Hard to isolate my proudest moment, as I have had so many, but I will share a few:
– My daughter, a psychology professor, leads a psychology club that meets weekly at her university. She invited me to speak to her group. Met me as Rhonda only when I arrive for the presentation on crossdressing. Faculty were present. She asked if I should introduce her as her father. I said she was free to do as she pleased. She did. I was very proud of her. She arranged subsequent events which attracted standing room only crowds, including top university officials, giving us a chance to educate. Recently she won a top university award, in part for her interest in promoting needs of the LBGTQ community. She and other university officials may help us get an IRB for a worldwide study on crossdressing that would satisfy standards so as to be viewed as credible for medical science.
– I (as Rhonda) was asked to fill in for the minister of an MCC congregation on vacation. I focused my message on the importance of acceptance (removing the log from one’s own eye before removing the spec from another), brotherly love (one of the greatest commandments), and apologized to the congregation for having previously had negative prejudices that distanced me from caring to understand or associate with the LGBTQ community. All present made me feel very loved, welcome and comfortable
– A member of that congregation asked me to play piano for her holy union ceremony with her lesbian partner… I wore an elegant dress she had donated to me from her wardrobe. Her partner dressed en drab. A wedding photo highlights the diversity of the three of us, of different races, sexual preference, and gender presentation, all accepting of each other and of one spirit.
– I, along with a WPATH Board member and the chairwoman of Tri-Ess, presented to an annual conference of WPATH in an effort to revise the Standards of Practice to clearly include crossdressers among those considered “transgender,” and entitled to be treated as part of that community with respect to medical care and other privileges afforded that segment of the population. This was warmly received, revisions made, and led to modification of their training of others (primarily doctors and counselors) in their GEI (Global Education Initiative.)
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