Thanks, y'all!! I'm totally overwhelmed!! (OT and personal)

[hubert liverman]

Sarah,

My post was intended to be a show of support, with a pot shot or two.
Between intent and what was typed there is a wide gulf. I apologize. Smile,
you should feel secure in the knowledge that you have many supporters and
well wishers in the world

Sincerely
Hubert Liverman
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sarah Fox" <sarah@graphic-fusion.com>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 12:27 AM
Subject: Thanks, y'all!! I'm totally overwhelmed!! (OT and personal)


> Y'all,
>
> I really don't know what to say, or perhaps more accurately, I'm not sure
> how to say it.
>
> This email list was the first list I have ever joined as a rank-and-file
> human being with no visible gender issues.  I have made a number of
> wonderful friends here from all over the world.  I've had the unusual
> experience (for me) of being right with myself and right with those around
> me for the first time in my life, AND being accepted as a regular,
everyday,
> nothing-wrong-with-me, everyone-welcomes-me-into-the-fold,
> not-everyone-agrees-with-me-but-who-cares, honest-to-goodness human being.
> I've honestly never experienced that before subscribing to this list.
> Sadly, it's an experience I doubt many of you can fully appreciate, at
least
> to the extent that I have experienced it.
>
> When the "it" post was made, my heart sank.  You see, I've spent years of
my
> life fighting for the civil rights of the transgender community.  It was a
> long, hard, thankless slog, but I felt obligated to do it.  I eventually
> reached the point that I could no longer endure the pain and sacrifice of
it
> all, and I felt as though my hard work was no longer making any headway in
> the movement.  Having put in four years of hard service to my people, I
felt
> I deserved a "discharge," and so I retired and made myself a "civilian"
> again, and I have been very content in "regular" life.  When the "it" post
> surfaced, I knew what I had to do, and I HATED having to do it.  I was
being
> called back from the reserves, and I knew that the only effective way to
> address these issues would involve "outing" myself.  Vacation ended.
Would
> I have the same friends afterwards?  Would I have a scarlet letter "T"
> branded on my forehead?  Would my little oasis of normalcy still be
normal?
>
> As this issue has unfolded, the people on this list have surpassed my
> expectations in their support for my maligned little community, and I have
> been very touched.  However, when I thought I had put this issue to bed,
> exhausted and frazzled, I was met with the same back-handed phrase that
has
> been wielded against me for decades, "Let's all pray for Sarah."  Perhaps
it
> was sincere, but that's not the way I read it.  I admit I fell apart.
>
> Feeling pretty wounded, I pulled myself from the computer and tended to
> dinner and other matters.  When I later returned to my computer, I could
not
> believe my eyes.  In my in-box, accompanying one insulting email of
> predictable origin were a half dozen supportive emails from friends and
from
> people I had never even heard of, expressing their thanks for having taken
a
> position -- and then a couple more (no, three), just now.  And then I
opened
> up my pianotech folder and found numerous emails from more of the people I
> care about, all expressing support for this issue -- and a couple of
> critical emails, again of predictable origin.  Now I'm in the odd position
> that I'm totally fried, I need to go to bed, and I don't have the energy
to
> respond to so many emails tonight!  I'll respond in private later, and I
> hope y'all understand.  I've already made all the points I intend to make
on
> list, and those points do not need to be belabored.
>
> Anyway, I want you all to know how very much I appreciate your standing
with
> me in the face of bigotry.  My tears of outrage have become tears of joy,
> and I must say it's been a helluva day on the roller coaster!  Thank you
all
> for being my friends.  (And thank you too, John, for being sincere, even
> though you and I don't entirely connect on these points!  I apologize for
my
> aggressive tone with you in one of my posts.)  I'll be going to bed very
> tired tonight, but I'll be going to bed with a more optimistic outlook
than
> I have had in a very long time.  Tomorrow is a new day, in a world that is
> far more enlightened that I had once thought.  Thanks for giving that to
me,
> y'all!
>
> Peace,
> Sarah
>
>
>
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