17c起草社区

From Our Archives: 27 July, 1995

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GREEN LIGHT FOR TRANY BIKERS

The Star announced after Dykes on Bikes held a 鈥榗ivil and friendly meeting鈥� at the Iron Duke Hotel to settle the question of trans membership once and for all.

Star contributor Kimberley O鈥橲ullivan reported Dykes on Bikes voted overwhelmingly in favour of trans inclusion during a meeting at the Iron Duke Hotel in Alexandria in July 1995 (17c起草社区, page one, 27 July 1995).

There were 30 votes in favour, 12 against and two abstentions.

The battle over trans inclusion erupted for Dykes on Bikes after a member wrote an anonymous letter to the organisation鈥檚 secretary raising concerns about 鈥渢he admittance of people other than female born lesbians鈥�.

鈥淲hile the media was excluded from the meeting, members afterwards described the discussion on transgender membership as civil and friendly,鈥� the Star reported.

A spokesperson for the Transgender Liberation Coalition, Aidy Griffin, described the Dykes on Bikes vote as 鈥渁 rejection of divisive and sectarian politics and a signal to those few remaining organisations who exclude tranys that they are isolated from general lesbian opinion.鈥�

For too many decades, lesbian and gay organisations including the Star found it difficult to include trans members. The ill-fated Lesbian Space Project could not agree on the question, nor could the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, which split after a motion to expel transgender activist Norrie-May Welby was carried by two votes in March 鈥�93.

Sydney鈥檚 gay bars and clubs were similarly exclusionist, unless trans and gender diverse people were there to entertain. In which case, exceptions were made.

鈥淟esbian Rights, Gay Rights, Trany Rights Now!鈥�

When the Star made space for trans voices, Norrie-May Welby let rip:

鈥淭rannies have been part of the queer community since the Stonewall uprising of 1969, but in our individual struggles 鈥� we have often distanced ourselves from our gay male and lesbian siblings.

鈥淭he powerbrokers in the queer community, usually being from the more mainstream backgrounds (ie: white, upper middle class, anglo-centric, politically conservative and philosophically conventional) seem to have overlooked their tranny sisters and brothers when the 鈥済ay鈥� movement was renamed the 鈥済ay and lesbian鈥� movement.

鈥淲hilst I have no argument with the need for lesbian visibility that led to this change in the 鈥�80s, it鈥檚 a pity that 鈥済ay鈥� was then re-interpreted to mean 鈥済ay males鈥� (or even 鈥済ay men鈥�, a term that excludes gay youth, but then, they鈥檙e so often disempowered . . . but I digress).

鈥淭rannies were welcome in the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. We worked in gay and lesbian bars, nightclubs and other events, we did the shows, we designed the lights, we checked the coats, we served at the bar, we worked the door.”

鈥淲e were definitely at the Gay and Lesbian Party, as it were, but without an invite,” Norrie-May Welby wrote in Gender Agenda (17c起草社区, 13 November 1992)

Welby noted how the Stonewall March in Sydney earlier that year was supported by thousands of lesbians, gay males, trannies, other queers and their supporters, who chanted 鈥淟esbian Rights, Gay Rights, Trany Rights Now!鈥�

The Anti-Violence Project (AVP) had also stepped up, welcoming for the first time a trans person in its gay and lesbian self-defence course, in October 1992.

鈥淭he AVP may run a tranny-specific course if there鈥檚 enough interest. Their number is 360 6650. Tell them I sent you!,鈥� Welby wrote.

鈥淐onsciousness-raising, knowing that it鈥檚 okay to be who we are, whatever that may be for every individual tranny, and knowing that there鈥檚 a place for us here in the queer community (for those of us who don鈥檛 opt to forever assimilate in the straight world, of course, an undeniably valid lifestyle choice), are very much on the agenda in the nineties.

“Visible acceptance. It鈥檚 our right!鈥�

In claiming a place for trans and gender diverse people and by asserting the importance of visibility and consciousness-raising, Welby argued for no more nor less than what gays and lesbians demanded themselves.

More than half a million lesbians and gays marched on Washington in April the following year, motivated by a very clear agenda:

鈥淭he Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender movement recognises that our quest for social justice fundamentally links us to the struggles against racism and sexism, class bias, economic injustice and religious intolerance,鈥� the 1993 March on Washington statement said.

鈥淲e must realise if one of us is oppressed we are all oppressed. The diversity of our movement requires us to stand in opposition to all forms of oppression that diminishes the quality of life for all people.

鈥淲e will be vigilant in our determination to rid our movement and our society of all forms of oppression and exploitation, so that all of us can develop to our full human potential without regard to race, religion, sexual orientation/identification, identity, gender and gender expression, ability, age, or class.鈥� (Reprinted in the 17c起草社区, page 14, 21 August 1992.)