SARTICLE

Virgin Diews by Virginia

TO OR FROM

EMIGRANT OR FUGITIVE

In one way or another I have referred to and discussed the difference between sex and gender a number of times in these pages and so have others. Yet it appears that for many people in the FP world the message never gets through. Mary and I come in contact both personally and through the mail with a lot of people who are still incorrigibly attached to the idea of a sex change operation as "the only way to fly" as Western Airline says. The ideas expressed in these pages before, can, of course, be put down by such people as "just Virginia's opinion." I will, of course, have to admit that I express my opinion. However, it is also my opinion that some day I will die, that if I don't eat I will get hungry, that if I con- sume contaminated food or water that I will probably get sick, etc. The point is that my opinion in these matters happens to coinside with every- day facts of experience which most other people subscribe to also. The sex and gender thing is right out there in front of everybody and anybody to see if they will open their eyes and see they, and you, live it every minute of your lives, so it is strictly an ostrich tactic to put off facing the fact that woman (gender) is not necessarily the same as female (sex), by attributing it to "Virginia's Opinion."

The reason for getting into this again is because Mary and I were dis- cussing a couple of cases that we know who are very "mixed up kids” and yet who adamantly talk surgery and won't settle for anything less. We got to wondering about ourselves. We both live full time, we are both very happy and content and adjusted to our lives and completely self acceptant and yet as people we are quite different in age, appearance, education, experience, interests and many other ways. We got to asking ourselves. what it was that we had in common which in spite of all the difference between us led we two to be content with a change of gender only and to be happy and comfortable compared to all the many others, that we have some connection with, who are not.