What's in a name?

Well for me its quite a bit...  What can I say, Im........... Complicated... seems to be the right word.

Let me Preface this with that its not About "Me" Im upset over the larger view of what it means to the TS community as a whole. My background and story are only to illustrate what many of us go through.
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UPDATE

I just spoke with the Editor of CityPages at 3:30 PM CST and they are already removing this from their online version of the paper and agreed to print a small appology in next weeks edition to say that it was a mistake that they didnt catch that this would come accross in bad form.  WHOO HOOOO to rational thinking!  and THANK YOU CITYPAGES!!!!

UPDATE
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For me "Tempest" was always here, held behind a wall of pain and fear for over 20 years.  I had grown up as a boy with a boys name, I had learned to fear releasing what was hiding inside because I was shown at an early age that it could only cause harm.  Eventually the day would come where I would feel the need to shift, to change, to fix what was wrong and make everything fit with who I really was.  It was the comming of an electric storm that was dark and crackled with bolts of energy that charged the air even from a distance,  that storm would cost me a 7 year relationship, cause me to risk friends, family, job and anything that was remotely secure in my life, even my music career, that storm had a name that seemed to always have been with it and it called to me, I didnt so much pick Tempest as it picked me and it felt Right.

As part of my transition I made a vow to never run from my past. I had spent far to many years living in fear in that closet and I was not about to go back in for any reason and nobody was going to hold power over me using my own past against me.  Never again would I live with that fear, you really can dream your destiny if you really want to and there is nothing that is impossible. 

I knew there would be people in my life that would be slow on the learning curve, people who had known me for decades by my "boy" name and would find it hard to let go or would slip up from time to time, after all twenty years of knowing me as a male seems like a lot compaired to just the 6+ that Ive been who I am today so that is forgiveable as long as the intent is innocent. 

There are also the select few in my life who get a "Free Pass" my mother is one of those.  She gave me my first name before I could even open my eyes, shes the one who carried me, fed me, held my hand when I was scared, wiped my nose, tears and even my ass.  Mothers should always get a free pass in this, my mom can call me anything that she likes and she will still be my mother and I will honor her with that. 

Then there comes the other type of people who will dig up my past and my old name.  The detractors, the haters, the ones that want to grind me down and make me feel like some kind of freak for living my life as a Trans-Woman.  I was ready for those, I could accept my past for what it was, just my past and no longer relavant to the woman I am today. 

The clock ticked

Time passed

The world seemed to shift on its very axis.

And the Haters never appeared.

Even those who disapproved of my lifestyle gave me the respect to toss their hate at the name that I had chosen to live my life under.  They might hate me but they hated me for who I am not for who I was.  I find that there is a small ammount of honor even in that  much like a battle of ronin and samuri and I can salute the enemy who takes the fight to me but holds the fight to the current battle field.

I wached in wonder as the world turned and started to recognize trans persons for exactly who they are rather than who they were.  It was beautiful, Americas Top model TV program had a trans woman as a contestant and although they mentioned it they did not sensationalize it.  Even the more gory news such as the Murder of Angie Zapata, whom mighty news giant CNN even recognized by her female name breaking a trend of circus side show representation in the news media of only stating the male birth names in cases such as these.  CNN I tip my hat to you, you finally "got it."

I take joy in that, and every victory that the enlightened and open minded win over those that would restrict or diminish the right to live your life as you would have it.

Now...

Imagine my surprise to see my own male birth name mentioned over and over in a well circulated local paper.  Right there in black, white, and news print, or if you read it on the internet, spattered with little bits of color to draw attention to various ads and earn them a buck or two.

Imagine my surprise when the person mentioning me by my male birth name was a fellow Transwoman, one viewed by many as a leader  or role model in the GLBT community.  A woman who certainly should know better.

Imagine when that Transwoman is none other than the Transwoman who helped me shake off the shackles of my own fear, who served as a role model to myself and so many other trans-persons.  A woman whom if I had not met I dont know where I would be today but it would certainly be a less happy place for my life.  That Transwoman is Venus, and there she is giving an interview using my male birth name over and over again, describing in detail my appearance as a male (even though several points are wrong in time line and only apply to photos I had taken Before I ever met her I dont care about the rest of the lies, half truths and misdirection that I have come to espect).  Dispite the fact that she knew me all of a single month under that name before asking to only be called by my chosen name for the last 6+ years. 

But no, its all right there for the city and world to read and she's calling me "He" and "Glen", not just once but over and over again.

Yes I just used my birth name. As I said I wont fear it... never never never again will I be held by that cage and Im not about to let Venus or anyone else put me into that position.

The disrespect is paramount to be refered to as such by another Transwoman. I could forgive this by somone who didnt know better but no person who transitions can go through everything that we do to get to this point and not know what they are doing when they call another by birth name.  This is no simple mistake...

I find it a discrace to both herself and to her position as a supposed leader in the Trans Community.  She once inspired many but its clear that she has fallen and for the life of me I cant figure out why or how she has come to be so low.  The only thing Venus has accomplished here is a lowering of the respect level that we as trans-persons should come to expect from each other.

One could argue that I am no role model myself and perhaps Im not but I would never stoop to publicly outing another transwomans birth name for any reason, it undermines us all. Ill live my life with honor and there is no way Im going to die ashamed of myself or my past, no Im not the same and I wont share that blame. 

Im also very upset at the CityPages, which is the newspaper who decided to publish the interview including that content.  They usually are very aware about GLBT issues and trans sensitive context when dealing with stories of this nature.  Shame on you for letting it go to print, I know you know better

..Ill be getting interviewed by the UK's one and only Zoe this saturday.
Show is on early for US Residents so you can tune in and catch the
interview and still have plenty of time to get back here and do... well whatever else you do on a satruday evening on myspace... We will be chatting and playing some songs off the new yet to be released album and the rest of the usual insanity.


Saturday-
(5pm EST 4pm CST)- www.wildbunchradio.com - This week ZOE interviews -
TEMPEST from Harsh Reality www.myspace.com/harshrealitymetal

........
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This video has popped up on YouTube and recently been targeted by Wired News due to the stir its causing with its untrue and hate filled content.  The HRC even managed to find the audition tapes where most of the actors/actresses stumbled and fumbled their way through their lines trying to play a role that simply wasnt true.

Gay Marriage = Civil Rights

This has nothing to do with religion, get off the cross and get over
it, besides even Jesus preached to treat others as you would like to be
treated... how hard can that concept actually be.

Bunch of hypocritical religious bastards, if Jesus did show up today
most of religious right would have him in jail by next week. Try to
LEARN something from that book you hold so dear.View and Comment !!!!And for your displeasure... the audition tapes before they get pulled off of YouTube

***Big show for Big Brothers Big Sisters

By K�RI KNUTSON / kknutson@winonadailynews.com

Last year’s concert fundraiser for the Winona office of Big Brothers
Big Sisters of the 7 Rivers Region was such a success, organizers are
hosting another concert this year.

Harsh Reality, Black Valentyne and Code Name Hard Hat will play Saturday at Jefferson’s Riverside Center.


The Draught Haus hosted last year, when BBBS raised $3,000. Advisory
Council Member Susan Brown helped organize and said she wasn’t sure
what to expect last year but was thrilled so many people came out for
their cause.

“People really enjoyed it,” Brown said. “We’re lucky to have fun and do something great too.”

Minneapolis
metal band Harsh Reality headlined last year and returns Saturday. The
band features transgender members and Minnesota Music Academy Award
winners Tempest and Jendeen.

“They really put on a show,” Brown said. “Everybody was wowed. I don’t even know what you could compare it to.”

The
concert is put on by volunteers, and the bands donate their time. Brown
hopes people who heard about last year’s show turn up Saturday. This
year’s goal is to raise $3,500.

The concert is a welcome addition to the other BBBS fundraisers, said Winona Office Fund Development Director Lisa Lundquist.

“We’re finding raising funds more and more difficult,” Lundquist said. “This really helps.”

A couple years back I stood on the edge of a dream that I was watching slip away and I slipped into that Jones Town state of mind that seemed to suck part of me down with it thinking that no matter how I tried, no matter how I worked saved, or what I sold or what piece of me I let others carry away I woldnt ever be able to reach that dream. 
It was a surgery I had been saving for and a dream that I wanted to make real ever since I was about 7 years old,  yea it was some of that "Tranny stuff" thats not very metal unless you count the fact that its really flying the flag of defiance in the face of what the world tries to tell you who you have to be and how you have to live your life.
Then somone lifted off the saftey latch and people I didnt even know and possibly wouldnt ever meet started to appear out of nowhere to help me out to reach the last couple thousand dollars I needed for a surgery to tip the scales back into balance for my life.  There was a photographer from a near by city, and a salon owner that I only knew in passing, then there were other TS girls who shared the same dream, then there was a truck driver from half way accross the nation and more than a few punk rockers from NYC and so many more.  I was confused and over joyed to the point of tears, I had never imagined that total strangers could possibly care about something so personal to me. 
Now its my turn.  Pay it forward, its more than a phrase, and if you dont believe you can make a unforgettable difference in a complete strangers life then you simply havent figured out how to believe at all.  .

Dreams are Everything, you can dance in circles down the alley's of the maze and stand in the moonlight with the king of the wolves if simply believe you can.
To that end  I entroduce you to Wendy Williams.

 

 Possibly a complete stranger to you and almost so to me, we have exchanged about a half dozen emails in our lives and I have yet to meet her in person, although our paths have come rather close to crossing on a couple occasions.  I would see she would be preforming all glammed out in some club on one side of some city while I was playing some punk rock club on the other side of town.

She's one hell of a hard worker and that earned my initial respect.  Think of me as the proverbial minstrial in the gallery, I dont really fit in anywhere so I get the luxury of sitting back and watching how others move and that girl is a worker.  Doing numerous personal and performance appearances plus keeping up a rather heavy filming schedule dispite being located not too far from the mundane midwest not to mention founding her own production company and basiclly being a one woman show.

Now you might be thiniking that shes a Porn star so she must be rich... Wrong. A big part of that world is making things appear as much more than what they are and that includes sexy clothes and an apparently glamours lifestyle with lying pool side all day and partying all night.  Well truth be told there might be a bit of that but there is a whole lot more to it than that, its not exactly a regular 40 hour work week after all and its not like it comes with an nice insurance package and company car or retirement fund.  You have to work your ass off just to get a call back half the time and then keep your fingers crossed that it pans out after you buy your plane ticket.  Top that all off with a very fickle industry and a fan base that can love you one moment then the next pick your flesh from your bones because you changed your hair color, or you dont have the "girl of the week" look for that moment.  Some days Im actually thankfull that I stayed in rock n roll... well for the most part anyway ;)

So thats it in a nutshell.  Here I am shilling for Wendy and the only reason is I think she's a dreamer and it would make me feel good to see her dream come true and its all part of paying it forward plus

I wont try to tell her story, thats hers and as I freely admit I just dont know her that well to talk about her in such a fashion. She has a blog located at http://wendywilliams.chipin.com/facial-feminization-surgerys

Ok I was going to tell you to  you can use this little widget thingy to donate to her cause but it wont F'n work in the MySpace Blog and at 2am my brain is almost damaged so youll have to just go to the blog above, yes I already did I would never ask anyone to do something I wouldnt do myself and I may yet have a few more tricks up my sleeve to try to help out with...
Youll have to copy and paste the address, MySpace wont allow the poppup to come up but hopefully a few of you have the energy to do a few mouse clicks
Also feel free to stop by her myspace page and add her and say hello www.myspace.com/hotwendywilliams 

I need dreamers in this world, I think we all do.
Now pony up you cheap bastards and perhaps Ill buy you a drink at the next show, or if your really lucky Ill let you buy me one, what can I say I get easy when I drink (wink)

 

 

A Special little Holiday treat for All of our Fans,

We are giving away these songs in MP3 format as a special preview of the new album due out Spring 2009,

These are One of A Kind Pre-Release Versions and we may "Tweak" things a little more before we finalize the album so in a way they will become

collectors editions that will be offered this one time only...  And Only Till Sunday the 28th then they are GONE!

Cheers, Happy Holidays and Merry Mother Fucking Christmas From Tempest. Mercy Kill and Harsh Reality

MERCY KILL  Alien Clique

 MERCY KILL Heaven Screams

HARSH REALITY My Curse

HARSH REALITY Two Way Mirror