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 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Transgender seniors and the legacy of Lois Bates
PRIDE MONTH: LGBT SENIORS
by Kate Sosin, Windy City Times
2012-06-13

This article shared 5401 times since Wed Jun 13, 2012
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


In late November 2011, June LaTrobe, the transgender liaison at Center on Halsted, got a call that changed her life and her role within Chicago's LGBT community. Lois Bates—a longtime mentor, friend and colleague—had died unexpectedly. It was days before the two were supposed to host Chicago's transgender Day of Remembrance at Center on Halsted.

"For me, Lois was one of the most validating things in my life," said LaTrobe, 71, with a sigh. "I don't really have a person that I go to like I would have gone to Lois for other stuff, frankly."

In her position as transgender health manager at Howard Brown Health Center, Bates, 41, mentored countless transgender Chicagoans through their first teetering steps into gender transition, Among them were two transgender seniors whose names would later become synonymous with trans activism in Chicago: Helena Bushong and LaTrobe.

In the wake of Bates' death, LaTrobe and Bushong were left with a difficult question: What do you as an advocate when the mother of your community—decades younger than you—suddenly dies?

"When Lois died, it had a profound effect on me," said Bushong. "Lois was the one who sat me down and told me how to apply for the correct gender on my driver's license."

Both Bushong and LaTrobe got to know Bates relatively around the same time.

LaTrobe began to publicly transition in 2006 while in her mid-60s. She had met Bates at a Transgender Day of Remembrance event she went to with her friend Jami Bantry, another well-known trans senior who passed away just days after Bates.

LaTrobe eventually accompanied Bantry to T-Time, Bates' transgender support group at Howard Brown Health Center.

"It really was an opportunity to talk to other people, to meet other people," said LaTrobe.

It was around the same time that Bushong, in her mid 50s, began attending the group.

"Another trans woman saw something in me that I didn't see because I was so busy hiding," said Bushong. The woman brought Bushong with her to T-Time.

"By the time I left, I was so empowered I knew I could never wear male clothing again," she said.

Bushong returned to Howard Brown to meet with Bates, who directed her to a therapist.

It was not long before both Bushong and LaTrobe were not only in the process of transitioning but were both organizing around transgender issues.

LaTrobe quickly became the transgender liaison at Center on Halsted. Bushong began to do work on HIV, transgender and senior issues, work that would eventually lead her to a meeting at the White House.

Each made a name for herself and both worked closely with Bates, who—in addition to her role at Howard Brown—organized with Lakeview Action Coalition, Windy City Black Pride, Illinois Gender Advocates and other groups.

But despite her seemingly constant activism, Bates was also reserved in her advocacy.

"She never came across as she presented herself—as a matriarch," said LaTrobe. "You never got a feeling she was talking down to you or teaching you. She was merely a role model."

Bushong, however, sees Bates' reserved nature in another way.

"I felt she needed to be more out there," said Bushong, who said she never figured out why Bates was often silent on issues when other transgender advocates were vocal.

The relationship between Bates and Bushong was never simple. Bushong was Bates' elder in real life, but in the trans community Bates had years on Bushong. Bushong suggested the two had an amicable but tense relationship. They were two out Black transgender women working in the community. Racism and transphobia had their roles in the relationship, she said.

"The rule is, you can only have one in the house," said Bushong. "You can't have two up there plotting your demise."

But Bushong was also full of praise and empathy for Bates.

LaTrobe said she felt Bates' quiet nature was often strategic. "I think she felt she was able to accomplish more negotiating, building bridges," she said.

Neither woman will deny Bates' influence both on young people and on older adults like themselves.

When LaTrobe has to use her identity documents to sort out healthcare and senior housing issues, she thinks of Bates who taught her to change her documents. And Bushong, now 61, remembers that Bates' aided her in changing her driver's license.

LaTrobe can't tally the number of transgender seniors that Bates supported through transition, or the number she advocated for in nursing homes and hospitals.

"Lois played a part in virtually every one of these things that makes Chicago a pretty good place if you are a trans or gender-variant senior," said LaTrobe. Still, she can't yet say exactly what Bates' legacy will be.

But she, like many, may see the contradiction: The role model for so many of Chicago's transgender seniors never lived to be a senior herself.


This article shared 5401 times since Wed Jun 13, 2012
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Nex Benedict's autopsy report released
2024-03-27
The full autopsy report for Nex Benedict (he/they)—a 16-year-old transgender and Indigenous student from Oklahoma's Owasso High School who died in February a day after a school fight—has been released. The Oklahoma Office of the Chie ...


Gay News

An interstate trans healthcare crisis: Illinois prepares for influx of people seeking gender-affirming care
2024-03-26
With hard-won rights, such as access to hormone replacement therapy or permission to use one's chosen pronouns in school, breaking down in states across the country, trans residents of all ages are left with a choice: ...


Gay News

No charges filed in Nex Benedict fight; campaigns call for Walters' removal
2024-03-22
In Oklahoma, Tulsa County District Attorney Stephen Kunzweiler announced that no charges will be filed in connection with the fight that happened the day before transgender, nonbinary high school student Nex Benedict died by suicide, NBC ...


Gay News

JP Karliak morphs into non-binary character for Disney+'s X-Men '97
2024-03-22
series X-Men '97, a revival of the popular X-men: The Animated Series that's both continuing the ongoing mutant storyline and breaking new ground along the way. The character of Morph now looks more like the comic ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist
2024-03-21
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

Almost 8% of U.S. residents identify as LGBTQ+
2024-03-16
The proportion of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ continues to increase. LGBTQ+ identification in the U.S. continues to grow, with 7.6% of U.S. adults now identifying as LGBTQ+, according to the newest Gallup poll results that ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes
2024-03-15
Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools
2024-03-15
In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


Gay News

College athletes sue NCAA over transgender policies
2024-03-15
Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among a group of college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on March 14, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition'
2024-03-15
Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

SPORTS Red Stars prepare to kick off NWSL season against Utah Royals
2024-03-15
It's been a busy winter for the Red Stars, and it's time to put their work to the test. Following a last place finish in the 2023 NWSL season, Chicago has had an active offseason transforming ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ people attacked by mobs in Greece
2024-03-14
Just weeks after a landmark law granted same-sex couples in Greece the right to marry, nearly 200 people dressed in black chased a transgender couple through the town square in Thessaloniki, the country's "second city" and ...


Gay News

Howard Brown experts discuss advocacy and allyship for Chicago's trans community
2024-03-14
By Alec Karam - Howard Brown Health's Trans & Gender Diverse People's Rights & Patient Care panel convened March 12 to discuss both resources for—and opportunities to provide allyship to—the city's trans and gender diverse communities. The event hos ...


Gay News

UPDATE: Nex Benedict's death ruled a suicide; family responds
2024-03-13
A medical examiner's report concluded that the cause of death of Oklahoma student Nex Benedict (he/they) was suicide, media reports confirmed. Benedict—a 16-year-old transgender student—died Feb. 8, a day after ...


Gay News

"X" gender marker now available on Illinois driver's licenses and state ID cards
2024-03-11
After several years of preparation, the Illinois Secretary of State's office is has been making the X gender designation available for non-binary residents and others not utilizing the M or F designations, since the beginning of ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

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 Transgender 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







Sponsor


 



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.