From: lbear@crl.com Date: Wed, 23 Aug 1995 19:15:25 -0700 X-Personal_Name: Michael Hernandez Subject: Call for Submissions trans/FAGs CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: ARTICLES, PERSONAL NARRATIVES, FICTION, POETRY DRAWINGS, PHOTOS, ART We are seeking contributions from: - Anyone born in a female body whose self-identity is that of a gay or bisexual man - Anyone who perceives themselves as androgynous/third gender but seeks to relate to male sexual partners as a male. - Gay men - Significant Others (SO's) of gay FTMs ABOUT THE BOOK: trans/FAGs, an anthology of art and writing by, about, and for gay-male-identified FTMs, is dedicated to the late Lou Sullivan, who made the world safe for gay FTMs. This book has been a longtime dream of Julian Michaels (editor). Co-editor Michael Hernandez has also wanted to work on a project like this for some time. With your help we can make it a reality! Gay-identified FTMs tend to have very low visibility: most attention goes to MTFs, then to straight FTMs, then, if at all, to us; therefore our brothers out there, especially in the Flyover, are still trying to figure out what they are, confused because 'I don't like girls, I like boys, but not as a girl, I see myself as a boy too.' This book is meant to tear the cloak of invisibility and break the silence. Since we are the focus of the book the goal is to create a finished product which primarily contains the voice of the first two groups identified above and a limited voice from gay men and SO's. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: We are looking for biography/memoir, fiction, poetry, drama, song, cartoon, drawing, collage, photography, fiber art, sculpture, or any other expressive art form you can think of! The tone can be serious, humorous, surreal, erotic, etc. Reprints from previous publications considered, although original pieces preferred. All manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced and include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for return of submission. They can also be transmitted to us via e-mail or submitted on disk. Photographs should be black and white and MUST be accompanied by model releases. The title of the photograph and your name, address and telephone number should be labeled on the back of EACH photo and a SASE provided for the return of the photographs. Please don't send us one-of-a-kind artworks. Send photos, slides, or photocopies for us to evaluate first. If you need these returned, include a SASE. You don't need to wait until you have finished work to get in touch! If you have an idea in mind, we would be happy to work with you from the planning stage to develop your vision. Both of us are writers (fiction and non) and Julian is an artist and photographer. SUBMISSIONS/QUERIES SHOULD BE SENT TO: JULIAN (Msjulian@aol.com) or MICHAEL (lbear@crl. com.) Please contact Julian at (415) 780-9349 if you're not online for a snail mail address. Submissions that do not include a SASE will NOT be returned! DEADLINE: OCTOBER 31, 1995 (HALLOWEEN/SAMHAIN) POSSIBLE TOPICS: First Memories of Feeling Male, Expecting To Grow Up Male Childhood Feelings About and Adaptations To Inner Gay Male Identity Role Models/Identifications/Fantasy Alter Egos As We Grew Up The Crisis of Gay Male Puberty In A Female Body Attractions to Boys, Dating Boys As A 'Straight Female' Trying to 'FIT IN' (being unaware of/in denial about our transgender queer self) 'Coming Out' To Ourselves as Gay Males/FTMs Deciding to Embark on The Change Transitioning: Practical and Emotional Aspects Unique To Gay FTMs Dealing With Boyfriends/Husbands; Friends; Family: 'Gee, if you like guys why not just stay a girl?' Dealing with Straight Men and Women as a Man: Closeted vs. Out Being A Gay Man Among Other Gay Men: Acceptance, Rejection, Crushes, Dating, Sex, SOs The Penis Problem: Having Less Than A Perfect One (Or None At All) In A Phallocentric Culture Children: Telling A Child Mommy's Now Male And Gay; Childless and Wanting A Child (Biological or Adopted) As A Gay Man Issues of Aging: Mourning The Gay Youth We Never Had, Changing After 40/50/60 The book is certainly not limited to this list and we're eager to see other suggestions and topics. LET YOUR IMAGINATION BE FREE! GOALS: We DO want to regard this as a chance to forge bonds with each other as brothers, to create a supportive community. We DO want us to respect each other and treat each other with empathy and consideration even when we disagree. We DO want us to have fun, be creative, care more about self-expression and growth than about the end product. Concentrate on the process and let the beautiful product emerge on its own. We DO want diversity. We DO want us to deal with the spiritual and imaginal dimensions of our condition, such as personal mythology, karma, being 'two-spirited.' We DO want to break taboos. Wild, erotic, exotic is good. If you want to write about the glory hole circuit in Timbuktu, go for it. Let's talk about our sexuality. We DON'T want the focus of THIS book to be "the FTM phenomenon as part of the butch lesbian community." The goal here is to have a book which celebrates trans/FAGs as a separate and unique group with our own issues and concerns as opposed to a variant or extension of another community. We DON'T want to include articles by observers of our lives such as academics and treatment providers. This doesn't mean our articles can't cite academic studies, positively or critically, that have meaning for us, or discuss treatment issues and experiences (good and bad). We DON'T want articles solely dealing in disembodied, intellectualized abstractions such as "Is gender real or a construct?" If how YOU answer that question affects how you feel about yourself and how you live your daily life, write about it, but don't forget to personalize it. We DON'T want to focus on political rants. If being a political activist is part of your life, write about it, but don't forget to personalize it. For example we don't want "Employment Discrimination Against The Transgendered." We DO WANT "How I got canned when I told my boss I was transsexual." We DON'T want someone to feel intimidated about writing or creating something because s/he isn't a professional published writer or a professional artist who's been shown in galleries. Each of our stories is important and deserves to be heard. AUDIENCE: The book will first address the subjects of the book -- transgendered gay men (i.e. gay FTMs). Secondly, we would like to interest transgendered men, gay men, women questioning or in search of their identity and gender roles. Lastly, we would like this book to educate those professionally interested in our community, such as academics and health care providers. It's a fascinating topic from anthropological, sociological, psychological and spiritual viewpoints. Researchers in the fields of gender and sexuality will need to read and reference the book in their work since there is little in the literature about us as yet. PLEASE PARTICIPATE IN THIS GROUND-BREAKING PROJECT! For years we, the editors, have wished there was a book like this, and have heard you, our fellow gay FTMs express frustration at our lack of voice and visibility. This is our chance to change that, and we hope you will take this opportunity to 'put us on the map' rather than sitting back and assuming that someone else will express, in words or images, what you've always wanted to express about your experience. Maybe 'they' will--and maybe 'they' won't. Please don't deprive the rest of us of your talent, your insight, your hard-won wisdom gained from dealing with what Jan Morris called the 'conundrum' of being transgendered. Even if you aren't able to contribute yourself, get in touch if you have ideas about what you'd like to see in the book, and help us publicize this call for submissions. THANK YOU!