january 22, 2002

hello everyone,

tom from the band bitesize here. this is the form letter that i've written to let everyone know about some new "developments" regarding bitesize. actually, this info is more specifically about me. i guess you could say that this news is somewhat out of the ordinary, but i figure that you're all going to find out about this sooner or later and it's probably easiest to just let everyone know in one fell swoop.

ok, so here it goes. i am transgendered! for those of you who aren't exactly sure what that means, a transgendered person is someone who's gender identity (the gender they see themselves as) doesn't quite match up with the sex of their body. in my case, i was born a boy, but ever since i was a child i never really felt right as a boy and i always thought of myself more as a girl. i have spent my life trying to find ways to deal with this situation: when i was younger i tried to suppress or deny the way i felt, in more recent years i tried to explore and express my gender and personality as much as possible within the context of having a male body. however, none of this has really worked for me and in the last year i have reached the point where i know for sure that i would be much happier and my life would be a lot easier if i were to live my life the way that i feel on the inside. so, (long story short) i am in the process of transitioning to female.

i'm sure most people will be surprised by this news. a few of you may have already picked up on some clues from some of our lyrics ("switch hitter", "understudy", and "i forgot my mantra" all come to mind). anyway, for those of you who are still curious or confused, i have a personal website that (for now) mostly deals with my transition: switchhitter.net (although, you may get a little more info than you bargained for). i am also really open and easy-going about this whole situation and i'd like to think that for most people this will not be that big of a deal.

since i brought this up in a band-related context, i should mention that this change shouldn't really effect bitesize. leslie and steve have both been really supportive - they are the best friends and bandmates i could hope to have. also, female hormones won't effect my voice at all, so i will still sound the same. i will be changing my name to julia and there may be subtle changes in my appearance and dress over time, but otherwise my basic personality, manner of speaking, opinions, thoughts, sense of humor, etc., will not be any different.

thanks for listening!
julia
(aka, the artist formerly known as tom)