Emilia Lombardi, Pittsburgh trans-activist and good friend of the Correspondents, made history this year as one of the first trans women to openly participate in the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival.  As we've reported in the past, the Michigan festival has historically excluded those who are not woman born, inspiring trans women and their allies to establish Camp Trans outside the festival to promote awareness of trans inclusion issues in women only spaces.

Their years of dedication paid off.

Organizers of Camp Trans, the annual protest across the road from the
festival, say that every year at least one trans woman at Camp Trans walks
to the festival gate with a group of supporters, explains that she is trans,
and tries to buy a ticket.  In past years, the festival box office has
produced a printed copy of the policy and refused.

"This time, the response was, 'cash or credit?'" said Jessica Snodgrass, a
Camp Trans organizer and festival attendee who spent the week reaching out
to supporters inside the fest.  "They said the festival has no policy
barring any woman from attending."

The woman purchased her ticket on Wednesday and joined supporters inside the
festival.  Another trans woman, Camp Trans organizer Emilia Lombardi, joined
on Friday to facilitate a scheduled workshop discussion on the
recently-retired policy.

"This kind of discussion has happened before inside the fest," said
Lombardi. "But for the first time in years, trans women were part of the
conversation.  Over 50 women shared their thoughts about what the inclusion
of trans women means for the Festival and how we can move forward."

"We didn't expect to change anyone's minds in the workshop - but in the end
we didn't need to. The support we found was overwhelming."

Both trans women say they were moved by how friendly and supportive other
festival attendees were.

Camp Trans will continue with the goal of continuing to promote awareness and provide supports for trans women attending the festival as well as working with camp participants to educate future attendees on transphobia.

I must say I am delighted!  The Correspondents have differed over this issue with regard to attending the festival.  And I think this is part of a larger shift in dynamics in the queer women's community.  This past weekend, the New York Times featured an in depth look at the receptivity (or lack thereof) of the "lesbian" community to transgender women.  Women have intensely personal reactions, especially to women born women transitioning to men.  The complexity of gender and sexual orientation is a struggle, tapping into old insecurities about the reality of being a woman in our society.

I suspect, however, that its also a generational issue.  Just as younger generations are more comfortable with the mere existance of multiple sexual orientations, I believe the younger queer generation is more comfortable with the fluidity of gender and less threatened by the paradigm shift.

But, as one Camp Trans organizer puts its, this isn't about winning a battle. 

"This is not about winning," said Snodgrass. "It's about making our
communities whole again.  The policy divided people against each other who
could be fighting on the same side.  We want to be part of the healing
process."

That's where the dialogue needs to go, most especially here in Pittsburgh where there is a huge generational divide in the queer women's community.  As recent events in City Hall demonstrate, women cannot afford this divide.  Obviously, Jim Ferlo and Bob O'Connor find much in common with a 31 year old so surely we can find ways to connect our 40 and 50 something lesbians with the 20 somethings queer women.  More on this later.

Back to Emilia.  She rocks and does a lot of good stuff here in Pittsburgh for the queer community as a whole.  We are very lucky that the University of Pittsburgh snatched her up and brought her to us.  And how very cool that she used her access to Michigan to get down to work on education and awareness.

Definitely a woman who rocks!