Not surprisingly, the editors at Res Gestae asked me to rewrite my article submission (too little school specific content). So, I did. I still think it is not worthy of publishing anywhere, let alone in a law school newspaper, but what do I know.
Anyway, the new version is below the fold.
My Opinion
by Denise Brogan
I hope you don’t really want my opinion on the things in this article; that would give me cause to worry about you and I have too many other things to worry about right now. Still, people seem to ask my opinion on things a lot and I’ve also been asked (more than once) to write an article for this publication (be grateful that in nearly 2 years here, I’ve resisted to this point). Maybe it’s my age. I’m about twice the average age of a Michigan Law student, and I’ve had some interesting life experiences (hey, how many of you have lived aboard a submarine for four years, raised three kids to happy adulthood, made and lost a million dollars, and what else was it….oh yeah, changed sex?). That combination of age and experiences has probably given me a unique perspective on things, but maybe not. So, I’m going to write about a few things that people seem to always ask me. Feel free to skip this article, disagree with anything said, or give me a hug in the hallways.
Why are you in law school?
I came to law school after a successful business career because I reached a point in my life where I really needed to make a difference in the world. It’s my version of a mid-life crisis. It is often said that young people are idealists but get pragmatic as they age (said another way, young people are often liberals until they amass enough wealth to conserve). I live backwards. I am a reformed Republican. Now, I am an idealist who believes that we need to give back to our communities and stand up for those whose voices are drowned out by the majority. There are a great many social causes worthy of time, money and attention. But, since I’m just one person, I picked the one that is important to me (hopefully, I don’t ignore the others – I really do believe in Martin Luther King’s sentiment that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”). I am here to learn better how to help the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and, of course, Transgender communities achieve social equality.
Is the new wireless access policy good or evil?
EVIL. It is the thing that annoys me the most about our Law School. It is paternalistic in the extreme, and ineffective in achieving its stated goals, in my opinion. Moreover, it has kept me from being able to do things that I think are important. For example, it annoys me that I can’t access Lexis/Westlaw during class. But, all of that may just be due to the perspective of having had it and then lost it. Two years from now, when no student here has had the experience of being able to surf while in class it may no longer be an issue. For now, there’s always FreeCell whenever an instructor fails to keep my attention (I understand that before computers, students had to resort to more arcane distractions like crossword puzzles during class).
What did you think of the guys in drag in last month’s Res Gestae?
I loved it. 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!
Do you worry about grades?
Yes, but I really try not to. I recognize that young people in law school, preparing for their first career, are under a different sort of pressure to achieve. So much seems to ride on your grades. The same thing that motivated us to seek a top 10 law school motivates us to compete and our success in that is measured by grades. But, I am not seeking a firm job after graduation and having high grades means really little to the employers I will seek. So, I honestly try to look at my classes as an opportunity to learn what I can about the workings of our legal system and the law, with special emphasis on the areas I care about, such as civil rights, family law, etc. 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?
What is your favorite thing about law school?
The opportunity it’s given me to meet smart, interested people and to get involved in things I care about. I started a student group last year (not exclusive to the Law School) called TransForUM, which is a group for transgender identified students, faculty, administrators and alumni (we have members in each category). I’ve also been on the Outlaws board and on the Advisory Board for the LGBTA office on campus. I really do enjoy most of my classes and all of my instructors.