President's Preamble

by Col Eglington

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

I must confess to feelings of despair about internal division and animosities at present within our community.

It is with deep pain I see people who are working to their full capacity in all sorts of ways - paid, voluntary, as activists - all concerned people coming under attack and counter attack. We are such a small and marginalised community that I do not believe this is healthy or helpful.

Rather, I would wish to see our energy and anger directed at our true enemies - the bashers and perpetrators of all forms of violence against transgender people and the people, organisations and institutions that support and condone oppression and discrimination.

I do not have a problem with healthy debate, inquiry and criticism. I do have a problem with any form of dishonesty, defamation and personal attacks.

I see people's time being wasted on trying to survive emotionally and in other ways when their effort should be spent on improving and extending our services, activities, political actions and our lives.

Currently, we are witnessing the rise of conservatism in Australian society - and this rise has a domino effect. It's not only welfare recipients, Aboriginal services or young people receiving benefits who are being targeted. All forms of social service, funding and what is seen often as "special treatment" are criticised and support withdrawn.

We are almost as invisible and unpopular a group as inmates, so if our funding were withdrawn I do not believe there would be a mass civil uprising to support us. What we have in funding and resources has taken many years of hard work and battling to obtain and maintain. If it were lost, then in the current economic and political climate, it would never be regained.

Yet there has been a public declaration by one member that if the Gender Centre does not go in the direction they want they would make every effort through their political and Health Department contacts to have our funding withdrawn or diverted elsewhere.

I cannot ignore such threats and am making you all aware that this is what is going on.

Almost every member would, I imagine, be horrified that such threats and coercion are being applied to us.

I am sure you all understand fully the consequences of losing Centre, housing, staff, services, support, information, political influence, social and information activities, public information, support and information for partners, friends and family, youth support, AIDS-preven­tion strategies, lobbying of employers and advocacy of transgender people for inclusion in their workforce, improving information on and access to surgery and other medicine procedures, monitoring of and improving psychiatric, medical health services, advocacy for transgender inmates, representation, training to employer groups and their staff, input into departmental and organisa­tional policies and procedures with special emphasis on E.E.O. - the list goes on. People's very lives and wellbeing can depend on the presence or absence of appropriate services.

Let's all work together to try and achieve the most we can for the maximum number of people, but also not forget those in most need (who might be a minority).

The Management Committee and the staff at the Centre are trying to do our best (probably not perfectly).

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.