Back...to the Future: speech at Health in Difference 18 April 2013

Intro

I thought I'd share a speech/presentation I gave last year at Health in Difference 8. Unfortunately, the audio recording didn't quite work; I hope the words can at least give the sense of sense of vision and possibility. And a few things have changed since, but I'll post it as it was delivered.

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I acknowledge the original inhabitants of the land, the people of the Kulin nation, and pay my respects to elders past and present.

I also welcome people to Melbourne. As a city that tries to celebrate diversity we arranged that our weather was also suitably diverse for our interstate guests. I humbly apologise to anyone from Tasmania for any remarks I have ever made about it being too cold in the Apple Isle. Seriously, welcome and please enjoy your stay.

Very seriously, I have the pleasure today of talking about building on the strengths of intersex, trans and gender diverse people. As a person who, next Saturday week, will have been out to myself for 18 years– I’m legal - I have seen those strengths emerge in our communities over that time, acknowledging the different degrees of emergence amongst intersex, trans and gender diverse – and for that matter amongst gay, lesbian and bisexual as well. I also acknowledge regional differences in strength around Australia. Overall that strength has improved. Today, I want to look to the future and building on those strengths. What would we like to have achieved in 10 years time for intersex, trans and gender diverse people? What will have changed for the better? Well, let’s get into a car from a well known trilogy of movies and find out.

Which movies? I briefly digress, and have to admit, as a purveyor of 70’s dag culture, I nearly got my cars mixed up. I thought initially of a TRANS-Am...and realised I was thinking of the movies starring Burt Reynolds and Sally Field called Smokey and the Bandit. They perhaps were not a big 10-4. An intersex, trans and gender-diverse-am didn’t roll off the tongue too well either.

So, to get it right, and acknowledging any possible copyright to Universal Pictures and Steven Spielberg, let’s get into the de Lorean instead... it’s actually grown into a de Lorean 747 jet with lots of seats...especially 2 seats for 2 people called Marty and Doc...and an extra seat for Einstein the dog...and...I won’t do the voices all the time...let’s go Back...to the intersex, trans and gender diverse Future!
Hang on Doc, before we get going, shouldn’t we make sure we have...paperwork?

Paperwork Marty...where we’re going, we don’t need birth certificates.  Let’s travel to 2023. 88 miles per hour...and

We’re at our first stop - a Birth, Deaths and Marriages Registry. Look, there’s a trans woman applying to change the marker on her birth certificate.

We’ll be here a while she jumps though all the hoops, fills out all the forms, supplies the signed copies of everything...

No we won’t. So many things happened the over the last 10 or so years. It started with the AH and AB case in the High Court in 2011 which upheld the idea that birth certificate laws were about helping trans people, not putting up hurdles for them. Then it went further. In 2014, the UN upheld the case of another Australian trans man who claimed that to have to undertake surgery when concurrent medical conditions prevented that surgery from happening was a violation of human rights. The huge public and cross-partisan support for his case, combined with virtually zero backlash, meant all state and territory governments moved quickly to amend their birth certificate laws in line with the principles of self-determination, with use of the Argentine approach as a model – and this is the same all around Australia. See look, she’s already filled out the one-page form changing name and marker, paid the small fee and now it’s off to a for celebratory lunch with friends and family.
Wow, that’s awesome...hey Doc, just looking around there’s a really busy counter and a really empty counter over there. What’s that about?
That was because once trans and intersex people were really able to get full say in the equal marriage debate, Australia finally got equal marriage for couples regardless of sex, gender identity or intersex status. People were horrified when they heard that just because someone’s body was considered a tiny bit different to so-called ideals of male or female that some intersex people couldn’t marry at all. The good networks built by intersex and allies with a range of lawyers built an impeccable argument that was a game-changer for the whole marriage debate. The vote in Parliament was hugely in favour. The celebrations were huge. And people had 4 spare Saturdays every year because they didn’t have to go to marriage rallies any more.

So what’s the empty counter then?

That symbolises the other side of the coin, the divorce counter. Because there’s no more “forced trans divorce,” no one needs that counter any more.
Any way, next stop...Broome, WA. There’s a person who lives in Hobart, identifies as genderqueer and who’s unfortunately got a dose of tummy trouble while on holidays - I’ll tell you which cafe to avoid later. Anyway, they’re off to the local GP for some medication.

Uh-oh, they’re going to have to go through a big rigmorale explaining genderqueer and pronouns to a doctor over here.
Not any more. Granted this was a huge problem 10 years ago. So intersex, trans and gender diverse decided on an all out approach from both the top down and the grass roots up. They networked the top brass in the AMA and similar bodies. They found every GP they knew and got them up to speed on intersex, trans and gender diverse...and then got those professionals to nominate one other health professional who they thought would be interested in learning as well. Health professionals who were also University lecturers around the country caught on and made sure that intersex, trans and gender diverse was considered throughout all of medical and psych studies and not just tucked into a corner for an hour. The conservatives in the health profession who showed prejudice against this ended up looking dated. See they’ve got their antibiotics and are on their way to enjoy the rest of their break.
Medical types used to be pretty binary on children who were deemed to be intersex at birth as well. Did that change?
For sure! Let’s pop up to the parental ward at the local hospital...see that paper on the wall? It lists contact details for intersex representatives who can make sure every parent or guardian gets to talk with intersex people before making any decisions about surgeries. Giving parents a free and informed choice where intersex comes up at birth is now compulsory for every hospital in Australia. After comprehensive protection of intersex went through the Tasmanian and Federal parliaments in 2013, other states and territories steadily followed. The combination of law and education of health professionals has made a huge difference.
Off we go again...
Hey this looks a bit gloomy...it’s a jail!
We needed to come here. People used to be housed pretty much on a surgical basis often with tragic results. Now, following some overseas models, every intersex, trans or gender diverse person who sadly ends up in custody is housed on their merits allowing for their wellbeing, with respect to the person’s own input, the wellbeing of others in custody and custodial staff. An intersex, trans or gender diverse person sits on a committee along with prison brass and grass roots staff and helps work out the best course of action. Violence against these groups in custody has dropped by 75%, STIs amongst them by 90%. There’s at a least a more equal chance of getting a fresh start after custody. The shock-jocks still try to make a big deal out of it though...unfortunately some things haven’t changed.
Can we go somewhere a little brighter now?
Sure...he we are: Charleville primary school and the happy recess playground.
OK, let me try this time Doc. I can see kids of what looks like lots of gender identities playing kick to kick on the oval and others, also of lots of gender identities just quietly chatting nearby and it’s all good...one of the year six students is talking with friends about starting puberty blockers next month...the friends are sharing the excitement...awesome...
You’re getting it Marty. Educations departments, schools and principals realised that affirming people in every way was important, it helped make classes happier and more interesting as well as being better of course for the students. Bottling things up never helped. And that year six student’s 2 dads don’t have to spend thousands going to the family court to prove what the family already knew. Thank the brave family who went to court to challenge that and change things.

What happens when the young person gets to 18 and if they need to go through with surgery? Won’t someone still be out of pocket for thousands of dollars then?
Not any more. A good combination of getting the government to work with private health insurers meant the out of pocket costs that used to be huge are now far less...at least no more than for other people who stay in hospital for an equivalent length of time for any other operation, which ended up as a fair and equitable outcome.

So, no more fundraiser parties to help people to pay for surgery costs?
Oh don’t worry, there’s still lots of parties; where the parties are fundraisers there are lots of ideas to keep building intersex, trans and gender diverse communities so they go to greater heights. Let’s go to a party now...
Lots of people having fun together here...
...and look, there’s a trans woman who hasn’t had surgery yet who seems to have just met a special someone. They’re off home. Thanks to all the sex positive education that was fully inclusive, people now know how to have safe, consensual and respectful intimacy with anyone of any body or any identity. More love in the world and less loneliness...that’s the power of love...it’s all good.

Next stop...here’s the office of an HR executive consultancy where a person who went through intersex surgeries earlier in their life has just sent in their medical history as the final step before landing a big job.
The recruitment consultant’s just totally turned past those pages in the report.

Yes, they know it’s all in the past, it’s not relevant to the person’s ability to do the job and not relevant how well they’ll get on with their colleagues and everyone else. Once governments, philanthropic bodies and others got the message of how prevention was a better idea than being reactive and funded education and training, everything changed. Employment, housing and accommodation, the lot are all done far more equitably now. Not perfect, but if least if mistakes happen, they get fixed pretty quickly so that’s ok.

We’ve got one last stop...
Why are you setting the time machine to go to 1973 Doc? ....Police strip searching trans women to see what underwear they have on underneath their outer clothes? Amazingly gifted people who can’t get the job they want? Rows of homeless trans people facing alcohol and drug abuse? What do we want to be reminded of this for?

I just want to be sure that we respect where we’ve come from and that we never go back there. I want to be sure we honour those who faced great difficulties and did their best with huge courage to live or change things for others or both. We always need to learn across time and across generations to keep that respect going and avoid complacency. Human rights and human dignity can only be improved with effort. Let’s use the past as a spur to make sure things keep improving, but let’s not be trapped in the past either.
In which case, I’m setting the time machine for 2.30 PM 18 April 2013.

And we’re back.
I hope that ride to the future proved we can help achieve healthier bodies and healthier minds, not only for intersex, trans and gender diverse people, rather for everyone in every stream whose lives we discuss in the next 2 and ½ days. Maybe there was some artistic licence in that trip to the future and some of the ideas. That’s OK. In the words of Einstein  - the human one  - “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”  With imagination, innovation, love and hope, I wish everyone every success in building on our strengths for HiD 8 – and to quote the final words of Back to The Future 3, “your future is whatever you make it, so make it a good one.”

Have a great conference everyone!

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PS. With a Victorian state election coming, there's a chance to make the future on some of these issues! Watch this space...

A little bit of binary busting

As a trans/gender diverse (and increasingly BGILQT) trainer/educator, I love what I do. I say that after a session I walk out on air 30 cm above the ground.

Increasingly, there are days when I walk out 40...or 50... or...60 cm above the ground. How so, you ask?

It's when I have a "two-way street" experience. That's where someone comes up with (in the words of Daffy Duck) "a little wrinkle that I've never thought of." I have to stretch myself and I learn something new.

So I thought I'd share an example of such an experience from about 3 months ago.

I was talking with a group of young people. They mentioned that some vaccinations at primary school differ for "boys" and "girls" or for our more precise way of thinking, those born with male bodies and female bodies. and the process is "boys line up in one queue, girls line up in another (urk)."
So what happens when there is a young person, (for example) born with male body who has affirmed a female identity very early? They would still need the "male body" vaccination - but obviously to stand in the "male" queue might out them unfairly, maybe put them at risk of prejudice, bullying etc
Damn good question. I candidly admit I hadn't thought about it. And in the moment it wasn't possible to give the "right" answer directly off the bat. So we teased it out a bit, I then went away and consult with colleagues etc, work it out and come back via email afterwards.
For what it's worth, a possible answer is to have lines where anyone can queue and the person giving the vaccination asks "which do you require?" They accept the student's response without question. Also, the people coming in to do the vaccination could be informed discretely beforehand "we have a trans/gender diverse student at our school. So if someone who appears to be female asks for a male vaccination, please be prepared for that and give what is requested without suprise or questioning." There could also be screens of some sort separating the queues so no-one else sees or hears what is going for any other student, thereby protecting privacy.
But to me, it's almost not about the answer - it's about the deeper process that's happening. That people are thinking about this - or once they realise the binary is only an assumption that can be questioned and they then start thinking and questioning - means that by putting trans and gender knowledge together with someone else's knowledge - in this case knowledge of school life (which is deep and forgotten in my memory cells :) ) we have done a 2 + 2 = 5 and put a sledge-hammer blow in the gender binary rock. We've got into the deeply-rooted binary thinking and uprooted one binary plant. We've created alliances together and they spread. And particularly that young people are challenging this is strong reason to believe, even more than hope, there is true generational and long-term change happening.
YAY! #binarybusters

A brief update re #AIDS2014

a brief update re #AIDS2014 and pre-conferences

Sharing stories is amazing and strengthening - as always...

I am hearing amazing human strength from trans and gender diverse people around the world - resilience, courage, persistence, determination among others in the face of huge discrimination, often on multiple attributes e.g. sex worker, HIV as well.

It is totally necessary to acknowledge that yes, there is grief and sadness re MH17; yes, those same strengths mentioned above are helping to counter that grief.

Practically, there is so much sharing of information that will save us having to re-invent wheels here, especially re medical care.

There is a major cultural issue...trying to explain Melbourne's diverse climate to visitors is challenging. We're not trying to explain the right hand turns in the city/South Melbourne area. :)

Seriously...incredible. So much to see and do...adrenaline winning with minimal caffeine.

Huge congrats to My TGV colleagues Brenda and ML for all their efforts in this.

Come on down to Jeff's Shed, 802 in the Global Village and connect. To use the words of V K McMahon from his announcing days "feel the electricity" and yes it's a Gorilla Monsoon "history made in Melbourne" occasion.

And that's the bottom line...coz  @salgolsaidso

MindOUT! Conference 26-27 June: When worlds collide...clearing a head-on crash at my queer intersection

I started writing this the morning after...really early morning after two days of the MindOUT Conference. The fact that that I was awake and starting my creation of this piece at 530 AM after two days of the usual rainbow conference combination of adrenaline and brain drain speaks volumes at volume about how deeply I’m feeling what I’m feeling.

First up, there were many positives over the two days. Trans (binary) is clearly on the map in Australia (albeit with state/territory and regional differences). Ever since Health in Difference 2010, including in particular Aram Hosie’s award winning workshop http://www.lgbtihealth.org.au/health-in-difference-2010 , efforts around Australia on many levels have skyrocketed. I had great resonance with James Moreton’s keynote on trans experiences in the Scottish health system. It sounded pretty similar to here in Australia and I think we can go bigger than national co-operation. International co-operation on this and other issues would mean rather than inventing the same basic wheel, we could invent a mega-wheel and adapt the wheel for local driving conditions. This could only save time, effort and money and I think would be looked at favourably by governments re funding.

The other positive is that there are an increasing number of people doing rainbow education e.g. talks, presentations. I think a network of some sort for people like that would be a good idea. Watch this space... J

I would acknowledge there are still issues for non-binary peeps. Using terms like brothers and sisters creates invisibility for non-binary folk. I acknowledge that it will take effort to uproot years of binary auto-pilot; thing is, it can happen more quickly it if we start re-programming the auto-pilot now. We can “engage not attack” and get it done.

I am not intersex and therefore will not speak re how much intersex is or isn’t on the map. I’ll let people such as Gina Wilson, Morgan Carpenter and other peeps experiencing intersex who attended.

So: why was I awake at such a proverbial ungodly hour? Houston, there’s a problem.

There wasn’t, to use my phrase, too many Bs buzzing in. Bisexual wasn’t really there.

I now define my own sexual orientation as bi/pan. My own personal definition of bi/pan is that over the course of my life, I’m attracted to people of more than one gender identity/attracted to people regardless of gender identity. Note, that’s only my definition for me. I respect your right to your definition and labels – or to not use labels too. J

The opening plenary was a pretty good start. Associate Professor and (medical) Doctor Ruth McNair used terminology such as “homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.” She’s always been streets ahead on bi/pan (and trans too). The warm comments for her that appeared after I uploaded a photo to social media of her in action are testament to how highly she is regarded. She’s a far cry from the researcher, who, at a 2009 roundtable lumped bisexual and undecided together without blinking...or thinking. We’ll clone Dr Ruth to replace those sorts of researchers any day. J

I then had a chance to share my own story of how I’ve dealt with mental health issues along with three other trans people. Powerful and moving. Watch this space (or the space on the 3 CR airwaves) for that one. Immediately after lunch, we heard two beautiful presentations on New Zealand takaapatui (from Dr Keri Lawson-Te Aho) and Australian indigenous people (from Dameyon Bonson). Put simply, it showed great respect for diversity and intersectionality.

Thereafter, came, in my opinion, the conference bi-light. My good friend and former Bisexual Alliance Victoria (BAV) committee colleague Mary Rawson presented some of the BAV “bi the bi” stories to a small yet attentive audience in one of the breakout sessions. The feedback was along the lines of “yes we need more bi stories, keep them coming.” That feedback came from a person who didn’t identify as bi (or similar). #ally. Win.

Yours truly then chaired a breakout session to end the day. I had a chance to introduce people. I had a brief time to live out my fantasy occupation of being a WWE ring announcer/commentator. :)  Business had indeed picked up (copyright Jim Ross).

Bi and large, it was a good first day. Fun, positive and in no way were bi people stigmatised, erased or in any way, “savaged.” (I await more research on bi/pan and poly people being genetically inclined to punning).

The car crash happened for me, during the opening plenary of day two. It wasn’t anything that was said in the session, it was about what wasn’t said. Dr Gavi Ansara’s talk on being polycultural - addressed to “brothers, sisters and non-gendered siblings” (see, it’s easy) - was beautiful and authentic. Margaret Mayman, Minister at Sydney’s Pitt Street Uniting Church spoke on being a Uniting church minister and among many others things, how we need Christian voices other than the Australian Christian Lobby was spot on. Morgan Carpenter spoke clearly and effectively on intersex as always

And Margaret was totally positive in her support for polyamory and affirming all forms of relationships as opposed to putting marriage on a pedestal.

So what was the crash?

I felt that while my trans component was travelling down the freeway at 100 kph and even my poly component was cruising safely in the slow lane, my bi/pan identity suddenly felt like it had been wiped off the road. Was a quarter of one of 25 concurrent break-out sessions in two days of over 90 presenters enough?

I want to make it clear this was about my thoughts and my feelings. I don’t “blame” anyone for making biphobic remarks or anything similar.

My mind was whirling. I wanted to stand up and ask other bi/pan/similar to stand with me. But was that fair and right to ask people to out themselves? I didn’t know.

So I approached organiser Barry Taylor at morning tea with my dilemma. He unhesitatingly offered to slot three minutes for me into the closing plenary. I prepared a “manual powerpoint” (that’s hand-written notes for those under 30) on and off over the next few hours.

Maybe I was edgy, but I began to be more aware of bi invisibility. I felt annoyed at remarks from one presenter that “we get LGB.” I think most people “get” gay and lesbian; what about bi? Did that person know of the worse health outcomes and other issues for bi people?

Finally: 3:30 PM and the closing plenary. I’m sitting in the front row and I’m ready to get up. I wait through researcher John Howard (no, not the former Australian Prime Minister or the actor) – who mentioned the distressing “bi and undecided” research (to be fair he tried to point out it was not right to lump them together). Then Barry spoke – and the conference was closed. No 3 minutes.

I take responsibility for my own error in not being proactive and re-confirming at the start of the plenary I was to get 3 minutes. I apologise for letting bi/pan people down (this means there is a 98% probability I’m not a politician or a corporate media mogul – I take responsibility for my errors). I’ll learn from this and do it better next time.

All the same, I strongly believe bi/pan - and poly - folk can take something out of this. All indications are that people in fields such as those at this conference e.g. community workers, researchers – the relatively open-minded and empathic types - want more information. There is now in these sorts of circles a realisation that “we don’t know what we don’t know.” So we have a chance to tell such people what we know so they can know too and influence people in key positions

It is time for the first Australian bi/pan specific quantitative research piece/s on bi/pan and polyamory. We have research on the way re trans and gender diverse that has relatively big samples; we could get the same for bi/pan. It seems previous bi/pan research has achieved small numbers as it has only been aimed at “men who have sex with men” in venues. I think in this day and age of social media we can go further than that.

Similar to trans and gender diverse (and probably intersex), bi/pan people need to be part of BGILT initiatives from the start to promote inclusiveness and a sense of ownership. And the same as any professional with unique skills and knowledge, trans, gender diverse, intersex and bi/pan people need to be reimbursed adequately for their time. Project budgets need to factor in these amounts

So I conclude by saying it’s time the B’s more than buzzed in. It’s time to swarm.

 In 2012, after years of receiving biphobia at Melbourne’s Pride March, the organisers put bi (and poly) people near the front. The biphobia has gone away. We need to push to the front in every way.

In 2010, I presented at Health in Difference (on prejudice under the rainbow) with a paper called “How the BGILT community Can Work Together.” http://www.lgbtihealth.org.au/health-in-difference-2010/social-inclusion-working-together No one has ever asked me why I wrote the letters in that order. 4 years later, I state that there were three reasons: it uses alphabetical order – can’t dispute that (ok, I’m half serious, half humourous on that one); for me personally, the B and the T are the bookends holding things together and one other one...

I put B at the front in a symbolic way to say “we’re here; we’re visible and not hidden in the middle or anywhere else.”

So it’s time now, in 2014 to put B at the front, both symbolically and practically. I call on bi/pan people to start doing this by writing BGILT (or similar). I call on people to politely and assertively request keynote speeches and major plenary sessions at “rainbow” conferences on “binary busting” for all of relationship status, gender identity and sexual orientation.

And for my sake, I want my queer car to be fully on the road from now on. :)

(These views are my own and do not necessarily any organisation with which I am involved)

Thoughts people who work as accountants think about on 30 June

30 June in Australia...end of our financial and tax year.
The Universe was not designed by accountants. Maybe it was designed by the Tax Office and IRS to be extra annoying to sensible humans.
No numerically sensible and sensitive people would have 52 weeks and one day in most years.
This means every 7 or 14 years there are 27 pay fortnights in a year or 53 pay weeks.
Good universal design would have 50 weeks, 5 days, 20 hours in a day, 50 minutes per hour and 50 seconds in a minute.

Could we please get out the butchers paper, organise facilitation and do a SWOT analysis on this? Much appreciated. :)

The Australia I want, I really really want #ozIreallywant

An Australia that celebrates human diversity, fully understands that dignity and respect are vital for all and that that totally understands this needs different paths for different people to achieve dignity and respect.

An Australia that recognises that with compassion and empathy, people who are vulnerable can often be guided to their own strengths and ideas, thereby improving their own situation so they are safer.

An Australia based on celebrating each individual’s freedom to be unique while simultaneously achieving social responsibility and community.

An Australia that knows the best solutions to issues give equal to consideration to both people and dollar signs.

An Australia that realises that careful thought and discussion are always the best approach to move things forward.

An Australia where all sectors including business, community and public,  work together and value each other’s unique perspective to find the best ideas to make lives better.

An Australia that combines thought about economy and environment to find the best ways to grow.

A trans message of love

Dear beautiful, amazing, awesome and uniquely gifted trans, gender diverse and allied people

I am thinking of and feeling very much for everyone at the moment.

I totally understand that there are tough times for many individuals and that collectively too, there are many pressures.

I state that I have been in those difficult places myself. Wherever my life is now - which on every level is hugely the best it has ever been - I remember it was not so easy in past times. I felt I was stuck right in the middle of downtown hell.

Thing is, I did get out of there. Despite years of fear of rejection and ridicule, I found a way to reach out to someone. I learned to trust. I got to the point where the sign on the side of the road said “you are now leaving hell – travel safely.”  :)

So while acknowledging there is difficulty and past pain, I offer that there can be a future of hope and serenity. I ask people to imagine what it would be like and see it in your mind’s eye.

I ask that people please reach out to friends, talk to someone and let out what can feel like a huge whirling around in your head. Use services such as Lifeline 131114 or Q-Life (including Switchboard) on 03 96632939 or 1800 184527. Utilise the longer term options in Zoe Belle Gender Centre’s resources listing at gendercentre.com

Trans and gender diverse (and allies) are one of my communities and family of choice. Good communities and good families stick together and love each other and I see much of that. Reach out and tap into each other’s strengths.

As individuals and collectively I firmly believe we are stronger and can keep becoming even stronger again.

And again.  And again.

Lotsa love, hugz and serene karma.

The wacky read-headed WWE, country-and-western, classic-Aussie-rock loving aunty Sally

PS Naturally please feel free to re-post, share, tweet and all those modern things. :)

PPS Acknowledgements to Pretenders 1981 song Message of Love for the title of this post. And I only re-checked the lyrics after writing this and they are spot on.