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February 21, 2007

Transgender woman to speak at MSU

Amanda Dyslin

MANKATO — David Nielsen, a former media specialist at Southwest High School in Minneapolis, left work on a Friday in 1998 as a man and returned Monday as Debra Davis, a woman.

Nielsen had lived a dual life for years — born with male genitalia but identifying as a woman. That spring in 1998, Nielsen decided to no longer live in shame and embraced her true female identity.

One of the first transgender people to work with high school students, Nielsen retired several years later and has since been educating people about gender issues and equality. Her next stop is the United Church of Christ in Mankato during a presentation called “Reading Rainbows: An Evening With Transgender High School Librarian Debra Davis,” sponsored by Minnesota State University’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center, Women’s Center and CADA Inc.

“Even now transgender issues are not talked about,” said Jessica Flatequal, program coordinator for the LGBT Center.

Ten years ago, many people probably hadn’t even heard the word transgender. But Davis’ students overwhelmingly accepted her transition and the administration publicly supported her.

That didn’t mean there weren’t questions. And there still are. Transgender individuals are widely misunderstood, which is why Davis encouraged public discourse then and continues to do so.

The only questions she will not answer are about her anatomy.

“She doesn’t talk about her surgeries — her body under her clothes,” Flatequal said.

But she does talk about what the broad term “transgender” means and what her life is like. Transgender people are not transsexual, meaning they do not necessarily surgically alter their bodies to switch genders.

Transgender is applied to people who live as the opposite gender in appearance and behavior. The term does not have anything to do with sexual orientation. Transgender men and women may be straight, gay, lesbian or bisexual depending upon the individual.

As Davis’ nonprofit corporation Gender Education Center aims to teach, Davis believes differently gendered people are entitled to equal rights regardless of their body parts.

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