Debra Davis
A few weeks ago I got a chance to meet and speak with Debra Davis over in McNeal Hall on the St. Paul campus. A rather large group of students turned out for her presentation and workshop, and that surprised me because, at the time, I didn’t really know who she was or what she was all about. Soon thereafter I did find out that she is nationally known not only for being the first secondary educator to transition from male to female, but also for being the Executive Director of the Gender Education Center which is “A Minnesota non-profit corporation of differently gendered people dedicated to support, advocacy, and education.”
Debra Davis is also “an award-winning transgender educator and activist.” Her awards include, but are not limited to, 2001 Brian Coyle Leadership Award by the Human Rights Campaign, 2000 Minneapolis Pride Grand Marshal, Person of the Year” in Lavender magazine, and she continues to be a role model and mentor at many LGBT evens all over the nation, but particularly here in the cities.
Debra, however, is still somewhat modest. She is not outright about anything, but will answer any question about herself and the transgender community. However, she is careful to not speak for anyone or any group, and there is one question she will not answer: What are her parts? She doesn’t feel that it is necessary to disclose that because it’s not like our “same gendered” people walk around asking each other about their parts; in addition, that is a very private thing for only her and her partners to really know. Her response to this was very respectful, and made me even more curious about her story.
Her story was eye opening and I felt so much love and respect for her as a person as she told us her story.. The basics of her story: She lived as a “he” for about 40-something years, was married for 27 years to a woman and worked as a Media Specialist in a high school in the Minneapolis School District. He had two daughters while married and they are very accepting of her transition and new life. She also has grandchildren who are aware of the transition although they were still quite young when it happened.
I had never met someone who was openly different gendered and upon first meeting her I didn’t necessarily know how to react or perceive her friendly gestures. I didn’t want to seem disrespectful because that was not the case, but for a little suburbanite like myself, I just had never been exposed to someone so confident and full of personality. Although, I do remember her saying that she is not a confident person, I do believe otherwise, and if she isn’t then maybe she should be because Debra is a beautiful person inside and out.
Another issue that I was faced with while meeting with Debra is how to articulate politically correct. In everyday language even around campus I hear terms, some derogatory and some fairly neutral, but for me I didn’t always know which was which. I learned quite a few appropriate terms to use when speaking to or about a different gendered person. I took that away from this experience and am now fairly confident when I speak about gender and sexuality, at least more so than I used to be.
I really enjoyed the discussion on how Debra explained events to her grandchildren and how open she was with her students when she did transition. The students at Southwest High School were more curious than they were hateful, and I found that incredibly reassuring when a lot of what media depicts are these negative attitudes about people who are “different” in any way.
I will definitely be keeping tabs on this lady and attending any other gatherings or story telling times that she hosts because above all else she had a great sense of humor.