I was asked to write an article for the Res Gestae, our law school's student newspaper. I don't have time to do all my homework and write blog entries so don't ask me why I agreed to write the damn thing. My Girl says it's because I don't have the word "NO" in my vocabulary. The article is, in my opinion, boring, irrelevant, and sans verve. But, at least I feel like I fulfilled my [perceived] obligation to write something. Because I've not had time to write anything here in the past few days, I include it here. Readers of this blog will find nothing new in it. I offer it only as a filler of time and space.
Reflections on November
by Denise Brogan
November is an important month in my life. I know you don’t (and shouldn’t) give two cents for what’s important to me, but then you shouldn’t be reading this anyway – finals are just three short weeks away. And I apologize, but there are no hidden gems of insight or advice or titillation in this piece; it’s all just about me – after all, isn’t everything? So, why are you still reading?
Don’t get me wrong I love October. I love the turning of the leaves and the mild temperatures before the cold sets in. The madness of September and restarting school are behind, the pressure of finals are in the hazy future. The main topic on LawOpen is football tickets (and how much scalping one can get away with). And, I love the fun of Halloween. In the transgender community we always talked about Halloween as the “high holy day for crossdressers”. It is the one day a year when people can get away with playing with gender (we use a stronger word than “playing”, but I’ll leave that to your imagination) without the normative social sanctions that otherwise win the day. It was great for me to see other transgenders in last month’s Res Gestae. You girls totally rock. Now, if only we can get someone to nominate a lesbian for Mr. Wolverine we’ll really be onto something!
But, when November rolls around I find myself taking stock of the priorities in my life. In the first half of the month are family birthdays. My mother was born in November and she is both elderly and in poor health. My eldest daughter was born in November (she’s 23 – nearly as old as the average age in this school; damn, but that makes me feel ancient). She was born prematurely and had to fight for her life for the first months of it. The importance I place on those two events speak to the value that I place on family in my life and, arguably, to central elements of my identity as a person and as a parent.
In the second half of the month another event occurs that is important to my identity and helps me to remember why I’m in law school at my advanced age. Every year, for the past seven, members of the transgender community and its allies have commemorated Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). TDOR began as a local (San Francisco) phenomenon in 1999, but has grown to include national and even international recognition. It serves as a means to memorialize the victims of deadly violence, violence inflicted upon its victims for the fact of their transgressions against gender norms, and to raise awareness of transgender lives – to lift us above, if only for a moment, the obscurity and indifference that typify our existence in the broader culture.
As this month progresses, I become more aware that final exams are looming. I am fortunate in that I am somewhat freer of the need to obsess over grades, and consequently over finals, but I’m also not oblivious to them. I came to law school after a successful business career with a vision of making a difference in the lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and, of course, Transgender (LGBT) people. To do that, I need to actually learn something. I am confident that if I learn something in each of my classes I will pass – and thus far, my thesis has proved true – however, near the end of each semester I again contemplate what life might look like if I fail and I do actually panic a wee bit. What do you suppose a middle age, transsexual, law school drop-out earns anyway?
And, finally, comes Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year, bar none. I’m a big believer in showing appreciation for what you’ve got. And, I’ve much to be appreciative for this year:
· I am only 4 weeks away from having completed two-thirds of my law school career.
· I am old enough to join AARP, but I can still climb the stairs of Hutchins with a backpack full of law books.
· My children are happy and healthy (a corollary to that is that I’m also appreciative of their intelligence and hard work in that they got scholarships and Dad didn’t have to pay their tuition (yes, my kids call me Dad)).
· I live close enough to Canada to be able to legally (at least there!) marry my partner when this term ends.
· My mom is still with me and still mentally as sharp as ever.
· I drive a hybrid that gets 50+ miles per gallon.
· I’m the first openly out transsexual ever accepted into this fine Law School, and I’m appreciative that I’m here.
· I’m appreciative of the hard work that so many people have put forth to see that the University’s bylaws are amended to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression.
· I’m appreciative of the truly fabulous people that I’ve met at the University of Michigan Law School, and am honored to call many of them friends.
OK, that’s my article. I told you that it was all about me and that you shouldn’t waste your time reading it. But, here you are. Well, be appreciative of the fact that I will probably never write another one. Happy Thanksgiving!