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Transwoman NapeWasteWin to Speak at WIU March 19-20

March 13, 2008

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MACOMB, IL - - Transwoman Marjorie Anne NapeWasteWin Schutzer, who describes herself as a Native American two-souls person, will be at Western Illinois University's Macomb campus Wednesday-Thursday, March 19-20 to give several presentations to classes as well as public talks.

NapeWasteWin (NAH pay wash teh win) is appearing as part of Women's History Month programming at Western. She has written that she is a clinical therapist, museum lecturer, artist, writer, musician, singer, weaver, photographer, horse breeder and trainer, boat builder, the parent of two and a grandparent.

"When I was about eight years old I made a deal with myself; I had had these thoughts in my spirit since I was around three years old. The deal was that I would live the first half of my life as a male and then the rest as the person that I thought I was always meant to be -- the woman that I am today," NapeWasteWin wrote in an e-mail to Susan Meiers, associate professor of biology at Western and a member of the Women's History Month planning committee.

During her two days at Western, NapeWasteWin will make presentations to the following classes: Cultural Anthropology and Primatology, taught by assistant professor Jessica White; Honors Anthropology, taught by Diana Sandage; Botany 200, taught by Meiers; and Women's Studies 405, Women and Spirituality, taught by Associate Professor Althea Alton.

Her presentations, which are open free to the public, include the following:

Wednesday, March 19:
Noon-12:50 p.m. in Morgan Hall 324 - Primatoloy, sex and gender discussion;

Thursday, March 20:
Noon-12:50 p.m. in Waggoner Hall 378 - Transgender 101;
2-2:50 p.m. in Morgan Hall 109 - Transgender 101; and
4-4:50 p.m. in Morgan Hal 314 - with the Western Anthropology and Sociology Club

After her successful sex reassignment surgery was performed in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, NapeWasteWin wrote her initial paper "Winyanktehca: Two-souls Person," from her hospital bed while recovering, which led to a few years of talking at conferences and symposiums around Europe.

Following 22 years in Europe, NapeWasteWin returned to the U.S. She has remained a staunch advocate and popular presenter for transgendered and transsexual rights and issues. She now lives in Louisiana, after having spearheaded the rescue of more than 400 horses after Hurricane Katrina.

NapeWasteWin's visit to Western Illinois University is sponsored by Unity, WASC, the Women's Center, the sociology and anthropology department, the University Theme Committee, the Visiting Lecturer Committee and the University Counseling Center.

For more information, contact Meiers at st-meiers@wiu.edu or 309/298-2008.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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