The blog of photographer Kim Ayres

Press Release...

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With a thousand and one thanks to V, the blogger from Learning to be Selfish, press releases have been sent out to the local rags to help promote the exhibition.

And sure enough, the Dumfries & Galloway Standard picked it up and in the Friday edition had an article, New exhibition challenges contemporary portraiture

My first press entry for my first exhibition!

It’s just a shame they spelt my name wrong, didn’t mention when it is, and refer to me as “she” throughout…

Click here for original article

I mean, as it was largely a cut ‘n’ paste job, someone had to actually go through it and change all the “he”s to “she”s

As you can imagine, this isn’t the first time I’ve suffered from mistaken gender, and I daresay it won’t be the last.

Although the best example still has to be when the Health Centre sent me an appointment for a cervical smear…
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31 comments

Zaedah said...

Oh honey, you're one hundred percent MALE to me and the best of the breed!

Charlie said...

I fixed the error in my post (Fleet instead of Street), but there doesn't appear to be much hope with your local.

BTW, how did that smear come out? That was quite a long time ago, and you're probably due another.

Alice said...

Hey, I just mentioned to Charlie that my brother once broke his cervix. The two of you should get together.

Everybody always thinks my name is Amy for some reason, but I suppose that isn't is bad. Congratulations and good luck on the exhibition.

Anonymous said...

it's hardly gender-confusion but i get a chuckle out of the ways people change my sirname in order to get their heads around it. as if such a name just couldn't exist.

Falak said...

Your first press exhibition!!!! Congratulations :)Thank God they haven't sent you an appointment for a mammogram....

savannah said...

any press is good press, right, sugar? ;~D speaking of names, you know mine, so you can just about imagine how it's been mangled! xoxoxo

Aoife.Troxel said...

Since moving to Ireland, the issue of people mistaking my name for a boy's has disappeared, fortunately :) However, my friend Dara, who also moved from the USA, is now being mistaken for a boy, when she used to have no confusion whatsoever in the States. I think it's okay, the main trouble is having to explain over and over, that yes, you are the gender you say you are. Like the article, most publications usually go for the stereotypical gender, without checking their facts; Dara (a popular boy's name here) had a story published where she was referenced as 'he' throughout. Did you notice, in the article it's 'his' exhibition, but the rest is female? It's hard for me to get mad at people for spelling my name wrong though; in all cases so far, I spelled it wrong originally, leading to their error! ;D

Aoife.Troxel said...

P.S. I find it changes one's view toward a person, and their image in your mind, if what is said is by a male or female. I think you can read more into what a male says than a female, and having your gender confused always feels wrong somehow (to me anyway), like you are lying even though it wasn't you who got it wrong.

hope said...

Gee, can I write a note to the "reporter" of this story and ask a few questions?

Like how do I get there from America and what did you do with the handsome bearded man who took the photos. ;)

You should've sent her a picture of YOU. ;)

Rachel said...

How very funny.

Pat said...

It's the Kim that does it. Do you remember way back I thought you were a girl?

Library girl said...

Classic! Never let the facts get in the way of a story! BTW I work in ad design for the local paper - quite amazing to watch the stuff-ups as they unfold :) It takes talent, I tell you!

Eryl said...

I'm always 'he' so we should make a good team, or perhaps we should swap names.

Apex Zombie said...

Jackanackanory, mate! Getting in the press is freaking awesome! Congrats!

Sorry about the mixup on the gender... bloody reporters/editors.

But nicely done :)

litzi said...

Hi Kim,
Just wait until someone from The Dumfries & Galloway Standard get a glimpse of your beard…they’ll either be totally mortified by their mistake OR assume you’re the bearded lady from the Circus.

Best wishes for a most successful exhibition!

Jayne Martin said...

It really is true that there's no such thing as bad publicity. This is so exciting. You're going to be a smash. I just know it!

Kim Ayres said...

Zaedah - *blush*

Charlie - you're right, I should make an appointment!

Alice - a broken cervix sounds very painful - do give your brother my sympathies...

Heather - I've had people ask my name and the conversation goes:
"Kim"
"Jim?"
"Kim"
"Tim?"
"No, Kim!"
"Ken?"...

Falak - well, as I'm overweight, I do have bigger boobs than I'd like...

Savannah - true. But with only 8 letters in my entire name, you would have thought there was less chance for getting it wrong...

Aoife - it's not a name I'm familiar with, I have to confess. How do you pronounce it?

Hope - I know I will get people turning up and looking confused - wondering why I didn't wax my chin...

Rachel - it has its moments...

Pat - ah yes, I'd forgotten about that. And I thought the title of my blog might have been a clue...

Library Girl - sometimes it seems that it must take a very special skill...

Eryl - never occured to me, but I guess people must be thinking of Errol. As for swapping names, Kim Shields might work, but I don't think Eryl Ayres flows too well...

Kepa - thank you :)

Litzi - I've sent them an email pointing out their mistake, but whether it will be acted on remains to be seen

Jayne - in the big scheme of things I don't think it will harm. Those who know me will smirk, and those who don't will probably have forgotten which gender as mentioned by the time they turn up

Keepin' afloat - barely said...

I have the same gender issues all the time. Adrienne is a girls name people! Good job on the release though. Best of luck at the show.

Hindsfeet said...

"Although the best example still has to be when the Health Centre sent me an appointment for a cervical smear…"

OH MY GOD!!!!!! LOLOLOL, spit coffee all over my computer screen, bahahahaha.....

oh dear Lord, Kim! Sorry that happened to ya, but thanks for the laugh.......you are friekin hilarious......

So stoked for ya and your press release, albeit a transgender press release ; )

Really Kim, all the best : )

Anonymous said...

All through school and uni teachers called out "Daniel" when they were doing the register. For a few years I shouted out "It's Danielle!!!" and they'd look up at confusion at my female voice. Then I gave up and resorted to "present" - it was easier!

Chrissie B said...

You have my sympathy! You should see some of the emails I get offering ways to enlarge a certain part of the body that I don't have!
Good luck for the exhibition!

Chris

Zoe Brain said...

Hi Kim!

The existence of a handful of people like myself does complicate things.

I'm due for a pap smear soon, and overdue for a mammogram. And a prostate exam (oh joy....). But the latter is done vaginally as well as via the usual method, to make doubly sure.

Trans women have similar issues.

It does cause a certain amount of cranial implosion, especially when some of us look far too vanilla normal for such issues to be obvious.

Welcome to my world...

Attila the Mom said...

Well I suppose any press is good press. LOL Woohoo!

Tiffin said...

Kim, my lad Arlen (6'3", about 220 lbs) kept getting called Arlene all through his childhood hockey career. We have a couple of trophies with Arlene on them.

Haven't they read their Rudyard Kipling? hehe

mapstew said...

I'm often mistaken for a female! Must be the hair!?

(Aoife is an Irish name meaning 'beautiful, radiant, joyful', pronounced 'EEFA' in these parts.) :¬)

Daphne Wayne-Bough said...

How easy do you have to make it for them? No wonder local papers are going out of business. Good luck, hope it goes well.

Unknown said...

I like the press release. It sounds great. But I really wish they could have figured out who you were.

I think you will get so busy doing photo shoots you'll not know what to do.

Pat said...

Silly! It was before I discovered your blog and talked to you in other comment boxes. The dear dead days.
It's still a mild beef of mine that so many blogs give no indication of gender or country.

Kim Ayres said...

Adrienne and Danielle - I would have thought it was quite obvious these were female names - certainly if you can see how their spelt. Perhaps when spoken it depends on the accent of the listener

Hindsfeet - I really should have just presented myself for the smear rather than pointing out the mistake, but I was young and didn't fully appreciate what a great story it would have made :)

Chrissie - well if I took up all the emails on their offers and they worked, I'd be able to create a bridge across the English Channel with one of my body parts by now...

Zoe - After reading my blogging friend, Hangar Queen, over the years, I've become full of admiration for anyone prepared to put up with such a massive amount of struggle, hassle and emotional turmoil to finally go through sex reassignment. Welcome to my ramblings Zoe :)

Attila - after Gordon Brown's gaff this week, I bet the current UK Prime minister would disagree with that... :)

Tiffin - I used to try and point people to Rudyard Kipling's book, but never had much success with it...

Mapstew - thanks for the linguistic lesson - I am enlightened :)

Daphne - thank you :)

Carole - a new avatar! are you back then? I'll be over soon :)

Pat - at least there seem to be more bloggers around who aren't so secretive with their identities. There was a time when most of my blogging pals seemed to be bogus doctors, gorillas, monsters and robots...

Mimi and Tilly said...

Congratulations on your press release! Gender stretching seems to be a bit of a theme with great artists. The lovely man who won the Turner prize a few years ago is a fine example...!

Kim Ayres said...

I have to say, wearing a dress has never appealed...

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