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Donna Martina Cartwright (born October 4, 1946) is an American journalist and labor activist. Cartwright served as a copy editor for The New York Times for about 30 years, transitioning on the job in 1997 and retiring in 2006. Cartwright was named to the NLGJA LGBT Journalists Hall of Fame in 2014.

Background

Cartwright was born in Hackensack, New Jersey. Cartwright was also involved in creating and leading some of the most important trans rights organizations, including:

  • Pride at Work
  • New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy (NYAGRA)
  • Gender Rights Advocacy Association of New Jersey
  • National Center for Transgender Equality
  • TransEpiscopal
  • Gender Rights Maryland

2000 media criticism

In 2000, Cartwright published a piece on how cis journalists were “Trivializing and Silencing Transgender People in Queer Media.” Cartwright wrote:

Transgender people, long marginalized in the gay and lesbian community and “written out” of its history, have been making a modest comeback in recent years. Many queer organizations routinely recognize our presence through the use of such phrases as “the GLBT community” to describe their missions or constituencies; that some of these “natives” might be capable of uttering words comprehensible to civilized people too often seems beyond the imagination of the “normalized” queer writer. Funny, gays and lesbians were seen in just such terms, not so long ago 
.

Both this renewed visibility and its problems are reflected in a recent work of queer history, Dudley Clendinen and Adam Nagourney’s book. Out for Good: The Struggle to Build a Gay Rights Movement in America (Simon & Schuster, 1999) which covers the period from the late 1960’s until the late 1980’s.
Clendinen and Nagourney pay serious attention to many of the controversies over the place of trans- gender people in the queer movement over the last 30 years. Unfortunately, they treat us largely as a disempowered, voiceless “other,” passive objects of history rather than subjects.

DAYS OF FURY
By many accounts, 1973 was a difficult year for transgender queers: a rising tide of separatism in the lesbian/ feminist movements culmi- nated in an explosion of hatred and hysteria at the West Coast Lesbian Conference in Los Angeles in April; two months later, similar tensions erupted at the New York City Pride March.

Out for Good gives a compelling picture of these events: in L.A., Beth Elliott, a lesbian male-to-female transsexual, one of the conference organizers, was scheduled to sing as part of the conference’s opening ceremonies. She had been at the center of a bitter dispute over her transsexuality in the San Francisco chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis in late 1972.

Elliott is a fascinating figure; unfortunately, Clendinen and Nagourney seem oblivious to the pos- sibility that she might have had some- thing of value to contribute to their account. She is not quoted in Out for Good, and she says that they never interviewed her. By her own recollec- tion, she is the first “out” transsexual lesbian feminist. She transitioned at the age of 19, and soon thereafter was invited to join the Bay area Daughters of Bilitis chapter — at that point, the membership felt her transsexuality was not a disqualification.

“Wanting to make the freedom I was experiencing safer and available to more women,” she says, she began doing volunteer work at the chapter’s office. After several months, in the fall of 1971, she was elected Vice- President in a two-candidate race.

In the summer of ’72, however, trouble appeared in the form of lesbian separatists who began to press their perspective on the chapter as a whole. Tensions rose over various issues, from Elliott’s transsexuality to demands that the editor of the chap- ter newsletter be brought under offi- cial oversight. In the fall of that year, Elliott ran for re-election as Vice- President and was defeated in a cam- paign in which her transgender his- tory may have been a tacit issue. A few months later, in a separate vote, transsexuals were ruled ineligible for membership.

Out for Good skews history a bit in its account of the struggle in the San Francisco D.O.B. The book says Elliott’s “demand to be admitted into the San Francisco chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis had torn the group apart. The D.O.B. had devoted eighteen months to arguing about whether there was a place in the Daughters of Bilitis for a transsexual, before finally and bitterly voting ‘No’.”

But Elliott’s account, which is supported by a look at back copies of Sisters, the San Francisco D.O.B. ‘s magazine, is rather different. The battle took up at most a few months, not 18, and it was not over her “demand to be admitted,” but over her expulsion.

Perhaps Clendinen and Nagourney relied on the recollection of someone involved in the conflict, decades after the fact. All the more reason to have balanced their sources.

Cartwright added:

Not that this incident is exactly unknown territory for queer writers. Pat Califia, in her book Sex Changes (1997) quotes a member of the chap- ter who “had actually been present at the stormy meeting where [Elliott] was ousted 


“This doesn’t feel okay to me/ she said. ‘She worked harder than anyone else in D.O.B. She gave a lot to that organization. There was no good reason to kick her out. She hadn’t done anything wrong except be a transsexual. You wouldn’t believe some of the vile and vicious things other women said to her. And she just sat and listened to all of it, kept her dignity and answered them back without losing her temper or calling anybody names/”

A few months later, some of Elliott’s enemies in the San Francisco battle attended the conference in L. A. and created an uproar when she went on stage to sing. They demand- ed that she leave, the performance was brought to a halt, and the issue was debated for hours and ultimate- ly put to a vote.

Out for Good says there was a slim majority in favor of allowing Elliott to sing, but according to contemporary sources, the margin was overwhelming. Barbara McLean’s “Diary of a Mad Organizer” in the Lesbian Tide confer- ence issue says the women voted three to one to hear Elliott, while The Advocate (May 9, 1973) also calls the vote “overwhelming.” The separatists and some others in the audience walked out. According to The heritage of sexual sophistication.”

Advocate, Elliott later received a standing ovation from “most of the 1,200 women present.”
The next day, Robin Morgan, the writer and editor who later became a leading figure in the rightward drift of radical feminism, devoted part of her keynote address to a vicious, hateful attack on transgender women. In it, she suggested that we enjoy being harassed on the street (doesn’t that sound sickeningly familiar?), said that we “parody female oppression,” accused us of “leeching off women” and demanded that we be excluded from women’s space.

In a three-page account of the controversy at the conference. Out for Good quotes Morgan at length, and, somewhat more briefly, Jeanne Cordova (editorial coordinator of Lesbian Tide and an organizer of the conference) in Elliott’s defense. But neither Elliott nor any other transsex- ual is quoted; are we not up to speak- ing for ourselves? Elliott still lives in California, and eventually managed to become active again in the lesbian and leather communities; surely she might have been asked about her feelings concerning that day. And it is not exactly a daunting task to reach her; this writer managed it without great difficulty.

And Out for Good is not exactly neutral in tone. In addition to the factual errors and omissions, consider this description of Elliott: “She might have been the only woman in the room wearing a skirt or a gown — except for the fact that Beth Elliott wasn’t a woman. Beth Elliott was a preoperative transsexual, a man in the process of trying to become a woman, who, to complicate things, claimed to be a lesbian.”

At another point. Out for Good refers to “the near-riot that Beth Elliott had caused.” Well, it takes more than one person to cause a riot, and all Beth Elliott did was accept an invitation to sing. It was who she was, not what she said or did, that “caused” the near-riot.

Elliott, who was also a founding member of the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club and who played an active role in the California Committee for Sexual Law Reform, paints an interesting picture of the early post-Stonewall queer move- ment. She says that many lesbians “judged individual transsexual women on the content of their character,” adding that “there were a lot of lesbians who had no interest in the legendary political correctness of the 1970’s.”

She also notes that many of the early-70’s lesbian communities were “very sex-positive 
 and the ‘sex purity’ movement never managed to control the lesbian community as a whole.

Tapestry article (2004)

In 2004, Dallas Denny published an exposĂ© about “autogynephilia” activist Anne Lawrence in Transgender Tapestry. In it, Denny revealed that Cartwright had a similar inappropriate experience as I did with Lawrence. Cartwright and I were both hit on after being invited to Lawrence’s home under the pretense of taking vaginoplasty result photos for Lawrence’s consumer site:

James also describes an incident of alleged inappropriate boundary crossing in Lawrence’s photography of James’ genitals for Lawrence’s website www.annelawrence.com. James says Lawrence was inappropriately seductive while James had her clothes off. Lawrence denies this.

There’s more to the story. A year or so ago, Donna Cartwright, another transsexual woman, described to Tapestry an experience virtually identical to that reported by James. At that time we chose not to go forward with an unverified allegation. This allegation has now been substantiated in the form of James’ complaint. Lawrence denies this incident also.

For a more detailed account, see Anne Lawrence incident with Donna Cartwright.

References

Staff report (July 23, 2014). NLGJA names LGBT Journalist Hall of Famers, Excellence honorees. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/NLGJA-names-LGBT-Journalist-Hall-of-Famers-Excellence-honorees/48421.html

[Editors] (2004). Concerns about Dr. Anne Lawrence. Transgender Tapestry #105, p. 13. https://archive.org/details/transgendertapes1052unse/page/12

Resources

NLGJA (nlgja.org)

Digital Transgender Archive (digitaltransgenderarchive.net)

Solidarity (solidarity-us.org)

Healthcare NOW

Donna Cartwright speech (2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BWBm0k8Y0M

Randi Ettner is an American psychologist and author known for affirming work with transgender and gender diverse people.

Background

Randi Joy (Cahan) Ettner was born in 1952 in Lincolnwood, Illinois. Ettner earned a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, followed by a master’s degree from Roosevelt University.

Ettner began working with transgender people in 1977 at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Ettner received a doctorate in psychology at Northwestern University, with a dissertation on childbirth. Ettner had additional training at Moray House School of Education in Scotland.

Ettner is founder of New Health Foundation Worldwide and works with spouse Frederic M. “Fred” Ettner, a physician.

Ettner referred transgender patients to surgeon Eugene Schrang until Schrang’s retirement. Ettner is a member of the American Psychological Association and is a Fellow, Diplomate, and served on the Board of Directors from 2001 to 2005 for the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.

Ettner has helped pass anti-discrimination laws, provided testimony on behalf of trans people seeking workplace rights, and works to secure appropriate treatment for prisoners. Ettner has also been a critic of psychologist J. Michael Bailey‘s 2003 book The Man Who Would Be Queen. Bailey claims the book was initially motivated by “gross inaccuracies in Ettner’s account of transsexualism.” Ettner works to improve understanding of trans issues, and has spoken out against attitudes used to justify violence against trans people.

Below is a clip from a 2006 interview I did with Dr. Ettner on coming out.

Publications

  • Cahan RJ (1976). A Psychology Internship: Cook County Hospital. Roosevelt University
  • Ettner R (1979). Childbirth at Home: A Preliminary Attempt to Predict Dysfunctional Labor. Northwestern University
  • Ettner R (1996). Confessions of a Gender Defender: A Psychologist’s Reflections on Life Among the Transgendered. Chicago Spectrum Press, ISBN 9781886094512
  • Ettner R (1999). Gender Loving Care: A Guide to Counseling Gender-variant Clients. W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 9780393703047, W W Norton page
  • Ettner R (2002). Book Review: Sex, Gender & Sexuality: 21st Century Transformations. By Tracie O’Keefe. Archives of Sexual Behavior Volume 31, Number 2 / April, 2002.
  • Ettner R, Harima K, King D, Landen M, Nodin Ñ, VP (2003). Transgender and Transsexuality. In Ember CR, Ember M (eds.). Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender: Men and Women in the World’s Cultures. Springer, ISBN 9780306477706
  • White T, Ettner R (2004). Disclosure, Risks and Protective Factors for Children Whose Parents Are Undergoing a Gender. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapy, 8 (1/2), 129-145.
  • White T, Ettner R (2004). Disclosure, risks, and protective factors for children whose parents are undergoing a gender transition. In Leli U, Drescher J (eds.) Transgender Subjectivities: A Clinician’s Guide. Haworth Press ISBN 9780789025760
  • Ettner R, White T, Brown GR, Shah BJ (2006). Client Aggression Towards Therapists: Is It More or Less Likely with Transgendered Clients? International Journal of Transgenderism, 2006, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 1–7.
  • White T, Ettner R (2007). Adaptation and adjustment in children of transsexual parents. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2007, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 215–221.
  • Ettner R, Monstrey S, Eyler AE (2007). Principles of Transgender Medicine and Surgery. Haworth Press, ISBN 9780789032683

References

Staff report (August 28, 1977). Randi Joy Cahan is engaged to Dr. Frederic Mark Ettner. New York Times

Lieberman AB (1992). Easing Labor Pain. Harvard Common Press, ISBN 9781558320437 p. 170

Marilynn Marchione (August 14, 1995). Small Neenah hospital a leader in sex changes. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Staff (Oct 22, 2007). Experts testify in case for hormones in prison. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Rodkin, Dennis (2003). Sex and Transsexuals. Chicago Reader

Dreger AD (2008). The controversy surrounding The Man Who Would Be Queen: a case history of the politics of science, identity, and sex in the Internet age. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2008 Jun;37(3):366-421.

Deardorff, Julie (March 22, 2001). Gender conflicts are given a clear place of study. Chicago Tribune

Morning Edition (April 3, 2001). Profile: Center opens in Chicago to help promote understanding of transsexual issues. National Public Radio

Bagby, Dyana (February 10, 2006). Fighting, preventing “trans panic.” Washington Blade http://www.washblade.com/2006/2-10/news/national/nat1.cfm

Resources

Dr. Randi Ettner (randiettner.com) [archive]

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

University of Minnesota Program in Human Sexuality (sexualhealth.umn.edu)

JoAnn Roberts (March 18, 1948–June 7, 2013) was an American publisher and activist whose important work bridges the transition from print to digital transgender resources.

Background

Roberts founded Creative Design Services (CDS) in 1985. Print magazines included:

  • Ladylike
  • International TransScript

Books included:

  • Art & Illusion: A Guide to Crossdressing
    • Vol. 1: Face & Hair
    • Vol. 2: Fashion & Style
  • The Transsexual’s Survival Guide to Transition & Beyond
    • Volume 2: for Family, Friends, & Employers
  • Coping with Crossdressing: Tools & Strategies for Partners

Roberts also produced instructional videos as well as social events like Paradise in the Poconos and Beauty And The Beach.

Roberts co-founded the Renaissance Education Association, the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition, the Congress of Transgender Organizations, the Transgender Alliance for Community, and GenderPac, and served an important role in the second International Congress on Crossdressing, Sex, and Gender.

In 1991, Roberts authored the Gender Bill of Rights.

In 1995 Roberts began developing several websites, first via CDS. then via 3-D Communications, Inc. with Jamie Faye Fenton and Angela Gardner from 1996 to 2006. Roberts absorbed all of the assets back into CDS in 2006.

  • cdspub.com
  • 3dcom.com
  • transgender.org
  • tgforum.com

Roberts died of lung cancer in 2013 and was posthumously honored with a Virginia Prince Award that year.

References

Roberts, JoAnn (1990). A Bill of Gender Rights. [archive]

Resources

Creative Design Services (cdspub.com)

Jami Kathleen Taylor is an American political scientist who has published on the transgender rights movement.

Background

Taylor earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, then a Masters in Public Administration from Old Dominion University in 2001. She then earned a Masters in Library Science at University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2005 before earning a PhD in Public Administration from North Carolina State University in 2008.

Books

The Remarkable Rise of Transgender Rights (2018). Jami K. Taylor, Daniel C. Lewis, and Donald P. Haider-Markel. University of Michigan Press, ASIN B07HNY8CYD

Transgender Rights and Politics: Groups, Issue Framing, and Policy Adoption (2014). Jami K. Taylor and Donald Haider-Markel, eds. University of Michigan Press, ASIN B00ZYNBR5K

Resources

Linkedin: jamitaylorva

University of Toledo (utoledo.edu)

Roberta Angela Dee (October 31, 1950–March 13, 2003) was an American author and transgender rights activist. A longtime critic of sexologists Ray Blanchard and Anne Lawrence for their promotion of the disease “autogynephilia,” Dee was the journalist who broke the story of Lawrence’s unconsented genital examination of an unconscious Ethiopian patient during a surgical procedure. The incident led to Lawrence’s resignation as an anesthesiologist.

Background

Dee was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in Long Island, and lived in Atlanta before becoming a resident of Augusta, Georgia. She had a journalism degree. Her writing was published widely, and she was founder of the Women on the Net (WON) website, an early online resource for women of color. Her work includes:

  • novels for Reluctant Press
    • Roberta Dee: TS Girlfriend
    • Roberta & Ren
    • Sasha
    • Roberta, a Lesbian Transsexual
    • The Business of Being a Woman
  • erotica for The Gay CafĂ© Library
  • columns for print periodical The Transvestian
  • columns for Roberta Angela Dee’s Haven on The Transgender Guide

Lawrence exposé (2002)

On October 10, 2002, Dee published the following post to soc.support.transgendered. It included the November 20, 1997 letter concluding the Washington State investigation and the 2-page Activity Report summarizing the case. While Dee says the patient was a minor, the documentation does not support that assumption. The patient was anesthetized by Lawrence prior to a hysterectomy, and the surgeon told Lawrence that the patient’s genitals appeared that way due to aging.

File on Anne A. Lawrence, M.D.

Dear Members:

I am in receipt of the document from the State of Washington, Department of Health, concerning the allegations that Anne A. Lawrence, MD, had, inappropriately examined a female minor.  Of the 10 page document provided to me, I have reproduced the most pertinent three pages as text.

Appendix G indicates that Anne Lawrence plea bargained in order to avoid a complete investigation. This, in my humble opinion, is not indicative of someone who is innocent.

If a charge of sexual impropriety had been directed at me, I would seek a thorough investigation to clear my name and remove any suspicion. Why would an innocent person do any less?

Lawrence, at one point, had two attorneys defending her. I doubt that the little girl’s parents could afford the ensuing legal battle. Consequently, Lawrence is cleared by default.

Each of us, I’m sure, will reach his or her own conclusions. However, I must say that the activities do not sit well with me.  I’ve seen this kind of thing before. A dirty doctor walks away unscathed but an innocent child, though not physically harmed, is emotionally scarred for life.

With Kind Regards,

Roberta Angela Dee

PS   If anyone suspects that I might have doctored the document or that I omitted any pertinent information, the address is provided and you may request a copy of the original document.

STATE OF WASHINGTON
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
1300 SE Quince Street  Â·  P.O. Box 47866  Â·  Olympia, WA 98504-7866

Full Lawrence file (2003)

Following Dee’s exposĂ©, I requested the full file from the state to confirm her transcription independently. Dee’s version was not redacted and included some material that was removed in the version I received upon request in 2003. Among the notable changes:

05-22-97 Call from Lee Norman. Lawrence resigned. Reason threat of adverse action. She plea bargained to stave off investigation. Unauthorized exam of pateint. [… redacted* …] The patient was not harmed. Question of moral turpitude.

* Dee’s version said the edited line about Lawrence said: “Respondent has been having bizarre behavior for a while.”

References

Dee, Roberta Angela (October 10, 2002). File on Anne A. Lawrence, M.D. soc.support.transgendered [via Google Groups archive]

Dee, Roberta Angela. The Myth of Autogynephilia. The Transgender Guide. http://www.tgguide.com/question/rad/autogynephilia.html

Roberts, Monica (February 8, 2007). Roberta Angela Dee. Transgriot. https://transgriot.blogspot.com/2007/02/roberta-angela-dee.html

Roberts, Monica (March 13, 2013). Happy Birthday, Roberta Angela Dee. Transgriot. https://transgriot.blogspot.com/2013/03/happy-birthday-roberta-angela-dee.html

Resources

The Transgender Guide (tgguide.com)

WON: Women on the Net (members.aol.com/aawon1)

Monica Katrice Roberts (May 4, 1962 – October 5, 2020) was an American journalist and transgender rights activist. Roberts was founding editor of the award-winning blog TransGriot.

Background

Roberts grew up in Houston, Texas, graduating from Jones High School in 1980 and University of Houston in 1984. Roberts was a United Airlines Customer Service Representative from 1987 to 2001.

Roberts’ writing appeared at the Bilerico Project, Ebony.com, The Huffington Post and the Advocate. Roberts began writing TransGriot as a column in 2004, then as a standalone blog in 2006.

Roberts was honored many times for this work:

  • IFGE Trinity Award (2006)
  • Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award (2015)
  • Phillips Brooks House Association’s Robert Coles Call of Service Award (2016)
  • HRC John Walzel Equality Award (2017)
  • GLAAD Media Awards (2016 and 2018)
  • Out 100 (2019)

Roberts was critical of medical and religious leaders who are critical of the transgender rights movement, including Paul McHugh. Roberts also raised the voices of trans women of color who were important historical figures in online activism, including Roberta Angela Dee.

References

Schmidt, Samantha (October 9, 2020). Monica Roberts, a pioneering transgender activist and journalist from Houston, dies at 58. Washington Post https://www.texastribune.org/2020/10/09/monica-roberts-transgender-activist/

All Things Considered (October 9, 2020). Transgender Rights Advocate And Journalist Monica Roberts Dies At 58. NPR https://www.npr.org/2020/10/09/922375866/transgender-rights-advocate-and-journalist-monica-roberts-dies-at-58

Bote, Joshua (October 9, 2020). ‘A trailblazing voice’: Monica Roberts, influential trans journalist and activist, dies at 58. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/10/09/trans-journalist-monica-roberts-founder-transgriot-dies/5939542002/

Guerra, Joey (October 8, 2020). Monica Roberts, a towering advocate for transgender rights in Houston and beyond, dies. Houston Chronicle https://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/features/article/Monica-Roberts-a-towering-advocate-for-15632154.php

Kurutz, Steven (October 13, 2020). Monica Roberts, Transgender Advocate and Journalist, Dies at 58. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/us/monica-roberts-dead.html

Shey, Brittanie (January 30, 2018). 8 Houston Women to Watch on Social Media. Houstonia Magazine https://www.houstoniamag.com/articles/2018/1/30/houston-women-social-media

Roberts, Monica (November 05, 2007). Why Is The Catholic Church Hatin’ On Transpeople? TransGriot. https://transgriot.blogspot.com/2007/11/why-is-catholic-church-hatin-on.html

Resources

TransGriot (transgriot.blogspot.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

CFAIR (cfair.blogspot.com)

Miranda Yardley (born 1967) is a British accountant, publisher, and autogynephilia” activist. Yardley identifies as transsexual and is a prominent conservative voice in the “gender critical” movement.

Background

Yardley earned a degree in accounting from Bangor University in 1990. Yardley started an accounting firm in 2000 and took over publishing music magazine Terrorizer in 2002 under the auspices of Dark Arts, Ltd. Yardley later added the titles Dominion and Sick Sounds.

In 2008, Yardley made a gender transition.

Activism

In 2014, Yardley became heavily involved in online fights about transgender politics, specifically rejecting the idea that trans women are women:

The gender critical approach establishes that “being a woman” is not a matter of an individual’s identity. Someone who is gender critical recognises that trans women are biologically male (and trans men are biologically female), that human beings are sexually dimorphic, that we are all subject to sex-based socialisation from birth. These are not value judgements; being biologically male is neither a good thing nor a bad thing. It is morally neutral.

This feminist approach views gender essentialism as the basis of women’s oppression, which as an extreme example would include violence (by men) against women. This is not to say that all men are violent, rather that male socialisation has violent aspects (like female socialisation has aspects that are, to quote a phrase, “sugar and spice and all things nice”). I therefore view gender as a harmful social construct which divides power unequally. I think of it as a hierarchy, with the sex-class “male” at the top.

Yardley (2014)

Media appearances

In 2018, Yardley was suspended from Twitter for saying Green Party spokesperson Aimee Challenor is a man. In April 2018 pro-trans cisgender activist Helen Islan brought a “transgender hate crime” complaint against Yardley that led to police involvement and a long investigation. The case was dropped in Yardley’s favor in March 2019.

Since that time, Yardley has been embraced by anti-transgender activists, appearing on their platforms, writing about trans community controversies, and working to change the UK’s 2004 Gender Recognition Act.

References

Yardley, Miranda (August 18, 2014). Kellie Maloney, Newsnight and the debate the transgender community refused to have. New Statesman https://www.newstatesman.com/world/2014/08/kellie-maloney-newsnight-and-debate-transgender-community-refused-have

Yardley, Miranda (August 30, 2016). What Autogynephilia is, and what is it not; a brief note. https://mirandayardley.com/en/what-autogynephilia-is-and-what-is-it-not-a-brief-note/

Yardley, Miranda (July 10, 2016). 17 Signs I Am An Autogynephile And Didn’t Know It. https://mirandayardley.com/en/17-signs-i-am-an-autogynephile-and-didnt-know-it/

Yardley, Miranda (July 10, 2016). Pornography And Autogynephilia In The Narratives Of Adult Transgender Males. https://mirandayardley.com/en/pornography-and-autogynephilia-in-the-narratives-of-adult-transgender-males/

Yardley, Miranda (June 17, 2017). A History of Autogynephilia. https://mirandayardley.com/en/a-history-of-autogynephilia/

Yardley, Miranda. Written evidence submitted by Miranda Yardley [1840] British Parliament https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/18025/pdf/

Resources

Miranda Yardley (mirandayardley.com)

Twitter (twitter.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

Medium (medium.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Note: In 2025, this site phased out AI illustrations after artist feedback. The previous illustration is here.

Rya Jones (born June 24, 1974) is a former American publishing executive and “autogynephilia” activist. Jones has identified as a “gender critical” transgender person and has posted many videos expressing conservative or religious views about gender.

Background

Jones graduated from Iola – Scandinavia High in 1992, then University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996 with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication. Jones served as CEO of Jones Publishing, Inc. It was founded by Jones’ parents in 1986 and has produced a number of specialty periodicals:

  • Religious (via Crosslife LLC): Today’s Christian Living, Today’s Pastor
  • Aircraft: Pipers Magazine, Cessna Owner Organization
  • Small business: Smart Retailer, Handmade Business
  • Arts and crafts: Sunshine Artist, Dolls, Doll Costuming, Doll Crafter, Dollmaking, Popular Ceramics, Ceramics Arts and Craft, Teddy Bear Review

Jones transitioned in around 2015. Jones’ time as CEO ended in 2016. In 2017, JP Media LLC purchased Jones Publishing, Inc. in a planned transfer of the company from Joe and Maggie Jones to Diana Jones, their daughter-in-law. Jones and her former spouse Diana have seven children who have been home-schooled. Jones has served as an ordained pastor in Cornerstone Churches in Wisconsin and studied part-time for a Master’s in Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Jones now identifies as a “former pastor.” Jones has been involved with Madison Community Cooperative and has been licensed as a health insurance agent with Humana.

Online activity

Jones uses several online handles, including:

  • Rya N.T. Jones
  • HeyThisIsRya

Jones published a number of videos on YouTube about various gender-critical topics including a possible “detransition” before removing all of the videos. Collaboration videos with other gender-critical people like Miranda Yardley are still online:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31k1xHFUcgk

Resources

Jones Publishing (jonespublishing.com) [archive]

JP Media LLC (jpmediallc.com)

LinkedIn: ryajones

Facebook: HeyThisIsRya

YouTube: HeyThisIsRya (most videos from previous channel deleted)

Andrea James is an American filmmaker and consumer activist.

Background

Andrea Jean James was born on January 16, 1967 in Wisconsin. James and sibling Greg (born 1969) were adopted. Their parent Nancy (born 1937) worked at several nonprofits, and their parent Warren (1934-2016) ran a small farm before taking several roles at a steel mill.

James grew up in Franklin, Indiana, earned a bachelor’s degree in English, Latin, and Greek at Wabash College in 1989, then received a master’s degree in English at University of Chicago in 1990. James then worked in advertising in Chicago at the Chicago Tribune and several ad agencies. During gender transition, James developed several consumer resources for trans people, including tsroadmap.com, the predecessor to this website.

Media activism

James moved to Los Angeles and produced several popular instructional videos with Calpernia Addams, covering voice, makeup, facial feminization surgery, and coming out. They also produced and performed in the first all-transgender production of The Vagina Monologues in 2004. In 2008, they were in the first dating show with trans-attracted suitors, with Addams as the first out transgender star.

James served on the boards of several nonprofits and has consulted on and helped produce many film and television projects with trans themes.

The Man Who Would Be Queen (2003)

James was a key figure in the community response to the 2003 book The Man Who Would Be Queen by J. Michael Bailey. James and Lynn Conway began methodically documenting and examining the network of people engaged in the academic exploitation of sex and gender minorities, finding that a small group of “experts” were responsible for the majority of harmful beliefs and practices concerning the community.

James published the 2006 overview “A defining moment in our history.” The community response was described as “one of the most organized and unified examples of trans activism to date” (Surkan, 2007).

Academic backlash (2007)

Following a 2007 campaign of defamation led by the academics promoting disease models of gender identity and expression, James began working to close ringleader Kenneth Zucker‘s gender clinic at CAMH in Toronto. James gathered evidence for Zucker’s employer, presented a 2008 paper about the populist response called “Fair comment, foul play,” and began collecting information from former CAMH patients. Alice Dreger reprinted a piece from Zucker’s journal in the 2015 book Galileo’s Middle Finger, prompting James to respond with “Sexology’s war on transgender children.” Zucker was fired in 2015 and the clinic was closed.

Media backlash (2014)

The American trans rights movement entered a decadent phase following the election of Barack Obama. Following a series of political gains, complacency and infighting reached a peak in late 2014, and both media coverage and public opinion began to turn negative. The backlash accelerated following the election of Donald Trump, concentrated on several hot-button topics: military service, sports, prisoners, public accommodation, and gender diverse youth.

Following publication of an egregiously biased 2018 cover story on transgender “desistance” in The Atlantic, James began working on The Transphobia Project, a long-term effort to document the key media figures and platforms engaged in propagating biased content about gender identity and expression.

References

Surkan K (2007). Transsexuals protest academic exploitation. In Faderman, Lillian (ed). Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Events, 1848-2006. Salem Press, 2007, pp. 700–702. ISBN9781587652653 (PDF)

James AJ (2006). A defining moment in our history: Examining disease models of gender identityGender Medicine, 2006(3;1) p. S56 https://doi.org/doi|10.1016/S1550-8579(06)80121-X

James AJ (June 11, 2015). Sexology’s war on transgender children. Boing Boing http://boingboing.net/2015/06/11/sexologys-war-on-transgender.html

Hiscott, Rebecca (June 26, 2019). This Is What Transphobia in the Media Looks Like. Kickstarter Magazine https://medium.com/kickstarter/this-is-what-transphobia-in-the-media-looks-like-3b9da535322e

When The Atlantic published its July/August 2018 cover story on transgender youth, Andrea James was among the chorus of trans writers and activists who excoriated it for being biased. “Editor Jeffrey Goldberg published it despite many warnings that it was likely to be a dog whistle, a kind of bias that most people won’t notice,” she says.

The article focused on the disputed concept of “desistance,” which views gender nonconforming children as having a disease to be cured, delegitimizing the experiences and struggles of the majority of trans youth. “It also came out that elite journalists” — including the author of the Atlantic piece — “were excluding transgender journalists from backchannels where they were discussing coverage,” James says.

Bolded sections removed after complaint by Jesse Singal

Resources

Andrea James (andreajames.com)

Note: In 2025, this site phased out AI illustrations after artist feedback. The previous illustration is here.

K.J. Surkan (born February 6, 1969) is an American author and academic whose work focuses on gender.

Background

Surkan earned a bachelor’s degree from Smith College in 1991, then attended University of Minnesota, earning a master’s degree and Ph.D. in English.

Surkan’s 2006 article “Transsexuals Protest Academic Exploitation” summarized the turning point in the academic exploitation of transgender people.

Surkan began teaching at MIT in 2005.

Resources

Academia.edu (mit.academia.edu)

LinkedIn: KJ Surkan