c o v e r s t o r y
Transgendered Butches and FTM's: a uniquely Femme Perspective
by Sonya Bolus

f e a t u r e s
Transgendered Lesbian
by Arlene Istar Lev
Passing as the Pope - the Story of Joan English
by Alison Phipps

c o l u m n s
Health
by Dr. Lipstick
Wealth
by Ms. Moneygrrl
Sex
by SexySuzi
Advice
by Victoria
Femme Perspective
by DeAnna
Butch Perspective
by E.T. Turner

Publisher's Note
Contribute to Femme

The Financial Ties that Constrain Us

By: Ms. MoneyGrrl

Money is often called the root of all evil. It's said that money doesn't buy love or bring happiness, but money does talk and bullshit does walk. So if money is not that important why is our society constrained by it? What is the price of making someone feel complete and whole? Is it so expensive that it brings the strongest people to their knees?

The other day I called up a friend of mine, who is a FtM, in San Francisco and deluged him with questions. I said, "Hey, my column for this quarter is on butch flight and the financial where with all behind it, any input? He laughed and said, "yeah, about $8,000.00 to have my breasts removed and you can forget about bottom surgery".

This got me thinking, why is it that testosterone is so readily available at such an inexpensive price, but yet you have to refinance your home, or take out a loan, or work two jobs to get top surgery? Is this some sort of conspiracy? Is the greater good, who ever that may be, or the radical right, playing with us? Are they saying, we'll humor you and let you go part way, but don't ever think for one moment that we'll make it affordable for you to really be who you are. And what about those damn insurance companies? What the heck do we pay for anyway? If you have a physical problem due to your breasts such as constant backache, you can have them removed for free, but yet, mental ache, emotional ache, spiritual ache are not measured.

So I started asking around. So many FtM's are in this same situation. They can afford T, but can't afford the other surgeries necessary to feel complete and my heart goes out to them. It is so important to me that people live their lives the way they feel they need to and I look around the community and see faces of butches who are tied to their bodies because of money. Their femmes, standing tall, with there heads held high, but secretly squandering away money, doing without, so that they can help their butches complete the transition. Why can't we be more supportive in our own community? Is it possible that in a way we are upset at butches transitioning? That we question why we pay to turn women into men? That we harbor some ill-will against handing more money over to an already male dominated society?

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