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| www.biography.com |
You call me
A fighter
But I know
I'm not.
For a real fighter
Is Christine Jorgensen.
Who
Pioneered a revolution
In the understanding
Of how gender is viewed.
Also
How post-op transwomen are
Treated medically
In our HRT programme.
By being herself
In championing
Trans rights
As her life work.
You must realize
The 1950s and 1960s
Being an open LGBT+ person
Was to blacklist yourself.
Given
The misguided association
With communism
And the "Red" scare
Throughout
The west.
A fact
Ms Jorgensen discovered
To her horror.
When
Her wedding licence request
Was rejected
(in 1959).
As her birth certificate
Listed her
As male.
A fight
Grateful
I don't have
To face.
To face.
For I can have
My gender change
On my birth certificate
Without undergoing
The surgeon's scalpel.
And yet
So much
Hate and ignorance
From her time
Remains.
To be fought
By mine
And future generations
To make Ms Jorgensen's dream
A reality.
Therisa © 2016
Author's note: For more information, about Ms Jorgensen's life, please click on the following linking: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
In Canada, the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia, are the only two provinces, which allows a transperson, to change their gender, on their birth certificate. without having to undergo, any type of surgery that may be viewed, as a form of SRS.
10 comments:
Wow, Therisa, thanks for this education. I didnt know about Christine, though I may have read about her and forgotten. I cant begin to imagine how she must have been treated in the 50's when people are still so ignorant today. It was very old school back then. I remember. (When the first hippies arrived in City Park in Kelowna, they were run out of town. "We dont want their sort here". My best friend was homosexual in a high school full of Good Old Boys who tormented him mercilessly. I have written that story, a sad one, as he committed suicide some years ago. I am thankful we have two provinces who will update birth certificates. Thanks for enlightening us. Why do people have to struggle so hard just to be who they are? It is a strange world. I love this poem.
A wonderful tribute!
This is very timely, given what's going on in North Carolina and elsewhere. Thank you for sharing with us Ms. Jorgensen and her heroism in fighting for the simple right to live as herself.
I remember her story and I can't imagine being that brave. There is a saying "the more thing change, the more they stay the same" I sincerely hope that this is not the case for all women who want to claim their true identity in whatever form they choose.
Well said.
Powerful words here. Thankful for those who fight for HUMAN decency, above all else.
When I was still living at home, ages ago, I found a small stack of newspapers my father had kept, on a bookshelf in the basement. Most were predictable, like the JFK assassination, the moon landing and such. But he had also kept the story of Christine Jorgensen.
I vaguely remember Christine Jorgenson. I also remember that she was the subject of jokes and derogatory comments. I was very young then and just listened but I'm sure I was subconsciously influenced by the talk. I hope my subconscious has caught up with my open mind. Thank you for paying her tribute.
I vaguely remember this but thanks for the extra info. I'm sorry it is so hard. There are so many things I would change or maybe we don't need change as much as understanding and compassion.
I remember Christine Jorgensen very well - not that I knew her personally of course, but she did get a lot of media coverage in my youth. She was a pioneer. Good on her for being such a champion.
What great pioneering work, and how progress seems to be followed by relapse... Cannot understand why people are scared
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