something about Vanni

[Vanessa Emma Goldman]

hello everyone, i am Vanessa Emma Goldman. Vanessa because it is a pretty name that has the same initial as my male birth name, Emma Goldman because she (the anarchist/socialist/feminist who lived from the 1860s-1940) was a totally kick ass woman who i try to be like as much as i can! people call me Vanni.

i am a transitioning male->female person who is attracted to women. i like all kinds of women but really like women who defy the stereotypes, so...women athletes, feminist folksingers, butches and genderqueer women are all particularly attractive to me, but really i love all women!

i am very into radical left politics, if you couldn't guess that from me naming myself after a very well known radical left woman! basically i am dedicated to the destruction of patriarchy and the world capitalist system, and to building a world where all people are able to reach their full potential and are free to be whoever they may be. and where all have access to the basics of a good life, and no one has to go without so that a few can have way more than they need. Listen to John Lennon's song Imagine for a good nutshell view of what i believe.

at the moment i am very involved with TransGender Michigan as a board member. TGMI is the main trans activist group in my home state. i am a librarian at the University of Michigan, and i have gotten to know many wonderful people at the campus LGBT and Women's Centres and get involved with their activities. i also use much of my book buying money to add books to the library collection on LGBT and feminist topics as well as progressive topics in general.

i am a major fan of women's sports, and if you hang out with me long enough you will hear a lot about Deanna Nolan (my pick for Greatest Basketball Player Ever, even better than Michael Whatshisname, you know, the guy who used to play for the Chicago Bulls?) and U of Michigan women's sports, especially the softball program led by Coach Carol Hutchins.

i also love good music..Indigo Girls, Ani DiFranco, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, REM, and Steffie Loveless and the Dirty Virgins to name a few...the last one being a Ferndale, Michigan based band led by my friend Steffie. i am a stage performer with the DVs, specifically i wear a cheerleader uniform in maize and blue (U of Michigan colors, of course!) and dance and do cheer moves to the songs.

i also do a lot of reading, which might explain why i ended up becoming an Academic Librarian!

anyway, that is a bit about me! nice to be here and i look forward to meeting some new friends!