Alexandra Pitchford's page

What Crystal said. Am I worried that characters will become one-note parodies? Always. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't be included. So far, they've been handled incredibly well. Anevia is one of my favorite new characters, and I find her entire backstory, regardless of the gender aspect, to be well-done and interesting.

Is being reduced to parodies a worry? Of course. But Paizo seems capable enough of handling things, and portraying interesting, multifaceted characters that don't fall back on tired stereotypes.

Except that, thus far, I think they've covered the various spectrum of individuals, whether hetero or gay or something else. Paizo's been pretty good about that sort of thing, for the most part. I trust them to do a good job.

And, I'll fight tooth and nail to keep seeing people like me reflected in Paizo's setting material. You don't want to depict a trans* person in your game? Don't use them! Fine, but understand that there are people that would like to see people like them in a game. That's all it really boils down to. Telling Paizo that you don't want to see people like me (a lesbian Trans woman, I might point out) reflected in a game that I also play, tells me that you really don't see people like me as worthy of inclusion.

And yes, that's offensive to me. Do what you want in your home game, but let us have our heroes and representation too. Please.

Set wrote:

On the 'in game word for lesbian' notion, aren't there some amazon populations in Golarion? The dinosaur riders south of Garund, for example?

Holomog! I'm not sure that's the name of the people as well though.

I thought about trying to derive something from Qadira too, considering the matriarchy, but Holomog probably has a more female-centric reputation going for it(and doesn't really have much in the way of political enemies in the Inner Sea Region, except maybe Geb).

Thinking about the Sarenrae/Shelyn/Desna relationship and how it might be romanticized to supply some positive identifiers...

****************

Katryn tried to keep up with the Varisian girl. It was already dark out and she knew she was expected home, but she couldn't leave her friend without apologizing.

Alma turned back to her, continuing her rapid pace backwards, her smile flashing brightly in the moonlight. "C'mon! My brother will be playing back at the camp tonight! You'll love the songs he's picked up since we were here last!"

The young Chelish woman grinned despite herself. "I'm sure. But..." She half regretted leading into it as Alma raised an eyebrow and slowed her step. Katryn did not want to sour the night any further than she felt it already had.

"Hm?" Alma prompted, finally coming to a stop as her old friend stared at her own feet.

Katryn sheepishly continued. "I'm sorry. About my mother."

Alma tilted her head, a quizzical look in her eyes. "For....?"

Gods, does she really not know? Katryn suspected that Alma was playing with her now. Her voice dropped almost to a whisper as she continued. "For the "moth" remark..." Her pale cheeks turned pink with embarassment. "She's...old fashioned...she doesn't know any..."

She stopped short as her friend nearly doubled over from laughter, her hands on her knees and her long black locks brushing against the grass.

"I'm serious!" Katryn's blush deepened. "You and your family have been coming...

I...I absolutely love this O_o

Also, I can totally confirm that the character Miranda from my recent story in Wayfinder is a TOTAL firefly :)

The thing is, by the vast majority of average folks Transgendered people are looked upon as "weird" or "odd" or even worse. The only way that is going to change is by being out there, and when stuff like this comes up being as rational and calm as you can be, even if the person who disagrees with you is not, in that circumstance actually especially so. If you act like a reasonable and calm person while the one railing against you is frothing and the mouth and throwing names and labels at you it makes you seem like the responsible party and they the crazy ones, no matter your lifestyle choices.

I'll say that this not particularly fair. But by responding or resorting to name calling and attacks, it hurts your own cause. It makes people less likely to engage in a conversation with you because it turns into a shouting match and could even confirm whatever uneducated bias they have about transgendered people. The way Cori presents arguments is much more likely to convince people than the overly aggressive way, is what I am really trying to say here.

The only reason name-calling and incivility was resorted to was not because of disagreement, but because of the borderline offensive stuff that 3.5 Loyalist came out of the gate with. If you notice, we started off trying to be pretty darn rational, but none of it sank in. And, he followed that up with stuff that was not only offensive to me and just about everyone else I know that's reading and posting in this, but disrespectful to me, personally. So...I'm not surprised DrowVampyre went off like she did. It's not exactly helping anybody, but I can't fault her for it.

Like I said before, if he'd come out of the gate asking questions respectfully without stuff he started out with? Then yes. I would likely have answered the questions to the best of my ability. I'm honestly happy to enlighten people on what things are like for people like me, but you need to remember to be respectful when doing the asking or you're not going to get a positive reaction.

Now, I will say this, in regards to something you asked earlier that Cori covered partially. As far as state-based stuff goes, yes, it can be a lot of hoops to jump through. As far as I know, most states do require you to have had the reassignment surgery before you can change your gender designation. Luckily, I happen to live in Washington, where that's not the case. It still took some hoop-jumping, but my ID now correctly reflects my gender.

A harder thing is birth certificates, at least for those of us born in states that do require the surgery first. I can change my name on it (and fully intend to), but I'm sorta out of luck if I want to get a passport...at least until I get SRS. Damn Virginia laws...

Now parrying with the other hand, Pitchford, you do realise that pseudo-intellectual has been an over-used ad hominem for decades? It is often used to discourage debate and discredit a side. You've got to be careful throwing that round as well, because I am an actual intellectual. Uni grad, honours, working on my PhD at the moment, someone who tries to understand society and discuss intellectual matters, culture, sub-culture and identity is like a drug to discuss. This isn't my specialty though, this is just an interest, but it is lazy to go the you are just speaking "pseudo-intellectual bs" route. To ask questions is at the heart of inquiry, and we can just accept what people say and alter our language to suit what they want, but that isn't thinking, that is respecting. I'm interested in more than that. What is behind the pushing back against the natural as unnatural?

On who you were before, it was not the lie. It was the biological truth. The biological truth is not our constructed socialisations of gender. Now this gets a lot more interesting if we consider and ask why you did not find your biology to be truth, and what influenced your wish to change? We can change attitudes daily, why was it so important to change the sides society has placed you on? Have you physically got yourself altered by operations, to what extent? Is this about mastery? Is this about finding the self? That is enough questions to get us started for sure.

You know, I'm kinda getting tired of you just using my surname. At the very least, I find it disrespectful. Alex, Alexandra, Allie, Lex, Ms. Pitchford, whatever. But just calling me 'Pitchford' makes it seem like you're trying to jab at me. But, that's hardly the point here.

The point is, we've pointed out how wrong-headed and offensive what you've said is. We've tried to explain, rationally, why you're mistaken in your view of what transpeople are. It's not something so simple that it can be boiled down and shoved into the boxes you seem to want to put it in. And you don't get it, fine.

Believe me, I've been very open about my experiences so far, both online and in real life. If you'd just asked those sorts of questions right off the bat? Maybe I would have answered them. But when it's included among some of what you keep saying...that I, and people like me, are somehow deceiving you, defrauding you, or trying to "sell you something" by just trying to be who we know we are inside. Well, that's what gets me. That's what pisses me off.

You want discourse? Try not being a jackass, and then we'll talk.

And you know what? No, you don't get to call me Allie. Only my girlfriend gets to call me that.

Shifty wrote:

Might be best just to let this one slide now eh guys? Before people get too heated?

I'm sorry, but somebody telling me that I'm trying to bs them about who I am because I don't want to live a personal lie? I'm going to respond to that.

I tried too, believe me. It's hard to stomach that sort of ignorant, asinine, pseudo-intellectual BS. But at this point I'm just tired of beating my head against a wall. Plus, I knew if I kept trying I was going to start saying things that were decidedly unladylike. I'd rather keep a civil tone...hard as that might be to do -_-

Like I said before...it was who I was before that was the lie, plain and simple. If someone doesn't want to accept that, well...they're wrong, and that's their damn problem, not mine.

Pitchford, not going to stop discussing this because you got offended. You are going to have to...

Well, nothing I say will certainly convince you, I can see.

Thanks for not using my first name though. That's a classy touch :P

Davor wrote:

All of which are things I think are silly and shouldn't be done either. Again, I understand not being happy with yourself, but perhaps it's ones self perception that needs to be changed, rather than the exterior.

You know that changing self perception is actually impossible in most of these cases and if forced, causes severe psychological damage?

This, exactly. A transgendered person pretending they're not (and it would be pretending) is as psychologically damaging as a gay person convincing themselves (or being forced to be convinced. Let's not start on that 'pray away the gay' b@$!~&%%) that they're straight. Nothing good comes of it, and that person just ends up miserable.

They can try and define the correct pronoun, but others can also say, no, sorry, you aren't entirely are you?

For instance, the... person in the vid, their arms looked to me like a man's arms trying to masquerade as a woman's arms. The rest was a somewhat convincing disguise/bluff, but thing stick out (no pun intended) for those that pay attention.

The attempt to become something you are not, but which you think you are, leaves all sorts of intriguing tells in the wake of partial transformations. They can try and say, no I am a she now, she she she, purely a she, but another person isn't entirely wrong if they say, what of this over here!

So if someone was transgendered, I'd have no problem with them being whatever, but if they try to bullsh*t me, I am going to look into their eyes and ask, "really? Is that so... Jimmy?" Because there is seizing your own identity, and saying you are this, but there is also bullshi**ing other people, and claiming/trying to be what you feel is right for you, but which isn't entirely correct.

The truth is they are somewhere in between he and she. Transgender therefore works.

Except that's a very uninformed, and highly disrespectful way of viewing it. If someone identifies to you as a woman, then leave it at that. Don't pry, don't ask, just accept what they say and move on, plain and simple. Otherwise, you just come off as a jackass.

Believe me, it's not easy struggling with who you know you are on the inside, and what you were born as. Trying to reconcile those isn't easy, and when you've come as far as some transwomen have then having someone look at you like that and blatantly call everything you are bull, well...that can be one of the most traumatic and hurtful things that can happen. So just...be open-minded, be accepting. They're not trying to deceive you, because to them that's what they are. It's who they were before that was the deceit, as far as they're concerned. A mask or a costume they put on because they had to.

I get not approving, and I get not understanding...but at least try to be nice...

Davor wrote:

So... someone is good at gaming. Hurray?

I may not agree with the whole sex change thing, but that doesn't make (insert gender specific pronoun here) any less of a gamer, which... was something we all knew already.

Again... yay?

I don't think anyone thinks she is less of a gamer but they are being a~&$&%!s to her and harassing her - the interviewer hopes that he can help reduce that type of behavior in the gaming community.

Also, the correct gender specific pronoun in this case would be "her".

Yeah, as a transgendered woman myself, the pronoun is definitely "Her". Like they explain in the video, the right pronoun is whatever they consider themselves. :)

I think it really just boils down to flavor, and not wanting too many classes with availability to guns. So, Gunslinger or nothing, sadly. But there are still so many types of characters you can create with just a gunslinger :)

Ah, the things we do to preserve Order...

Okay, I broke down and pre-ordered. It's not even expected until november, so I'll totally be saving up and applying as much of my store credit from GMing at PaizoCon and GenCon as possible >_>