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Things Change,
Sometimes for the Better
Things Change, Sometimes
for the Better
by Karen Kerin
So far the year 2001, the first year of the new century of a new millennium, has proven to be one of change. Some things have been good and others, rather the opposite.
The year started with inauguration of a new president, whom some thought to have stolen the election because he did not won the popular vote. Alas, our constitutional republic ingeniously provides for a balancing of the votes via the college of electors in such a way as to assure the states have proportional representation, rather than simple majority representation. Most Americans, after all the brou-ha-ha, approved of the new president. Early talk of changing the system to a popular vote has diminished and no serious move to do so is underway.
Later in the year, a military surveillance aircraft flying well outside of Chinese territorial boundaries was struck by a hot-dogging communist fighter pilot and consequently forced to land on China’s Hainan Island. China made an incident of the affair, blaming the American aircrew of colliding with the fighter, whose pilot was lost. The American press, in an unprecedented act of sedition, labeled the surveillance plane a “spy plane”. The plane was clearly not a “spy plane,” as it was not within the borders of China, misrepresenting itself, or engaged in any conduct that could be construed as spying, since they only received electronic signals originating in China. In fact, it was openly and routinely collecting electronic signals generated by the Chinese as a means of ascertaining technological military progress in a closed country. Calling the plane a “spy plane” suggests a nefarious purpose to most people. It made the release of the aircrew more difficult, simply because the Chinese saw the free press attributing an evil purpose to the crew.
Prior to the plane incident, I had been on the internet using a search program to find a highschool classmate, who was my best friend and best man when I got married. I was unfortunately not successful. To use the search, I had been required to leave my name and email address. A couple of weeks later, I got an email addressing me in my birth name and inviting me to my fortieth class reunion at the country club in Hingham, Massachusetts. Oh, sweet agony. What to do, what to do? How could Charles just walk in as Karen without potentially giving some poor classmate a heart attack? It seemed that telling the truth right up front to the committee managing the event was the best way to determine whether the invitation was for me or the former me. I wrote a very long email explaining my medical odyssey and telling the committee that it was their choice whether I should come or not. I promptly got a very warm email back telling me that I, the present I, was very welcome and please come. I did. After forty years, I was curious to see some of my old classmates.
The Saturday evening party was tough. I walked into a room full of middle-aged strangers and knew I must bein the wrong place because they were all so much older than I was. Most of them had already heard about me and had looked me up in our yearbook. They were current on me and who I was in high school, but I was totally lacking in any memory of them. I stuck it out until fatigue claimed me and I returned to my hotel room for a much needed sleep. The morning session was completely different. We met again at the country club for breakfast. I sat peeling the years from faces and recognizing childhood friends. I had only been their classmate for two years, a fairly normal length of time for an army brat to be in one place. Most of them had been together from kindergarten. Many of their memories were very different from mine, but I fell into the spirit of the event and soon was committed to returning for the forty-fifth reunion and to participating in some other things as well. Life for a tranny is always interesting and sometimes very redeeming.
It was during the reunion that Vermont, for the first time since the civil war, became a state without a Republican in Congress. A man I had called friend had left the Republican party to become an Independent affiliated with the Democrat Caucus. All hopes of an inclusive and fair Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) ever becoming law vanished. I first met him when I led the first ever lobbying effort of Congress on behalf of transgender rights. This effort has become an annual event which has been overcome by liberal activists who just cannot divorce their partisan ideas from the lobbying effort to achieve equality. The Senator had facilitated the inclusion of Phyllis Frye and me in the testimony, but a Massachusetts senator chaired the committee at the time and he denied us the opportunity to testify orally, but we did get our written testimony on the record. The now Independent senator, was a hero at that time.
Without benefit of the ballot, the U.S. Senate changed committee chairs and partisan feelings ran high. The same media that was calling our electronic surveillance plane a “spy plane,” was hailing the former Republican senator as a hero, while quite another attitude prevailed among my fellow Republicans. The bottom line is interesting. The American quisling has emerged a person to be distrusted, not for any partisan reasons, but because he employed false pretenses to get elected as a Republican, and only then flew his true colors. Sic transit gloria mundi, but the people have long memories in Vermont. The question is now, what will this mean for Vermont? The answer is the new partisan division created by the defector will further distance Vermont from the majority of the nation. The balance is upset for now, but things will continue to change.
Since 1994, I have been the resident agent for the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans of America (GLBVA), who are chartered here in Vermont. A transgender friend, Tere Fredrickson, national secretary at that time, asked me to be the resident agent to replace the person who had been in that position. They were one of the first gay organizations to become inclusive of transgender folks. As their agent, I receive their quarterly newsletter, “The Forward Observer” and in this last issue the matter of changing their name to demonstrate the inclusiveness has been raised. Merely adding transgender to the growing list seemed to be just too long and unwieldy. Suggested names ranged from National Rainbow Veterans to Veterans for Equality to leaving the name as it is. They are open to suggestion and I’m willing to pass along any worthy ideas. Lest you think progress is never fast enough, I must report the U.S. Army for the first time sent a very historic official invitation to these vets to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Memorial Day. At least four of the national officers were a part of the delegation. The Forward Observer always has some interesting tidbits. For example, “On June 13, 323 B.C., Alexander the Great died of a fever in Babylon [present day Iraq] at the age of 33. [He was] one of the world’s most famous Happy Warriors.”
Any vets who are interested can contact me through Out in the Mountains and I will get them in touch with the GLBVA. I should also mention that the Honorary Board of the GLBVA includes Barney Frank, Pat Schroeder and Gerry Studds, but sadly no Republican, the essential element in gaining proper recognition and an end to the “don’t ask - don’t tell” policy. Only a bi-partisan or preferredly, a non-partisan effort will end this discriminatory policy. No amount of crying “outrageous” will do it.
She is my legally married spouse, not civilly unionized, but married, and coming up on our fifth anniversary this November 22. Last year, I was the only Republican who marched in the Pride parade, but I was marching as a candidate and this year, I’m was just another citizen—a Republican citizen. You know, a member of the party of Lincoln, who freed the slaves; of Teddy Roosevelt, who made the Mediterranean safe for American commerce; of President Calvin Coolidge, who brought quiet dignity to the White House; of Senator George D. Aiken, whose words “Let’s just declare victory and get out” [of Vietnam] became the solution to a horrible debacle. I continue my search for a liberal writer who is willing to entertain competing side by side columns dealing with the issues of the day. I am, of course, the fiscal conservative who really wants to see a fair and balanced presentation of issues. My great concern is for good government. I want the kids who we struggle to raise and educate here in Vermont to be able to find a job when they complete their education. I want my union friends to have jobs that will remain in Vermont, when business and industry are fleeing the high taxes, over regulation and grinding low wages that have haunted the state since the days of Governor Phil Hoff. I want dignity restored—by people having employment opportunities that allow them to earn a livable wage. I want a liberal who is thoughtful and insightful and fair to duel over these problems with me on the pages of this newspaper so that you, the reader, can make up your own mind as to the best course of action. There are so many problems that affect us all: queer or straight, rich or poor, male, female or something else, as I am often labeled. I hope you will seek me out.
I am 57 years old, married, and live in South Royalton. I am a dual professional having degreed in both engineering and law. I am also a transsexual.