Here is a poem I found written about Billy Tipton (1914-1989) who is considered a transman and a trans icon. He was an American Jazz musician and his 5 ex-wives and adopted kids apparently didn't know he was female apparently until he died. I have a really hard time imagining how the wives couldn't have known tho.

Pat Parker (1944-1989) on the otherhand, was a famous black gnc lesbian poet who wrote a poem about him and his situation before she died that same year.

Lesbians are often demonized for their views of transmen, but I think this poem is an interesting historical document to show the views of a famous openly gay lesbian on this topic in the 80's before woke TRA's came along. I think this is also an important to read considering all the transing of lesbians in history by the TRA movement.

I actually don't know the title of the poem so I am just going to call it the Billy Tipton poem. It is part of her book "The Complete Works of Pat Parker".

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BILLY TIPTON POEM (1989)

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little Billy Tipton

tiptoed thru his life

found himself a woman

took her for his wife

__

played his music

formed his own band

Oh my goodness!

Billy Tipton ain't a man

__

Billy Tipton was a lie

covered in deceit

teeming in fear

hidden deep deep deep

behind closet doors.

__

it's difficult to imagine,

yet so easy to know

how a woman can hide herself

for her entire adult life.

__

Billy Tipton hid herself

as my mother hid herself

as I have hidden myself

as women have

always hidden themselves

as I vow to change this world

so my daughters will never

have to live in the shadows.

__

The closet is a lonely place

a tomb of self-hatred

that daily chips away

our ability to bear light

__

and we become modern day vampires

fearful of the sun.

__

I cry for Billy Tipton

she never knew

her lover's touch

the soothing words

to desolve cramps

the deep kneading

of a lover's fingers

to push away

the knots gathered

during the day.

__

I cry for Billy Tipton

she never knew the joy

of her body being bathed

the anticipation and lust

in a shower on a hot day

the tingling jolt of a pat

on your butt as you walk by

the rush of your body

as you give yourself to your lover.

__

I cry for Billy Tipton

She never held her children

to her breast

lay them clean and powdered

across her stomach

held their hands as

they kicked across a pool.

__

I cry for Billy Tipton

I cry for Billy Tipton

I cry for Billy Tipton

__

cause she never knew

how good it feels to

stand in front of a mirror

to look at her woman’s body

__

I cry for Billy Tipton

cause she never knew how good it feels

to be a woman

who loves women

__

and not give a damn

what anybody thinks.