Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-09-06
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Transgender journalist Bobbie Dittmeier: The write stuff
by Ross Forman
2010-10-20

This article shared 11216 times since Wed Oct 20, 2010
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Bobbie Dittmeier was a sports reporter in upstate New York for 15 years, and a very good one at that.

She was Bob at the time, and she worked in the Albany market, with stints at two different papers, where she covered professional hockey and horse racing. Dittmeier wrote at length about the American Hockey League, often covering 100-plus games during a season, and even topped out one year at 125 games. She wrote about the National Hockey League for national publications, not just regional ones.

Dittmeier also covered horse racing at the famous Saratoga Race Course, and in 1992 was an honorable-mention winner of the Eclipse Award. Her writing was judged to have produced one of the top three stories about horse racing in North America that year.

But then in 1995, Dittmeier returned to her native New York City without a job.

"I didn't believe that a sports writer could transition [ gender ] on the job, in the same job, and do it successfully. And my wife wanted to come back to New York [ City ] , so we did," Dittmeier said.

So Dittmeier was big-city-bound.

"Personally [ at the time ] , I was happy; I was very happy in my relationship," Dittmeier recalls. "But I always knew that transitioning at some point would probably happen. It was just a matter of when, where, and was I going to be able to manage it and make it happen.

"I finally grew some courage back in the mid-1990s to try to do something about it. It was nagging, gnawing. I finally got annoyed with it, tired of it, and just had to do something about it, or at least be open about it. I guess I reached that point."

She had been married for several years.

"In 1994, I think I just reached a point where I wanted to be open; I wanted to be open with my spouse. I wanted to be able to talk about it and I wanted to be able to do something about it. It had been building over time," Dittmeier said. "However, my first transition attempt was a disaster; I had no idea what I was doing. I jumped in headfirst, which I shouldn't have. I had no real plan. I had no foresight. And it went terribly; it was awful. I wasn't educated enough; I probably wasn't getting enough counseling; I was jumping in a little too fast.

"I ended up with a divorce that I didn't want from someone who I loved very much. And then I backtracked; I absolutely backtracked. I was completely devastated by my divorce; it was a tremendous emotional upheaval for me. Combined with fact that I was not working in my career, it really made for some difficult times. It was just too much of an uphill climb."

From 1997-2004, Dittmeier did not again address her transgender feelings. "I totally went into denial and just focused on what I needed to focus on, such as building back my career and raising and supporting my child," Dittmeier said.

"The two things that you have to have to transition are job security and money. Without those, the chances are you're not going to make it. So, I needed to get myself back into a position where I had job security—and around 2004 or 2005, I realized that I did, and realized that I could move forward with it again."

Which she did. Dittmeier hoped to be completely transitioned in late 2006, but it wasn't until November 2007 when Bob became Barbara, or, as she prefers, Bobbie.

"In 2004 and 2005, when I was transitioning for the second time, I went very slowly. I did it completely different from the first time," Dittmeier said. "I started out [ telling ] a very, very small group of people who live in my apartment building and grew my world out from there, rather than telling the most important people in my life first [ as she did in the mid-1990s ] . I felt that I needed to experience life without my closest friends and family knowing and questioning me about what I was doing. They were the last to know this time; I learned from my first experience.

"So, from 2004-2007, it was good for the most part. I was just trying to be comfortable with myself, and hopefully help make people comfortable with me. I also then worked to expand my circle [ of friends ] as I went along."

Dittmeier, now 47, is a homepage editor for MLB.com, the official website for Major League Baseball.

"The people at work have been great [ about the transition ] ," Dittmeier said. "There haven't been any issues that I'm aware of. I just go in, do my job, and hopefully get it done well. Things have been pretty good."

Dittmeier joined MLB.com in September 2001.

"I think things are a lot different than when I first attempted [ the transition ] 15 years ago," Dittmeier said. "I think the younger generation has less of a hang-up with things. I work with a lot of younger people, people in their 20s, and to my knowledge, [ being transgender ] has never been an issue."

Dittmeier and sportswriter Christina Kahrl, of Chicago, are the only two transgender sports journalists in the U.S.

"Christina is a great friend; we talk a lot; we care about each other a lot, and we sort of watch out for each other," Dittmeier said. "We don't necessarily talk about issues related to [ being ] transgender, but more about life issues and work, home, relationships, etc. We get along pretty well."

However, Dittmeier isn't all smiles on the social/personal front. In fact, she admits, "it's been a struggle at times."

But mainly, she believes that's because she's lived for a long time in a small town in Westchester County, in the suburbs north of New York City, where people have known her for many years, long before she transitioned.

"It's very, very difficult to find someone who you'd be interested in, or would be interested in you, for a relationship. There are a lot of obstacles here," Dittmeier said. "It can be lonely at times."

She's planning to move to Manhattan.

"People here have been very nice overall, but they don't fully accept me," said Dittmeier. She noted that many locals still call her Bob and use male pronouns when talking to, and about, her. "That doesn't particularly bother me, but it is a reminder," she said.

"One of my great disappointments, one of the definite things that I've learned since I've transitioned, is how little everyone else really wants to know about it. They don't ask questions. My family doesn't even ask questions."

So, Bobbie, who are you attracted to these days?

"I'm looking for the person who I connect with in heart, soul and mind; those are the three most important things. And I don't really care which wrapper that comes in, partially because I don't want anyone to care what wrapper I'm in," Dittmeier said. "I don't rule out anyone based on gender, just like how I don't want to be ruled out based on my gender."

Want more Bobbie Dittmeier? Here goes:

—Hobbies: The beach, walking, lunch with friends, bicycle riding, and attending New York Yankees games.

—Are you a role model? "No, not at all. In fact, I'm guilty of not being involved with the trans community, or having very little involvement. And I don't really know what the reasons are for it. I happen to be a sports journalist who just happens to be transgender."

—Will there ever be an openly gay player in major league baseball? "It's going to happen. I think there eventually will be an athlete who wants to make a statement or wants to make that impact, or will get caught—and that's probably more likely [ why he comes out ] . Hopefully then, he'll have the courage to stand up for himself in the right way and educate others. There certainly are [ closeted ] gays in professional sports, if only based on the sheer number of pro athletes. With the number of pro athletes, it'd be silly to think otherwise.

"But this is something that I have a problem with. How does someone's sexuality or sexual preference matter to anyone? And why should anyone feel obligated to state their sexual preference? When a player signs a contract, no one asks, 'Are you straight or gay?' It's only an issue when you're gay, and why would that be?

"Same thing happens in the trans community, when people ask about the state of our genitals. The general public would only ask a transgender person that question; no one else would ever be asked that question."

—Year started in sports journalism: 1982, and since has worked for various newspapers or websites


This article shared 11216 times since Wed Oct 20, 2010
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Jann Wenner comments on women and Black musicians, later apologizes 2023-09-18
- Openly gay Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner apologized for telling The New York Times that, for his book The Masters, he chose interviews with white male musicians who he called the "philosophers of rock" because ...


Gay News

BOOKS/SAVOR 'Made in Chicago' authors dish on stories behind local treats 2023-09-10
- When it comes to culinary scenes, Chicago is second to none, but do people really know the origins of local dishes—or even which ones have origins in this city? Revered food journalists Monica Eng and David ...


Gay News

THEATER Goodman to run 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' in 2024 2023-08-17
- Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Susan Booth announced that Chicago will be first to experience the new musical Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil—based on John Berendt's iconic non-fiction book—next summer. With a book by ...


Gay News

BOOKS Intersex activist Pidgeon Pagonis candidly talks about life and new memoir 2023-08-07
- In the book Nobody Needs to Know: A Memoir, intersex activist Pidgeon Pagonis details their journey through a sea of trauma that consisted of lies, misdirections and surgeries. It wasn't until their college years that Pagonis ...


Gay News

Dykes to Watch Out For launches as audio series 2023-08-02
- From 1983 to 2008, Alison Bechdel's comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For offered playful, incisive commentary on lesbian culture. Forty years after the comic's inception, it's been adapted into an audio series produced by author-journalist ...


Gay News

Musical parody 'Murder, Rewrote' to run Aug. 10-Sept. 16 2023-07-26
- Hell in a Handbag Productions will conclude its 21st season with the world-premiere musical parody Murder, ReWrote, playing Aug. 10-Sept. 16 at The Den Theatre (Upstairs Mainstage), 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. Murder, ReWrote features book and ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Radical poet, theorist, educator, activist Minnie Bruce Pratt 2023-07-07
- Radical poet, essayist, educator, theorist and feminist, LGBTQ+, anti-racist and anti-imperialist activist Minnie Bruce Pratt died June 2 in Syracuse, New York surrounded by friends and family members, after a brief and sudden illness. She was ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Rocker comes out, Billie Eilish, Luke Evans, 'Housewives,' 'Masculinity' book 2023-06-30
- Josh Kiszka, frontman for the Grammy-winning rock band Greta Van Fleet, came out as gay in an Instagram post, according to Instinct Magazine. He wrote, in part, "The greatest mortal gift of all is our capacity ...


Gay News

American Library Association to distribute $1M for the fight against censorship 2023-06-28
--From a press release - CHICAGO (June 22, 2023) — The American Library Association (ALA) will distribute $1 million to respond to censorship challenges ...


Gay News

SAVOR Movie cookbook, 'A Night of Hope,' restaurant closings and more 2023-06-26
- This week, SAVOR with Andrew's spotlight is actually on a book—Scrounging: A Cookbook. This unique cookbook contains late-night, last-ditch recipes and ingenious back-of-the-pantry meals straight from movies. Scrounging includes an ...


Gay News

Guest essay by Florida mom Nicole Pejovich: What's Happening to Florida's Public Schools? 2023-06-19
Related video below - A queer Florida parent answers questions about recent laws, how Floridians are coping, and how you can help Books pulled from school library shelves by the dozens. All evidence of inclusivity stripped from classrooms. The politically ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Biden, White House, Colorado Springs, Willi Ninja, Pulse, Prop 8 2023-06-16
- President Joe Biden plans to appoint a new federal coordinator to address the increase in book bans enacted across different states, among other pro-LGBTQ+ actions, according to CNN. Biden announced the actions during a news conference ...


Gay News

Lambda Literary names winners of the Jim Duggins, PhD Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist Prize 2023-06-08
--From a Lambda Literary press release - Lambda Literary is pleased to announce Ryka Aoki and Aaron Hamburger as the winners of the 2023 Jim Duggins, PhD Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist Prize. Dedicated to the memory of author and journalist Jim Duggins, this prize ...


Gay News

GLAAD and EveryLibrary announce Community Response Toolkit 2023-06-06
--From a press release - (New York, NY - June 6, 2023) GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, along with EveryLibrary, a national organization supporting campaigns against book bans, announce a new resource to help communities unite and engage ...


Gay News

THEATER Queer performer Yurel Echezarreta tells his 'Side' of the 'Story' 2023-06-06
- The classic musical West Side Story (by Jerome Robbins, with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Arthur Laurents) has gone through countless iterations from its 1957 origin, including the Oscar-winning ...


 


Copyright © 2023 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives. Single copies of back issues in print form are
available for $4 per issue, older than one month for $6 if available,
by check to the mailing address listed below.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.
All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transegender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS






Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.