This page covers Jamie's life as a transgender journalist and personality.

Jamie's home

 
Conspiratorial Tones

Last Friday, Lannie's boyfriend Mike took me over to the Cafe du Norde in the Castro to hear our friends Marilyn, Sarafina, Shawna, & Tori perform as The Lipstick Conspiracy. The event itself was a benefit for Tom Ammiano's mayorial candidacy.

We arrived at 11:30, which was a good plan as they came on a little early and a lot strong. The result was the kind of magic that only a good band and an energetic crowd can generate. To no ones suprise, I was up front, dancing furiously, watching the Conspirators having the time of their lives.

Lipstick does original music and is working on a demo. Their website has a few early MP-3 songs, including Friday's rousing finale Just A Girl.

Hopefully, their fiendish plans will culminate in World Conquest & Domination. I will be doing my part, from the shadows, to further the plot.
posted by Jamie at 10:42 AM

 
...and the Cat Fight Gets Even Nastier

Andrea James, Lynn Conway, and Joan Roughgardern seem to have turned up the heat on J. Michael Bailey's book The Man Who Would Be Queen. Every day it looks more and more like a political conversation rather than a scientific one. If you want to see the latest, here are the URLS: Andrea, Lynn, Joan.

I deeply respect these three people. I also respect Anne Lawrence and J. Michael Bailey. What I miss is coherent, organized criticism of the subject matter at hand. Instead I see brief quotes and expressions of outrage in alternation. I checked some of the items here, and there is a lot of distortion.

Here is how to do a criticism of almost anything:

First, summarize what your subject wrote. It should be clear enough that your subject author would agree that it was fair.

Then, write about what kind of emotional reactions you had, what memories were invoked, intuitive connections, etc. The idea is give your subjectivity its own home.

Groundwork laid, now you can talk about what it means. Here you can compare to other works, elucidate the structure, point out the holes, as you wish. Here you establish intersubjectivity.

Finally, you recommend actions.

By teasing all this apart, you don't come off sounding like a rabid ideologue or a prude. Each phase is tidy and outrage has its place in the subjectivity section.

I could do this for Bailey and the critics. Its a two week job and I am lazy and don't want to buy the book. Much better I think about how sex fits into transgenderism in a more exploratory way.

One last thing - the reason we are so smart is that we make mistakes and learn from them. If we punish mistakes too hard we all dumb down.
posted by Jamie at 5:21 PM

 
A Warning to the Good Citizens of Dallas, Texas

Jamie Faye Fenton and Kristen Mitchell landed yesterday. Kristen is working on a project here, disassembling a small drug store in the gay district of Dallas on Cedar Springs Road. All the fixtures go into a truck that we will drive back to the San Francisco area in a few days.

Across the street is JR's, a large gay bar. There are 4 other dance clubs within a 150 yard radius. One of these is Sue Ellen's, which is the regional lesbian club, and the primary trannie hangout. Next door is a drag enclave called the Rose Room.

To the surprise of no one, I earned a free drink by dancing on the Rose Room stage.

Tonight I will be seeing Alisa Lee. Alisa is the magic spirit I spent two weeks in London, England with.
posted by Jamie at 12:34 PM