The International Foundation for Gender Education

Kay H. Mount and Shirley J. Salmon
Audiology and Speech Pathology Service, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri

The vocal characteristics of a 63-year-old individual who underwent male-to -female sex reassignment surgery were evaluated. Treatment was designed to alter inappropriate male voice characteristics. Speech goals were to (1) encourage use of successively higher pitch levels, and (2) modify tongue carriage to change resonance. After 11 months of therapy, average fundamental frequency for /i, a, u/ vowels changed from 110 to 205 Hz. Also, second formant frequency values changed remarkably for each of these vowels, with the greatest frequency change being 291 Hz for /i/. These acoustic differences could account for the perception of femininity in her posttreatment voice. Maintenance of these acoustic features was found five years posttreatment.

Address correspondence to Kay H. Mount, Ph.D. Audiology and Speech Pathology Service (126), Kansas City VA Medical Center, 4801 Linwood Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64128.

THE JOURNAL



Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #99, Fall 2002.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #99, Fall 2002.



by Diane Dale


On Saturday May 4, two dozen transgender principals
and activists from all over the U.S. met in Atlanta to
begin the planning of what promises to be a seminal
event in the history of our transgender movement?The March
For Gender Rights.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #99, Fall 2002.



Nancy Nangeroni wrote the following in response to Juli Goins? letter in the Vitale
online newsletter.



As J?Noel Gardiner now knows
all too well, it?s all a lie. The
surgery that was supposed to bring
happiness, that was supposed to
make her a real woman, the surgery
that was supposed to change her sex,
didn?t. The Supreme Court in
Kansas, following the lead of the
Supreme Court in Texas, has now
ruled on that question, and they
both agree. The sex that was
assigned to you at birth is your sex,
period. No ifs, ands, buts, or
changes.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #99, Fall 2002.



The following was submitted as a letter to the editor. Zantui Rose is Holly Boswell?s life
partner. Holly received the Virginia Prince Lifetime Service Award in April at the 2002
IFGE Coming Together conference in Nashville? Ed.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #99, Fall 2002.



by Debra A. Johnson



When I was 15, my stepmother told me I would never be
the man my father was. I spent the next 37 years trying
to prove her wrong. After so many years of practicing
manhood, how do you persuade others you really are a woman?

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #99, Fall 2002.



by Barbara Curry



The following was published in Outreach News, the newsletter of the Connecticut Outreach
Society, in July of 2001, and shortly afterwards on TG Forum.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #99, Fall 2002.



We present these two pieces as originally written, to preserve the flavor
of the author?s translation from Portuguese? Ed.





I n the beginning of this century and also
millennium lots of moments and
minorities had done their
retrospective about win and lost
along their existence. And following
their tendency of verifying and
reconstruction of their existential
journey transsexual people from all
over Brazil participate
intensively trying to register in the
history
the evolution of
the Brazilian transsexuality.

Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #99, Fall 2002.



And That's The Way It Is!

by Monica Helms



This April, I felt privileged to attend my
first IFGE convention. I had fun, and
made new friends. The awards ceremonies
brought tears to my eyes, while the workshops
and panels informed and delighted me.

Testimony


Originally appeared in Transgender Tapestry #99, Fall 2002.



I ?d like to take a few minutes today to speak to the New
York City Council as an advocate for our communities
through my role as a counselor at the Gender Identity Project
at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community
Center. I am also speaking in my role as a founding director for
the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy and a
director for the International Foundation for Gender
Education. But, most importantly, today I am speaking as a
woman of transsexual experience.