Genevieve's Gems

Faith in God's revelation has nothing to do with an ideology which glorifies the status quo.


~Karl Barth

My Second Birth

I am fond of the time I began hanging out in Greenwich Village in 1968. The Village, as it was called, was an avant-garde neighborhood filled with poets, artists, musicians and other artsy folks. I often went there on Fridays and Saturdays absorbing the vibes that pulsated. Walking along MacDougal Street or St. Mark's Place in the East Village, you didn't walk, you shuffled along so you wouldn't step on the heels of the person in front of you.

There were many different kinds of people. Gays, lesbians, straights, young, old, interracial couples,and trans (though I couldn't figure out who they were at that time). It was a fun time. I lament to a woman friend that I miss those times. She shared her own experiences of those times also. She stated that she enjoys today and is having so much fun. I admitted that I was too.

I was on Long Island when the Stonewall Rebellion occurred in 1969. When I returned a couple of days later I saw the aftermath of the riot. Transgender, drag queens, gays, and lesbians stood up to police harassment. I didn't know until years how much this event would impact me.

When I recently walked by the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street, I thought of Marsha P. Johnson, Miss Major and Sylvia Rivera, three ladies who started it all. Ms. Johnson and Ms. Rivera are no longer with us. Miss Major is still quite an activist. These women are my heroines. Now nearly five decades after the rebellion, their influence is till felt.     

Genevieve's Gems

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.


~Abraham Lincoln

The Arts As A Teaching Tool.

I recently performed in a theater production called Trans Generations. A group sixteen trans and gender non conforming men and women shared our experiences through theater, music, poetry, drama, and the spoken word. Around 150 people saw the play. It was the largest event that's happened at the SAGE Center here in New York.

I sometimes read of how demagogues and despots always silence the arts, intellectuals, and those who have solutions to the issues. Looking at the current political climate here in America, the same pattern is emerging. I'm am very happy that transgender and non conforming folks are standing up and stepping out in getting and maintaining protections they have. People in North Carolina and Mississippi are pushing back against the anti-lgbtq bills passed in those two states.

Getting back to the performances,Trans Generations made me a richer woman. I see the power that the arts have in changing hearts and minds. It can spur us too greater activism also. I mentioned in the past that I don't see myself as an activist but it seems that I've been drawn into it. Whatever it takes to educate and teach others about transgender/gender non conforming people I will do. 

Genevieve's Gems

There  is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve performance the next time.


~Malcolm X, Activist (1925-1965)