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Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Transgender reverend speaks about gender identity
By Brett Miles
Staff Writer
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Erin Swenson is a
Presbyterian reverend.
She is also a transgender
female. This unusual
combination brought
many UWG students
and faculty to attend the
Responsible Sexuality
Committee's presentation
last Tuesday titled.
Transgender Experience:
Deconstructing
Stereotypes, Constructing
Identities.
Before Swenson
began her story, she
encouraged the audience
to join in on her rendition
of “This Little Light of
Mine,” a well known
children's Christian song.
Swenson learned this song
when she was very young
as she attended church and
church camp regularly.
Swenson grew up
near Buffalo, NY and
moved to Georgia at the
age of ten. It was then,
as a ten year old boy, that
Swenson knew she was
different from his peers.
“I discovered that
what I really wanted in life
was not to grow up to be a
man, but to be a woman.”
Swenson felt that
she had “invented sin”
and hid his desires. She
said that she was smart
enough not to tell her
parents that she wished
yy be a girl, >et her secret
made her feel “isolated,
alone, and helpless.”
Professor, students perform in jazz ensemble
By Kassi Morris
Sta ff Writer
kmarrisS @m\. westfia.edu
When it comes to the
classic American art form
of jazz, the University of
West Georgia boasts some
very talented musicians and
entertaining performers.
Both student and
faculty musicians warmed
the crowd last Friday
night with their passionate
melodic performances at
the music department’s
Jazz Ensemble concert at
Campus Calendar
(All sporting events listed are home games.)
Wednesday, Nov. 16
• Lambda Bake Sale. Outside UCC, 10 a.m.
• Mascot Forum. TLC 1301,7:30 p.m..
Thursday, Nov. 17
• Resume and Portfolio Workshop, UCC Rm. 207, 5 p.m.
• SGA Meeting, UCC Rm. 207, 3:30 p.m.
• “An evening of jazz”, Cashen Recital Hall, 8:15 p.m
Friday, Nov. 18
• Mascot Forum, UCC 311,9 a.m.
Monday, Nov. 21
• Precussion band concert, Townsend Center, 8:15 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 28
• Piano concert, Cashen Recital Hall, 7 p.m.
Events are taken from web-published university calendars
and sports schedules, press releases and from information sent to
The West Georgian by event organizers. Organizers wishing to
list an event may e-mail the details, as far in advance as possible,
to uwgpaper@westga.edu.
Swenson vowed to
herself to keep the secret
forever. She felt that she
would not be accepted
by her family, friends,
teachers, or pastor.
Yet, one day at
church, Swenson’s secret
became less of a burden:
“Something saved my
life,” she said.
Swenson heard her
Presbyterian preacher say
that God knew people
to the marrow of their
bones. Although this was
terrifying for Swenson, it
changed her outlook on
her secret.
“I realized that God
knew me that well and
God loved me to the
very marrow of those
same bones, it changed
my life.”
Swenson had many
theories as to why she
wished to be female. She
believed that she may be the
subject of an international
scam. She also thought
that one day she would fall
in love with a woman. And
she did.
In 1967, when
Swenson was only 20 years
old and still a man, she met
her future wife at church
camp. They married within
six months and later had
two daughters. Swenson
was happy and thought his
desires to be female were
gone for good.
Until the day Swenson
found himself in their
apartment alone in his
wife's clothes.
"1 was devastated,
the Townsend Center for
the Performing Arts.
The event, which
was free and began at 8
p.m., was directed from
the piano by Dr. Daniel
Bakos, UWG professor
of music and director of
jazz studies.
He launched the
show by asking all of the
veterans in the audience to
stand and be recognized in
observance of Veteran’s
Day. The 12 deserving
individuals received the
first applause of the night.
destroyed. Within months,
I became depressed.”
Swenson tried to
solve his problems by
submerging himself in
his work. For the next 25
years, he worked full-time
and attended school full
time. He obtained four
college degrees, three
of which were graduate
degrees. He went to
seminary school and was
ordained as a minister.
Swenson was a
chaplain at the state
hospital, a pastor and
a marriage and family
counselor. He built his
family’s first house by
himself, learned to My an
aircraft, built a sailboat in
his basement and sailed
on the Atlantic Ocean.
Yet the constant work did
not alleviate Swenson’s
painful secret.
“I was like an alcoholic
on his tenth drink —no
enjoyment, just oblivion."
Swenson grew more
and more depressed and
finally decided that she
had to do something.
She visited a therapist
in Maryland who was
experienced in transgender
experience. After seeing
the therapist for three
weeks, Swenson knew that
she had to be honest with
herself and her family.
Three months later,
she told the world the
secret that she had kept for
almost 40 years—Swenson
desperately wanted to
become a woman.
At first, no one
Bakos then sat down
at the piano and, together
with the rest of the Jazz
Ensemble, beganthe night’s
musical performances,
which featured seven
separate pieces from such
celebrated artists as Benny
Carter, Rob McConnell
and Hank Levy.
The ensemble’s
diverse musical selections
ranged from the fun and
upbeat tempo of Carter’s
“The Wiggle Walk,” to
the more serious and
dramatic ambiance of
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Photo h\ Braxton Calloway
Erin Swenson discusses her llife as a transgender female. She is also a Presbyterian
minister and has earned four degrees.
understood Swenson’s
secret—her family or
her church —but they
slowly began to. For two
years, Swenson received
angry, confused letters
from the members of the
Presbyterian Church.
But, in October
1996, the church voted in
Swenson’s favor and she
was able to sustain her
ordination.
Swenson underwent a
sex change operation and
Arthur Schwartz and Gerry
Mulligan’s “Dancing in
the Dark.” But no matter
which selection was being
heard, there was plenty of
foot-tapping to the music’s
irresistible rhythms.
Manyoftheensemble’s
19 student instrumentalists
performed solos for the
crowd. Following each
solo, the crowd responded
with a brief round of
applause, revealing both
their appreciation and
approval of the soloist’s
harmonious deed.
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legally became a woman.
Swenson explained
to the UWG audience that
her gender has always been
female, but it was just her
sex that was male.
She also stated that
one’s sex is the physical
aspect of sexual identity,
while gender is the social
aspect of sexual identity.
“1 didn't change my
gender—it is internally
held. I have always been
just as you see me now.
T rombone player Chris
Holloway, a UWG student,
said he was happy with the
group's performance.
“I am extremely
pleased with the way
everything went," he said.
Bryan Hall, another
student who played bass
and featured animated
facial expressions the
entire night as he plucked
the chords of his large
instrument, received the
evening’s greatest ovation
for his solo during the
program’s final selection.
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My operation doesn’t
change my gender at a11...
it just makes me more
comfortable,” Swenson
said.
Swenson has told her
story to audiences many
times and believes that
people can learn from
this story:
“God has called me to
use me as a tool to change
how the world views
stereotypes. 1 am a part of
God’s amazing plan.”
The crowd giggled with
delight at his comical
expressions as they
applauded.
Student Lauren
Humphrey was the sole
vocalist of the night,
charming the audience on
two pieces w ith the soothing
timbre of her voice.
In addition to the
audience’s overall
fondness of the concert,
Bakos too seemed pleased
with the night.
"It was great,” he said.
“We had a lot of fun.”