I mentioned a century-old trans case in my OSU history: See Thomas Kraemer, "Corvallis, Oregon State University gay activism 1969-2004," posted April 30, 2010 available on the Web site OutHistory.org -- "Corvallis, Oregon is located across the Willamette River from Albany, Oregon, the birthplace of "Alberta Lucille Hart" who lived as the man "Alan Hart" in the early part of the 20th century."
Coincidentally, another column by Megan Campbell, forum editor, "Corvallis doesn't mind stomping in the mud, smells better than Eugene," Barometer, posted Nov. 21, 2012 was primarily intended to be a humorous love letter to OSU and Corvallis, in preparation for the annual Civil War football game against the University of Oregon team from Eugene. However, I found it interesting that she freely confessed having a gender atypical major: "I once thought I was going to be a mechanical engineer. My career choices have changed, but my distaste for Eugene has not." She made this confession as an excuse for being an "artsy person" who should have logically attended the U of O.
On the same theme of "I love OSU better than U of O," was the editorial by Don Iler, "Even without the flash, OSU still better than U of O," Barometer, posted Nov. 21, 2012. Here are some selected quotes:
You'd think I should be at the University of Oregon right now.
I am a journalist. The University of Oregon has the state's sole journalism school.
. .
Yes, we have a College of Agriculture. And that does mean that sometimes campus smells like agriculture. But that college also happens to be one of the best agriculture schools in the country. Does your school have its own sheep herd, meat processing facility, brewery, vineyard or cheese? No, it doesn't. We also invented the Marischino cherry. You're welcome.
We have our own forest, north of Corvallis, where the College of Forestry performs research. Matthew Knight Arena may have the outline of trees on its floorboards, but it sure as heck does not have a forest. Also our College of Forestry is the best in the country. Are the Ducks the best at anything? No, Stanford showed them that.
Our campus has a covered bridge, a wave laboratory and a nuclear reactor. You don't.
. . .
We have a College of Engineering and a College of Pharmacy. I guess you have a Law School, but which is cooler, drugs and building things, or some dusty law books?
. . .
And then there is the question of school newspapers. Our newspaper won the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence award last year for best all-around daily student newspaper in the region. You didn't. We get no training, we get paid less than you and we still make a better paper. And we do it five days a week.
Don Iler is a senior in history.
(Quoted from Don Iler, "Even without the flash, OSU still better than U of O," Barometer, posted Nov. 21, 2012)
Listed below is some other loosely rleated things of interest I've read recently:
- Dan Savage, "Savage Love, Thank a Breeder Day" posted Nov. 14, 2012 -- Dan has changed minds on gay marriage.
- "Straight Up Thanks," straightupthanks.tumblr.com accessed Nov. 14, 2012 -- "We are LGBT people who want to thank the straight people who helped us win marriage equality in Maine, Maryland, and Washington state, and who helped us defeat an anti-gay marriage amendment in Minnesota."
- JOhn Aravosis, "Meet gay America's favorite straight guy, NFLer Chris Kluwe," posted Oct. 1, 2012
- Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, in 1996. thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c104:H.R.3396.ENR:
- Irene Drage, "DOMA dening equal rights to Americans since 1996," dailybarometer.com posted Nov. 7, 2012 -- a OSU student comments on DOMA
