exMan?

[horns666]

Re: exMan?

"I just don't think that it needed to be mentioned here on the forum, unless she initiated it or wanted it to be known."


well that is what I'm trying to say..

[~K~]

Re: exMan?

[ QUOTE ]
no..I agree with that..

but the only one I don't see responding or commenting on this matter is...her..

that's all I'm saying...if she were then different story I guess..

[/ QUOTE ]

We exchanged a brief email between us this am and I told her she is still welcome here and nothing changes, she was respected before and she will continue on that path here ...

Personally the way everyone went after that LuneeV character without knowing all the facts who could blame her for not sharing it here ...

[sully]

Re: exMan?

i'm honestly unsure on whether to move the thread or not. i think what chuck, cleve, kev, and what many others have said are great points. annah is respected here and is most certainly welcome; there's no reason for her not to be.

i'm sure that if she wanted to share this with the board, she would have. then again, she was on national tv; you can't do that and expect no one to see it.

....unless the show is on the WB. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

so anyway, as long as the thread stays respectful, i'm kinda okay with it remaining unless the majority of you feel it should be removed. either way.

i will say that this bit of news better not impact the way that she's treated here.

sully

[horns666]

Re: exMan?

OK...as long as she was advised.

that's cool then...I suppose.

hey ...as long as she's "cool" with it...that's all that matters.. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Soloist1]

Re: exMan?

Why would you send her an email telling her she's still welcome here? Basically it kind of implies her personal life choices would have some kind of effect on membership to the forum. Seems like she's being treated like a suspect who's being judged before the trial.

[~K~]

Re: exMan?

My intent wasn't negative, it was positive.. your taking it in a negative manner..

[horns666]

Re: exMan?

I can understand the purpose of the email...there is some pretty "MEAN" people here at times..

very mean...mean.....mean....

just like me.. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[~K~]

Re: exMan?

Eh Bill, your just misunderstood

[horns666]

Re: exMan?

I know... [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Soloist1]

Re: exMan?

I'm not taking it in any manner. I didn't get the email. I'm making you aware that sending something like that to her puts her in a position where she's being treated differently because of the whole sex change thing. If some member found out I have one eye and posts all over the forum about it could I expect and email saying I'm still welcomed? Just trying to make a point that she may have felt like she's going to be treated differently here because of it even though she's still welcome. I'm not saying your treating her negatively Kev. Just that she could take it as being negative.

[~K~]

Re: exMan?

Well my concern was the same lynch mob mentality when we dealt with the LuneeV situation in the past.

Annah has always been cool and has always contributed to the board.. I didn't want to lose that ..

[Chuckracer]

Re: exMan?

Hey, Jimmy B has one ball, and we don't treat him any differently...well, maybe you cool members don't... [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

OK, trying to be light-hearted here. [img]/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img]

I'm impressed with how cool and respectful everybody's being here! [img]/images/graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img]

[Soloist1]

Re: exMan?

I understand. I just think the toughest thing for Annah right now is how she will be treated differently because of it. And it's little things that don't seem out of place to the people who do them that you notice the most. Even though they are there backing her some things have changed in the way people interact with her.

[Annah]

Re: exMan?

Hey guys,

You guys just rock.

First of all, I would like to say THANK YOU to those of you who have shown your compassion and acceptance with me and my situation. I appreciate it FAR MORE than you may ever know! It means a LOT to me.

Second of all, yes, that was me on Discovery Health and yes, I am transsexual.

Third of all, and it is extremely important that people understand this: being transsexual is not a choice. We do not one day wake up and say, “Hey! I think I’ll change into a girl today!” It is something we struggle with all of our lives, 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. There is a choice, of sorts, and that comes in doing something about it. Most of us “choose” to live with incredible amounts of fear, shame, guilt and depression. It is when we stop trying to suppress who we really are, and allow ourselves to BE, that people think we have made a choice to change our sex. Sadly, our group of people has one of the highest mortality rates (because of suicide and murder) of all.

It is also important to realize that the media sensationalizes transsexuality to the nth degree. People like Jerry Springer should be slapped hard for that! We are not like that! And to assume that every transsexual person is a “Hooker with a Penis” (a little Tool reference for you there) is just lame.

Most people who don’t know a trans-person personally do not understand the situation, hell, even WE don’t fully understand it! It’s a very perplexing issue. Countless times I have asked myself, “Why? Why am I this way?” but I realized that asking myself that question is no different than any “normal” person asking themselves the same question! We are who we are and that’s that. Plain and simple. The biggest problem comes when those of us who are different don’t accept ourselves. That discomfort shows. Fear, shame and guilt are nourished and we carry on the same old crappy way of dealing with (or not dealing with) who we are.

I say screw that way of being! And I say to hell with living in fear and shame!

I stifled who I really am for over 30 years and I was miserable; depressed; suicidal. Music, my guitars, and my son, were about the only things keeping me from slipping into the ether forever. One day I decided that allowing myself to become myself couldn’t be that much worse than being so miserable. And I have to say that my life totally rocks now, far more than it ever did, and I am not ashamed about who I am or who I was. I am proud to be who I am today and I just hope that I can inspire others to let go of fear, guilt and shame that keeps them from being true to themselves.

The main reason I did the Discovery show was to help others like me. To show them that there really is a light at the end of the tunnel and that you don’t have to be afraid and that you can find happiness and peace during this life. I also did it because I want all people to know that we are not freaks. Granted, we’ve gone through some changes that most people couldn’t even fathom doing, but beyond that, we’re actually very normal people. In most cases, most male-to-female transsexuals are incredibly smart and quite often (you’d be very surprised) talented musicians. I get hundreds of hits on my website each day and tons of email from other trans-people who also play guitar and are in bands and still struggling with their gender identity. It’s amazing to realize that when you thought you were the only person in the world like this, there are THOUSANDS of others out there just like you!

Anyway, I don’t want to bore you or keep you too long. I just wanted to say thanks and give a bit of clarity to this situation. Wulf13, I appreciate your candor and I don’t blame you for mentioning this on the JCF. Honestly, I am surprised this info hasn’t surfaced here before. It is not something I mention openly in certain arenas, for obvious (and not-so-obvious) reasons. Plain and simple, and whether you think so or not, I am just a girl who plays guitar. I just happened to follow a less-trodden path to get to who I am than most women. All I ever wanted was to be treated as such.

But yes, I am open about it and you can ask me ANYTHING about it … as long as it’s in GOOD TASTE! I’m neither ashamed, nor embarrassed and one of my main goals in life is to educate others. I do that by teaching guitar and speaking openly about transsexual issues. I just never mentioned it here because this is a Jackson guitar forum, not a “Hey Guys! I’m a transsexual!” forum. 

By the way, if you want to read more about me, I have another website dedicated to all of this. Just Google my name and you’ll find it. Also, I’m at about page 400 of a book I have been writing and hope to have it published soon. It’s not gonna be your typical trans-book.

Thanks again for your kindness. I respect and appreciate all of you very much and am as proud as ever to be a member of the JCF!

Annah

[Tetsuo]

Re: exMan?

I just hope Annah still comes around after this.