With the recent news going around about Michele De Lafreniere, I have received inquiries wondering if that "Michele" was me.  I am proud to say that it is not.  De Lafreniere seems to be doing more to hurt the cause of the Valley's transgendered than it is to help.  Here in Phoenix, we currently have no anti-discrimination laws in the public sector that protect gender identity.  Tucson does.  More and more states, even New Mexico has statewide protections.  Even in culturally diverse cities like Tempe, those protections do not exist for citizens.  However, the City of Tempe government does include gender identity in their anti-discrimination policy for city employees.  In the private sector, companies like Microsoft, Google, Intel, US Airways and American Airlines specifically have protections written in their corporate policies.

Now, there is a lot of public confusion about transgendered people mainly because the media seems to incorrectly use terminology to describe us.  To me, the term "transgender" equates to the overall concept of appearing in the gender opposite to your birth gender is.  The media would have you believe that the term means those who are doing this more as a sexual fetish and they are not truly committed to the process.  Those who are, are labeled "transsexual". 

Those who are truly committed to the process of changing their gender are that way due to a medical and/or psychological disorder that makes them that way.  I personally fall under this category from a medical standpoint.  Someone who is truly transgendered (the true name of the diagnosis is Gender Identity Disorder) has to go through a very long process which can lead up to (but not always lead up to) sexual reassignment surgery (SRS).  For those committed to the process, there is a Standard of Care that is widely accepted by the medical and psychological communities.  What this means is that before you can even start hormone replacement therapy, you have to go through counseling and a regimen of psychological tests.  Once that happens, your psychotherapist will give you a recommendation letter for hormones.  Before hormones are prescribed, one must go through a round or two of lab tests to make sure that all of your body parts (especially your liver) is in good shape for handling the medications.  The Standard of Care prescribes that in order for someone to receive the final SRS surgery, they must go through at least a year living in the full time role in the opposite gender including legally changing their name and obtaining gainful employment in the opposite gender role.  Once they do that, they must get two letters of recommendation from doctors and at least one psychotherapist that the patient is ready for surgery.  Many patients can not afford the surgery, when done by a reputable state-side surgeon runs over $20K and over a week in the hospital and several weeks longer recovering at home.

Now, there are those who do not want to follow this Standard of Care.  These are people who obtain hormones off the internet or from other sources and dose themselves.  They also go overseas for the surgical procedures to surgeons who do not follow the Standard of Care.  These people are doing things carelessly and I can not support their actions.

Now with that said, let's get back to De Lafreniere's "standing" issue.  First I am going to say this.  Real (pre-operative e.g. those with some form of male organ) transsexual women do not stand to pee.  Now this brings us to the issue, when is it appropriate for a transsexual (transgender, whatever!) to use the rest room of the other gender?  I believe that anyone who has committed themselves to the process as shown above (e.g. following the Standard of Care) should be entitled to that.  This is evidenced by the gender indicator on their driver's license/state ID.  In Arizona, there is a documented process at the MVD which allows a transsexual to be able to get a gender indicator on their license that is opposite of their birth gender if they can provide a letter from a physician stating that the patient is on a hormone replacement therapy and that therapy is irreversable.  But to those transgendered women who have the "F" on their license, FOR GOSH SAKES, DON'T STAND AND PEE IN THE PUBLIC LOO!

Some corporations have specific rules about restroom usage.  These rules impact more of situations where the employee is transitioning on the job.  Myself, I had already transitioned before starting my current job, so it is not an issue.  Honestly, when I "spill the beans" to others, the usual response I get is "I did not know that you were..."

The ability to use a certain restroom should not be based on anatomy.  If that is the case, where would those who are partial-hermathodytes go?

The way I see it is if you are going to change your gender then present yourself in that gender and act accordingly.  You can not switch back and forth.  If you do, than you must be nothing but a cross-dresser and I would not want you in my ladies room.

Arizona needs more protections for transgendered people in both the public and private sector, this can be achieved by those who are inside and outside the "community" fighting for it.  De Lafreniere's targeting of Scottsdale nightclubs will not do much for the cause. 

For us with GID, we are not freaks.  We are not what you see on Springer.  We are people who have had a very bad and many times violent upbringing, especially since many people do not understand the condition and do not know how to deal with it.  A transgendered person who presents themselves properly should be treated no different than any other person who would present themselves in that gender.

I am very happy with who I am and I don't need Michele De Lafreniere standing up for me.