February 6, 2007
Letter to the Editor:
New Times
P.O. Box 2510
Phoenix, AZ 85002
Dear Editor,
As a New Times enthusiast for many years, I have never felt the need to write a letter to the editor, until I read the article concerning the treatment of a transgender in a Scottsdale bar. I was astonished to read the article’s intolerant claims that I thought it was necessary to let others know how unjustly Mrs. De La Freniere has been treated at this Scottsdale watering hole. In your article “Tranny-gate,” Mrs. De La Freniere, a transgender male to female, was 86’d permanently from Anderson’s Fifth Estate, after being a faithful patron for over five years. As a heterosexual female who has had the opportunity and privilege throughout the years to meet and befriend with a great group of gals who happen to be transgender and or transsexual, I was inconceivably upset that Mr. Anderson claimed to be open-minded with this situation. Mr. Anderson claimed he never said “I don’t want your kind here,” but his actions proved otherwise. I believe Mr. Anderson finally obtained an explanation to act out on his true feelings on the transgender and transsexual community. Using the ladies restroom frequently or taking your time primping by the mirror shouldn’t be justification to prohibit a transgender from entering an establishment like Anderson’s Fifth Estate as it so undeservingly has been done.
Sincerely,
Anonymous
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Reflection and Analysis
Reflection & Analysis
After reading the article “Tranny-gate,” I could not believe that there hasn’t been more backlash against the owner of Anderson’s Fifth Estate. As a heterosexual female in my early twenties, I became friends with many gay males as I lived in a predominantly gay neighborhood in Chicago. As the years went by, a third of these gay male friends became transgender and after the sex operation became transsexuals. I learned a great deal about the hardships and emotional stress of this extremely difficult and costly transformation. Becoming a male to female is not an overnight make-over, it is an extensive process lasting anywhere from two to five years. Not only is it a costly procedure, but a transgender must be evaluated by a psychiatrist in order to conclude the mental capacity of transforming to the female sex.
It infuriated me when the article referred to Mrs. De La Frenier as a 6’2 “bruiser” in a dress. The New Times publication is aimed towards an eclectic audience, which includes people with an alternative lifestyle. I was extremely disturbed when the paper had the gall to ask Mrs. De La Frenier to show them her genitalia, as if this would have made any difference in the outcome. Who cares what she has between her legs? This transgender is going through a transition she is living her life as a female, and ultimately is a female as it is registered on her Arizona State driver’s license. I was also disgusted after reading Mr. Anderson stating that he never said “I don’t want your kind here.” Mr. Anderson did not need to announce these words, his actions made this message crystal clear. I want Mrs. De La Freniere to know that she has supporters out side the transgender community. There are numerous heterosexual people who feel she was unjustly banned from this bar due to homophobic complaints and ignorance by women who felt uneasy with Mrs. De La Freniere in the women’s lavatory. I applaud Mrs. De La Freniere for alerting the media and or anyone willing to listen to her experience concerning prejudice against the transgender.
Currently, there aren’t any laws that protect transgender or transsexuals from discriminatory actions in Phoenix. Mr. Anderson may have the law on his side for now, but thankfully there are people like Mrs. De La Freniere who are not taking things lightly; she is fighting for her civil liberties to be treated like any other woman. Using the ladies lavatory frequently and taking time primping by the mirror is a ridiculous excuse to ban a person, if this had been any other female no one would have cared. Many people may or may not know that drinking alcohol over stimulates a hormone in the bladder that makes people feel the urge to use bathroom frequently, even after drinking just one alcoholic beverage. As for the complaint of Mrs. De La Freniere and her friends taking their time primping by the mirror and making the other female patrons of Anderson’s Fifth Estate uncomfortable, they should be ashamed of themselves! I believe that all females love to primp by the mirror and take their sweet time doing so. I am surely guilty of such actions in my club/bar hopping days. I believe that the excuses used for banning Mrs. De La Freniere permanently from this bar are ridiculous and certainly prejudice and not the characteristics of anyone who considers themselves open-minded.
After reading the article “Tranny-gate,” I could not believe that there hasn’t been more backlash against the owner of Anderson’s Fifth Estate. As a heterosexual female in my early twenties, I became friends with many gay males as I lived in a predominantly gay neighborhood in Chicago. As the years went by, a third of these gay male friends became transgender and after the sex operation became transsexuals. I learned a great deal about the hardships and emotional stress of this extremely difficult and costly transformation. Becoming a male to female is not an overnight make-over, it is an extensive process lasting anywhere from two to five years. Not only is it a costly procedure, but a transgender must be evaluated by a psychiatrist in order to conclude the mental capacity of transforming to the female sex.
It infuriated me when the article referred to Mrs. De La Frenier as a 6’2 “bruiser” in a dress. The New Times publication is aimed towards an eclectic audience, which includes people with an alternative lifestyle. I was extremely disturbed when the paper had the gall to ask Mrs. De La Frenier to show them her genitalia, as if this would have made any difference in the outcome. Who cares what she has between her legs? This transgender is going through a transition she is living her life as a female, and ultimately is a female as it is registered on her Arizona State driver’s license. I was also disgusted after reading Mr. Anderson stating that he never said “I don’t want your kind here.” Mr. Anderson did not need to announce these words, his actions made this message crystal clear. I want Mrs. De La Freniere to know that she has supporters out side the transgender community. There are numerous heterosexual people who feel she was unjustly banned from this bar due to homophobic complaints and ignorance by women who felt uneasy with Mrs. De La Freniere in the women’s lavatory. I applaud Mrs. De La Freniere for alerting the media and or anyone willing to listen to her experience concerning prejudice against the transgender.
Currently, there aren’t any laws that protect transgender or transsexuals from discriminatory actions in Phoenix. Mr. Anderson may have the law on his side for now, but thankfully there are people like Mrs. De La Freniere who are not taking things lightly; she is fighting for her civil liberties to be treated like any other woman. Using the ladies lavatory frequently and taking time primping by the mirror is a ridiculous excuse to ban a person, if this had been any other female no one would have cared. Many people may or may not know that drinking alcohol over stimulates a hormone in the bladder that makes people feel the urge to use bathroom frequently, even after drinking just one alcoholic beverage. As for the complaint of Mrs. De La Freniere and her friends taking their time primping by the mirror and making the other female patrons of Anderson’s Fifth Estate uncomfortable, they should be ashamed of themselves! I believe that all females love to primp by the mirror and take their sweet time doing so. I am surely guilty of such actions in my club/bar hopping days. I believe that the excuses used for banning Mrs. De La Freniere permanently from this bar are ridiculous and certainly prejudice and not the characteristics of anyone who considers themselves open-minded.
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