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Robyn Serven, Little Rock PFLAG
Co-Facilitator, TGS-PFLAG
member, TGS-PFLAG Online-Helpline
rserven@cc1.uca.edu
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From: "Robyn Serven" <rserven@cc1.uca.edu>
To: pflag-talk@casti.com
Date: Sat, 6 Jul 1996 20:31:47 CST6CDT
Subject: Hello
Sender: owner-pflag-talk@vector.casti.com
The summer semester is over, so I decided to add another list to help take up my time and help me procrastinate what I need to do. So here I am. :)
My name is Robyn Serven. I'm a mathematics professor at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. I'm 48 years old, was married for 24 years and have a nearly 28 year old lesbian daughter who lives in Lincoln, NE.
I'm also a post-operative transsexual woman, having begun my transition in 1992, had my initial surgery in August of 1994 and my final surgery in March of 1995. I wrote a series of poems to describe the transition period, which I sometimes read on college campuses as part of a performance piece entitled "Crossing the Gendr Line." I believe very strongly in the value of education and to that end have done some difficult things to help educate the communities in which I wish to exist, such as being the first openly pre-operative transsexual woman on the Sappho e-mail list (oh, by the way, I'm a lesbian), being the first openly transsexual person to attend a Rainbow Gathering, and (coming up soon) going to my 30th high school reunion in Lake Oswego, OR (at the end of July).
I haven't had much choice about being out about who and what I am, since I transitioned on the job at a state supported university and was outed to the press as soon as I came out to my coworkers. Unfortunately, the story was picked up by the Associated Press and spread to at least 5 states. So, being out, I've used the forum I have had thrust upon me to try to make things better for others in whatever way I can. Besides attending PFLAG in Little Rock, I'm a board member for the Arkansas Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
As it says in the .sig file below, I'm one of the cofacilitators of tgs-pflag and I've signed up to offer whatever I have in the way of expertise for the help line.
After surviving a very lonely transition, I'm currently living with two other people in a three bedroom house. Lonnie is young pre-operative transsexual woman and a former student at my university that I have taken into my home to help her afford to transition and Alicia is my new love (we met in March and she moved in during June...it's a new experience for me but one which I am enjoying immensely). Alicia and I plan to have a ceremony sometime in the near future. We don't know what kind of ceremony as of yet as we are exploring the possibility of doing things legally (sort of...although I am genitally female now, it still says "M" on my birth certificate and most of the people locally still think of me as a man (since they this is a very religious community and "God doesn't make mistakes." It's an interesting question (just who can I marry if it all seems to be about outward appearances or public perception...the subject as just never come up in Arkansas))).
Anyway, I'm rambling, as I am wont to do. :)
I'll be hanging around for most of the summer, at least. When not procrastinating, I will be attempting to finish the book I've been working on for the past few years. It's about who I am and what I think and is called, "I Am What I Think." From time to time, I may post a snippet or two to the list. Comments will be accepted. :)
Love,
Robyn
Co-facilitator, tgs-pflag http://www.critpath.org/pflag-talk/
"When all is said and done, all that really matters is whether or not you are happy."
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