Dear Justin,
I just encountered Trans-Health.com. It seems to be the best kept secret on the web! And that’s surely a shame, because it is AWESOMELY EXCELLENT.
Now, I note, there has been no issue out since winter? What can I do to help jumpstart it? Write an article? Take out an ad? Tell all my friends?
Please advise.
Love and respect,
(The Rev.) Rikki Marie Chunn
Pastor, New American Christian Church
Los Angeles, CA
Rev. Chunn,
Thank you so much for the very high praise. Mistress Krista, Raverdyke, and I work hard to write for and market Trans-Health, and it’s quickly becoming known among trans people. We’ve been averaging 20,000 page loads a month. We missed an issue this spring, but are releasing a new issue again in July and will resume our regular quarterly publication.
All of your suggestions would be greatly appreciated in helping to publicize and improve Trans-Health. An article from a spiritual leader would be most welcome. I’ve noticed in the recent news that the Vatican made a proclamation claiming transsexuals don’t exist: that we can’t actually change our sex in the eyes of the Church. Other Christian groups have made statements either in support of this position or the dignity of transsexuals. In the US, federal research grants are being screened for references to transsexuals, among others, and President Bush supports government funded, faith-based human service programs that are permitted to discriminate against GLBT people. As these replace their secular counterparts, more trans people will find themselves without medical, housing, and social services.
Starting with this issue, I’m providing PDF-formatted versions of all issues of Trans-Health, making it easier to print out an issue and leave it somewhere that people will read it: in your doctor’s office, at the local GLBT center, in your senator’s mailbox. If you can afford to print and copy a few issues to share with people who don’t have internet access, please do!
We’re a cooperatively-run magazine, and our site is hosted by a friend for free. We do all of our marketing and solicitation of submissions by word of mouth and on the internet. If you know someone who can write on an issue around trans people’s health, nudge them to do it. Our articles are sometimes picked up from Trans-Health and printed in other magazines, including a newsletter in Australia, an Israeli website, and a transgender magazine published out of Pennsylvania. (Authors give their permission for any reprints as requests come in.)
I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that we want to encourage others to take an active role in the magazine. We envisioned Trans-Health as a place where we can write controversial articles, be radical, and publish people without censor. Trans-Health can speak for the community in ways that large, political organizations can’t. We still don’t do a perfect job: many people aren’t represented because no one is writing about them. Hopefully as more people know about Trans-Health, they’ll write about their own experiences in our pages.
Again, thanks for writing and telling us that we’re doing a great job. Write for us soon!
Regards,
Justin Cascio