🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <2n77nu$80u@crl.crl.com>, tala@crl.com (Tala Brandeis) writes:
|>  Transsexuals need
|> to study what it means to be a women and know the consciousness of
|> women to a much greater depth than most women who have yet to 
|> develop a consciousness of feminism.  Or as my lover has stated,
|> "Transsexuals should at least have Women's Studies 201 prior to
|> attempting to enter a women's only group."  While that may be
|> out of the realm of many working class transsexual lesbians, 
|> libraries do exist.  

Well put, Tala. Just because I am a female wannabe, I cannot expect
to be any more of a female for associating myself with exclusively
female organizations. My only consciousness of feminism has been obtained
vicariously via the Significant Others in my life, and the level of
sensitivity I can obtain based upon that experience is analagous to
looking at a photograph of the Grand Canyon relative to standing on
the South Rim and gaping in open-mouthed wonder. 

I genuinely hope to be able to bring something to the party some day, but
I do not expect to be able to do that without years of experience, pain and
education. Dressing up, passing and getting "ma'amed" by a female clothing
salesperson cannot make me a feminist. Suffering the sting of being
talked down to by an ignorant appliance salesperson could be but the first 
baby step along a long and difficult path to understanding.

My only hope is that when I get to the point of *needing* the support
of some feminist organization, for the same reasons other women need
such support, someone will be willing to help just a little. Such a
person will earn my undying gratitude, along with my commitment to 
pay the debt forward to the next person who needs help.
-- 

 Olivia Danielle Palmer     "This is *not* my second childhood;                                           
 slammer@delphi.com          I am not done with the *first* one yet!"