Tuesday, September 13, 2005

episode of Oprah

There is this very handsome man I know named Aidan whose lives in Seattle WA. We've been friends a few years now through community building, activism and sex positive culture. Aidan is going to be on the Oprah show this Friday September 16. Last week I received an email from Aidan about the show, I've cut and pasted most of it here with Aidans permission of course for you to read...

Here is the scoop. My sister Brenda and I went to Chicago in February to film an episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show. This episode was focused on the story of identical twins where one pursues a gender transition (for those who don't know, that would be me). This is of interest to many in the scientific community because of how it challenges commonly held beliefs of how gender is determined. In the past, the debate has focused on whether gender is determined by nature or nurture. This is perhaps too simplistic when one takes into consideration the identical genetic makeup of my sister and me combined with our similar upbringing. Makes one question--Just what the heck happened to Brenda? Love her to death but she is so.....so normal!

Anyhow, we were told this episode would air by the end of last May and it never did. I would have questioned that I had even gone to Chicago if I wasn't drinking my coffee every morning out of my Oprah mug. Just when I resigned myself to the episode sitting in the midst of cobwebs on the "not so interesting" shelf, I received an email from the producer stating an air date of September 16th, 2005.

And here is what I found on the Oprah web site when I clicked on tune in this week, and then hit Friday:

09/16/05 When Your Identical Twin Has a Sex Change (TV-14)
In 20 years, this is a subject we've never covered. Brenda and Bonnie were born identical twiIdentical..but, Bonnie is now Aiden.


Well, well, Oprah and Aidan meet. How exciting is this! Damn this is one show that I'm going to watch even though I'm not normally a TV viewer.

Now I'm off to finish packing my toys & gear for work this evening. I'm teaching Private Parts: Genital Play for the Adventurous in Bellingham WA tonight and am driving down with both kara and Felicity. Three women in one car and a load of genital play supplies, let's hope we make it to the class. ; )

hugs & blessing

Jennifer