The heat and savagery unleashed by Mike Bailey's book and the four years of subsequent argumentation seem to me to leave all of us, human beings that is, in a poor light.

In the service of women like myself, Andrea James misuses children. Lynn Conway discovers shades of Himmler and Heydrich in the buildings at Northwestern University. Michael Bailey makes a mockery of both himself and science with his ill researched and predetermined results, apparently basing his method of determining typology as much on whether or not he would have sex with a particular woman as on any medical, psychological or even theological foundation.

The sad truth seems to me that the ideology of consumerist culture overwhelms the kernel of humanity at the heart of all the participants. Every woman, or man, for a greater bank balance, more prestige, or more approaches by those who 'can do me good.' Oddly, they all seem more than willing to sacrifice transsexual women on the altars of their individual vanity.

All three individuals give me pause for reflection on the way our 'ideals' override our sense of the dignity other humans deserve from us. This, formerly ts, woman would rather walk alone than flanked by any of the three.

Well said, Nichole! But wait, there's more! While Conway and James, both transgender apologists (or advocates?), have taken their ill-aimed shots at J. Michael Bailey, there is another recent doctrine that provides another target...namely that of Alice Dreger (don't forget the Ph.D.) who muddies the waters even more by introducing her own vision of TMWWBQ, it's history, fallout and aftermath, and is full of her own philosophical meanderings (remember the Ph.D.?). See her PDF document at:

http://www.bioethics.northwest...tmwwbq.pdf

In the end we are left with mutliple versions (visions?) of Bailey's stature and status, depending on whose opinions you find most palatable. Is he cad or hero? Villain or victim? Who is wrong, and why? The book, the man, and the scandal (?) just can't seem to be left to die, I fear the whole affair will be drug through the annals of history ad nauseum. When will the world ever wake up to the realities of HBS and start recognizing that the transgender clowns they see and read and hear about are not us?

Me? I agree whole-heartedly with you Nichole; I would rather walk alone than with any of them. Thank you for such a lucid analysis.

And thank you Ti-Si for providing the forum. As one who not only agrees with, but is actively involved in HBS advocacy, I very much appreciate your stance in evaluating Bailey and his book TMWWBQ in a befitting manner, and for seeing/voicing/proliferating the truth of HBS.

Kelly M, Idaho

Editor's Note: The Dreger publication mentioned by Kelly M is also available here at TS-Si.org by clicking on "PDF" at the end of Media Ranger's column.

I hadn't read the treatise Dr. Dreger wrote and of which Kelly linked to above. If one is inclined to believe Dr. Dreger, which I am...and have actually read TMWWBQ, which I have, it would seem she was quite balanced in her assessment of The Bailey Wars. As well, if one is open to the concept of AGP it would seem that a solid majority of those who are "transgender" fit the bill...with a sizable percentage of the rest, well...just plain weird.

Before I am lambasted, let me say I really don't care one way or the other about the issue. Strange as it may seem, there is another group of us out there. You won't see us take part in a psychological study. We could care less what Bailey says. Never would you see any of us on the cover of a gay periodical...or any magazine. We don't want advocates. We pray the day will come when some universal force appears and will strike dead the next post op who even thinks about going on a television talk show to represent us. If we never see another cable channel special on the subject of gender dysphoria it will be too soon. We despise the term transgender and everything it stands for and hope whoever was responsible for adding the "T" to "GLB" is outed every minute of every hour of everyday for the rest of their life or suffers a case of spontaneous human combustion. Though we know there are success stories, one will never see our photo and bio on Lynn Conway's site. We think the professional post op pundits would be laughable...if their being perpetually consumed by the issue were not so pathetic. We don't support any legislation designed to force some form of acceptance of us on society. We don't march in Pride parades. Some of us do have websites...but never will you read of our pretransition history, much less see the obligatory before and after photos. If the Standards of Care were instantly five orders of magnitude more stringent, we would want them tightened even more. On the rare occasion we meet up with others of our group, the topic of conversation is not transgender issues. We don?t feel any special bond to each other ?just because?. We didn?t have a ?big sister??by choice. Our transition was an ordeal?not a lifestyle. We never were part of the ?community? and think those whose life revolves around it are maladjusted. We think the concept of a ?third gender? is ridiculous?and referencing gender identity in terms of a spectrum absurd. We think MtoF who opt not to have GRS and want to refer to themselves as female should do so?they can also call themselves turnips if they like, but that does not mean they are either.

Those of us in our group, like many others, had GRS because it was absolutely necessary to correct an anatomy we despised. What sets us apart is that after we have had the surgery, we just fade into the mainstream and live the life we had been denied at birth?that of simply being another female.

Susan/Texas

Susan, if I didn't know any better I'd swear I had written your above comment. Maybe we're twins separated at birth. No, I think we're just two very similar-thinking women. I found my head nodding along in constant agreement as I read your reply. And smiling, just knowing there's someone else out there in the wilderness who can think for themselves and who understands that being yourself does not mean molding yourself into someone else's version of it.

Kelly M, Idaho