My Transgender Photo Album:
Family Snap-Shots
For me, coming to terms with being
transgendered -- or gender-queer -- has not been a solitary process. It
began with coming out to my family, and this meant that they too had to
find their own ways to accept and understand my gender identity. Without
the love and support of my family, it would have been immeasurably
more difficult to face the world and struggle against transphobia.
I am very fortunate in this respect. I know of too many other transgendered people who have had
to face rejection and hostility from loved ones who could not escape the snares set by the conceits of our heterosexist society. The dominant culture in North
America still insists on an ideal of 'normality' that either excludes or
marginalizes 'unconventional' expressions of gender and sexuality. Those
who fall outside the narrow bounds of "masculine man meets feminine
female" still pay a heavy price for simply being themselves.
In my personal and family life, at least, I have escaped that agony,
and so I am thrilled and honored to introduce you to some of the
most important people in my life. My wife and daughters, my parents, my
sister, my brother and his family. I love, cherish, and respect them --
even when we disagree and fight -- because at the end of the day they
have returned their love and respect.
From top-to-bottom, this photo shows myself, my
wife Mena, and our daughters Rachelle and Daniella. This photo was
taken during the summer of 1997, in Calgary, Alberta.
This page was last 
on January 20, 1999
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