The Announcement

[winterkoninkje]

There are three parts to this post. Everyone should read the first two sections, especially the second section. Haskellers should also be sure to read the third section.

The Announcement

If you don't yet know: I'm transgender. My sense of gender and self have never aligned with my physical appearance, and I’ve spent most of my life dealing with this fact. This is not an acquired condition nor a recent change; it is an intrinsic and life-long part of who I am. I began the process of transitioning half a year ago and, over the next six months or so, I will complete the transition to living as a woman full-time.

Many of my followers are already familiar with transgender issues, but since this is a public announcement I assume many of you are not. There are numerous resources online for learning more, but I find the PFLAG pamphlet to be a particularly good place to start. If you still have any questions after reading that, I can provide additional resources and am willing to answer questions.

How to respond

This is going to depend on how you know me.

If we interact predominantly online

This includes everyone in the Haskell community (both online and academically), as well as everyone from Reddit, Twitter, etc. Henceforth, please use feminine pronouns (she/her/hers) exclusively when referring to me. I understand this will take some getting used to, but it will soon become second nature.

If we interact predominantly in person

I'd prefer you use feminine pronouns (she/her/hers) when referring to me, especially when online and when mentioning me anonymously. But, for the time being, masculine pronouns (he/him/his) are still acceptable. Sometime in the spring I will send another announcement around letting you know when "T-day" is. After that date, I will be presenting as female full-time and will no longer tolerate masculine pronouns.

---

PSA for Haskellers

I shouldn't have to say this, but since there were some complaints about the "homosexual propaganda" in my recent posts, may I remind my readers of The Planet Haskell policies regarding political and religious content. I rarely post political content, but am well within the guidelines in doing so. The stated mission of Planet Haskell is to "show what is happening in the community, what people are thinking about or doing". I am an active and well-known member of the Haskell community, and the violence endured by trans people is something I've been thinking a lot about lately. When Chung-chieh Shan gave the 2013 Haskell Symposium program chair report, he made a specific point of highlighting the effects of sexism, racism, homophobia, and transphobia in driving people out of the Haskell community. Therefore, I think it is fair to say that these issues are pertinent, above and beyond my personal involvement with them.

That said, I do not intend to discuss trans issues at length on this blog. Nevertheless, on occasion, these issues will come up because I refuse to live in silence and shame for who I am.