Obama's Transgender Ex-Nanny An Outcast

[John317]

See source for pictures: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-exclusive-obamas-transgender-ex-nanny-outcast-070907242.html

AP Exclusive: Obama's transgender ex-nanny outcast

By NINIEK KARMINI | Associated Press – 8 hrs ago.. .

AP Exclusive: Obama's Transgender Ex-Nanny 'Proud' (ABC News)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Once, long ago, Evie looked after "Barry" Obama, the kid who would grow up to become the world's most powerful man. Now, his transgender former nanny has given up her tight, flowery dresses, her brocade vest and her bras, and is living in fear on Indonesia's streets.

Evie, who was born a man but believes she is really a woman, has endured a lifetime of taunts and beatings because of her identity. She describes how soldiers once shaved her long, black hair to the scalp and smashed out glowing cigarettes onto her hands and arms.

The turning point came when she found a transgender friend's bloated body floating in a backed-up sewage canal two decades ago. She grabbed all her girlie clothes in her arms and stuffed them into two big boxes. Half-used lipstick, powder, eye makeup — she gave them all away.

"I knew in my heart I was a woman, but I didn't want to die like that," says Evie, now 66, her lips trembling slightly as the memories flood back. "So I decided to just accept it. ... I've been living like this, a man, ever since."

Indonesia's attitude toward transgenders is complex.

Nobody knows how many of them live in the sprawling archipelagic nation of 240 million, but activists estimate 7 million. Because Indonesia is home to more Muslims than any other country in the world, the pervasiveness of men who live as women and vice versa often catches newcomers by surprise. They hold the occasional pageant, work as singers or at salons and include well-known celebrity talk show host Dorce Gamalama.

However, societal disdain still runs deep — when transgenders act in TV comedies, they are invariably the brunt of the joke. They have taken a much lower profile in recent years, following a series of attacks by Muslim hard-liners. And the country's highest Islamic body has decreed that they are required to live as they were born because each gender has obligations to fulfill, such as reproduction.

"They must learn to accept their nature," says Ichwan Syam, a prominent Muslim cleric at the influential Indonesian Ulema Council. "If they are not willing to cure themselves medically and religiously" they have "to accept their fate to be ridiculed and harassed."

Many transgenders turn to prostitution because jobs are hard to find and because they want to live according to what they believe is their true gender. In doing so, they put themselves at risk of contracting AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Some, like Evie, have decided it's better to hide their feelings. Others are pushing back. Last month, a 50-year-old Indonesian transvestite applied to be the next leader of the national human rights commission, showing up in a borrowed luxury vehicle with paparazzi cameras flashing as she stepped out.

"I'm too ugly to be a prostitute," Yuli Retoblaut said, chuckling. "But I can be their bodyguard."

The threat of violence is very real: Indonesia's National Commission for Human Rights receives about 1,000 reports of abuses per year, ranging from murder and rape to the disruption to group activities. Worldwide, at least one person is killed every other day, according to the Trans Murder Monitoring Project, which collects homicide reports.

Evie says she chose her current name because she thought it sounded sweet. But she adds, as she pulls out her national identification card, her official name is Turdi and gender male. Several longtime residents of Obama's old Menteng neighborhood confirmed that Turdi had worked there as his nanny for two years, also caring for his baby sister Maya. When asked about the nanny, the White House had no comment.

Evie, who like many Indonesians goes by a single name, now lives in a closet-sized hovel in a tightly packed slum in an eastern corner of Jakarta, collecting and scrubbing dirty laundry to pay for food. She wears baggy blue jeans and a white T-shirt advertising a tranquil beach resort far away in a place she's never been. She speaks softly, politely, and a deep worry line is etched between her eyes.

As a child, Evie was often beaten by a father who couldn't stand having such a "sissy" for a son.

"He wanted me to act like a boy, even though I didn't feel it in my soul," she says.

Teased and bullied, she dropped out of school after the third grade and decided to learn how to cook.

As it turned out, she was pretty good at it, making her way into the kitchens of several high-ranking officials by the time she was a teenager, she recalls with a smile and a wink. And so it was, at a cocktail party in 1969, that she met Ann Dunham, Barack Obama's mother, who had arrived in the country two years earlier after marrying her second husband, Indonesian Lolo Soetoro.

Dunham was so impressed by Evie's beef steak and fried rice that she offered her a job in the family home. It didn't take long before Evie also was 8-year-old Barry's caretaker, playing with him and bringing him to and from school.

Neighbors recalled that they often saw Evie leave the house in the evening fully made up and dressed in drag. But she says it's doubtful Barry ever knew.

"He was so young," says Evie. "And I never let him see me wearing women's clothes. But he did see me trying on his mother's lipstick, sometimes. That used to really crack him up."

When the family left in the early 1970s, things started going downhill. She moved in with a boyfriend. That relationship ended three years later, and she became a sex worker.

"I tried to get a job as a maid, but no one would hire me," says Evie. "I needed money to buy food, get a place to stay."

It was a cat-and-mouse game with security guards and — because the country was still under the dictatorship of Gen. Suharto — soldiers. They often rounded up "banshees" or "warias," as they are known locally, loaded them into trucks, and brought them to a field where they were kicked, hit and otherwise abused.

The raid that changed everything came in 1985. She and her friends scattered into dark alleys to escape the swinging batons. One particularly beautiful girl, Susi, jumped into a canal strewn with garbage.

When things quieted, those who ran went back to look for her.

"We searched all night," says Evie, who is still haunted by the memory of her friend's face. "Finally ... we found her. It was horrible. Her body swollen, face bashed in."

Today Evie seeks solace in religion, going regularly to the mosque and praying five times a day. She says she's just waiting to die.

"I don't have a future anymore."

She says she didn't know the boy she helped raise won the 2008 U.S. presidential election until she saw a picture of the family in local newspapers and on TV. She blurted out that she knew him.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," she says, breaking into a huge grin.

Her friends at first laughed and thought she was crazy, but those who live in the family's old neighborhood say it's true.

"Many neighbors would remember Turdi ... she was popular here at that time," says Rudy Yara, who still lives across the street from Obama's former house. "She was a nice person and was always patient and caring in keeping young Barry."

Evie hopes her former charge will use his power to fight for people like her. Obama named Amanda Simpson, the first openly transgender appointee, as a senior technical adviser in the Commerce Department in 2010.

For Evie, who's now just trying to earn enough to survive each day on Jakarta's streets, the election victory itself was enough to give her a reason — for the first time in a long time — to feel proud.

"Now when people call me scum," she says, "I can just say: 'But I was the nanny for the President of the United States!'"

____

Associated Press writer Robin McDowell contributed from Jakarta.

[doug yowell]

That's really sad.

[doug yowell]

DOUG YOWELL

yes this was a sad story

dgrimm60

I thought the saddest part was the fact that the person was a transgender and couldn't seem to figure out why he/she wasn't welcomed by rest of society. Like the boisterous drunk that wonders why everyone avoids him at parties.

[teresaq]

I thought the saddest part was the fact that the person was a transgender and couldn't seem to figure out why he/she wasn't welcomed by rest of society.

I would welcome "him/her" with open arms. I can't see Satan doing that unless it was for manipulation purposes, but I can see Jesus doing that.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Matt 9:10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

How did He call them to repentance? Apparently not by avoiding them like the plague, but accepting their company with open arms.

Hmmm, wonder if He had something there...

[doug yowell]

I would welcome "him/her" with open arms. I can't see Satan doing that unless it was for manipulation purposes, but I can see Jesus doing that.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Matt 9:10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

How did He call them to repentance? Apparently not by avoiding them like the plague, but accepting their company with open arms.

Hmmm, wonder if He had something there...

Good points, but the nanny was hanging with a different crowd, one that had no answers for his/her sickness.

[Bravus]

Right-wingers are confused: they can complain about either Muslims being intolerant to trans people, or the trans people themselves but given they want to make America intolerant to trans people, their impulses don't really hang together logically...

[teresaq]

Hmmmm,

I thought the saddest part was the fact that the person was a transgender and couldn't seem to figure out why he/she wasn't welcomed by rest of society.

[teresaq]

Hmmmm,

Originally Posted By: doug yowell

I thought the saddest part was the fact that the person was a transgender and couldn't seem to figure out why he/she wasn't welcomed by rest of society.

Originally Posted By: teresaq(sda)

I would welcome "him/her" with open arms. I can't see Satan doing that unless it was for manipulation purposes, but I can see Jesus doing that.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Matt 9:10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

How did He call them to repentance? Apparently not by avoiding them like the plague, but accepting their company with open arms.

Hmmm, wonder if He had something there...

Originally Posted By: doug yowell

Good points, but the nanny was hanging with a different crowd, one that had no answers for his/her sickness.

Well, yes, there is a certain "logic" to that... Everyone loves to hang out with those who will be constantly pointing out their "sickness", you know, like the ones that were brutalizing them...? Course brutalizing them verbally and/or with the bible doesn't leave any physical scars so the brutalizer gets to get away with murder, literally.

Guess you didn't really think much of Jesus' approach?

Oh, I think you may have missed the text where Jesus said He came to seek and save the lost? Nothing in there about the lost seeking Him.

[Bravus]

Makes me giggle a little that on my screen the thread title cuts off at 'Obama's Transgender Ex'.

Which has a rather different vibe to it.

[doug yowell]

Right-wingers are confused: they can complain about either Muslims being intolerant to trans people, or the trans people themselves

[doug yowell]

Guess you didn't really think much of Jesus' approach?

You mean the one in which He said, "repent and believe the gospel"? "For He shall save His people from their sins"? You rightly pointed out the sickness of the transgendered. A doctor is no doctor if he simply befriends the terminally ill. Jesus never kept silent about His desire and ability to heal the most destitute of human conditions. In today's modern anti-God culture trangender is portrayed as something to be celebrated and speaking about it as a sin is something that is portrayed as evil. The modern world has no concern about the eternal future of the transgender. The Christian cannot afford to merely celebrate their diversity.

[doug yowell]

Makes me giggle a little that on my screen the thread title cuts off at 'Obama's Transgender Ex'.

Which has a rather different vibe to it.

That's funny. It's like everytime I see the thread entitled Basketball is Back I think it says Basketball is Black.

[olger]

Makes me giggle a little that on my screen the thread title cuts off at 'Obama's Transgender Ex'.

Which has a rather different vibe to it.

Crossdressing doesn't get high marks in the Good Book.

[SivartM]

You mean the one in which He said, "repent and believe the gospel"? "For He shall save His people from their sins"? You rightly pointed out the sickness of the transgendered. A doctor is no doctor if he simply befriends the terminally ill. Jesus never kept silent about His desire and ability to heal the most destitute of human conditions. In today's modern anti-God culture trangender is portrayed as something to be celebrated and speaking about it as a sin is something that is portrayed as evil. The modern world has no concern about the eternal future of the transgender. The Christian cannot afford to merely celebrate their diversity.

So if someone is born with a disability, that's okay, but if someone is born with the wrong physical characteristics for their mental gender identity (which can be caused by hormones in the womb), it's evil? Just because you have a penis and feel like you ought to doesn't mean that trans people are sick. Where in the Bible does it say anything about trans people being evil? I see a lot of talk about eunuchs, whom Jesus seems to think are perfectly fine, and are the closest biblical analogue to trans people.

You think they're just confused, but you don't think that blind people are confused when they have eyes, or that deaf people are confused when they have ears, and you don't implore them to repent of their blind or deaf ways. That's just how they are, and they're perfectly acceptable people because of it. But if someone feels that they have been misgendered, and accept themselves for it in spite of being at a huge risk for abuse and suicide, you feel the need to condemn them. And you know why they commit suicide? Because people can't mind their own cisgendered business and refrain from telling them they're sick.

[Tom Wetmore]

Ultimately, it is much easier to condemn and look down on that which we are not and at no risk of becoming.

[M. T. Cross]

Originally Posted By: doug yowell

You mean the one in which He said, "repent and believe the gospel"? "For He shall save His people from their sins"? You rightly pointed out the sickness of the transgendered. A doctor is no doctor if he simply befriends the terminally ill. Jesus never kept silent about His desire and ability to heal the most destitute of human conditions. In today's modern anti-God culture trangender is portrayed as something to be celebrated and speaking about it as a sin is something that is portrayed as evil. The modern world has no concern about the eternal future of the transgender. The Christian cannot afford to merely celebrate their diversity.

So if someone is born with a disability, that's okay, but if someone is born with the wrong physical characteristics for their mental gender identity (which can be caused by hormones in the womb), it's evil? Just because you have a penis and feel like you ought to doesn't mean that trans people are sick. Where in the Bible does it say anything about trans people being evil? I see a lot of talk about eunuchs, whom Jesus seems to think are perfectly fine, and are the closest biblical analogue to trans people.

You think they're just confused, but you don't think that blind people are confused when they have eyes, or that deaf people are confused when they have ears, and you don't implore them to repent of their blind or deaf ways. That's just how they are, and they're perfectly acceptable people because of it. But if someone feels that they have been misgendered, and accept themselves for it in spite of being at a huge risk for abuse and suicide, you feel the need to condemn them. And you know why they commit suicide? Because people can't mind their own cisgendered business and refrain from telling them they're sick.

I wish I could make the thumbs up smilie bigger for how I feel about what you posted here..... great post.

[Tom Wetmore]

What's illogical is that one should expect the unconverted transgender's unnatural impulses to be ignored by the natural impulses of the 99.99% of unconverted gender assured society.

Not necessarily about the transgender issue specifically, but this strikes me as at the core of what seems to be going wrong in American society as a whole. There seems to be a growing sentiment that all values and morality judgments are strictly a matter of the majority rule. All in a minority position just better suck it up and conform to the majority will regardless of whether they are even able. If not able, get out or go hide.

It seems the basic concept that brought about the Bill of RIghts is lost sight of. It stands as a principle of protecting the fundamental human rights of those who are different from the majority in ways they have little or no control over. It is on that principle that we enjoy freedom of religion and the freedom of expression. It is also the foundation upon which our civil rights laws are built.

We are seeing an erosion of that principle by the corrosion of intolerance.

[M. T. Cross]

Originally Posted By: dgrimm60

DOUG YOWELL

yes this was a sad story

dgrimm60

I thought the saddest part was the fact that the person was a transgender and couldn't seem to figure out why he/she wasn't welcomed by rest of society. Like the boisterous drunk that wonders why everyone avoids him at parties.

Thats a messed up comparison.

Accepted in society. Now the transgender person holds down a job, pays taxes and obeys the law. This person buys groceries and clothes, gas for their car etc thus helping the local economy.They simply seek to live, love, and be true to who they are.

Tell me again why they should not be accepted by society?

The boisterous drunk might do a lot of those things too. But if he/she is truly a drunk, if its just what they do, chances of them driving drunk or committing some other alcohol fueled crime is fairly common. Yet it seems to me that most people might try to avoid them, but they still accept them as a part of society.

[Guest]

Right-wingers are confused: they can complain about either Muslims being intolerant to trans people, or the trans people themselves but given they want to make America intolerant to trans people, their impulses don't really hang together logically...

What a broad, sweeping, inaccurate statement.

[doug yowell]

Ultimately, it is much easier to condemn and look down on that which we are not and at no risk of becoming.

You mean like becoming a right-wing American conservative?

[doug yowell]

So if someone is born with a disability, that's okay, but if someone is born with the wrong physical characteristics for their mental gender identity (which can be caused by hormones in the womb), it's evil?

[olger]

Ultimately, it is much easier to condemn and look down on that which we are not and at no risk of becoming.

Was that Moses' problem?

God justly condemns any blurring of the lines between the sexes (Deuteronomy 22:5 for instance).

Rejoice always,

G

[Naomi]

Ultimately, it is much easier to condemn and look down on that which we are not and at no risk of becoming.

[SivartM]

If someone is born with a disability most societies historically have viewed this as a social liability to be shunned. What suddenly makes the transgendered different? And who determines if their born physical characteristics are wrong?

[Bravus]

Originally Posted By: Bravus

Right-wingers are confused: they can complain about either Muslims being intolerant to trans people, or the trans people themselves but given they want to make America intolerant to trans people, their impulses don't really hang together logically...

What a broad, sweeping, inaccurate statement.

Please show how. Doug had a go but basically misunderstood every piece of the logic. If you understand, by all means correct me.