By Tim L. Marshall
The BG News
Bowling Green State U.
(U-WIRE) BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Last February, as part of Bowling Green State
University's Office of Residence Life's Diversity Week, performance artist Kate
Bornstein gave a presentation on her life as a transgendered person--someone who
transcends gender norms. Bornstein, who was born a biological male, had sex
reassignment surgery to complete her transition toward living as a woman.
Bornstein's performance was arranged to educate the campus community on
transgender issues and people. Her sketches, comedy bits and dramatic
interpretations did illustrate what it means to be transgendered, and the
audience applauded her work throughout the evening.
However, the audience gasped and whispered when Bornstein mentioned that
there was an out, open and visible transgendered person on the BGSU campus.
"It's me," said senior computer science major Andrew Eldred with a
laugh. "But I'm not the only one. You'd be surprised how many transgendered
people there are in this area."
Eldred identifies as a female-to-male transsexual. Although he has the
biology of a woman and was raised as a female, he considers himself -- and
others consider him -- a man. He had his name legally changed last fall and
plans to begin hormone therapy, which will alter his voice and body shape to be
more like a biological male's, within the next two years.
Eldred, 20, came out as a transsexual during his freshman year of college
after learning about transgendered people and researching them.
"I always knew I was male," he said. "My coming out process
was just finding the words to express that."
Since then, Eldred has transitioned to using only male pronouns, wearing male
clothes and using men's public facilities. He has told his family and friends,
who are making transitions of their own.
"It was difficult at first for people to get the pronouns right -- it
was even difficult for me. I had 19 years to get used to this, and I understand
that it will take time for other people as well. My family is trying and my
friends have been supportive."
While Eldred keeps a positive attitude, he does admit that he is faced with
challenges daily. For example, Eldred mentioned that he often gets odd looks
from others when he enters a men's restroom. He also has had problems with
salespeople at area department stores when buying new clothes.
"I pretty much go unnoticed as a man, most people assume I am a butch
woman," he said. "It's hard to deal with the fact that if people do
not perceive me as a man, they will not treat me like a man."
Eldred also cited problems in the classroom. Some instructors often overlook
him, because they are not sure how to perceive him.
"I've also found that I get treated differently when teachers think I'm
female than when they perceive me as male," he said. "From what I've
seen, teachers treat male students with more respect, as if they are on a higher
level than females students."
Finding peer support and health care needs has been another difficulty for
Eldred. Despite these challenges, however, he has worked as an active member of
the community.
"I do not consider myself so much as an activist, as I do in making more
people aware that there are transgendered people out there, and that there is a
need to focus on transgender issues, even in Bowling Green," Eldred said.
In April, he was elected president of Vision, the campus gay, lesbian,
bisexual, transgendered, queer, intersexed, questioning and straight supportive
organization. Since joining Vision two years ago, Eldred has helped to include
transgender issues as part of the group's focus by educating officers and
members. Along with the rest of the Vision cabinet, Eldred has secured three
major transgender speakers -- one of whom is Kate Bornstein -- for the second
annual Vision Campus Issues Conference, slated for October. Eldred has also
organized and participated in Vision's transgender forums, panels of
transsexuals, drag queens and kings and crossdressers.
But as much as Eldred has helped Vision become more
"trans-friendly," he also credits the organization for supporting him.
"Without Vision, my own transition and my own attempts to educate the
public would have been much more difficult. Vision gave me a safe space where I
could be me and not worry about what others would think or say."
With all of the experiences he has had from being an out transsexual on
campus, Eldred is certain that after college, he will be able to handle anything
that comes his way. Although he does want to have sex reassignment surgery some
day, he is not sure when that will be.
One thing he is sure of however is his dedication to transgender awareness.
"In the future, I hope that I am comfortable enough with who I am and in
the position to help the people who come after me so they don't have to go
through what I did," he said.
(C) 2000 The BG News via U-WIRE
