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Weekly Show AlertsMAKING CONTACT - a weekly international radio program
Transgender Bender: Moving Beyond the Binary System
July 28, 2004
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Until the 1950s in the United States, in a binary system that included only male or female, gender was simply a matter of plumbing. Now gender is more commonly understood to be more complex-and sometimes separate from the body. On this edition, we take a look at a couple navigating their relationship through the crossfire of gender identity, follow one woman's experience of changing her sex, and explore legislation and public education efforts to protect transgender people.
Featuring:
Chris and Liz, a couple caught in the gender crossfire; Nicole McRory, transgender musician; Dainna Cicetello, counselor and educator, Gender Identity Center; Sut Jhally, executive director, Media Education Foundation; Laurie, former spouse of Nicole McRory; Gwen Smith, transgender activist; Paisley Currah, director, Transgender Law and Policy Institute; Jamison Green, author and educator; Marcus Arana, discrimination investigator, San Francisco Human Rights Commission.
For more information:
Sut Jhally, Media Education Foundation
60 Masonic Street
Northampton, MA 01060
800-897-0089 or 413-584-8500; fax: 800-659-6882 or 413-586-8398; info@mediaed.org
www.mediaed.org
Nicole McRory
www.nicolemcrory.com
www.havenofearmovie.com
Gender Identity Center of Colorado
1401 Saulsbury St., Suite G-9
Lakewood, CO 80214
303-202-6466;info@gicofcolo.org
www.gicofcolo.org
LGBT and HIV Unit
San Francisco Human Rights Commission
415-252-2500
www.sfgov.org/sfhumanrights
Transgender Law and Policy Institute
info@transgenderlaw.org
www.transgenderlaw.org
Jamison Green
www.jamisongreen.com
book information: www.vanderbilt.edu/vupress/jamisongreen.html
Remembering Our Dead, Transgender Day of Remembrance
gender@gender.org
www.gender.org/remember
www.gender.org/remember/day
Review of this program on PRX (Public Radio Exchange):
Posted: 02-11-2005
Reviewer: David Swatling, Radio Netherlands
This is an excellent introduction to the issues that confront the transgender community. The mainstream magazine-style structure of the program should appeal to stations which might have qualms about the subject. The first segment introduces an engaging transgender couple navigating the complexities of their relationship with love and a good dose of humor. Next a musician tells recounts her difficult journey toward "gender equalibrium," interspersed with experts defining the elusive term "transgender." And finally, current legislation regarding hate crimes and discrimination is discussed, with a particular distinction between transgendered individuals and the gay and lesbian community at large - an important point often misunderstood. While it bothered me a little that the program became less personal and more narrator driven with each segment, the overview presented is balanced and thorough. The series Making Contact is committed to stories and viewpoints not often heard on mass media. This is a prime example and should not be overlooked by broadcasters.
Rating: 5/5
Adjectives: NPR NewsMagazine-y, Polished, Thorough