As
a young child in Texas, Phyllis or as she was called then Phillip, tended to studies and was an Eagle Boy Scout with God & Country Award and Brotherhood Order of the Arrow. At Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, she worked on the school newspaper, sang tenor in A Capello Choir, co-starred in the Senior Play, earned two Rifle Team Letters and was Cadet Colonel of the ROTC unit. Phyllis then
went to Texas A&M on four scholarships, sang tenor in the Singing Cadets and received her two degrees in Engineering as a member of the Corp of Cadets and upon graduation
became a member of the US Army. Shortly thereafter, she received an honorable discharge as a 1st Lieutenant. This was the beginning
of her OUT TG journey.
In 1976, Phyllis began living as the Woman she always had been, but that society tried to make her bury. She had already lost one spouse, and in coming out had also lost her military career and her job as an engineer. Her current spouse however did not go and they have since celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary as a legally married same sex couple.
Following her coming out, Phyllis and her spouse endured several years of severe underemployment which reduced the family income by 2/3's. Phyllis then went back to college in order to collect GI benefits and also earn MBA and Law degrees. During this time, she lobbied every elected official in Houston to get rid of the city ordinance against crossdressing that made her subject to arrest on a daily basis, not to mention the stress on her spouse of not knowing if Phyllis would be jailed that day or not. She also volunteered for then City Council Member Ernest McGowan, who made use of her Civil Engineering skills and knowledge in his study of proposals before the Council.
Phyllis and her spouse became active members of the Houston LBGT Community and supported many local functions. Phyllis also screened candidates for Office who wanted Gay votes. On the personal side, Phyllis became ostracized by her family. Her spouse was constantly pressured to leave Phyllis in order to keep her family ties. They also were subjected to hatred and property damage in their own neighborhood by those that could not understand either Phyllis' change or simply saw them as a Lesbian couple. They began to feel abandoned by their republican friends and at the same time felt welcomed into many democratic circles. In 1979, 81, 83, and 85, Phyllis was elected to be an open and out TransGender Delegate to the Texas Democratic Party Convention. She was instrumental in bringing the Gay Rights Plank into the Democratic Party Platform in 1983.
In 1981 she obtained her MBA and Doctor of Jurisprudence. This enabled her to not only be an Engineer with an advanced degree, but also to practice Law in Texas as the only "out" TG Lawyer in the state. (Recently in November 1999 a second TG Women has been sworn in as an Attorney and is also "out".) Interestingly, she is well respected in her field of law. Once about 10 years ago, a local columnist wrote a column attempting to ridicule her and her working out of the closet at the court house. Phyllis, upset about the matter, xeroxed the column to every court in the county with a letter saying it was not fair. The result was that the columnist in question was not given the easy access to these courts that he previously enjoyed.
Not all judges, nor lawyers, like Phyllis, even less may understand what she has and still continues to go through, but many judges and lawyers do and those that do not still respect her for her accomplishments and skills and treat her and her clients with the respect due her competence and concentrate solely on the merits of the cases that she brings before them. She has a good track record of normally winning her cases, and has no problem discussing her own or her clients Sexual Orientation or Gender Identification with juries. Phyllis many times tells anecdotes of District Attorneys (DA's) that have not run across her before and think that because she is TG or her Client is TG or Gay that they have a walk over. Phyllis ran into this on her first criminal jury trial. After explaining to the jury that she was TG and that her client was Gay, and asking if that was a problem, she then went ahead and won the case three days later.
Phyllis has represented all facets of the Queer/LBGT community in probate,
in family courts, in criminal courts, and in civil courts. She has worked
in large urban areas and also in small rural towns. Most of the time she
either wins or gets a favorable ruling. During the last 23 years of being
out, Phyllis has done many things with many organizations. Her name has become very well known
throughout the state and nation for her activities involving the advancement
of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and TransGender Rights. THIS EXPLAINS WHY, even
though she is more then happy to provide professional consultation to anyone,
she does not give free consults and her fees reflect her extensive experience.
Her hobbies include reading, vegetable gardening, bicycle riding, and playing
guitar.
Writer:Marie Gallagher
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