InYourFace Pre-CampTrans '99 Press Release Editor: Clare Howell, clare@gpac.org PROTEST CALLED FOR - WOMEN'S MUSIC FESTIVAL DISCRIMINATORY POLICY STILL IN EFFECT [New York, NY: 24 Jun 99] The street action group Transexual Menace announced today that "Camp Trans," the educational event across the road from the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival (MWMF), will be held Thursday, 12 Aug 99, through Sunday, 15 Aug 99, to contest the festival's "womyn-born-womyn" only policy. The policy has been used to exclude trans-identified women or evict those discovered on Festival grounds. The original Camp Trans was held in August 1994, two years after attendee Nancy Jean Burkholder was forcibly expelled from the event by Festival Security for being transgendered. Festival owners then retro- actively announced the "womyn-born-womyn only" policy, effectively barring trans-identified women from attending. Two years later, 30 activists gathered to hold the first Camp Trans across the road from the Festival's main gate and conducted 3 days of workshops. Hundreds of festival attendees came out to attend. As the country's largest and 2nd oldest, the Festival continues to act as a model for women's music festivals across the country who evict or deny entrance to scores of trans- identified women each summer. Like MWMF, such events quietly enforce their policies with as little publicity as possible. Their policies are not displayed on web-sites or literature, effectively keeping transgender women out while keeping attendees unaware. Said Riki Anne Wilchins, one of the Camp Trans '99 organizers, "Our purpose is to focus pubic attention on the fact that these exclusionary policies are still very much in effect." S/he continued, "Five years have passed, and while the whole queer movement has embraced inclusiveness and diversity, MWMF still wants to act as the Gender Police, judging who is 'woman enough' and who is not. This is a policy that cries out to be challenged." Planners of "Son of Camp Trans" are asking supporters to join them peacefully and camp across the road from the Festival gates Thursday evening, August 12th. They plan to quietly march to the Festival Friday morning, declare themselves transgendered, and ask to be admitted. Continued Wilchins, "We're calling on everyone -- Menace members, Lesbian Avengers, Riot Grrrls, stone butches, diesel dykes, high femmes, intersexuals, transfags and faggot-identified dykes, FTMs, genderbenders, gender-blenders, transwomen, leatherdykes and dyke daddies, passing women, drag kings, and gendertrash of all descriptions. Being gender-different is not just a 'trans right,' it's a woman's right too. "When the owners know that gender-difference is no longer about 'them' but about 'us,' when they know there is solidarity, then this policy will fall. Discrimination against any woman must always be contested." Those interested in specifics or more information should visit the Camp Trans '99 website, http://www.CampTrans.com.