As I walked around San Francisco today, I came across a nice reminder of Sarah.
At Powell subway station, I saw a blonde lady in a navy blue coatdress giving directions to a passerby trying to buy a BART ticket. But before I could snap a photo, the lady walked away, a travel bag in tow, entering the BART system. Her coatdress, with the wing pin and white trim, was clearly a United flight attendant uniform.
It was so nice to see one of Sarah's coworkers, presumably reporting for duty, and helping out other people while at it. Not only that, but this is San Francisco, Sarah's home domicile as well as the primary gateway for United's Pacific services.
Again, I really believe in the power of air travel to make connections between faraway peoples and cultures. Sarah, and her colleagues at United and other fine airlines, have my thanks for making it all happen.
27 June 2009
San Francisco for the Pride festivities
I drove overnight from Los Angeles, and am logging on from San Francisco area, just north of the airport. My visit is to participate in the Pride activities.
As I drove drowsy by the airport, looking at the maintenance hangar for Sarah's airline, several thoughts went through my head.
Exactly 15 years ago (plus a few days), I went through San Francisco's airport for the first time, and it was to take my first international itinerary, flying to Seoul. Of course, it was on United - the first of several international itineraries I'd end up taking on United. Even to this day, United 807 is the most special flight I've ever taken (though United 2, in early 1996, which took me to London on a Boeing 777, is a close second). I keep thinking of that flight, whose details I still remember clearly.
In a recent complaint letter to United (which concerned my most recent United itinerary, leaving the US but only to Toronto), I discussed how I tend to hold air travel and airlines in a high regard, due to their ability to bring different people and cultures together, and hopefully prevent conflicts. I was mad because the purser on the flight out of Toronto had left me feeling really insulted (and more importantly, failed to live up to the premise of air travel). I seriously feel this way; it was more than a mere charm offensive to get some nice concessions from United customer service (and I did get a concession in the form of a voucher). As I work on Sarah and her story, I need to make sure that Sarah's dedication to her service to her passengers will truly reflect this mentality.
On a different note, with the death of Michael Jackson just two days ago, I can't get him out of my head. He was a very unconventional character - his androgynous presentation certainly was unconventional - but I would not expect a man of such talent to be conventional anyway. And back to United 807 in 1994, I had spent some time listening to Michael Jackson during the long 11 1/2-hour flight; Bad was one of the albums I listened to on my portable CD player, which had only 3 hours of battery power. Michael Jackson today reminds me of Flight 807 - and of all the other great music I listened to aboard that flight as well, including one of Jackson's proteges, Mariah Carey, who was my idol at that time. Of course, once in Seoul, I ran across too many Mariah Carey fans - and made sure to report back to Mariah herself in New York a few months later; of course, the journey back to the US, and on to Mariah, were on United as well, all the more reason why I believe in the ability of air travel to make connections between people.
As I participate in the Pride festivities today and tomorrow, these thoughts will occupy me. I want to make sure Sarah will carry some of these thoughts into her story. And I do look forward to getting on one of Sarah's planes again soon - to make new memories and connections.
As I drove drowsy by the airport, looking at the maintenance hangar for Sarah's airline, several thoughts went through my head.
Exactly 15 years ago (plus a few days), I went through San Francisco's airport for the first time, and it was to take my first international itinerary, flying to Seoul. Of course, it was on United - the first of several international itineraries I'd end up taking on United. Even to this day, United 807 is the most special flight I've ever taken (though United 2, in early 1996, which took me to London on a Boeing 777, is a close second). I keep thinking of that flight, whose details I still remember clearly.
In a recent complaint letter to United (which concerned my most recent United itinerary, leaving the US but only to Toronto), I discussed how I tend to hold air travel and airlines in a high regard, due to their ability to bring different people and cultures together, and hopefully prevent conflicts. I was mad because the purser on the flight out of Toronto had left me feeling really insulted (and more importantly, failed to live up to the premise of air travel). I seriously feel this way; it was more than a mere charm offensive to get some nice concessions from United customer service (and I did get a concession in the form of a voucher). As I work on Sarah and her story, I need to make sure that Sarah's dedication to her service to her passengers will truly reflect this mentality.
On a different note, with the death of Michael Jackson just two days ago, I can't get him out of my head. He was a very unconventional character - his androgynous presentation certainly was unconventional - but I would not expect a man of such talent to be conventional anyway. And back to United 807 in 1994, I had spent some time listening to Michael Jackson during the long 11 1/2-hour flight; Bad was one of the albums I listened to on my portable CD player, which had only 3 hours of battery power. Michael Jackson today reminds me of Flight 807 - and of all the other great music I listened to aboard that flight as well, including one of Jackson's proteges, Mariah Carey, who was my idol at that time. Of course, once in Seoul, I ran across too many Mariah Carey fans - and made sure to report back to Mariah herself in New York a few months later; of course, the journey back to the US, and on to Mariah, were on United as well, all the more reason why I believe in the ability of air travel to make connections between people.
As I participate in the Pride festivities today and tomorrow, these thoughts will occupy me. I want to make sure Sarah will carry some of these thoughts into her story. And I do look forward to getting on one of Sarah's planes again soon - to make new memories and connections.
17 June 2009
Gender transition in China
China is said to be considering the formalization of the gender transition process, according to a BBC report.
The proposals sound a lot like what South Korea enacted in 2006. It is less about the transperson him/herself, and more about preserving the Confucian social hierarchy and gender roles. Only singles over 20 years old will be able to apply for legal gender change, and even then, family notification/consent will be required. I'd also presume that a transwoman who doesn't live up to the stereotype (in other words, anyone who's not a hyper-feminine flaming boycrazy fag queen) will not be cleared at all; after all, trans lesbians, like me, are an unheard-of concept in Asia.
Nevertheless, having a consistent gender transition rule is not a bad thing at all. It does allow for a legitimate way to establish a transperson's new identity. I do hope that post-transition, a Chinese transperson can have full heterosexual marriage and adoption rights as well; South Korea ensured this with its regulations, and this is better than what many US transpeople can claim.
The proposals sound a lot like what South Korea enacted in 2006. It is less about the transperson him/herself, and more about preserving the Confucian social hierarchy and gender roles. Only singles over 20 years old will be able to apply for legal gender change, and even then, family notification/consent will be required. I'd also presume that a transwoman who doesn't live up to the stereotype (in other words, anyone who's not a hyper-feminine flaming boycrazy fag queen) will not be cleared at all; after all, trans lesbians, like me, are an unheard-of concept in Asia.
Nevertheless, having a consistent gender transition rule is not a bad thing at all. It does allow for a legitimate way to establish a transperson's new identity. I do hope that post-transition, a Chinese transperson can have full heterosexual marriage and adoption rights as well; South Korea ensured this with its regulations, and this is better than what many US transpeople can claim.
11 June 2009
Chastity Bono
Chastity Bono is the daughter of Cher and the late Sonny Bono. She grew up in a very artistic setting in New York City, being the high school classmate of my favorite Greek Goddess Jennifer Aniston, among other things.
Today, Bono has issued a public statement, saying that she is a he, and he is a transman going through the early stages of gender transition.
One side of me - the hardcore lesbian side - is quite bummed. Chastity was a great lesbian power icon, and it's never easy losing a lesbian icon. On the other hand, Bono's future activism as a transman, bringing up the profile of great transpeople even further, will more than make up for the loss of him as a lesbian power icon. I also want to remember that some of the best men out there are transmen - while they went through the female socialization against their will, the more cooperative, holistic nature of female bonding makes them more empathetic, therefore better men.
Chastity Bono joins the ranks of other high-profile transgender transitions, the most famous being Alexis Arquette of the Arquette family. Best wishes to them all - and I hope Perfect Girl, once complete and published, can be part of the process in sharing the trans experience with a wider audience.
Today, Bono has issued a public statement, saying that she is a he, and he is a transman going through the early stages of gender transition.
One side of me - the hardcore lesbian side - is quite bummed. Chastity was a great lesbian power icon, and it's never easy losing a lesbian icon. On the other hand, Bono's future activism as a transman, bringing up the profile of great transpeople even further, will more than make up for the loss of him as a lesbian power icon. I also want to remember that some of the best men out there are transmen - while they went through the female socialization against their will, the more cooperative, holistic nature of female bonding makes them more empathetic, therefore better men.
Chastity Bono joins the ranks of other high-profile transgender transitions, the most famous being Alexis Arquette of the Arquette family. Best wishes to them all - and I hope Perfect Girl, once complete and published, can be part of the process in sharing the trans experience with a wider audience.
09 June 2009
Working for trans activism
In addition to my novel writing and other activities, it appears that I will be taking part in a web-based trans advocacy program, as sort of a webmistress.
The program will be in the form of a personal website of a trans activist in Hollywood. I know her well via Facebook and other contacts. No, this is not Calpernia Addams or Andrea James!
I do not wish to reveal any more details on this activist, nor my level of involvement with this project, until the website goes online. But I am honored to become a part of this project, another way that I can help the trans activists (in addition to my novel writing).
Let's see how this pans out!
The program will be in the form of a personal website of a trans activist in Hollywood. I know her well via Facebook and other contacts. No, this is not Calpernia Addams or Andrea James!
I do not wish to reveal any more details on this activist, nor my level of involvement with this project, until the website goes online. But I am honored to become a part of this project, another way that I can help the trans activists (in addition to my novel writing).
Let's see how this pans out!
05 June 2009
Sarah might finally get the boost she needs...
UCLA Extension has just mailed me a flyer, announcing two residency programs that consist of three 10-week classes and a 4-day residency. One of them is for screen writing, and the other is for novel writing.
At over $3,000, this is a huge investment of time and money. But I am not writing Perfect Girl for profit; I am writing it in hopes of enhancing the world's understanding of the transgender experience. In order to be eligible for the program, I must submit a draft of the complete novel, and I have until mid-August to do so. I will also need a one-page synopsis of the novel. It'll be LOTS of work coming up with the material, but if I want it bad enough, I should be able to put something together.
With this level of commitment, I also need to ensure that the program's setting is conducive to my creativity. It looks like I will be limited to at most seven classmates, with whom I will get to have intimate friendships. Moreover, the instructor is none other than my longtime mentor Gayle Brandeis; I expect my instructor to be not only a good teacher, but also have good chemistry with me, and seeing Gayle's name is pretty much a guarantee on both counts.
I have already notified Gayle of my intention to apply. Now, I need to come up with a game plan as to how I will proceed with coming up with a few hundred pages of Sarah's life story in just a few weeks. The draft will be horrible, but since I know that I can count on great feedback from Gayle and seven classmates, I'll be better prepared for lots of great tweaks. (The better writing styles of my classmates will also help tremendously, as inspirations.)
The four-day in-person residency is in March. Given my privacy, I think I can pull it off. Will see what happens!
At over $3,000, this is a huge investment of time and money. But I am not writing Perfect Girl for profit; I am writing it in hopes of enhancing the world's understanding of the transgender experience. In order to be eligible for the program, I must submit a draft of the complete novel, and I have until mid-August to do so. I will also need a one-page synopsis of the novel. It'll be LOTS of work coming up with the material, but if I want it bad enough, I should be able to put something together.
With this level of commitment, I also need to ensure that the program's setting is conducive to my creativity. It looks like I will be limited to at most seven classmates, with whom I will get to have intimate friendships. Moreover, the instructor is none other than my longtime mentor Gayle Brandeis; I expect my instructor to be not only a good teacher, but also have good chemistry with me, and seeing Gayle's name is pretty much a guarantee on both counts.
I have already notified Gayle of my intention to apply. Now, I need to come up with a game plan as to how I will proceed with coming up with a few hundred pages of Sarah's life story in just a few weeks. The draft will be horrible, but since I know that I can count on great feedback from Gayle and seven classmates, I'll be better prepared for lots of great tweaks. (The better writing styles of my classmates will also help tremendously, as inspirations.)
The four-day in-person residency is in March. Given my privacy, I think I can pull it off. Will see what happens!
Calpernia Addams update
The lovely redhead, who shall be the one to play Sarah should Perfect Girl ever become a movie, has two updates.
First, she did this wonderful interview with San Francisco Examiner, touching upon several key topics, including the rampant California theocracy/homophobia, the recent uproar over a Sacramento radio show encouraging violence against trans children, President Obama's progress (or lack thereof) working for LGBT rights, and of course the looming tenth anniversary of the death of her boyfriend PFC Barry Winchell.
Second, Calpernia announced, on her Facebook profile, that she's been asked to become the Grand Marshal of this year's San Francisco Pride Parade. This will be fantastic, especially since I will indeed be in San Francisco for the festivities. A few Facebook users jokingly commented that since Calpernia's straight, she's not quite the most logical Grand Marshal, but I added another joke comment that I needed to turn Calpernia into a lesbian, if only to cast her in the movie version of Perfect Girl. (Of course, sympathetic straights are very welcome to be Grand Marshals at gay pride parades - the most recent example being talk show host Stephanie Miller at Los Angeles Pride last year.)
I'm very grateful for all the hard work Calpernia does, often in collaboration with her BFF Andrea James. I certainly look forward to running into her again at the San Francisco Pride. (Hoping for a photo op together - it could indeed be the cover for Perfect Girl, with Calpernia as Sarah and me as Kirsten, though Calpernia may be a few years too old for that. :) ) I also hope to help their cause in other ways; if I had a way of hooking South Korea's Harisu up with Calpernia and Andrea on her next US visit, I surely would love to!
First, she did this wonderful interview with San Francisco Examiner, touching upon several key topics, including the rampant California theocracy/homophobia, the recent uproar over a Sacramento radio show encouraging violence against trans children, President Obama's progress (or lack thereof) working for LGBT rights, and of course the looming tenth anniversary of the death of her boyfriend PFC Barry Winchell.
Second, Calpernia announced, on her Facebook profile, that she's been asked to become the Grand Marshal of this year's San Francisco Pride Parade. This will be fantastic, especially since I will indeed be in San Francisco for the festivities. A few Facebook users jokingly commented that since Calpernia's straight, she's not quite the most logical Grand Marshal, but I added another joke comment that I needed to turn Calpernia into a lesbian, if only to cast her in the movie version of Perfect Girl. (Of course, sympathetic straights are very welcome to be Grand Marshals at gay pride parades - the most recent example being talk show host Stephanie Miller at Los Angeles Pride last year.)
I'm very grateful for all the hard work Calpernia does, often in collaboration with her BFF Andrea James. I certainly look forward to running into her again at the San Francisco Pride. (Hoping for a photo op together - it could indeed be the cover for Perfect Girl, with Calpernia as Sarah and me as Kirsten, though Calpernia may be a few years too old for that. :) ) I also hope to help their cause in other ways; if I had a way of hooking South Korea's Harisu up with Calpernia and Andrea on her next US visit, I surely would love to!
04 June 2009
Sarah, here's your new plane!
A Facebook friend in the aviation industry shared the following article:
Chicago Tribune
Sarah's bosses have not ordered a single new plane since 2002. But it appears that as the fleet ages (I was very unhappy with the 767, even more so with the renovation), new planes will be necessary. And as the aviation industry slumps, and existing aircraft orders are cancelled by other airlines, United may get a chance to put in a large order of new planes, on favorable terms.
Aircraft models under consideration, supposedly, are the Boeing 787, the Boeing 777-300 ER, the Airbus A350, and an improved Airbus A330. They will replace the current fleet of Boeing 767s, Boeing 747s, and early-model Boeing 777s. Even the 757s are due for replacement, and possible replacements are a smaller-scale Boeing 787 (under development) or the re-introduction of the Boeing 737.
Anything that lets Sarah more efficiently serve her passengers, in more comfort, is good news to me. The new planes will also keep the passengers less disgruntled and more content, and that means fewer complaints or air rage incidents for Sarah to deal with. Most importantly, United will be back on level footing against the Asian airlines that have recently acquired state-of-the-art aircraft, and that means there will indeed be more paying customers to pay Sarah's salary and other expenses.
The order should be firm later this year, but it should still take several more years for the new planes to actually enter service. I do hope the industry will be in good enough of a shape, and that Sarah will continue to hold her job as the best purser that United Airlines has ever had. I do know that she'll still be well under 40 by the time she starts working the first of the new planes - still very young (and pretty) by international United purser standards!
Chicago Tribune
Sarah's bosses have not ordered a single new plane since 2002. But it appears that as the fleet ages (I was very unhappy with the 767, even more so with the renovation), new planes will be necessary. And as the aviation industry slumps, and existing aircraft orders are cancelled by other airlines, United may get a chance to put in a large order of new planes, on favorable terms.
Aircraft models under consideration, supposedly, are the Boeing 787, the Boeing 777-300 ER, the Airbus A350, and an improved Airbus A330. They will replace the current fleet of Boeing 767s, Boeing 747s, and early-model Boeing 777s. Even the 757s are due for replacement, and possible replacements are a smaller-scale Boeing 787 (under development) or the re-introduction of the Boeing 737.
Anything that lets Sarah more efficiently serve her passengers, in more comfort, is good news to me. The new planes will also keep the passengers less disgruntled and more content, and that means fewer complaints or air rage incidents for Sarah to deal with. Most importantly, United will be back on level footing against the Asian airlines that have recently acquired state-of-the-art aircraft, and that means there will indeed be more paying customers to pay Sarah's salary and other expenses.
The order should be firm later this year, but it should still take several more years for the new planes to actually enter service. I do hope the industry will be in good enough of a shape, and that Sarah will continue to hold her job as the best purser that United Airlines has ever had. I do know that she'll still be well under 40 by the time she starts working the first of the new planes - still very young (and pretty) by international United purser standards!
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