Roni Lang 1931-2006: A reluctant hero.

I didn’t know Roni well; I couldn’t even really call her a friend, but I admired her nonetheless. I met Roni in the early 90s when my friends and I competed against her team in Portland’s gay bowling league. She not only bowled well, but she always looked good in her wig, bowling shirt and skirt. There were a couple of drag queens who were regular bowlers but Roni was different. She never looked like she was in drag. She simply was Roni, with her perfectly coifed hair, simple make-up and buoyant personality. I later learned from friends that she lived her life as a woman. She hadn’t yet transitioned to being female but never the less led her life as the woman she knew she was in an elegant, dignified way. I later learned that she had been married and had grown children and she had served in the military during the Korean Conflict. She was a tireless advocate for both the transgendered and gay community here in Portland.

I’ve been blessed over the years to know and associate with a number of transgendered persons - some of the bravest men and women I have ever met. Yes, there are many brave gay men and women fighting for the gay community. But gay men and lesbians can choose to step away from the fray, stay out of the limelight and retire from the politics of sexual orientation if they choose to do so. But those women and men compelled by an inner need that can no longer be denied, who make the decision to transition to the opposite sex and live openly as that gender are the true heroes of the LGBT community. Once they make that decision, they are out there for life, on the front lines of the battle for acceptance, equality, and freedom.

So to Roni, my bowling colleague, to Terri, my friend since high school, to Joanne, my cousin, to Stephenie, my friend and colleague at work, to Chris, an acquaintance of many years, and to Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, an East German who beat all the odds, thank you for your bravery, your dignity and fighting the good fight.